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3 Reasons to Drive to Shelby

August 22, 2019/in Consumer Information /by Stacey Walker

Is the drive to Shelby worth it?

Many of our clients live an hour or more away in the Charlotte metro area. This usually leads people to ask, “Why should I drive to Shelby, when I can go somewhere closer”. We understand the reason behind the inquiry and want to share these reasons why we believe that you will find value in taking the time to make the drive.

The drive is not that much different

If you drive anywhere in Charlotte or other large cities, you understand the frustration of being stuck in slow to almost standing still traffic, just to go a short distance! While you are sitting in traffic, think about this…

It is no more time than driving to or from Lake Norman area (and at least you are moving most of the time and not sitting still on I 77!)
If you plan your trip after the AM and before the PM rush-hours, it is less than an hour from the South Park area.
Our process is more efficient. Since we have all the products in the showroom and we do “live design”, we can accomplish so much with one trip to our showroom. Other showrooms that don’t offer real-time design can lead to multiple trips and your project can drag out for weeks.

Take a break from the hustle and bustle

Try something new! Many of our clients enjoy the drive to Shelby because it’s a nice break from the hustle and bustle of the big city. As a bonus, we have some of the world’s best BBQ at Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge, or maybe you prefer their rival Alston Bridges BBQ. Yes, it is a local ‘Battle of the BBQ’. You can always find hidden treasures in a small town, so be sure to plan your trip with plenty of time to explore Uptown Shelby.

“After researching six custom cabinetry providers in and around Charlotte, NC, we chose Walker Woodworking for all of the cabinetry needs for our house renovation. We were thoroughly impressed with the Walker’s professionalism, design assistance, wood quality, variety of door styles and accessories, physical plant organization and cleanliness, and their unbeatable prices.

Jennifer & Kent H ~ Charlotte, NC

Home Renovation

We offer a unique customer service

To us it is more than selling a product, it is about building a relationship and partnership with our clients. This is the foundation and philosophy that our company was built upon. Our clients matter to us and their specific needs are what drive us to create a design that is unique for their lifestyle. Our number one priority is to learn our clients, no one is the same and neither are their needs. Each client has something unique about them and that is what we want to cater to, to find that blend of styles that matches them. The experience we have gained over the years in doing home renovations and the extensive knowledge of our product is what sets our service apart. We understand what works and what doesn’t in a home, and we also know how to create a design that blends all your wants and needs into a perfect balance. Our clients always appreciate how we can take their ideas and bring them to life, that is our specialty and our calling.

We use the best materials available

There is a difference between going to a ‘Big Box store’ and buying premade cabinets versus shopping with a company that can custom make your cabinets to suit your space and style.

“There are tons of cabinet options, most which use particle board in some areas. We wanted solid wood and quality construction. We visited the shop of Walker Woodworking, seeing the attention to detail and quality in production confirmed that we made the correct choice. Quality and design were very important to us!”

homeowner – F. Potocnik

We have the very best product out there, a product that we proudly can stand behind. This requires us to invest ourselves personally into the process. Our custom cabinets are handcrafted with pride and can be built to fit any style and any space. Whether you need a drop zone that has built-in charging docks, a bathroom drawer that is large enough to place large cans of hairspray or a kitchen with spice pullouts that make cooking so much easier, we have it all.

Take a drive to beautiful Uptown Shelby and visit our 5000 square foot showroom, we promise you a warm welcome and personal commitment to help see your dream become a reality. We are proud to serve twelve counties including but not limited to, Cleveland, Buncombe, Mecklenburg, Rowan, Henderson, Polk, Iredell, Gaston, Catawba, Spartanburg, Greenville, and York Counties. We will be with you every step of the way.

Sam & Kim Kitchen Remodel

March 21, 2016/in Consumer Information, Custom Projects /by Stacey Walker

Sam & Kim’s Kitchen Remodel

In 2015, Sam and Kim decided to move back to Sam’s former home and update their kitchen. Enlisting the help of Walker Woodworking and Tony Brooks of Beam Edwards & Brooks, this kitchen remodel became an amazing transformation from an enclosed kitchen to an open floor plan. Follow this link to see the complete before & after photo gallery.

Walker Woodworking Before & After

Returning Home

Sam’s family moved into this house in 1962 as its first owners. Over the years the home was remodeled several times. Multiple additions included adding a master bedroom, enclosing the carport to build a playroom, and adding a sunroom. Sam along with his brother Al and his sister Andrea grew up there. Many children through the years considered it their home while Sam’s mom ran a daycare until the mid 80’s.

