Jobs
Historic Restoration Worker, Oak Brothers Historic Restoration, LLC
Position Overview
We are looking for an entry-level restoration worker with strong, transferable hand skills and 1-2 years of experience in a related trade or artisanal position who is eager to develop their potential in an architectural context. The ideal candidate will be equally committed to both craftsmanship and aesthetic/artistic values—in short, an artisanal orientation. Besides hand skills, you will have some experience with and a capacity to quickly learn to accomplish woodworking tasks with basic machine tools.
Skills and Qualifications
Because training is part of the job, persons need not have the specific restoration competencies and skills required. Persons must, however, have the following:
- Established transferable job-related hand skills. Some jobs with transferable skills include: artist, chef (not line cook), seamstress/tailor, trim carpenter, luthier, picture framer, art conservator, theatrical set builder; furniture restoration, faux finisher/decorative arts painter, etc.
- Artistic sensibilities combined with craftsman-level skills which enable one to integrate finishing and structural/functional aspects of the architectural restoration process.
- Some experience working with both hand and basic power wood working tools (table saw, router, planer, chop saw, hand planes and chisels, tape measure).
- Neatness, precision, and delicacy in attending to details.
- Ability to work for extended periods of time standing, kneeling/crouching/stooping, using hands and reaching.
- Frequent lifting and moving required of items 25 to 50+ pounds. Less frequent lifting and moving of items up to 80 pounds.
- Ability to maintain quality and productivity while engaged in repetitive tasks over extended periods of time.
- Appreciation for vintage artifacts, restoration/preservation principles, and the history of architecture.
- A stellar work ethic (defined as honesty, integrity, and industriousness).
- Reliability, punctuality, and ability to work both independently and in coordination with other crafts persons.
- Rather than mindless engagement in tasks, the ability and initiative to think creatively about ways to accomplish tasks, accomplishing them with efficiency and quality.
- A capacity to maintain productivity while working independently and in coordination with others.
- A willingness to follow personal protection procedures and wear protective equipment when working with toxic chemicals and/or materials (such as lead paint).
- Independent means of transportation and the ability to commute to both the shop in the South Shore neighborhood and onsite throughout the Chicagoland area.
- Proficiency in English speaking and listening (understanding).
Key Responsibilities
- Assist in repairing, and restoring historic wood windows including sash, frames, sills, muntins, and glazing components.
- Assist in repairing and restoring historic wood doors, thresholds, casing, and associated hardware.
- Assist in repairing and restoring other interior architectural elements, including built-in cabinets, fireplace surrounds, staircases, wood trim, wall paneling, pocket doors and other interior elements.
- Apply appropriate wood consolidates, fillers, adhesives, bleaches, and finishes in a workmanlike manner.
- Maintain consistency, quality, and economy while doing repetitive procedures over an extended period.
- Prep. and apply painted, stained, and clear finishes.
- Transport tools and materials to and from job sites.
- Maintain a clean and organized work environment
- Communicate clearly and respectfully with the owner, co-workers, and with clients on site.
- Handle and store tools and equipment with care.
- Develop an understanding of and have a willingness to follow personal protection procedures and wear protective equipment when working with toxic chemicals and other hazardous materials (such as lead paint).
- Maintain a commitment to building your own skills in and understanding of preservation and restoration architecture, recognizing that increased productivity enhances self-worth and results in increased compensation.
Wages and Benefits
This is a full-time (35-40 hrs.), hourly wage position at a rate commensurate with one’s skill level. $20-$23/hr.
Benefits beginning day one:
- Meaningful work with dignity for appreciative clientele.
- While many of the trades will be increasingly focused on hiring “installers” you will acquire valuable hand skills and be contributing to creative projects.
- The satisfaction that comes from participating in projects from beginning to end, thus experiencing the (sometimes magical) transformation which one’s work has enabled.
- Per the Chicago Paid Leave Ordinance, one hour of sick leave is accrued for every 35 hrs. worked.
Benefits beginning after six months:
- Five paid major holidays.
