There is still plenty of demand for grey and white kitchens with shaker style doors, according to Adam Verstegen of AV Custom Woodworking, but increasingly people are looking for something a bit different.
“People are branching out to greens and blues and warm neutral woodtones,” he said.
The yellowish oak finish of our parents’ kitchens is passé, but Verstegen says walnut and white oak are popular as accents, such as an island versus an entire kitchen.
AV Custom Woodworking has been around since 2012. Prior to that, Verstegen worked for another local cabinet maker. He started out doing small projects on the side to help out friends and eventually decided to take the plunge and go into business for himself. Verstegen grew up around tradespeople. Most of his relatives are home builders and carpenters, although his father owns an auto body shop in Stayner. His own interest in woodworking was sparked during his time at Stayner Collegiate. He credits the woodworking and shop classes there with igniting his passion for cabinet making.
Kitchens are the bread and butter of Verstegen’s business. He does all the millwork for Mountain Ridge Homes and a couple of other local contractors, as well as custom orders that come through referrals. He says the cost of a custom kitchen can vary greatly.
“We try to work with the customer and deliver quality within their budget,” said Verstegen. “There are many options for cabinets using different materials like particle core for boxes instead of plywood. A one-piece MDF door is cheaper than a five-piece solid wood door, but whatever they choose, we’ll make sure the quality is still there and it looks good.”
Verstegen says there is plenty of work in this area, so they rarely have to drive more than 30 minutes to a job. He currently employs one full-time woodworker and two apprentices, and can foresee the business growing in the future.
“I kind of enjoy the size it is now because I can be involved in all steps of the process,” said Verstegen. “ I can meet with the clients and be involved in the shop work and installations.”
Eventually, he may be forced to focus more on client interaction and design, and become less involved in fabrication.
He would love to see his two apprentices stay on after completion of their programs, and is doing all he can to keep them happy.
“I don’t want to see them leave, but if they grow to a place where they want to be on their own, that is an achievement. It means you’ve done a good job moulding them,” he said.
While most of his work is kitchens, AV Woodworking still does some custom furniture builds. They are currently working on a poker table for one client who initially came to them for a kitchen. There followed a series of custom built ins, a laundry room and now a man cave.
“I like the challenge of custom furniture,” said Verstegen. “It’s a bit more technical.”
Also currently under construction in their Creemore workshop is a set of custom bunk beds with stairs and custom storage.
Verstegen’s two children are six and eight years old. They love to spend time at the shop with their dad, building things with bits of scrap wood. It’s a bit early to say whether they’ll follow in his footsteps, he laughs.
“I’d love for them to show an interest but there’s no pressure,” he said.