Building: A Carpenter's Notes on Life & the Art of Good Work

by Mark Ellison

A brilliant carpenter shares meditations on work, creativity, and design, revealing powerful lessons on building a meaningful life based on his experience constructing some of New York's most iconic spaces.

Over the past forty years, Mark Ellison has worked on some of the most beautiful homes you've never seen, specializing in the most rarefied, lavish, and challenging of projects with the most demanding of clients. He built a staircase that the famed architect Santiago Calatrava called a masterpiece. He worked on the iconic Sky House, which Interior Design named the best apartment of the decade. He's even worked on the homes of David Bowie, Robin Williams, and others whose names he cannot reveal. He is regarded by many as the best carpenter in New York.

But before he was any of that, Ellison was just a serial dropout who spent his young adult years living in a string of cockroachy apartments, taking work where he found it, and sleeping on couches between gigs, feeding himself by making cabinets and apprenticing with contractors on dusty work sites.

In Building: A Carpenter's Notes on Life & the Art of Good Work, Ellison tells the story of his unconventional education in the world of architecture and design, and how he learned the satisfaction and mastery that comes from doing something well for a long time. He takes us on a tour through the lofts, penthouses, and townhomes of New York's elite that he has transformed over the years--before they're camera-ready--and in a singular voice offers a window onto what he's learned about living meaningfully along the way. From staircases that would be deadly if built as designed, algae-eating snails boiled to escargot in a penthouse pond, and the deceptive complexity of minimalist interior design to the overrun budgets, scrapped blueprints, and last-minute demands that characterize life in the high-stakes world of luxury construction, Building exposes the messy wiring behind the pristine walls that grace the glossy pages of Architectural Digest.

Blending his musings on work and creativity with immersive storytelling and original sketches, photos, and illustrations, Building is an insider's guide to what really goes on in the rarefied air of high-end New York real estate, a meditation on building a life worth living, a delightful philosophical engagement with problems and solutions, and a social anthropology of the facades that we all live within and behind.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Philosophy, Biography, Design, Audiobook, Self Help

320 pages, Paperback

Published May 14, 2024

Reviews

[Christie Bane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book. It started off right away with the author saying that it's not a book about learning to build houses; it's a book about mastery. Perfect; I love hearing the stories of people who have spent their whole lives in pursuit of mastery of SOMETHING. Anything is fine as long as the person is a good storyteller, and this guy is. He's a builder of luxury residences in Manhattan, so as you can imagine, he has seen a lot. I also love career memoirs -- again, as long as they're well-done -- and this one shines in that genre. The guy is funny, honest, and open about the good and the bad of his career. Note to self: write your career memoir. Who cares if you haven't left the field yet?

[Rebecca Russavage · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book I’ve read for a while. Mark is honest, which is the first commendation, and he’s thoughtful, which is the second, and he is good at telling stories.

More than that, this shares something I will never know for myself if my life follows its current track. He has knowledge and experience completely alien to my entire professional world, and I regret that I’m helping build a world so far removed from the lessons he has learned from a life spent building. We lose so much when we stop working—in the way my dad spent his entire life working, and I do not when I sit at a laptop every day.

Often I read books or articles where it feels like someone thought of a headline or a concept, then executed it without thinking any more. Marks book is anchored by a meaningful idea that does what books should do—by being written and published it’s marking space in a conversation about…public goods, about a good life, about satisfaction and value. And it does it without the conceit of theory, just the sureness of practice. I’m buying copies for at least three people I know.

[Kevin Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first saw this book on NetGalley, my interest was piqued. Specifically, the subtitle is what drew me in. I've read numerous titles on finding meaning and living a good life, but none from a carpenter. I was not disappointed. Ellison interweaves tales from the job site, his own experiences, and valuable life lessons in a way that keeps the reader interested. By the end of the book, I felt like I had sat down with a friend to talk about life over dinner which is hard to accomplish sometimes. My only criticism is that, as a reader with no experience whatsoever in carpentry, a few more diagrams depicting the processes, tools, or builds would have been beneficial. Where it involves the work done in private homes, I understand this would not always be possible. I only make that point to stress how involved I was in Ellison's narrative. I wanted to fully 'see' the work he had done. Overall, an excellent book with lessons for all, whether they are a trades person or not.

