Hi! I’m Rob, owner of Headwaters. I started my company for three main reasons: One, I wanted to have control of my process. I work directly with my clients, performing the work myself, which allows me to follow my own rigorous standards of quality, functionality and environmental sensitivity. Two, it gives me greater freedom to choose projects that complement my own interests and passions. I’ll be able to provide better value for clients if I believe in the worth of the job I’m undertaking. Third and most important- I have the flexibility of scheduling work around my core interests, which all revolve around spending time in and on the mountains and rivers of the world.
I have ten years of experience in building and carpentry, beginning in the commercial realm as a laborer on grocery store remodels. I have since worked on New York public schools, net zero housing projects at 10,000 ft in the Colorado Rockies, custom homes in the Alaskan rainforest, a 400-year-old farmhouse in England and many places in between. I have learned much, but there is still so much I don’t know. I’m ready to embrace every teachable moment, and each new project I take on allows me to continue learning. What will you let me create for you? Let’s start planning.
Sharing the first project I did under the Headwaters name. I designed this Southern Colonial-style mantelpiece for my client, referencing a picture she provided from Pinterest. Most of the moldings were sourced from suppliers in Portland, although I had to mill the dentil myself, since it was virtually impossible to find this side of the Mississippi. Sanded to 220 and hand-painted with @benjaminmoore Advance. There’s a lot I could have done better, but I’m happy with the end result and my client is ecstatic. Thanks for checking it out!
slate herringbone done for @riveriseverywhere back in November 2024. This was my first time setting a herringbone pattern, and the slate tiles had a ton of variation in size. Opted for epoxy mitered outside corners to keep the patter flowing; my first time doing those as well. I wish I had shifted the whole pattern a quarter inch to the left, but lessons learned for next time. The uneven top slab of wood will be replaced with stone and a metal panel will be fabricated to cover the opening in the fireplace for duct maintenance. This one took twice as long as I anticipated, which ended up being a blessing in disguise as it meant I got to spend more time with my friend Tommy before he passed away a few months later. In memoriam
Big updates! I’ve been really busy lately, as anyone who has tried to plan something with me can attest to. Headwaters is now a team of 4! Proud to be a small business that also offers health, dental & accident insurance to our employees. These boys have been working hard and learning a ton, and I’m stoked to see where they’re going to go with it. Also, our website is all done! Link is in my bio and on my business page @headwaters_carpentry . Website design by @michaelakayaks who has poured a ton of time into it and absolutely nailed what I was looking for. We’re still adding small updates here and there, but please give us some critical feedback on it and share with anyone interested in working with us on high-performance home building. Haven’t been boating or doing much besides studying & working this winter & spring, but it’ll all pay off one day. Besides, swinging hammers is fun 🔨🔨🧰
Headwaters’ first full-time employee started today! @jacob.liechty has a strong work ethic from growing up around farms in rural Pennsylvania. He exemplifies our personal mission of work hard, play harder. Stoked to have you on board, Jake!
Finally wrapped up this 6 week project. Heated floors in the master bath added an extra luxury touch. Very proud of the results! Thanks to @jacob.liechty@kafskykayaker@lilboobiiii for all the help on this one.
A recently completed bathroom. Framing the window was a fun challenge because the back of the frame needed to be carved out to accommodate the waterproofing. I used VG fir and stained it with Helmsman spar urethane. Grouted with Spectralock 1
An old boss of mine use to quote the saying, “don’t miss the forest for the trees.” That’s vernacular for: don’t get so caught up in the details that you miss the big picture. That certainly applies sometimes, but in the case of stained trimwork, I disagree. Little details, like buying long enough boards to grain-wrap your miters in obvious locations, can make a project stand out.
