2017 Wood Diamond Award
Castleman Carpentry (Berryville, VA)

Main Category: Kitchen
Sub Category: Creative Solution
Dollar Amount: $25,000 - $50,000

Briefly describe your business and the type of products manufactured.
Located in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley, we are a family owned general contractor specializing in Custom Woodworking.   We perform total transformations of any room of a client's house through thoughtful and careful design.   All of our woodworking is 100% custom and is fabricated in our shop in Berryville, VA.  All aspects of our remodeling projects are managed directly by the owners.  From initial consultation, through design and material selection, cabinet fabrications and project execution;  the owners are directly involved with their client's ensuring the best remodeling experience for their customers.

What materials/species were used in this project/item?
We use quality materials in all of our projects.  Our wood comes to us rough sawn.  These cabinets were fabricated using  3/4" Solid Maple Face Frames, cabinet doors & drawer fronts, custom moldings & trim.  Our cabinet boxes are composed of 3/4" Maple plywood sides, 1/2" bottoms & tops.   Our drawer boxes are fabricated with 3/4 Solid Maple sides, 1/2" plywood bottoms with Blumotion self closing drawer slides.  All doors utilize Blumotion self closing hinges.  The primary finish on the cabinets was a satin white pre-cat lacquer by ML Campbell.   The Cherry island was finished with an espresso stain and clear ML Campbell lacquer topcoat. 

Describe, in detail, the project/item's construction
All aspects of this project were completed by us.   We worked with the homeowner to design their dream kitchen within the boundaries of their existing small space.  We were able to create a sense of a larger space through creative design elements that included opening up the wall between the family room and kitchen, carving out a walk in pantry closet from part of an adjacent laundry room, shortening the floor to ceiling bay windows to provide for a working buffet and lengthening the island with an interesting attached circular breakfast bar. Additionally, we retrimmed all of the millwork to compliment the style of the cabinetry.  The small family room had limited wall space and did not have a reasonable space for the television.  We solved this problem by adding millwork to the existing fireplace, hiding all necessary wiring within the millwork.  

What is the most unusual aspect or outstanding characteristic of this entry?
The most notable characteristic of this kitchen is it’s unique island.  The original space had a typical L-shaped kitchen with a large bay window that did not provide enough space for a table.   The homeowner’s wanted a beautiful space that would feel large and provide a comfortable place to enjoy their family meals.  Additionally, in keeping with this families Jewish heritage, they required ample storage to accommodate their Kosher kitchen needs.   This was accomplished beautifully with the buffet and tall chinette that were created to house multiple utensil sets, knife sets and dish sets.   Changing the L-shaped configuration and visually lengthening the space by adding the walk-in pantry at the far end were instrumental to the this kitchen’s design. 

How has being a member of the CMA benefited you and/or your business?
As a member of the CMA we have been able to reach out to other wood workers and stay up to date on all the latest industry tools and techniques. We have developed contacts and found new sources of blades and tooling through the magazine.  We have had a successful remodeling & woodworking business in Clarke County VA for 13 years.  Through the information provided in your magazine and forums, we feel confident that we can continue to do the woodworking we love as well as keep our business viable 

List any items that were outsourced.
Granite Countertops by A&S Fabricators, Appliances by Sterling Appliance, Cabinet boxes by Cabinotch,  Finish provided by ML Campbell, Hardware by Richelieu.