[Jim Kownacki · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like I'm the best in my field and let me tell you about it books this is for you. One look at the author pick and you can see how pompous he is. Some stories are good some you want to flip past.

[Irene · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I am mistaken. Anger, Malice, Indifference, and Superiority lurk behind everything I do. When they are absent, Cowardice, Envy, Avarice, and Spite are happy to take their place. At every turn, they steer my intentions, sometimes with a nudge, sometimes with a shove. They exercise their wills in us all.

Look at the world we live in. Look at the beauty and the savagery of this place. It is an exact model of the human psyche. How else could it have become what it is? We made it, and it made us. Everyone we encounter is beset by grief and shame and sorrow. We are all buoyed by hope and wish and admiration.

There is a great deal in the world that inspires me. There are good ideas out there, things we can be proud of. They are to be cherished and preserved.

But the great secret to freedom is to look as unflinchingly as we can bear to at the myriad ways in which we are wrong, to relinquish the foolish thoughts and beliefs that force our actions into repetitive cycles of suffering.”

Seed to Dust: A Gardener's Story by Marc Hamer is my favourite book for very much the same reason this book has become a new favourite. Perhaps there's something in their name.

Ellison is someone who will not lie to himself about who he is, or about who other people are, even when they're lying to themselves. And I feel that's probably the key, not to happiness, but to contentment, through surrender to our circumstances, with clarity and purpose, and love for what we're passionate about.

[Anna Lazenby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoughts on dedication to anything. He spends a lot of time criticizing architects for not knowing how to build anything and I agree

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

This.Book. Is. Bad.if you ever wanted an entitled, educated, white man's perspective on 'work these day's' then this is the book for you.

Yikes where to start. The author is misogynistic. I don't recall him bringing up a female character in his work or profession without mentioning his level of attraction to her. Including his dead best friend of decades.

If you've ever talked with a trades worker, you know that 'the other guy can't do it as well as I can.' This book is nothing but that repeated throughout many stories. Openly admitting to lying about qualifications to get a job, constantly minimizing their faults, mistakes and downright negligence while highlighting everything everyone else has done wrong. Nepotism is abound , white privilege is rampant, and the author's arrogance is only matched by his vocabulary.

Kids these days don't need to read this book. Cause it sucked. I don't blame his sons for estranging themselves or his ex-wife from leaving him. I'm glad I borrowed this book from the library, cause if I had paid for it, I'd be really mad at investing in this man's ego fortune.

[Joy He · Rating 3 out of 5]

the stories and anecdotes about past projects, his life, and his clients were the strongest, most compelling part of this book. i found myself wanting more, and i wish they had been more fleshed-out.

instead, the stories often end up taking a backseat to entire sections where daddy carpenter lectures me on some moralistic lesson/opinion. i wish these had instead been woven in more organically to let the stories shine at the forefront (and this probably would’ve helped strengthen the stories too).

nevertheless, this book was an immensely enjoyable romp through work that most of us white collar bourgeoisie will never really see. perhaps i rated it three stars (lower than deserved?) because there’s so much potential in this book, and so much more that i wish i could’ve learned and read about.

[ella taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an odd little book that truly moved me. There were so many beautiful sentences and ideas in this book that even Mr. Ellison’s descriptions of his carpentry work that went WAYYYY over my head were enjoyable and interesting. It took me a while to read just because it’s long and somewhat rambling/disconnected but I honestly don’t think it affects the book too much overall. It felt like grabbing a coffee and just listening to this guy talk for a while.

“We should not allow ourselves to be swayed into smallness. Laziness and despair need not lead us to the mistaken expectation that meaning is to be provided by existence rather than made in us from its deliberate digestion.”

“In our affliction and elation, we have a choice: Will I exact revenge for the sorrow the world has brought me, or will I carry that sorrow, see its reflection, and let it goad me to compassion?”

“We are given the opportunity to rebuild the world. If you want to try, start small. If you succeed, expand.”

[Zac Cordell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant!

[M A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author loved his thesaurus. It was like listening to a friend dish hot tea about all their workplace drama for the whole book

[Roohani · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, Thank you Net Galley and Random House for giving me access to this book!

