New Energy Works designs, fabricates, and raises a lot of timber frames every year. We’re blessed with challenging projects, great clients, and plenty of work. Yet every year or so a project comes along that shouts, “let’s do this as a community hand raising!”. After a few decades in the business, these still stand out as very special days.
Matt and Laura approached us about their own community of friends and family, how they were bursting at the constraints of isolation that COVID-19 had placed on us all, and how now that so many were getting fully vaccinated they felt the same thing so many of us were feeling: free to GATHER! As a sidenote, both Matt and Laura are front line medical workers. They know.
Their vision was a pavilion with a pizza oven, dance floor, even a bath. My vision was that they had such a strong network, and those folks might enjoy a day of hard work and free labor. (Um, my vision can be a bit strange, for sure.) I did know for certain that every hand raising I’ve ever done has had such an impact that all those friends & family would feel that indeed, this pavilion was theirs as well. One definition of community, surely.
By 9 in the morning of raising day I had about 20 seconds of concern that there might not be enough folks (I had calculated about 30 would be good), or that they didn’t understand the part about hard work. Funny, as soon as I put on my “leader” voice and called everyone together, there was focus, energy, and plenty of folks. They were fooling with me, I think, as they finished their coffee and pastries.
My own coworkers who came out on their Saturday were stars as well. Dana, Bill, Calvin, Kelsey, Randal, and Kannon. Couldn’t have pulled it off without you.
Here’s some images of how the day went. Thanks to everyone for yet another killer experience.
Thanks to Matt and Laura for the trust, the work, and the fun.
jonathan orpin
founder and president
Update: a glimpse of the pavilion with T&G from later in the week. We look forward to finished shots filled with people, pizza, and happiness.
