The Capstone Carpentry Team
Meet our Team
David Hess
Owner/Operator
I'd guess my passion for building came early, somewhere around the age 9 or 10. My dad was pretty handy and we watched him work on our house, adding to it as the family grew. First it was add a full basement and then later a 2-story addition. (It grew a lot over the years being that there were eight of us kids!) I nicknamed our home as "The Little Blue House That Grew" Anyhow, when we were little, dad built us cool 2-story playhouse- it even had reclaimed hardwood floors! Well one summer day my younger brothers and I decided we'd add a couple more floors to it. We grabbed random pieces of plywood, two-by-fours, nails and hammers, and got to work. We worked all day and were so proud of our new 4-story playhouse. From the top we could look out over the neighborhood and also climb on to the big woodshed roof right next to it. Well, it was fun while it lasted. Dad came home that evening and while he seemed to appreciate our efforts, he also was concerned for our safety. Acting as building inspector, he failed us on multiple building code violations. Sadly, our makeshift addition had to come down.
My dad also loved to dig. With just a shovel and wheelbarrow, he dug out the entire basement by himself. (I helped a little with my kid sized shovel but, being 4 years old, I mostly enjoyed riding on top of the dirt in the wheelbarrow.) Digging must have been in the genes because we loved to dig too! One day my brothers and I decided to dig a tunnel underground from our playhouse to the crawlspace under the big woodshed. We were so proud of our tunnel and had so much fun pretending to be American soldiers escaping from a Nazi prison camp in the movie "The Great Escape." When dad got home and saw what we had done, he was just relieved that we didn't get buried alive! We got a lesson that day about the dangers of digging too close to the concrete footings and digging without shoring to hold up the dirt. Valuable lessons! Dad always seemed to be proud of our attempts and initiative and then took the time to teach us to think about our safety in the process.
In junior high I became really interested in architecture, home design, and woodworking. From eighth grade into my freshman year of college my plan was to become an architect and also had dreams to build my own home. During college I had the opportunity to help lead Jr High Young Life and coach wrestling. It was then that I switched career paths and later graduated from Pacific Lutheran University with a BA in Mathematics and Physics Education in 1996. I taught middle school science and high school math over the next ten years. During that time, I coached wrestling and football, volunteered with Young Life and ran my construction business during the summer and breaks so that my wife could focus on raising our kids.
In 2002, we bought a piece of property across the street from the school where I was teaching. With the help of my teacher friends and a few of my students we built our home from ground up. That was a lot of fun, a lot of work, and I learned so much throughout the process.
In 2006 I left teaching to go full time with the business combining my passions of carpentry, teaching, and youth ministry. Over the years I have had the pleasure of working with a number of young men, teaching them the trades, sharing life skills, and encouraging them to grow in their walk with Jesus. I have also enjoyed the opportunity to work for so many amazing people and make many new friends along the way.
Currently, I am enjoying the opportunity to work with my two grown sons Kyle and Ryan. My wife Carol has a great eye for design and has been able to help out in that category too.
In addition to running the business, I am enjoying the wonderful opportunity to teach some classes at Arrow Homeschool Co-op. I am so thankful for the opportunity to invest in today's young people in similar ways to what I experienced growing up. It is a joy to give back!
Kyle Hess
Lead carpenter
Kyle Hess
Ryan Hess
Carpenter
Ryan Hess.
Dave Fields
Carpenter Apprentice
Dave Fields