Growing up in the home the formal living room was used only on special occasions or to take family photo. The 7 grandchildren considered this their second home and have fond memories of playing and being loved there.

After Sam’s mother’s death, his father continued to live in the house and host weekly Sunday Dinner for the family. After his dad’s death the house was vacant except for grandchildren sometimes living there.

Planning & Design:

In working with Tony Brooks, a plan was formed to open up the formal living room and convert to an open floor plan. The playroom was converted to a den for use during construction.

After a desire for the open floor plan was determined they met at Walker Woodworking with kitchen and bath designer, Brandon Fitzmorris, to complete the kitchen design. Brandon was able to plan out the space for optimized cooking and storage. Since this will be their forever home, they wanted to make the space as functional as possible. One of the design challenges was to achieve seating at the peninsula while still maintaining the feel of an open floor plan. We were able to accomplish this through team work with the general contractor by incorporating a pass through to the living room.

The process:

Demo – Demolition started and cabinets came out. Site prep was done by adding a protective floor covering to prevent damage and a dust barrier to the existing living space.

Before demo started

This double door was made into a single pocket door to add wall space for the kitchen area.

Walls that needed new sheet-rock & finish work after cabinets were removed.

Construction – A wall was removed and carpet from the living room came out. Hardwood was added to the kitchen and den and matched up to the existing hardwood in the living room, a treasure hidden beneath the carpet. The end result was seamless, there is nothing left of the previous wall separating the formal living room from the kitchen.

Kitchen wall and living room after the wall was removed and the header added.

Plumbing & Electrical – The next part of the process was to update plumbing & electrical. By using our preplanned CAD drawings, the subcontractors were able to quickly and efficiently make the necessary changes to the updated kitchen layout.

Sheetrock & Primary Painting – Sheetrock repair and primary painting is definitely an expectation with an extensive remodel like this one. The wall that needed to be removed was a load bearing wall. We had to build a header across the room and sheetrock that area.

Cabinet Install – Usually a 2 day process for a kitchen similar to this one. Our trucks show up full of cabinets, already assembled including the decorative hardware. One of the things that we do differently than most companies is to apply the toe kicks after the floors are finished. In most cases this eliminates the need for shoe-moulding. This will give the cabinets more of a finished furniture style.

Walker Woodworking – Cabinetry Install

Counter-tops – Typically counter-tops are ready for the template after the cabinets are installed. Once the template has been done, it will typically take 1 to 2 weeks before the tops are ready to install. Each fabricator is different. Granite can be installed in a kitchen like this usually in half a day.

Appliances – In most situations appliances will go in after the counter-tops. Every project is unique and having professionals that realize the importance of when certain things should happen is important for a smooth remodel. This will also help to ensure that cabinets, flooring and counter-tops are not damaged during the process.

The Finishing Touches – The last few things that need to be done include the tile back splash, final coat of paint, and the final sanding & finishing of the floors.

Be sure you see all of the before & after photo’s in our Before & After Photo Gallery.

“Both Tony and the team at Walker Woodworking held our hand through the process, which at some times was emotional because of the changes being made to the family home. The end result was more than we could have ever dreamed possible.The remodel was completed in time for us to continue family traditions of Thanksgiving & Christmas in the home.” ~ Kim Davis

The open space was once a wall that extended the entire length of the room.

Kitchen-remodel-after-with-family-in-kitchen

These guys can still see whats going on the living room.

This home will be enjoyed for many years & future generations to come.

We would like to thank Sam & Kim for allowing us to share their story. Follow this link to see the complete before & after photo gallery.

2015 A Year In Review

January 2, 2016/in Company, News /by Stacey Walker

2015 A Year In Review for Walker Woodworking

As we reflect on the year of 2015, so much has happened, all of which we are truly grateful for. We would like to extend a very heartfelt thank you to all of our new customers, and to our loyal repeat customers we appreciate each of you! Being a custom cabinet shop, all of our custom cabinetry projects are unique, but occasionally some projects are outside our normal scope of work. We always welcome a challenge and love to explore our design possibilities that allow our creativeness to be seen. You never know where you will see Walker Woodworking Custom Cabinets and wood crafted pieces.

Highlighted Projects:

Newgrass Brewing Company: Click here for more information.

Remilling the Dover Mill flooring and seeing how it is enjoyed at the local Newgrass Brewery really has a special place in my heart for many reasons. My grandparents and father walked on this very floor during the textile days, as well as many other friends and family. Now a new stage and walls of the brewery a taste of history can be seen in the brewery just as good as a taste of local beer, and the local food prepared at the Newgrass Kitchen which happens to be owned by my brother Chef Jason Walker.

