The Craftsman Builder - Mike Fanelli of 3RD Generations Builders New York.
When I visited the job site the first thing that struck me about the Fanelli House was the WOW factor. I had been on several customer tours this trip and had seen some nice houses and good ideas but this was different. Set on the water this house has the WOW factor in spades.
Redwood Bevel Siding Near Clear SAP B
Redwood Siding Timber Frame Home in New York
The Wood Species - Redwood Siding
The Wood Grade - Redwood SAP B - Graded to the smooth side
The Siding Pattern - 1x8 Redwood Bevel Siding with matching 1x4, 1x6, 1x8 and 1x10 Redwood Board as trim - Milled Smooth Side Use
The Siding Finish - On the job site 3 coat Sikkens Cetol
The Timberframe home used over 6000 Linear Feet of 1x8 Redwood Bevel Siding with matching 1x4, 1x6, 1x8 and 1x10 Redwood Board as trim. All a Sap B "Near Clear" Redwood Siding Grade.
The next thing that jumped out at me about this house was Fanelli's craftsmanship. This guy knows what he is doing and has taken the time to attend to each detail associated with this project. You can tell when there have been no shortcuts taken.
The wood is lined up perfectly against the frame. The trim is perfectly positioned and cut. The lines on this thing are amazing. This is high quality craftsmanship at its finest.
They did the 3 coat Sikkens Cetol one process taking care to coat the ends of the wood as they installed it. The redwood looks fantastic and sets this house apart from its high end neighbors. As you walk around the house and through the interior it becomes apparent very quickly that craftsmanship extends to the entire building crew.
I watched 2 workers meticulously place rock for the stone fire place taking care to fit them together in just the right way. The wooden vents used were invented and cut by one of Mike's carpenters on the spot when they realized the metal ones would clash.
On the deck I looked out across the water and thought this guy has it figured out. I will become one of Mike's biggest promoters as well as beg him to build my next Timber Frame house (as soon as I find the lake front I want).
I have been visiting customer projects for years and most of them have some element of something I might like to have in my own home someday but this had it all. It is rare when someone captures an entire dream rather than part of it. In this case I feel he has it cold.
It was a great cap to a great customer weekend. We went to dinner that night and talked of building dreams. The cool part is that we can actually do it.
Here's to the dream.
Chris Buffalo
Buffalo Lumber Company Inc.
