Thank you. You are the unsung angels of the middle class. You are there for us when we need you.
This past year I have often thought of Greg The Carpenter (his name, not mine…I believe he does this because people can’t remember, and definitely can’t spell his Greek last name Perchemlides.). He is from down our way in Montague, Massachusetts. We currently live in Western Mass, which is much more like Vermont than the rest of Massachusetts.
We thought we had bought a new house here in 2015 only to realize in 2023 that a 20-year-old house is not new. It was newer than anything we had ever owned. We learned that houses built a little too quickly in 2002 on a budget start to wear out right about at 20 years old. Windows (which were a lovely wood frame) were starting to rot, siding seemed to be letting in the rain, ceilings would start to drip.
A family member recommended we NOT call one of those window chains to do the work. They sound tempting. They come in immediately simply pop out your old window, reinsert the new window quickly. Not much mess, not much in-your-way down time. And the photos on their websites look so glossy and professional. Just what you would want. But…
Instead, this family member said- find a reliable, good contractor and buy high quality windows separately for installation by this contractor. As many people know in the 2020s, contractors are already busy and mostly unavailable (not helped by Covid and people staying home during quarantine times and wanting to upgrade their abode). Stay strong, recommended this family member. Even if you have to wait, it is worth it. The time will go by fast and voila! You have your windows, done professionally with products that will last.
He was right. We did have to wait from the fall of 2022 until the spring of 2023 but we found Greg the Carpenter, recommended by locals. Use those services! We have “Leverett Connects” down here where neighbors write about everything from lost cats to astrology. In Randolph Vermont, they have “Front Porch Forum.” These emails lists are the best way to get advice from neighbors. They can list recommendations, describe the work the person did for them, what they liked, and give you their contact information. Neighbors don’t mislead neighbors.
Many contractors these days can’t be found by Googling “Contractors near me.” They don’t create websites, they don’t advertise, they don’t even paint their names on their trucks for fear of too many annoying phone calls while they are trying to get work done.
Greg was a good communicator. He explained the work that needed to be done. It isn’t a simple pop out/pop in of windows. To make things truly fit, be insulated around the opening, be finished off properly on the inside, it takes a lot of careful, detailed work. Yes, your house is a mess for a while. There is dust. There is sanding and repainting the entire wall where the window was and now is. There are people in your house with your dog barking. But Greg became like family, congratulating our dog on a “job well done” being the house protector.
It was fun watching him work. He would talk out loud to himself or run everything by his well-trained assistant (and step-son) Ben. He wasn’t afraid of me overhearing or thinking he was incompetent, because he wasn’t. He is a highly capable carpenter who is careful and knows mistakes can be made. He thinks and plans first, then acts and builds. He would say things like “if we did this…then this…but if we did that…then that…”. Looking at his options, choosing the best way forward.
We now have almost all new windows and doors in our 2002 house. We have new siding. We have a new roof. Our house feels truly new now. It is protected and tucked in and taken care of.
During climate-change downpours of 2024 that went on and on, our house was water-tight. Never just light rain, but instead a deluge leaving ponds around the yard, but no drip dripping in the house. I thought of Greg The Carpenter. “Thank you, Greg! I would think, but never say it out loud or write it. So today I am writing it and letting Greg know. He saved this house. He gave us peace of mind. He gave us a functional house. And by the way, it is also a beautiful home.
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