Greenhouse - Thank You

Without the help of neighbors, friends, businesses, and family, my greenhouse project could not have come to fruition. The project took over ten months to complete, and I am forever grateful to those who assisted. Below is a list of those who assisted.

Neighbors

Clement, Willie, Jim, and Arron – The “Jones” helped throughout this project. There were best practices for both the chicken coop and raised garden beds shared, so each one was built correctly. Additionally, since Trina and I do not own a truck, we often borrowed one to haul building and landscape materials. Lastly, there was the constant supervision and affirmations from everyone coming over to see what was going on. Sorry guys, the first annual “Keeping up w/ the Jones” award is going to Trina and I. The rest of you are playing for second place J.

Friends

Kaitlin Cudaback – Without you this project would have been virtually impossible to complete.  Your window restoration skills were essential and exceptional. We restored over 70 historical windows including 250+ panes of glass. Through our good days and bad days we pushed on together, and I feel I have made a long-term friend. I am forever grateful and in debt to you for your assistance. :):

Nick Kirkham – Thank you for having a young back, and being willing to do the dirty digging during this project. You were saddled w/ all the manual labor that nobody else wanted to do. Also, often when I couldn’t count on anyone else, you came through.

Frankie Da Hammer (Hawk) – Thank you for encouraging me that this project could be done initially. We spent quality shop time working together, bouncing ideas off each other, and having a few adult beverages mulling over the possibilities. Additionally, I appreciate the assistance and time to run both water and power to the greenhouse site. I wish we could have found a way to build this together, but I am thankful for all your foresight prior to construction.

Long-Lost Friends

Scott Smith – Thank you for the hospitality coming and going from Warrensburg, MO. It has been a very long time, and it was good to catch up after so many years.

Shary Kellison – Thank you for the constant positive feedback through social media throughout this project. I am glad I went the extra miles, so we could catch up. You are absolutely one of the most positive people I have met during my lifetime.

Businesses

Sound Glass www.soundglass.com– During the restoration of the historical windows, many windows were broken, and they needed to be replaced. Sound Glass provided quality work, and was patient with me coming in almost daily for several months.

Lakewood Hardware www.lakewood.doitbest.com/– The paint shop at Lakewood Hardware has been the best in town since I started painting at 15 years-old 30 years ago. Their expertise is unparalleled. Scott Shaw provided any assistance I needed, and was always genuinely interested in the progress of the project.

Mill Outlet – With all three, chicken coop, raised garden beds, and the greenhouse, cedar was used during the construction. The Mill Outlet of Tacoma was able to provide all the necessary building materials and an affordable price.

ACF Greenhouses www.littlegreenhouse.com – Their website has calculators for the required heating and ventilation for any type of greenhouse imaginable. Additionally, they stock quality products, fairly priced, and ship quickly. Lastly, I had a return to manufacture product that I underestimated my needs, and the exchange was processed hassle free and quickly.

AWI Architectural Woods (Alex)  www.awi-wa.com– Alex and I used to work at Lowes together. He was able to professionally provide all the necessary moldings for the trim work throughout the greenhouse product. I have used AWI before, and if you are looking for a hard to find and quality product, they are the only place to go.

DTS ConsThe Urban Gardener www.urbangardenerllc.com/ - The Urban Gardener provided assistance in creating a comprehensive landscape plan for our backyard. The plan incorporated existing features, our input for plant types, and other creative ideas to improve our current landscaping. Christy’s plan was complete, easy to follow, and provided a detailed material list for shopping. Christy’s enthusiasm for gardening is contagious, and my wife and I look forward to enjoying the execution her plan.

DTS Construction (Shane Davis) – I didn’t have the necessary construction skills or experience to pull off a project of this magnitude. As a result, I tried everything to contact Shane who built my garden shed in ’12. It took writing a snail mail letter to finally locate him, and I am glad I did.

Shane completed 100% of the construction of the chicken coop, raised garden beds, and greenhouse. Additionally, he assisted in moving landscape materials, and completing the remaining smaller construction and landscaping.

He has the rare ability to take a homeowner’s vision, and execute it without compromise. Additionally, his carpentry, concrete, landscaping, and you name it skills are exceptional. As proud as I am of this project, he should be too. He has as much of him invested as I do. I am grateful for all his expertise, and feel I have formed a friendship during this project. I highly recommend his work, and would not hesitate to hire him again.

Family

Harold Spiedell (Deceased 1982) – Uncle Hal, my stepfather, had a seasoned yard that had many varieties of fruit trees and flowers. Additionally, the backyard had a well thought-out plan and garden shed. I know now how much time he must have invested to make it the way it was. In some way, I feel the time I spent there in my childhood was the inspiration for this project.

Ivern C. Spiedell (Deceased 1996) – Mom…All those times when you had to nag me to do any yardwork in order to maintain the property, and I did everything possible to not do it. I fondly remember all the canning you did, and look forward to being able to have Trina do the same. I wish you were here to see this more than anything because there is no way you would believe that this project was my idea. Thank you for what you tried to teach me.

Trina Wiswell – It is difficult for me to express the thanks, gratitude…love I have for you. Even though this project had ups and downs, you never wavered in your support of me. All the nights in the shop, all the days working too much, and all the money invested, you stood by me unconditionally. You are an amazing woman, and I am the luckiest man to spend my life with you. Forever, we will be able to enjoy what we have accomplished together. It’s time to sit back, have a cold beverage, and smell the flowers.