building since 2001

our story

Custom Built Carpentry began out of necessity during our early “starving artist” years living together in a tiny Greenwich Village apartment. We became friends while working on indy film sets and our first collaboration was co-writing a screenplay between jobs. The first home we shared was a 300-square-foot studio apartment on picturesque Grove Street. Making the tiny space into a proper home required rudimentary carpentry skills and thinking outside of our little shoebox. With just a hammer and handsaw, Joe built our first loft bed (pressure system so we didn’t need to drill) and a rough-hewn dining table that fit perfectly into the space between the tiny apartment’s only windows. The table had a utensil drawer and leaf that could be popped up when we had friends or family over for dinner.

During this time, Joe took on his first official Custom Built Carpentry home renovation job. A young couple bought a ground floor one-bedroom on Bleeker Street and they couldn’t find window moldings and wide plank floors that fit their minimalist aesthetic.

Soon we made our first film, moved into a corner one-bedroom apartment in Little Italy, got married, and welcomed our first child (pretty much in that order). Sure the bathroom and kitchen were in the same room but we knew this light-soaked space was perfect for our young family. We covered the linoleum with parquet floors (in a rental!), and put up a transomed wall to keep our kitchen and bathroom separate. Being resourceful, respecting our surroundings, and using our imaginations were traits that not only drew us together but allowed us to weather challenging times.

As our family grew, we made the move to Brooklyn, hunting for the rare affordable large-ish apartment. Our realtor, Mary Lederer, had a place in mind that she was sure only we would think was perfect. The price was right and it never went up over the nearly nine years we lived there, but yet again it required a lot of work. The neighborhood was amazing and well worth the tradeoff!

So long before the tiny home movement, we lived it. Like many New Yorkers, we’ve raised a family in spaces that needed to be configured creatively. Custom building and turning a house or apartment into a dream home became just as much a passion as filmmaking. In the end, we still see ourselves as storytellers. We pride ourselves on quality work and value open communication and transparency when working with home and business owners.

Our film production experience turned out to translate well into our current roles at CBC. Joe was an Assistant Director, essentially the general on the set, coordinating all the departments to come together at the correct time for a unified goal. Tess was a production coordinator and producer. Managing the finances, paperwork, and behind-the-scenes communications.

In addition to building and storytelling, we have a shared love of history, travel, art, architecture, cooking, antiquing, music, and time spent with family.

If you’ve made it this far, thank you for taking some time to learn a little about us.

With gratitude,
Joe & Tess