- Wage increases commensurate with skill development that is contributing to increased productivity.
Partial tuition assistance for approved continuing education.
About Us
We are a small, but growing Chicago-area shop specializing in the restoration and period-appropriate enhancement of transitional (windows and doors) and interior elements primarily in historic residential architecture. As our 5-star Google reviews attest (please read), we have built a strong reputation for doing high quality work with integrity and care in a relational approach with our clients. While wood window and door restoration have been our “bread-and-butter” services, the launch of our new website is expressive of our initiative to expand our scope to take on a broader range of projects, especially ones with a strong orientation towards aesthetic enhancement. You will be a part of this exciting expansion! While profit is important, we are also a mission-driven company, recognizing that beauty in one’s everyday life is important for the soul’s well-being. Respectful and creative commitment to three fundamental principles guides our work:
- Preservation and enhancement of architectural integrity.
- Integration of structural soundness and functional ease with beauty.
- Celebration of the desirable effects of aging.
We appreciate work in the residential sector (though not exclusively) because homeowners care deeply about their dwelling places.
To Apply
Submit a resume, cover letter and an “informal portfolio” of relevant projects. Only applicants who submit all three documents–a resume, cover letter and portfolio will be considered.
About Your Resume.
It should include a chronological history of both work experience and education, beginning with high school graduation. Depending on your age, even summer jobs in high school are important. Why? Because your ability to hold down a job is important to us! Be prepared to explain gaps in work history.
About your cover letter.
Relax! We understand you may not be a wordsmith. We’re more concerned about your thought processes and hand skills than your eloquence. The best cover letters will reflect thoughtful consideration of our website and how your skills and values correspond to ours. Here are two prompts for ways you might approach composing this letter:
#1. Choose a project we describe on our website and talk about why it caught your interest. Describe skills you have and how they might have proved useful in completing this project if you had been involved in the process. And keep our motto in mind. “We restore things better than they used to be.” Drawing upon your unique skill set, what might you have been able to contribute to this project that might have enhanced it. Your enhancement does not have to abide by the standard we hold out for ourselves–that the enhancement is consistent with historic period context. We’re more concerned, at this point, with your creativity and aesthetic judgment rather than your understanding of architectural history.
#2. Tell us what inspires you about the prospect of working in an architectural restoration context. What experience do you have that contributes to this inspiration? What skills do you possess that you believe would be particularly useful in this context. Of course, show us what you’ve done that demonstrates your competency rather than just telling us you have the skill. For instance, instead of telling us you have a capacity to pay attention to detail, describe a project you have been involved in that demonstrates your competency.
About Your Portfolio.
We’re not looking for anything fancy. Imperfect pictures taken with your phone are fine. What IS important, though, is that your pictures show what you have done AND that you also include descriptions. (We often don’t know what we are seeing in a picture. You have to tell us what to look for.) Tell us what you did, including challenges you faced and how you resolved them. Tell us what skills you used to complete the project. Note that the projects you show to us don’t have to be in any particular medium. And they don’t have to be restoration projects. What we want to learn is how well you work with your hands. Of course, if you’ve restored anything–a bicycle, a bookshelf, a plant that was about to die but you brought it back to life–by all means, describe your process and show us what you did. Before and after pictures are great…but believe me, we know how hard it can be to remember to get that before pictures!
And if you are better at talking than writing, it is fine to send us a video or a voice recording to accompany your pictures.
Fretting About Your Weakness?
Maybe your resume is weak. Compensate for it by sending a kick-ass cover letter and portfolio. Maybe your writing skills are not your forte. Compensate for it by putting extra attention into your portfolio.
Send all these materials to Jeff at jediger@oakbrothers.net.
For the subject heading, type “Restoration Worker Application.”
Thanks! We’re looking forward to hearing from you and seeing what you’ve been doing with your “one wild and precious life.” (Mary Oliver)
Troy: If there is somewhere you might include this fragment, do so:
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?” (“The Summer Day” Mary Oliver)
