MEET ELLIS
In late August of 2022, my short-term summer position as a camp manager in Kirkland, WA, ended. I had spent the summer building a hike, paddle, and climb program for 9-12-year-olds from scratch, managing two younger coordinators, and leading kids on daily trips into the wilderness to explore the trails, lakes, and rock walls outside the Seattle area. In short, I was exhausted when that summer came to an end. Following a road trip with my best friend back to Minnesota, I enjoyed my unemployment while hanging out with friends and family in my hometown. Searching for jobs, I bounced between positions at REI, jobs in the service industry, and nonprofit work in the Seattle urban biking community. Part of me felt I had to use my degree in economics and environmental policy in some way. I didn’t want to be part of the cliché liberal arts student who graduates only never to use their degree again. But I couldn’t do it—I had to search for something new. Construction and carpentry were two fields I’d always been interested in but never got to explore.
In late September, I impulsively applied for an assistant carpentry position at Swinerton Builders, a large general contractor company. Highlighting the building experience I accrued through my gap year in AmeriCorps NCCC and the renovation work I had done with my dad when I was younger, I was hired immediately. Within five days of applying, I was on a massive six-story job site with terrible Harbor Freight bags and tools around my waist. Everything about the experience was a massive shock. I was in a new world between the long hours, tedious tasks, and unfamiliar work culture. Quickly, I learned that being an assistant carpenter for a massive general contractor was not the building experience I was searching for. Rarely was I allowed to build anything unique (a set of temporary stairs here and there). For the most part, when I did get to build things, it was railings, ramps, and temporary walls. Most of my time was spent sweeping, collecting garbage, flagging for large semis, dredging water from the basement, and digging. It was extremely hard work. About halfway through my time at Swinerton, I was transferred to Auburn, WA, to work on the new 19-story Muckleshoot Casino Hotel.
Much further along in the building process, including many heated areas (thank god), I was again thrown into a new environment. In Auburn, I worked 10-hour days from 5 am to 3:30 pm, waking up at 3:45 am to make it to work on time. I honestly don’t know how I did it. It helped that the carpentry foreman at this site saw my potential and gave me more complicated tasks. After a month or two and some lobbying, I was transferred back to the Seattle site, where I built temporary handrails until mid-March 2023. I quit almost precisely a year ago today as I write this. I couldn’t take the work conditions and hours any longer. I feel trapped when I’m not learning, and the knowledge I gained (mostly from watching others do things) begins to run dry.
Once again, I was unemployed and returned to Minnesota to save money and see family. At least this time, I wasn’t lost—I knew what I wanted to do. Since I was very young, I have been fascinated with architecture and design. What began through Legos and Lincoln Logs transitioned to a notebook full of building concept designs. But I couldn’t leap into architecture when I decided what I wanted to study in school. It just felt too scary. However, the passion never faded. I continue to draw designs when I can, and I’m constantly finding new construction and designing social media accounts to follow and gain inspiration from. My ultimate dream is to design and build my mini home on a small plot of land in the woods. So, in April of 2023, I typed “tiny home builder Seattle” into Google. The first result was a company called Ballard Backyard Cottages, owned by Michael Murray. I immediately emailed him with my information and an attached resume, fully expecting that this email out of nowhere would produce nothing. Through some lucky combination of luck and timing, Michael was beginning to build his company and looking for an apprentice at that very moment. I returned to Seattle, and our business relationship started soon after that. I was stoked to work for a small company where I could absorb a lot, grow as a builder, and learn how to construct custom mini-homes.
Fast forward to today, and I could not be happier. Nearly a year has flown by, and I continue to learn much daily. Within only a few days at Ballard Backyard Cottages, I was doing more exciting and intricate work than I ever did at my previous position at Swinerton. Within a few months, I’m fabricating fully custom stain-grade hemlock railing systems in custom mini homes for clients. Michael and I took a step back one day. We laughed about my quick transition from temporary 2×4 industrial construction railings to the multi-hundred dollar railings I build now (among other things). I was reminiscing about where I came from, prompting this essay. How far I’ve come in just one year is staggering. Finding Michael, our mutual co-worker Steven, and Ballard Backyard Cottages has been among the best things I’ve ever done. I love the work, how much I learn every day, and the diversity week by week. I hope to continue designing and building even more complex, beautiful, and creative structures through their continued support, encouragement, and trust. Railings are only the beginning.