For me, there are a few points that set this book apart from other biographies. The biggest difference and one that I love is the narrative and the structure. As a biography, everyone expects stories of the author's life and this book has plenty. However, they are woven into chapters that provide life lessons. The chapters do not jump from one era to another or one experience to another, they have disguised lessons from a person who is humble and accomplished. It contains many hidden sagely, grandfatherly pieces of advice, I have bookmarked them all.

Another thing I like about this book and I believe is an extremely smart move by the publishers, is the cover. Unlike the trend in biographies to put authors on the cover, this one allowed me to choose this book without the pressure of knowing the author beforehand. Being in a field unrelated to the author's profession, I had never heard about him. But the word Carpenter in the subtitle and the cover attracted my curious nature.

This book is written for all audiences. Anyone like me who did not know the author beforehand or knows nothing about buildings, architecture or interiors can read this book and enjoy it.

Overall, it was a calming read brimming with knowledge on leading a fulfilled life accumulated through experience.

[David Partikian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark Ellison’s Building: A Carpenter’s Notes on Life & the Art of Good Work is an admirable memoir by a contractor who worked on the homes of the very rich and sometimes famous in the NY tri-state area. He gained “mainstream” prominence, as opposed to word-of-mouth or professional prominence, after being the subject of a New Yorker feature article a couple of years ago. Like many efforts by non-writers to write a memoir (every bright person with writing skills should have one within him or herself), the work gains traction via the author’s raconteur skills and his passion for what he has done with his life. However, the memoir flounders as it progresses, not knowing whether it is a self-help manifesto or the reminiscences of an aging blue-collar worker with the requisite (and unrequisite) injuries who has successfully put his children through school and who has the professional clout to choose his projects more carefully than in previous decades.

One of the blurbs on the back cover correctly identifies Ellison as a polymath. As a polymath who learned mostly by doing and not by attending elite universities, an anti-academic strain pervades Ellison’s work. Rightly so. And Ellison has a sense of how his profession has progressed or regressed within Western history:

. . .And so entire traditions have been lost—embroidery, thatching, beading, rug tying, chip carving, wood turning—consigned to the dustbin of decorative arts, replaced by gigatons of concrete, steel, and asphalt. Door frames have been stripped of their casings, with never a thought given to the ingenious way they form a box beam at the jamb, capable of withstanding the most aggressive slam, all while dressing the opening in any style one might use to prettify this too-drab world. Away went the plaster crowns to soften the crease between the horizontal and vertical so a room envelops its dwellers rather than imprisons them. Craft has been relegated to roadside fairs featuring clunky garage-made handiwork, when its greatest examples once graced palaces and cathedrals. (pg. 120)

Ellison is at his best when ranting or propounding as in the above quote. His snarky asides belittling the jargon of architects who, almost to a person, rely on cookie-cutter computer prototypes and his precise use of language in embellishing his job-site stories often make the memoir wildly entertaining. However, there are only so many stories about festering, splattering snails (don’t ask, just read it) and the destroyed contents of a fur vault to help us carpenter voyeurs feel glad about being relegated as garage craftsmen. After all, Ellison made a presumably lucrative career catering to the whims of the rich and clueless, the Marie Antionette set if you will.

Herein lies my major rub: While the end result of Mark Ellison’s projects are often palatial and magnificent, the majesty is never really conveyed in the memoir. Mostly there is the annoyance about contractors having to use the trade entrance or elevator and the unreasonable scheduling by the absurdly affluent, whose condo boards demand projects begin Memorial Day weekend and wrap up by Labor Day so that the ultra-rich are not inconvenienced by the peons, the working class, the noise and the dust of their elaborate, multi-million dollar ego-trip renovations. I never get a sense that Ellison is fulfilling his own vision, but always the vision of someone else. I was horrified to learn that his work only lasts so long as a client owns the property, with any new owners looking to lavishly re-renovate any masterpieces deemed out of vogue, hence his precise artistry is largely disposable. This is a shame because the book skirts the territory of self-help with chapters on the necessities for a successful career in the trades, e.g. people skills or the required lack of people skills (boundaries) paired with uber-competence. It is only towards the very end of the memoir that Ellison hits the reader with the obvious epiphany that had been nagging at me throughout the work: “The freedom to spend my days making whatever I want is a fearsome proposition for me.” (pg. 259). In this sense, I look forward to the next book Ellison writes, when he can concentrate on his own community, artistic vision and what he wants to renovate, his own dream house in Newburgh, N.Y.