Flight paddles - newgrass by walker woodworking

Mountain Homes & Rustic Lodges: Mountain Lake Home Photo’s

Becoming more popular are Mountain homes and rustic lodge style lake houses. We had the pleasure of working with a few customers that were looking for this rustic look as if it had always been in their home! When wood is supplied by the customer of over 200 plus years, we get one chance to make the custom cabinetry just right! We constructed a lake house kitchen out of knotty heart pine. The homeowner wanted a welcoming look of rustic and warmth. Another home was a lake cabin, used for family gatherings and vacations. The look of live edge wood and rustic alder accented with twig like hardware can be seen throughout the home. The drop zone is a popular area for the family to place lake items and get ready for a fun day on the lake.

drop zone, mudroom, custom cabinetry projects

Community Involvement:

Community involvement with various organizations really allows Walker Woodworking to give back where it is needed most. Walker Woodworking custom cabinetry projects can be seen in many places! Some you may recognize, and some you may not!

Crest High School – Cheer leading boxes
Stepping Out Dance Productions – Dance props
Dover YMCA – installed a coffee bar area Travis Walker has donated this coffee station in memory of Robin Hendrick, who was very instrumental in getting the YMCA started in Shelby. Now many faces of Cleveland County can enjoy a fresh cup of coffee at the Dover YMCA. What a great way to rejuvenate before or after a workout!
Double Springs Baptist Church – installed a new kitchen for the youth minister home.
Pregnancy Resource Center – We made a desk from the flooring that was in the original home. The desk is now a beautiful one of a kind working desk out of pine. The desk was constructed out of the original pine floors which were naturally distressed and marked with worm holes.

Travel the countryside:

We have had the opportunity to travel and explore new areas building new construction and remodeling for our many custom cabinetry projects . We service many areas in both North Carolina & South Carolina.

A few of our favorites are:

The Cliffs – Asheville, NC (photo’s from a recent project)
Cheval – Charlotte NC (photo’s from homearama)
Lake James NC
Greenville SC
Albemarle

What’s Trending in Custom Cabinetry Projects?

Design elements, favorite color choices, and hardware are always evolving with new design trends in your home, here are a few trends that we have seen over the past year. Be sure to visit our Photo Gallery, we are always adding pictures of beautiful custom cabinetry projects.

We have had a popular demand for entertainment centers, mainly due to those TV’s that just keep getting bigger & bigger!

Closets & clever storage ideas have also been a popular request. Rather it be for an “In-law Suite” or to add more function and organization in your clothes closet or pantry, everyone has the need for more storage space.

Fire Mantles and Bookcases are back! Technology has not replaced the fact that people still like to display a good book, a family photo, or a beautiful Christmas display of greenery on the mantle. Rolling ladders are an added feature to most of the bookcases we build.

Bringing the outdoors inside with the rustic look of a barn door. It is a great way to close off the laundry room, playroom, and home office. Barn doors are just now approaching to the top of design ideas. I expect we will make many more in the year 2016. They are also popular for entertainment centers to be incorporated into the design as a wall covering when the TV is not in use.

Color choices: Gray, Silver, and White have been the trend for 2015, we are exploring possibilities of new crackle finishes, that have a vintage look to them. Our finish experts are always researching new possibilities, in the paint room with colors and stains, after all it is the finish on our custom cabinets that enhances the style so beautifully!

We are so excited for 2016 and all of the new adventures for the Walker Woodworking Team! Stay connected with us.

Goodbye Summer ~ Welcome Fall 2015 Walker Woodworking

August 28, 2015/in Company, News, Stacey Walker /by Stacey Walker

Goodbye Summer ~ Welcome Fall 2015 News & Event update for Walker Woodworking

Wow, I can’t believe the summer is almost over. August was such a busy month for us here at Walker Woodworking but as usual, never a dull moment.

At the beginning of August we wrapped up Homearama at Cheval. It was a great turnout and very exciting to see so many people walking through the beautiful homes.I it’s such a great opportunity to get design ideas and see what’s trending. We appreciate everyone that came out to support us. New Old Luxury Custom Homes did a great job with the entire house and as always we took lots of pictures. We were not able to get in with our professional camera for many photos but my iPhone was able to capture some of the neat features of the home. Be sure to check them out.

