THE ARTISAN CHRONICLES

When I finally did the math on it years ago, I realized that a three-person crew was losing nearly nine billable labor hours every single da

And tomorrow, I’m taking the Sash Factory into a client’s driveway in Hyde Park. We’re going to build window sash on site. Not as a stunt. Not as a demo. Not for social media. To get the job done. And to prove something that matters. Historic house communities don’t need distant specialists. They need local capacity. They need artisans who can show up, set up, make what’s needed, install it, and move on. They need teams.

Recently, I watched a conversation unfold among a group of passionate, capable window restoration professionals. The topic wasn’t technique. It wasn’t materials. It wasn’t even historic theory. It was survival. People were talking about burnout. Feast-and-famine cycles. Pricing anxiety. Emotional exhaustion. The strain of doing everything alone. What struck me wasn’t the frustration—it was how universal it was. Nearly everyone identified as a solo operator. Nearly everyone ad

A simple question came up recently in a Facebook group: “Anyone ever use Red Devil window glazing? It says it’s oil based… not latex like DAP. I prefer Sarco but we’re in a bind and need to finish a job.” It’s a familiar situation. Every window restorer eventually faces it. Two respected voices offered thoughtful replies. John Rodgers, president of the Window Preservation Alliance, explained that most traditional glazing compounds will technically work.

Why historic windows keep falling through the cracks — and what Window Craft changes. Recently, a simple pricing conversation surfaced something much deeper about how historic windows are typically serviced. It started with numbers. Different restorers shared what they might charge to restore a set of damaged historic windows. The prices were all over the map — some higher, some surprisingly low. At first glance, it looked like a normal trade discussion. But as the conversati

I took a photo recently of a house in San Antonio that quietly says everything about what Window Craft really is. At first glance, it just looks like a handsome historic façade. But if you actually look at it the way an artisan reads a job, you see something deeper: Two small oval windows flanking the front door. A lace-like transom over the entry. Normal 6-over-6 and 8-over-8 double-hung windows above. And gothic arched windows up in the attic that I personall

If nobody is there to stop someone from building a monopoly, why wouldn’t they build one? Why wouldn’t they expand regionally? Why wouldn’

When it comes to saving historic windows, most people focus on quick fixes: patching rot, slapping on paint, or swapping in replacements

Surely every Artisan is a worker, but not every worker is an Artisan. Every Artisan indeed is a worker, but what kind of worker?

What do you want for Christmas? Maybe it's a black swan on the back of a unicorn. I'm going to be glad to spend a few weeks at home with...

The business is so simple, yet so complex. Any complexities with the windows have all been removed, making the windows so simple to work...

Having been thinking for years about what kind of person I need to hire to help with the work at Wood Window Makeover, I am starting to...

(Entire unedited and candid discussion between Steve and Lynda about the state of the business and why she’s leaving Wood Window...

Ownership. What does it really mean to own a business? What does it really mean to own anything for that matter? Yes I started it. Yes,...

(First published Sept, 2020) How is singing Row, Row, Row Your Boat like an Artisan Army working on windows?? Singers who know and...

I've always been passionate about how Client Care/Job Setup/Organizing the Work Beginning and End should be conducted. This is nothing...

The Artisan has become such by eliminating unnecessary, superfluous movements and combining two or three basic movements into one that is...

The secret to excellent execution is an excellent set up. A worker may wind up with an excellent result every now and then, but for one...

If you have driven down Cypress Street in Tampa between Howard and Rome, you’ve undoubtedly seen a new mural being installed on the south...

So we have a large project coming up soon, in a couple of weeks as a matter of fact. For months we’ve been working on small to medium...