This review is not meant to judge. Ellison has a moral sense and honesty that pervades his memoir. He struggled and attained success in one of the most dog eat dog environments in the USA. He never denigrates his ex-wife and keeps personal matters private. His ruminations on mortality and friends around us passing away are ever so poignant. His job site stories are often hysterical and cringe-worthy. As an ex-New Yorker, I marveled at his ability to not rant about the traffic (one would think it is as annoying as the clueless Ivy League architect or demanding clients). As an avid cyclist and ex- New York bike messenger, I loved that he was still biking to some job sites in his 50’s. I’d love to sit down and have a couple of beers with Mark Ellison, but I do feel that his best literary effort is still in front of him.

[Bpaul · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sections that are memior about super high end projects are really fun. When he drifts into philosophy it gets a bit stale, but he mostly stays on the good stuff.

[kevin kvalvik · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter gave me this book and I love my daughter, and I enjoyed the book. That said, it was an interesting study in celebrating the trades, which I appreciate, because that in my circles is not done often enough. However, on the whole the book was uneven, perhaps radically uneven. Where are the author, the builder, the tradesman, takes pride in not following his parents' path into academia? Yet clearly he is a man who has great regrets and talks about it, alludes to it in almost every chapter.
He describes his years as a carpenter almost like I assume Nelson Mandela would describe his years in prison. He learned a lot, he's a bigger man for it.
There's also this interesting dichotomy where he discounts "talent," and celebrates the half-assed regard he has for hi sown. . He talks about doing really intricate serious work and then tosses it away, saying his Cabinetry was no more than box building.
It's just hard to know what he actually feels about his abilities. It's supposed to be largely biographical. His voice changes quite a bit depending on his topic. Where, maybe he is an experienced writer or maybe he has help writing? I don't know. But the basics of applying yourself to something and seeing that it is terrific after you have had 30 years of practice, and a whole lot of sweat equity, is not really shown as so much in this book.
He talks about all of his work ending in the dump in 10 years because of the ravenous capitalism of New York City, and that everyone needs to have the newest and the prettiest countertop or woodwork. He is sort of dismissive of that, pretending he doesn't care.
Yet there is a chapter dedicated to basically doing meaningful work when he was younger, just to see other people destroy it and how it shattered the people who did the making. And that didn't ring true because the cynicism and the "it's-all-gonna-burn" nonchalance are everywhere else in the book. And yeah, I get you know he can explore personal contradictions, which he does at length. But still, I sort of wanted a slightly different book.
And no offense to Ellison, but I was sort of hoping for something a little bit more chronological. Something where he is finding his way, and then he starts describing the remarkable crafts that he has, instead of oh, I am pretty good at drawing, and I make a lot of stairways.
Just sort of disappointing in that regard. Yet some of his descriptions and longer stories are really the mark of a gifted raconteur.
It seemed like he had written some stuff over the years that he just needed to sort of find a place to get rid of. So we tacked a handful of sort of related stories in there, which is fine. But it seemed a little bit like a throwaway.
Lastly, he just didn't sell the fact that he was so damn smart and yet he chose to spend his life sweating while putting up crap that he really doesn't seem to be attached to.
And I guess, after lastly, it would have made sense if he had written that book that book of small steps becoming better where he talks about his craft, where he talks about what beauty is in his craft, where he talks in the language of craftsman. If he also would have perhaps had asides where he talked about his dedication to music, because that's like the other half of the story that he throws in at the end. So maybe he's just a great storyteller with a lousy editor. I don't know. But I sort of love this man's voice, and was a little disappointed by the ramshackle construction of a book called "Building."

[Hugh · Rating 1 out of 5]

There are some great anecdotes in here and some interesting ideas, but it’s borderline insufferable:

Math is a tool well suited to every manner of ends. When I encounter someone who doesn't know its uses, even at the relatively simple level our work requires, my heart sinks. Everyone’s math should be at least good enough that they can take measure of the world they inhabit.

…

Beginning twenty years ago, I worked with one architect through three successive projects. He squirmed and struggled as he was dragged hither and thither by the demands of a triumvirate of clients who cared little for his theories. He was thwarted at many a turn. None of the jobs panned out as he had envisioned them.