Walker Woodworking Homearoma Pictures & Information

Walker Woodworking & New Old Homearoma at Cheval

By mid-August we were celebrating the American Legion World Series, a big event going on right here in Shelby. Walker Woodworking was proud to be able to sponsor and support such a great sport. Players came in from as far away as Hawaii, and South Carolina took home the championship trophy. This was an event that took a huge effort from our community to pull-off. Shelby is a small town, so this was a BIG deal for us.

American Legion World Series 2015

Remember our post about Newgrass? They also opened in August and I have updated the post and added a few pictures. Be sure check out the post to see how things turned out, or better yet come see it in person. The beer is awesome and the food is delicious..

New Grass Post

New Grass

And last but not least school started back and for us that can only mean one thing, it’s time for the Southern Ideal Home and Garden Show. If you are thinking about doing any type of home renovation project, then this is a great show for you to visit. There are all types of home professionals there, you can see the various products and ask lots of questions. It’s 3 days only and as a change to their schedule it’s after Labor Day this year.

September 11th – 13th.

Walker Woodworking & Southern Shows Booth 218

Visit southern shows for more information.

The Walker’s are ready for Football Season and all of the things that come with fall, thanks for taking the time to check in. ~ Stacey Walker

By the way, we may just have something NEW for this years show, Follow our Facebook Page, Follow us on Instagram or Pinterest to keep updated. Our display won’t be ready until it’s SHOWTIME!

Newgrass Brewery & Walker Woodworking

August 10, 2015/in Company, Custom Projects, News /by Stacey Walker

Newgrass Brewing Company opened their doors in August of 2015. We were very proud to be apart of the project. Here is a timeline of our part of the project. We have updated this post with pictures from recent visits. We hope you will enjoy reading.

Spring of 2015 ~ The History.

We are so excited to be involved in this complete renovation in historic uptown Shelby, NC. The renovation of the historic 1909 structure will preserve Shelby’s heritage for years to come. The interior of the building will showcase heart pine reclaimed from Dover Textiles Mill.

Dover Mill was the workplace of many people in Shelby, NC including the grandmother, and father of Travis Walker. There is a piece of history in every board from the mill, as there will be new history made at the Newrgass Brewing Co. The reclaimed wood from the floors of Dover Mill have been milled into the NEW floors and walls at the Newgrass Brewing Co. in Shelby, NC.

(The original piece of wood was 3 1/2 in thick and 8 1/2 in wide. Each Dover piece now makes 5 pieces for the floors/walls at Newgrass.)

The ground floor will house the brewing area, highlighted behind glass walls. The brewery will feature a stage area where local and regional artists will be able to perform. The stage floor and walls are made from reclaimed wood. In addition to the main floor the brewery will have a mezzanine level for additional seating, and the third level will host private parties and events. The building has an elevator (original to the Hudson’s store) which is also flanked by the reclaimed wood.

While machining the reclaimed lumber from Dover Mill, our metal detector found a 36 caliber musket ball from around the early 1800’s. It’s before they started putting tin in with the lead. This created excitement around here at Walker Woodworking, and at Newgrass so much so that talk of naming a brew after the musket ball may seen on the future tap list.

It has certainly been rewarding and exciting here at Walker Woodworking, to see all of this come together and help in the preserving process of this building. The historic character of the Newgrass brewery as well as the transplanted history of the Dover Mill reclaimed wood will definitely be worth a visit in uptown Shelby, NC.

Newgrass is expecting to OPEN for business in August 2015, just in time for the American Legion World Series Events including the 7th Inning Stretch.

Follow both Newgrass Brewery and Walker Woodworking on Facebook to stay updated with news and events.

Visit the Newgrass Brewery website to see what they are serving.

The Opening ~ August 2015

The final 3 things Newgrass needed before opening up was Flight Paddles and some Chalk Boards. As things were winding down for construction crews, employees at Newgrass were getting ready for an unannounced opening day, the last week was spent for them moving-in and for us – getting the flight paddles finished up and making and hanging the chalk boards. Since this is not something we do everyday, it was certainly a change of pace, and we enjoyed the excitement of seeing this local business open their doors with much success!

Flight Paddles we made and branded. These are used to serve four 4oz samples of beer.

Opening Day! What a great turnout for an opening that was not even announced.

Chalk board – shaped like a guitar pick. What a neat idea, this is for the stage area.

Darin Aldridge & Friends ~ Blue Grass Music

We also made the huge Chalk Board on the back wall. This pictures was made 2 weeks after the opening.

We wish the best to Newgrass Brewing Co. for much success for many years to come in Uptown Shelby, thank you for allowing Walker Woodworking to be apart of your project!