Builder's Apprentice
Ratings1
Average rating4
15
Ratings1
Average rating4
In 1986, Andy Hoffman quit an engineering job, declined acceptances for graduate school at Harvard and Berkeley and accepted a carpenter's job in Nantucket. Unbeknownst to him, he had entered the world of high-end custom building. Within four years, he was supervising the construction of a 29,000 square-foot mansion on a 180-acre estate in Fairfield County Connecticut. This is a book about his personal and professional growth along that journey, from apprentice to builder through the tutelage of a seasoned and hard-nosed builder. It describes how uniquely high-end homes are built for select clients, a glimpse into the lives of the blue-collar workers, architects, engineers and clients that come together to make these projects a reality. At its core, this is a coming-of-age story, a celebration of the pursuit of creative impulses and a story about defying the "rules" and finding a personal calling in life.
Reviews with the most likes.
I really enjoyed this book. The author leads us from the day he just suddenly decided to pick up a trade through his development into a seasoned craftsman. His descriptions of his calling as a carpenter and his love for the work mirror the pride I felt when wearing my tools but also the shifts in my life that told me it was time to step away from the trade.
The author does a fantastic job of avoiding unexplained jargon (he even includes a glossary) while also including details that only an experienced tradesman could anticipate and appreciate. Small details like describing the replacement of carpenter pencils with more precise pencils as the work shifts from rough to finish carpentry.
I don’t know that I give this the full hearted endorsement for anyone to pick it up and read, but I know some folks who would love it and I can see myself dropping it in conversations that follow a certain trajectory. For the right person at the right place in their timeline, this is a must read.
