About Us
At Thoughtful Craftsmen, our mission is to preserve the character and authenticity of cherished historic homes and landmarks. We strive to restore structures to their original splendor in a way that ensures they can be maintained for generations to come.
Over twenty years ago, Thoughtful Craftsmen was born of a passion for preserving historic architecture in a way that supports functionality without sacrificing aesthetics. Today, that passion still drives our commitment to addressing the complexities involved in restoring older structures in a way that does not discount the needs of current and future custodians. To meet those dynamic demands, we offer clients a menu of services that reflect our systems approach to restoration and repair.
Each project, big or small, represents a client who entrusted us with preserving a functional piece of history.
Over the years, we’ve had the privilege of working on nearly a thousand homes – some of which we have continued to care for, despite having changed ownership multiple times. Our larger-scale commercial projects, such as our work on the Dousman Stagecoach Inn Museum in Brookfield and the Fireman’s Park Pavilion in Columbus, further demonstrate our versatility.
Whether a private home or a public landmark, Thoughtful Craftsmen is dedicated to delivering exceptional results that stand the test of time. We view each project as a collaboration; a partnership with our clients to bring their vision to life while preserving the essence of the past. We invite you to explore how our passion for historic preservation can elevate the function and aesthetic of your home.
The Thoughtful Way
Our Knowledge
We train employees in a variety of our services, so they will eventually be able to understand and approach historic homes, landmarks, and buildings as systems whose parts and integration require specific approaches. We aspire to do this in a nurturing and understanding way.
While we expect honesty, diligence, and hard work, we also hope that employees are willing to push themselves, take risks, and learn in a safe environment. This process, we hope, might allow each member of our team to find their strengths. We are eager to have team members take initiative and accept new responsibilities in a way that fosters personal growth and new opportunities.
Our Values
We have a unique business model. This is because we understand that no two properties are the same. Whether it be window tuning and restoration or fitting shop-built storm windows, our approach and process differs from job to job. We look at homes and buildings as systems, focusing on the larger and more obvious items and issues, as well as the connective tissue that lies between.
Despite the demand for the work, few companies are willing to provide the services we do. We are constantly creating better systems and always appreciate team input and ideas. Because of the demand for this kind of work, and the work being of great value to preserving our community, we’ve become one of the premier historic restoration companies in the Milwaukee area.
Our Customers
Our approach has been called “anti-sales.” We don’t approach potential customers upon our initial site visits, nor in subsequent interactions, as targets for the product we’re trying to sell. Rather, we listen to them and examine the problems and recommend a course to repair or restore, often with options that might accommodate budget constraints. Part of this approach involves recommending other contractors when appropriate, or less expensive fixes. Sometimes we tell people that the best course of action is to do nothing.
In other words, from the moment of first contact, we see our job as helping homeowners best solve the problem or repair the damage to their houses. The solutions we suggest are geared towards the needs of the houses.
Is your home in need of a restoration makeover?