Central City Millworks - New Orleans millwork company

Andrew Wilson: Historic Renovation in New Orleans

halrc — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 11:31:47 +0000

On August 24, 2010, Central City Millworks received a Gold Medal Building of America Award for our historic renovation of Andrew Wilson Elementary School at 3617 General Pershing in New Orleans:

We are pleased to announce that from hundreds of submissions in your region, Andrew Wilson School has been selected to win a Gold Medal Building of America Award and is scheduled to be a featured case study on the Building of America homepage. Your company has been referred by HMS Architects, Inc. as one of the most reliable team members behind the project’s success….

The Building of America Network showcases the most innovative, unique and challenging new projects — projects that are particularly noteworthy and/or give back to their respective communities.

This historic school was damaged during Hurricane Katrina, and the existing structure was completely renovated by the New Orleans division of Walton Construction, ranked among the top contractors in the United States by Engineering News Record.

Central City Millworks was selected to supply the millwork (interior historic school house doors with transoms, interior windows, molding, hardware, miscellaneous millwork, and all finish installations), and proved instrumental in the completion of projects on schedule and within budget.

The images below are part of a slideshow that highlights this and other historic preservation projects that we have completed:

New Orleans Historic Renovation Slideshow

halrc — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 16:16:32 +0000

Click on a thumbnail photo to launch our slideshow…

New Orleans Cabinets: Craftsmanship & Creativity

halrc — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 13:13:27 +0000

Furniture-quality custom cabinets

Building high quality cabinets in New Orleans homes will occasionally pose challenges that are not faced in other cities, but generally, here as elsewhere, craftsmen face the dual challenges of craftsmanship (how good is good enough) and creativity (how can we do it better) on a daily basis. And in addition to the self-satisfaction of a job well done, much of the reward received by the craftsmen at CCM comes in the form of expressed customer satisfaction, such as posted on our Testimonials page. In any New Orleans construction project, customers expect a job well done. But it’s a “win-win” when a customer’s expectations are exceeded and we get paid a bonus in complements.

Cabinet access panel

One aspect of a Prytania street home renovation job posed the challenge to the Central City Millwork team of hiding some existing pipes and mechanical services that were located in the corner of a room. The creative solution that was implemented succeeded in meeting that challenge by building a furniture-quality entertainment cabinet in that corner. Panels were built into the back of the cabinet to allow for easy access to the pipes and mechanical services as needed.

Another New Orleans cabinet project, another craftsmanship and creativity challenge met. It’s a fun way to make a living.

On the Web, Word-of-Mouse…Lasts Forever

Don — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:07:29 +0000

According to Google Analytics, there is a 68.69% chance that you are reading this article because you found CCM on page one of Google by using search words like “New Orleans millwork” or “windows” or “shutters” or “heart pine flooring.”

That is consumer power. In the digital world we can find out a lot about companies quickly. But our power as consumers goes far beyond that.

In the “old” days, if a company didn’t provide good products or services…including customer service…we could warn our small circle of friends and family members. Times have changed. Now we can warn the whole world wide web (approximately 220,100,000 people in the U.S. based on the latest data from Nielson Online.)

Now THAT is consumer power!

Because other consumers warned me in their reviews, I have avoided some less-than-stellar companies that I was considering doing business with. For those companies, the web is becoming an increasingly hostile place. So be it. On the other hand, I’ve found GREAT companies on the web because of consumer praise.

Here’s how our consumer power works:

As a consumer, I have the power to tell you (and the whole world wide web) that when you need to upgrade your computer memory, you should go to http://www.datamem.com. You see, I read several reviews about the company by a few customers who had problems with their order. But each person highly recommended the company for outstanding customer service in resolving the problem. So I ordered a stick of memory from them…and had a problem with my very first order. The memory chip that I ordered arrived promptly, but didn’t work when I put it in my computer. I called the customer support number, and the man who answered asked me a few questions. He said, “Oh, you have a Dell. They don’t use a standard chip configuration on their memory. I’ll over-night an 8-chip memory stick to you. When you get it, just return the one we sent you. I’ll send you a postage paid envelope.”

There is no doubt in my mind that Data Memory Systems lost money on my first order. But I ordered several times again without a problem, and I’m willing to tell the whole world wide web how great their customer service. They understand that customer service isn’t an expense but an investment. They understand the value of word-of-mouth…and word-of-mouse. They “get” customer service!

On the other hand, here’s a case study of a company that, in my opinion, doesn’t “get” customer service:

You see, my reasonably good mobile broadband connection with Cellular South became extremely slow and unreliable about two weeks ago. During a call to them, they explained that there was a system-wide problem. I was understanding. Stuff happens.

