WCWhitney Christianson
For House framed bed My sister ended up finding Dana after I had been searching high and low for a woodworker to make a complicated Montessori house bed for my daughter. Not the simple house beds that are able to be purchased in stores, but an intricate piece with many different parts. I had talked with several carpenters prior to Dana who refused to take on the project because of the challenge and tediousness it required. I had almost given up until my sister told me that someone with a shop named 'The Old Rusty Goat' was worth pursuing; I agreed, and I couldn't be happier that I did.
I am such an obnoxious customer in that I'm very picky and equally indecisive, but Dana never made me feel like burdon. I couldn't decide between railings or no railings, chimney or no chimney, where I wanted the door, ect. I'd really hate having me as a customer. But, he took my input and indecisiveness and actually created a bed that I could alter according to my daughter's stage of development and/or my changing mind. I never would have thought of that as being an option. He ended up customizing a piece that I really wanted AND at the same time gave me the option of later creating a completely different bed or reading nook or whatever that she or I might eventually want. Want the door on one side this week, but on the other side the next? No problem! Not sure about a chimney? No problem. He made one for me anyway, and I can attach it or not. It's fantastic! He asked questions that I'd never thought of and ended up quoting me a price that was more than fair.
Dana kept me up to date throughout the entire process and he responded so quickly (usually within the same hour!) to any questions that I had, which were excessive and probably very annoying for him. He sent me pictures of the final project to make sure it was okay. It wasn't "okay", it was incredible. My first thought was how could I possibly fit my own bed into my daughter's room because I'm absolutely taking this one. But, luckily for my baby, the dimensions worked out in her favor and she gets a beautiful, sturdy, one-of-a-kind piece of art that she can sleep and play pretend in and pass down to future generations. If she decides not to have children and there are no future generations, that's okay too because her mama will take this bed to the nursing home.
I was nervous when the bed came because I knew it had to be broken down for shipment and I am the type of person that will hire someone to put together a one tier bookshelf from Target, BUT Dana had most of it put together already and had everything labeled easily. All the holes were pre-drilled and I actually put this beautiful, gigantic, complicated bed together rather quickly BY MYSELF - which is unbelievable if you know the type of person I am. Initially I wasn't sure I would be able to given my history, so I emailed him in panic and he gave me his number and was going to talk me through this, step by step, over the Christmas holiday, despite the fact that he has a family and children that I'm sure he would much rather be with (but he would never say that). You can't find that kind of customer service anywhere else and, fortunately for us both, he didn't need to.
I thought there may be a problem with a wood bed and splinters, but Dana and his wife painstakingly went over every inch of wood, sanding and staining, which resulted in an incredibly smooth finish. Try as I might, I cannot find a single spot that could possibly result in a splinter. Also, the bed was packaged so well that everything was completely intact despite traveling hundreds of miles.
I do have a couple of problems. For one, this bed he made makes all my other furniture look boring and cheap in comparison, despite the fact that it all cost significantly more. I am so mad that I didn't find him before I had everything else made, but he is certainly my go-to guy now. Also, I'm not able to post pictures on this review, so there's no way to show how incredible he and his wife's work are.
I have given negative reviews when warranted and I think it's important for consumers to know the type of person they're hiring and investing money in. Dana, his wife, and their family are truly beautiful, genuine people. If you're looking for someone to do amazing work and someone who will quote you an honest price, then this mom and pop shop is where you need to be. He's a woodworking genius and he and his wife will create an incredible work of art for you and your home.