…

Life is full of little fiefdoms. DMV workers, tax clerks, traffic cops, and border agents might have limited agency outside of their bailiwicks, but within their designated spheres, they rule supreme. Service elevator operators are a sleepy breed. Perhaps neurologists will someday discover that brains designed for wandering thither and yon are adversely affected by perpendicular travel. From behind their pantograph gates, they are the sole arbiters of who goes up and who goes down. One may dislike them, find them coarse, even capricious and unfair, but they must be befriended.

This is all from the first half of the book, before I started skimming. The guy has a bad case of Engineer’s Syndrome.

He sums it up himself later:

Like most inventions, language exposes our shortcomings and weaknesses. We know we're flawed, so we engage in a constant struggle to appear better than we are.

If you can get through that without cursing, then (a) this book might appeal to you, and (b) you’re made of stronger stuff than I am.

Honestly, it’s not worth going into detail about the other things that turned me off, but there were more than a few.

The New Yorker article is a good read, leave it at that.

[Rochelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book primarily for its author's willingness to attempt to put down the facade he claims most of us live behind and to come to public terms with his shortcomings and weaknesses, and to encourage his readers to do the same. This is more a book about living within the "house" we have facetiously come to call our selves. I liken this contemporary version of modern myth unmaking to a classic of an earlier time by Gaston Bachelard titled The Poetics of Space. Gaston Bachelard (1884-1962) was born into a family of shoemakers and worked his way up from mail carrier to philosopher. Like Bachelard, Ellison had what he describes as a middle-class upbringing as the son of a father who first studied Divinity and later taught Sociology, forgoing his inital calling as a preacher. His mother, who had earned her B.A. in Botany at Cornell University in 1956, as was customary of many mothers of the day, took care of the home and the couple's four children. However, no sooner were they of school age, she applied and was admitted to University of Pittsburgh Medical School in 1966. She graduated, the only mother onstage, having kept her maternal status a secret for the very real fear of being declared delusional. His parents were educated, but not wealthy. Nevertheless they managed to give his and his siblings a steller private education at boarding school, each one leaving home for school at age 14. While he did not go on to university, his memoir is a testament to the good use he made of his mother's determination that her children be intelligent. Unlike Bachelard who earned his degree in Philosophy from the Sorbonne, Ellison secured his GED, and then went off in search of what it meant to be himself. He credits his mother with being the most vivid example of what it means to live life on one's own terms, and states he learned many of the principles of pragmatism, frugality, practicality, fearlessness and something he calls "cussedness" from her. His memoir is a testament to the will to create meaning and fashion a cohesive whole life; to create beauty and harmony, letting the practice of excellence be its own reward.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did really enjoy this book, even though in a way it reminded me of that book written by the shepherd in the Lake District - both of them had interesting things to say about a trade I am interested in, but they both seem generally pissed off most of the time. (Ellison specifically hates architects and isn't fond of designers either.)

There isn't that much in here about actual carpentry, so set your expectations about that also. It's more a memoir of a guy who found his niche in carpentry in one of the most upscale real estate markets on earth.

The renovations he's involved in make you think maybe there should be a limit on how wastefully rich people should be allowed to become. Instead of spending $250,000 on French marble for a master bath shouldn't they be helping to ensure the US doesn't leave so many people on the street to starve? I've always kind of avoided knowing just how rich the very rich are, and this book shows it to you. The person who has to turn into reality such dumb ideas as a "diaphanous staircase" can tell you who has more money than sense.

His comments about talent were particularly interesting to me as I've always had doubts about how the concept works. On the one hand we're told, "talent doesn't matter, hard work will get you where you want to go" - which is not entirely true and leaves a person feeling like if they don't win the Metropolitan Opera competition it's totally their fault. Each of us has some aptitudes, as well as limitations to what we are capable of achieving, hard work or not. On the other hand we are sometimes told, "oh you're so talented at that" - so again, any failure to achieve at that is your fault for being lazy.

Anyway, an interesting book.

[Dilrajio · Rating 1 out of 5]

picked up Building expecting a deep dive into craftsmanship—maybe some hard-won lessons from the field, stories about mastering the trades, and insight into how someone becomes known as the “best carpenter in New York City.” Instead, what I got was a book that reads more like an ego trip than a reflection on the art of building.

