Cypress Turns 24 Year Old Today!

January 2nd, 2018 - Today, we're celebrating Cypress Construction Service's 24th birthday! Hard to believe the long and winding road this journey has taken me on, and feeling so grateful for everyone that's been a part of it. Perhaps none more so than this crowning jewel beach home remodel we're putting the finishing touches on in LaSelva Beach right now. Our clients, Barb and Brian, have been such a pleasure to work with, and their family-first spirit inspires me to believe that their children, and grandchildren will enjoy this home for many years to come. Here's some before-and-after photos...

Summer of '17

August, 2017 - As if the wheel of fortune has come around 180 degrees from the monsoon winter we went through, we've been blessed with the kinds of jobs that make doing what we do in a place like Santa Cruz so awesome!
Days like these... One crew working at the beach...

 and the other in the redwoods. Go Team Cypress!

Cypress In 2016

"What do you do with an up economy?" was suddenly the question in 2016. And it was a long time coming. For years we've struggled, reinvented, and worked hard to get through the recession and its aftermath, and this past year all that changed. The phone kept ringing, the emails kept coming, and I was often in the position of making the choice - expand and attempt to capitalize on the upswing, or focus on what we know and keep a good thing going. And I've been tempted by that in the past - large office, office manager, 16 employees... and all the stress, headaches (and sometimes lawsuits) that result.

And so, this past year, we've completed a couple of additions/remodels...

 

Along with the reliable and gratifying stream of kitchens and bathroom remodels.

Of course, there was our share of decks, and this year saw expansion into more composite materials (ChoiceDek, etc), Cable-Rail railings, et al.

As I've said before, our work with Homeowner's Associations is the single biggest reason we survived as well as we did through the tough years. And that hasn't changed despite the economy turning around.



When all is said and done, it's not 'how much' or 'how big' we've grown, it's taking care of a great crew, so we can continue to take care of our great clients, and the homes they live in!

Making Up for Lost Time

8/09/16 - After the economy went off a cliff in 4th quarter 2007, it was imperative that we hunkered down and reinvented ourselves to survive. Gone were the elective kitchen and bathroom remodels, additions, and upgrades. In our case, we were very fortunate to have aligned with work at homeowner associations (HOAs), and just the bare-bones, essential commercial and residential work that came our way.
Last year, I was encouraged to be receiving as many calls as we did for elective kitchen and bathroom remodels.











And this year, we're currently working our way through our 2nd exciting residential addition.

Great to see the resurgence in upgrades like this Choicedek composite deck with stainless steel CableRail railing.




Grateful to be full-speed-ahead in 2016!

One Step Ahead of the Raindrops...

12/17/15 - Here we are again, breaking ground and starting an addition with another "California winter" right around the corner. Finished the interior remodel (in the idyllic late summer/fall) while we waited for the Building Permit on this. So the foundation went in last week:

And now framing. Hoping to get to the point where we can put the "lid" on it before the weekend, with rain predicted 7 out of the coming 10 days!

More updates to come. Meanwhile, grateful to be keeping the crew busy with so much work now booked for the next few months...

02/03/16 - Happy to be putting the finishing touches on, and clients moving in next week!

 

 

Cypress Crew Bulking Up for Winter...

El Nino, we're ready for you! Brought the crew together for lunch today at Capitola Diner, and talked about the coming winter, which Building Inspectors to watch out for and, well, girls...

We're trying out a couple of new crew members, one of which has years of roofing experience, which could come in handy in another month or two... Meanwhile, keeping the crew well-fed and happy. El Nino, bring it!

Which Will Come First? New Addition to the Family or to the House?

04/07/15 - It was December last year, and a delightful young couple hired us to build an addition and remodel their home. One catch, (the impetus behind the expansion) they are expecting their first child in early April! So, after some missteps with the plans and the Building Department in December, we finally broke ground in January!

The foundation and slab were dug, formed, and poured by the expert crew of Whitlow Concrete. Here we see our plumber, Nufo, laying rough plumbing before the slab is poured.

Ready for concrete - with vapor barrier, rebar, and one Red Bull fueled crew member! 

 Let the framing begin!

Roof trusses, OSB shear wall on the exterior walls... starting to take shape!

And the interior framing coming to a close. Six more weeks to go! Will we make it in time?!!!










And now, the 2nd week in April, with a due date of THIS SATURDAY, the 11th, we're putting the finishing touches on - inside and out...