Thom
grew up in Chatham, New Jersey. His love of all kinds of music
led to studying theory and composition at Manhattan School of
Music and graduate school at the University of Toronto. Fascinated
by North Indian music, he began playing sitar and enrolled in
the doctoral program at Wesleyan University to study world music.
A few teaching
gigs later, he ended up in the Berkshires, working at Simon’s
Rock College of Bard in Great Barrington. He found teaching rewarding,
but after twelve years, he was ready for a change.
He had always
enjoyed woodworking and had built classical guitars and dulcimers.
So he began working as a carpenter for a local builder and in
1986 started his own business. What began as fine carpentry grew
into general contracting and design work as well as custom cabinetry.
His original
workshop, on an unheated porch in his nineteenth-century farmhouse,
first moved inside the house and then into a remodeled barn on
the property. In 1998 he doubled the size of the shop, so it is
now fully equipped for any size project.
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West Stockbridge remodel
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Thom loves
his second career, although the hours are long. He especially
likes working with his clients to realize their projects. When
he takes a break, he enjoys cooking, movies, meditating with a local Zen group, and (believe
it or not) working up remodeling ideas with his wife Anne for
their own home.
When you
call us, Thom’s wife, Anne Lesser,
will probably answer the phone. She does our marketing and our
books as well as making the initial contact with new clients.
Her own business, Anne Lesser Communications, offers editorial
and marketing services.
Other members of the crew include Chris Keefner (who’s been with us since 1999 and earned his Construction Supervisor License in 2005), Joe Schneid, Brandon Davis, and Chad Klapes (who recently also passed the Construction Supervisor License exam).
As part of our team, these experienced subcontractors, among others, regularly work on our projects and follow up with service as needed:
• Gennari Heating & Plumbing
• Henry’s Electric (wiring and appliances)
• Cellu-Spray (dense-pack cellulose insulation)
• Great River Construction (excavation and septic work)
• Don Lagueux Painting, Wallpapering and Drywall