Right from the first epilogue (yes, first epilogue), Ellison comes off as insufferably self-congratulatory. He constantly name-drops his supposed reputation, pretending it’s something others keep saying about him, when in reality it feels like the same two blogs he’s milking for all they’re worth. It gets old fast. He’ll never fail to mention that OTHERS mentioned that he’s “best carpenter in New York City.” There’s a smugness to the tone that makes it hard to respect what he’s saying—even when he might be making a good point.

The way he talks about his clients or partners is dismissive at best, and honestly, the whole thing gives off the vibe of someone who thinks he’s smarter and funnier than he actually is. I spent 2-4 hours reading and actually learned nothing valuable.

And the writing…? Bruh... It’s like he’s trying to impress someone, but it’s not clear who. His jokes fall flat, the prose is sloppy, and the vocabulary choices are just… baffling. There were moments I genuinely felt pissed off reading this, not because it challenged me, but because it was so poorly executed and painfully self-indulgent.

In short: this book could have been something great if it had focused on the craft. Instead, it’s more about Ellison’s ego than anything else. A real shame.

[Mitch Berkson · Rating 1 out of 5]

At 25% through, I've exceeded my limit of eye-rolls per chapter and have to abandon this insipid amalgam of stupefyingly banal pontifications from a builder of fancy spaces for clients he doesn't particularly admire.

Yet again I was enticed into the ill-fated reading of a book based on an interesting Fresh Air interview with the author. Ellison builds super expensive and unique architectural projects which I wanted to hear more about. Instead it is a book-length pseudo-self-deprecating, humblebrag that includes his life lessons (e.g., hard work is more important than talent, be interested in what you do, learn things...) and folk wisdom.

Did you ever feel anxious that a worker you hired doesn't have much respect for what you've hired him for or, possibly, you? Well the more than a whiff of disdain that Ellison has for the ludicrous examples of excess which he is hired to build is frequently too apparent; a more delicate touch would be less off-putting even when completely justified.

I'm listening to the audio book and unwittingly? the narrator perfectly captures the superficially humble but cloyingly self-satisfied tone of someone very talented and incredibly successful doing what he loves musing on his life philosophy illustrated by quotidian episodes from his past. All I wanted was amusing anecdotes about jobs, clients, and associates from his building career and those are not here.

[Ted Warren · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5/5

who is this book for

throughout the book he consistently complains about little kings but its written by the worst offender of all. we have a guy who is nichely specialized in extreme high end nyc apartment renovations who claims repeatedly to be 'the best carpenter in new york city'. the most telling story of the book is a so called carpenter who removes siding to find significant rot, and simply walks off his own job and leaves the clients wall open. in what universe would anyone who calls themself a carpenter, especially in the northeast, get absolutely mind melted and defeated by rot, the only thing in carpentry more ubiquitous than wood. he then goes on to leave it to 'some suburban carpenter' meaning the 99% of people in the trade who can preform the basic tasks you would learn in the first year of your apprenticeship.

you meet this kinda guy consantly on the jobsite, some guy who stands around talking all day bitching about how everyone elses work is terrible and they're all hacks, while simultaniously only focusing on the best 90% of their work, criticizing the other guys shittiest single mistake. thats how you end up with an autobiography told through the lens of petty onesided jobsite arguments and complaints

tack on a bunch of boomerisms about kids these days and you have this book.

simply acknowledging your short comings doesnt absolve you of them, especially when you maintain this level of ego. this book is rude to read as a carpenter

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I put Mark Ellison's Building: A Carpenter's Notes on Life & the Art of Good Work on my reading list after watching a PBS Newshour segment about the book. I thought I could learn a lot from someone at the top of his game like Mark, who has worked for over 40 years in high end renovation construction in New York City. I know very little about building. The type of projects that Mark accepts are complex, often involving high-level problem solving to make blueprints actually work. I enjoyed his accounts of various projects the best. (Reading about how renovation projects can take multiple summers made me feel better about timeliness at work.) Ellison is a perfect example of how college isn't for everybody and doesn't always impart competence. The chapters are roughly chronological, even though they are about various themes. I thought the book loses steam in the final few chapters as there is some repetition and a noticeable change in tone. My starting and finishing this book in a few days' time so I can return it to the library without delay is a testament to the fine writing and subject matter.