But two weeks weeks later and two trips back to the Brookhaven store, I was told that before escalating my connection issue they would have to eliminate my in-warranty USB modem as the culprit.

They explained that even though the modem they sold me was under warranty, there would be a $15 processing fee to exchange it for a new one. No, they could not waive the fee. I asked to speak to a manager.

A Mr. Stuart Wood approached me. I pulled out my digital voice recorder and explained that I was recording our conversation to make sure that I understood correctly. He told me that no, he couldn’t waive the $15 fee, but because the modem was under warranty, I could mail it in and have a replacement mailed back at no charge. “So I have to wait for the mail,” I asked. “Yes, sir,” Mr. Wood said cordially.

Now, Mr. Wood was friendly and professional. He was just following store policy. When I told him that I would put this information on the Internet, he said lightly, “Ok.”

I left the store feeling like Cellular South just doesn’t “get” customer service. And that Mr. Wood apparently doesn’t “get” that one single consumer like me has the power to express their opinion to the whole world wide web.

———-

Author Don Stevenson implements Internet Marketing strategies for Central City Millworks, and has helped get articles like this one on page one of Google for dozens of search words and phrases. To ensure a high level of customer service, he set up Google Alerts for owner Hal Collums in order to alert him via email anytime anyone on the web writes the phrases “Hal Collums” or “Central City Millworks.” Feedback from CCM customers is posted to theTestimonals page as they are submitted.

Our “Soundproof” Windows Let In the Light, Lock Out the Noise

halrc — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 00:01:41 +0000

A brass lock on the vinyl covered foam casement with Kerf Door/Window Seal

Soundproof windows became an absolute necessity for Jennifer Rhodes soon after she moved into her new condo in a lively New Orleans neighborhood. Jennifer had recently purchased a condo in the warehouse district directly across the street from Emeril’s and Tommy’s. She loved her condo, the neighborhood, and her neighbors, but the unrelenting noise of constant traffic and tireless revelers frustrated her attempts to get a good night’s sleep.

The windows of the historic warehouse had been restored during the renovation, but those glass and steel commercial windows offered little resistance to the sounds of a party town. From her second floor condo, Jennifer could hear virtually every activity on the street below. Jennifer contacted Central City Millworks for help.

She explained that she wanted to stop the noise without compromising the view from her historic windows nor the character of her historic windows. She wanted us to build a double-insulated storm window that installed on the inside of her windows, allowed her access to the existing windows, and did not disturb her blinds.

Soundproof casement will be inset in front of blinds

The large casement sashes we designed were sized to hold the thick safety glass along with large lights that would not obscure the view. The casements had to operate easily for access, yet when closed needed to be tightly weather striped to aggressively block noise. They also needed to be inset into the existing brick so as to not change the original warehouse look of her apartment.

We installed three of the five windows while the owner was on a vacation that spanned the long 4th of July weekend. She returned the night before we returned to install the remaining two casements. Before we arrived the next day to complete the work, she sent us an email saying “ I am very pleased with the windows and cannot believe the noise difference already.”

Any custom design, especially a design to prevent sound transmission, is worthless unless it accomplishes its goal. Now that we have completed the install, she is still very happy and amazed that our solution worked better than she could have had imagined. In reviewing our work Jennifer summed up what we accomplished as, “Wonderful.”

Soundproof window casements inset within the brick lip in front of existing blinds

The soundproof window casements open easily for access to the existing blinds

New Cabinets, Old-style Craftsmanship

halrc — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 16:02:06 +0000

As part of the renovation of a New Orleans warehouse district condo, designed by the firm of architect John Chrestia, Central City Millworks created the detailed design of the custom kitchen cabinet millwork as CAD (computer-aided design) drawings. The CAD files were then loaded into our CNC (Computer Numerical Control) router to precisely fabricate the various parts of the kitchen cabinets. Because of the extreme precision with which each of parts were cut, all parts fit together perfectly.

Cabinets constructed with computerized accuracy allows for the option to use of specialty hardware (that requires highly accurate fitting) that can provide especially smooth operation. The CNC router can easily cut hidden mortises and tenons that ensures the highest quality joinery for optimum durability.

Once the kitchen cabinets were completed, they were installed by Hal Collums Construction of New Orleans. Because the cabinets were constructed perfectly square and plumb, HCC had to ensure that the rough framing and drywall of the spaces where the cabinets were to be installed were equally square, plumb, and level, resulting in a hand-in-glove fit.

