Posted by jsexton – October 18, 2006 9:46 PM

This is a guest post from Gretchen, the wife/mother of this operation. She has spent a lot of time with the construction team. This is her take on them.

My kids call our crew "the guys." When I pick them up after school one of the more frequent questions is, "Are the guys still there?" And if they are, then both kids are pleased to see them.

For my part, I couldn't be happier with these guys. As a team they are stellar. They jam to tunes on the radio as they demolish the walls, build new walls or dig out new footings in the crawl space. They are friendly, trustworthy, and considerate — truly amazing.

Aaron, the contractor and owner of Tennessee Property Restoration, is proud of his crew and the work they do. We've found him to be helpful and conscientious when it comes to making decisions on changes to the project. He has been very thorough when discussing the costs.

That's Aaron below.

The project manager, Wes, is a gem. He is professional, thoughtful and funny. He sets a tone for the crew that says, "We work hard, but we have fun while we do it."

Joe, the newlywed, is a jack of all trades; at least, he gets a great variety of the jobs to be done. Today he is outside in the cold rain, under a plastic tarp bricking in the place where our old bay doors used to be. He also shouldered a big part of placing the giant support beams. He is quiet, at least on the job, with a ready smile and a great sense of humor. The guys kid that Joe had to be reminded to take breaks when he first came on board.

Rob is one of two Brits on the crew. That alone is quite a treat as I am an aficionado of accents, English being a favorite. Rob is also very friendly and funny. I note that he is always looking out for the other guys too. When someone is on the ladder, he makes sure it is stable. He braces those who are leaning back so they don't tip over. And he has done some of the more dirty (crawl space digging), tedious (brick by brick removal of bricks in the hearth) and routine (sweeping) work.

Simon is the other Brit, married to an American and now living in Tennessee. He is considerate, funny and loves Stella, our dog (he has four of his own). He is quick when various items are called for. He is also "Mr. Clean" in my book. I imagine that it is so much easier to say, "Oh that's clean enough." I've seen the mess left at the end of a day of placing electric wires or reconfiguring plumbing. Yet, time after time when I come home the dust has been swept up, the 2x4s neatly set aside and the PVC pipes in boxes.