Today we’d like to introduce you to Thien (Tin) Ha.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Thien. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
In July 2016, my wife and I purchased our first home in the Heights. We decided on a 100 year old craftsman style fixer upper at the top of our price range. That left no budget for some much needed renovations on our century old run down home. It was in pretty bad shape and some anxiety started to set in once we finally got the keys to the house; we weren’t entirely sure we had just gotten ourselves into. I didn’t know the first thing about renovating a home and the only tool I had in my possession was a Milwaukee drill and impact driver set that were still in the box!
We ultimately stripped the house down to its studs in order to start fresh. My first major carpentry piece came about when we ordered new appliances and the fridge wouldn’t fit through the original doorway. So I watched 20+ hours of Youtube videos on best practices for hardwood entry door construction. My tool collection quickly went from putting up picture frames to startup woodshop. I was ripping, jointing, planning, routing, mortising, clamping, and sanding in no time.
I posted a picture comparison of a traditional door versus our newly installed 4’x8′ solid Mahogany craftsman style entry door and the rest was history. Custom builders and contractors were inquiring about our custom door and surprised to see that amount of quality on a first time build let alone a DIYer. After that, I kept building and posting and building and posting.
Fast forward to present day, Arbor Heights was formed, and we are now specializing in commercial and residential builds!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Smooth? Haha, it’s been about as smooth as oak after water popping the grain! It hasn’t been smooth by any means but I think with anything, if you put the upfront work in there’s a huge potential for it to pay off later on. Everyday has been an incredible learning experience. Mistakes and errors will happen, it’s inevitable. I don’t claim to know it all, not even close. I rely on the support and knowledge of others, Youtubers, blogs, social media, and my fellow woodworking friends. There’s so many different techniques and methods of achieving the same result but we often have to work in the happy medium of what is most efficient, with the tools we have and has the least amount of margin for errors. If there’s one thing I’ve learned along this journey, is that spending time to properly plan your projects down to the inch can save you days of work or rework down the road.
The biggest obstacles I have are shop space and time, or lack thereof. Imagine if I built custom furniture in your walk-in closet. That’s a literal comparison of the size of my workshop/shed. A significant portion of our revenue goes into a fund that will be solely be used to build a proper garage and workshop. This alone would increase my efficiency over 75%.
Folks always ask if I’m full time. The short answer is yes, I’m doubletime. I also have a full-time desk job with an engineering software company. Normally I put in 40 hours at the office and 60-70 hours a week in the shop. We typically have a 12 week lead time on taking on new projects, so every hour in the shop is extremely valuable. At the moment, my shed doesn’t allow me the workspace needed, so I often have to make do and work out of our driveway and patio area. I am limited to working only when it is not raining as none of my work areas are covered.
Spending 45 minutes to set up and tear down work stations is time consuming and eats significantly into my proficiency. I dream of the day that I can walk into my shop, my tools are stationary, my workpieces are exactly where I left them from the night before, and I can burn the midnight oil without waking my neighbors.
I heard about an unspoken rule that running the planer at 11pm is frowned upon. I’ll definitely be soundproofing the new shop!
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Arbor Heights Wood Co. – what should we know?
There was an incredibly steep learning curve when we started but one thing has never changed. We will always strive to build long-lasting furniture engineered for durability and longevity.
The joinery of each of our projects is uniquely assessed and techniques are specifically chosen with longevity and durability in mind. We primarily use various kinds of mortise and tenon joinery. An extremely stable joinery technique that has been found in the world’s oldest intact architecture dating back 7,000 years.
Other robust joints we use may include dowel, tongue and groove, dovetail, finger, dado, rabbet, or lap joints.
At Arbor Heights, we work really hard to educate clients on the different hardwood options available to them and the benefits of each.
For our business, hardwoods will always be a superior medium when compared to softwoods, pine, plywood, veneer, MDF, or composite materials that you may find in a big box store or mass produced furniture.
We almost exclusively build with hardwoods because the quality and durability of the end result is something that we consider to be heirloom worthy.
We are a specialty hardwood custom furniture and design shop specializing in hardwood dining tables and hardwood commercial tabletops, shelves, countertops, and lazy susans!
Our success has been defined by our quality, empathy, product knowledge, and attention to detail. When we consult with our customers, we want to understand their vision and what is important to them. We always try to let them know how we would do something and WHY. Why we would use a certain method or material over another and why a slightly higher upfront cost will save them time and heartache down the line. We present pros and cons for each option and empower our clients to make the decision that best fits their needs. We choose to deliver products that have been well thought out and engineered to mitigate future problematic scenarios.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
We are currently a one-man shop! I’m always conscious to say “we” when I’m speaking about Arbor Heights because even though I am the only carpenter, there would be no Arbor Heights without my wife, Sharon.
Have you guys ever tried lifting and maneuvering a 12′ slab of walnut on your own? It’s doable, but then you’re bumping into things left and right, trying to keep your balance while the dogs are running around in between your legs. For a tiny red haired, blue eyed, 5′ 5″ neuroscientist, Sharon’s got some impressive secret strength!
She is also an expert user of the random orbital sander and the paintbrush. She has been instrumental in helping me meet all of my deadlines lending a helping hand in finish work and staining.
In addition to her occasional cameo as shop assistant, she keeps our entire house in working order. From meal prepping, organizing, and taking care of our two pit bull rescues. I know our neighbors are judging me when they see Sharon mowing the yard and working the weed wacker! Truth be told, she’s contributing in every way possible to allowing me to get as much time in the shop as possible.
I guess teamwork really does make the dream work!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ahwoodco.com
- Phone: 832-860-3930
- Email: wood@ahwoodco.com
- Instagram: @arborheights
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Arbor-Heights-Wood-Co-293018398306966/?ref=bookmarks
Image Credit:
Sharon Ha, Kim Whiteside
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