[Mark Einselen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely romp through a garden of life experiences. "Building" is Mark Ellison's memoire of sorts. It's less of a chronological account of his life and more of a thematic oral history of lessons learned through work. Mark is rather shy with details of his family, marriage, and divorce, and instead resorts to gleaning his area of expertise for moral messages. It's not until the end of the book that we learn he has written an album! Some of his private creative works, apparently, remain private.

Personally, my favorite stories were of Mark's childhood and youth. The world he grew up in is so vastly different from how the majority of children are raised now. His job as a canoe guide was of particular fascination for me.

I found myself thinking, "oh I know what that's like" so many times, even though I've never built for a Hollywood celebrity or worked for a billionaire (that I know of) or completed projects high above NYC's Central Park. Mark is able to convey his tales as if you're seated side-by-side at a bar.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading this and I think you would like it. It’s equal parts building know how and life skills know how. Mark has a charming way of relating his successes and failures within the strange world of upscale remodeling for very wealthy clients. Some of his stories are downright heartbreaking, some uplifting, but this insider’s look is especially relevant to the way humans discover their own paths to follow in the work-a-day world. Which opportunities to follow and which ones to let go -Mark shrewdly and decisively learns by trial and error. I’m not a builder, but I am an artist in my own unique way. Mark taught me a lot about ways to learn, how to hone inborn talent, how to honor the process of work, and why life decisions should not be made entirely by financial considerations. This is profound work - It’s not about remodeling luxury apartments for the rich, but how to remodel ourselves to be who we are meant to be.

[Vovka · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one's a mixture of a master carpenter/builder's notes on building high-end NYC living spaces and that same person's comments on how to live a good life. I really enjoyed the details of the amazing spaces that he's had a hand in building, because I've wasted a small fortune building a custom home for myself, and might've avoided some mistakes had I read this first. I also enjoyed the tea spilled regarding bad client behavior -- there are some very interesting stories here that feel like fun gossip about the lifestyles of the rich and famous. And finally, I thought the author's advice on how to live a good life was pretty spot on; I just wish there had been more of that, relative to the weight of the rest of the content, as he seems like he's got a fair amount of wisdom to share.

[Ross · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

I grabbed this book off of the shelf at the library. I am also a carpenter. After the FIRST page I knew exactly what I had here.

Ego. me me me me. I’ve known many guys like this, they profess their love for the simplicity of the craft but really they are terrified of not being seen as an artist. As THE artist.

Read the description of the author on the back jacket flap. What a stooge.

Right away he mentions he doesn’t have children, well that’s a plus for the world.

I imagine all of the stirring moments his ego felt as he typed out all of the bragadociousness.

In my opinion, there is nothing more solid than a down to earth builder who doesn’t need to don his polished shoes and colorful sport coat but rather puts the beauty into his work.

[Cameron Mcconnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book for my husband, a carpenter, but he was deep in a different book, so I read it myself. This was a mix of autobiography and philosophy. Craftspeople and laborers are often undervalued in our society but they keep our world from collapsing around us. Mr. Ellison told many anecdotes of his work for the very wealthy and mourns the casual destruction of much of that work. He has also been self educated in music. He has had many other interesting experiences described in this tale. Very interesting book. Recommended.

[Sharon Mylet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the premise.... he just went waaay overboard -using his thesaurus & all... Got a bit pretentious... interesting take on the builder side of things... in once instance, the crew had to build a garage for some bazillionaire.. well, the guy didn't like it & they had to tear it down.. all that work-kaput. bastard.

error?: with all the wording & usage, etc, he still went back to the (and i'm paraphrasing here, since i don't have the book in front of me)- he always knew better than me... -and he did this twice.

[Ken The Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely fantastic read. I never thought I would make this comparison, but I consider Mark Ellison's description of life, living, emotions, thoughts and values on the same level as Robert Pirsig's, as evidenced by that earlier author's writing of both Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and his follow-up, Lila. I cannot recommend Ellison's book enough! One of a small handful of books that I've read this year that will remain on the family bookshelf to be read again.

[Ann LePore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book for my husband, but then decided I'd read it really liked it. Through interesting anecdotes, he expresses a lot of the values that my husband and I hold dear: putting intention into your efforts, working for good results for yourself and for others, the joy of problem-solving, self-reflection, and learning from mistakes. The book has almost nothing to do with carpentry, so if you're not a craftsman, don't hesitate to read it; it's about life.