New Orleans Shutters with a Modern Look

halrc — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 18:52:05 +0000

Central City Millworks acquired a project from Hal Collums Construction in New Orleans to fabricate and install custom plantation shutters with 3 1/2″ louvers in a downtown condo. The condo’s owner periodically had guests who spent the better part of a night enjoying the night scene, and then spent the better part of the next day sleeping. The custom shutters were ordered primarily to keep that next day’s sunlight out of sleeping eyes. The owner also wanted a modern shutter design in keeping with his home’s decor, and additionally, he requested that the shutters be simple to operate. The installed design incorporated all of the owner’s criteria.

The fabrication and installation processes took less than three weeks to complete and met the owner’s goal of having his plantation shutters in place for an upcoming party.

The unique design of the shutters featured a hidden mechanism that operated the louvers collectively, allowing them to open and close simultaneously. And unlike with typical shutter design, the rod that operated the louvers was not conspicuous. Further lending to the modern look, the pivot hinges were concealed.

Another Company Turns to CCM for Help

halrc — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 16:33:59 +0000

Central City Millworks recently acquired a pest control company as a new custom millwork customer. They contracted us to perform a warranty repair in a house to replace some old specialty crown molding that was destroyed by termites in spite of their efforts to eradicate them. Prior to contacting us, our new customer had contacted several companies that specialize in custom carved moldings, but none were able to match the 2 1/2″ crown molding that had a beaded rope accent seen on the left in the photo above. Our customer then contacted several custom millwork shops, but all of them refused the job.

Finally, the pest control company contacted our custom millwork company and told us of their plight. We have a great deal of experience in matching custom molding designs, and gladly fabricate small orders for our customers. We were confident that we would be able to help.

As expected, manufacturing a match for the crown molding profile was no problem for our custom molding department. However, the beaded rope accent piece turned out to be another story. Fabricating the accent piece presented us with quite a challenge, and was, of course, the reason why all of the other shops had turned the job down. In spite of our confidence in having the expertise and equipment to tackle the task, we had to determine just how we would put that expertise and equipment to use to solve this unique challenge.

We conferred with our CNC/CAD expert, Rob Thornton. Indeed, he would be able to program our Computer Numerical Control milling machine to cut the beaded rod profile. We then determined that with a 12′ bed, we could cut 8′ lengths of the accent rod stock. We would then cut and sand pieces to fit on the crown and glue them in place. The photo below shows the accent piece rods still attached to the milled rod stock…freshly cut by our CNC (making another pass in the photo above).

New Orleans Architectural Millwork in Riverbend Area

admin — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 19:31:21 +0000

Central City Millworks recently contracted to build a portico as an architectural enhancement to a New Orleans home in the Riverbend area. A portico is usually located at the entryway of a building or residence, and, as shown in the first photo, is a covered entrance with a roof supported by columns or a series of columns.

This first photo captured the completion of the “dry assembly” phase, where we aligned all of the unpainted parts of the structure at our facility to ensure a perfect fit. We then disassembled all parts for the priming and painting phases. First, during the priming phase, we primed the end grain of all wood pieces with a clear epoxy primer. Due to the clear epoxy having a low viscosity, it flows into the end grains of the wood before solidifying. Once it hardens, it forms a permanent moisture barrier to protect the wood against the wet and humid New Orleans environment.

Sealing the end grain on wood that is exposed to the elements (on columns, railings, etc.) is extremely important because most wood damage occurs from moisture wicking up into the wood from the end grains, following the same pathway that moisture once wicked up into the living tree.

The photo to the right shows the portico after having been primed, painted, and reassembled for installation.

The custom door (photo #3 below) and custom transom (photo #4 below) are shown prior to being installed in the existing jamb once the portico has been set in place at the job site.

Residential Architectural Millwork?

Don — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 16:16:37 +0000

Central City Millworks is a New Orleans “architectural millwork” company, and while that term may sound like something that only applies to commercial jobs, it also applies to residences. Of course, we have completed large commercial jobs such as the National World War II Museum, but we also have created custom architectural millwork for homeowners.

Even relatively small home improvements can fit within this category of millwork. For instance, adding a new custom entrance door can qualify as architectural millwork. So, in addition to renovating home interiors, a homeowner can enhance the exterior of their home and add beauty that they can enjoy while increasing the resale value at the same time.

When people come to your home, your front door is one of the first things they see. Take a look at your front door. Does your door need repair or maybe just a new coat of paint? Or…is it time to replace it with a new one…even a custom-designed door personally milled just for you with the fine precision of our CNC router.

It is not important to everyone to create a uniquely distinctive home for themselves and their guests, but for those people who value their personal tastes, adding architectural millwork is one way to share those tastes with friends, family, and neighbors.