January 2020

Thor’s Hammer and Classic Constructions have been working together on Canberra based projects for many years now and it’s always been a great relationship. The founding family, the Tanchevski’s, have been inspiring in their ability to form solid, trusting relationships with the people they work with and it’s made such a difference to the experience of collaborating with them. 

The Classic’s team are passionate about using recycled timber in their projects and forming innovative, unique design solutions for their clients - which is what we enjoy most.

So read on for an interview with the Mick, one of the Founders of Classic Constructions, for a Meet the Maker profile - on how he got to where he is and why he’s so good at what he does.

BACKGROUND

Mick: I grew up in Wollongong and did my apprenticeship in a joinery workshop, we used to do a lot of woodcraft, furniture - you know like the old Italian furniture, carvings, wood turning and all that sort of thing. That would have been 1973/4. I finished my trade in carpentry and cabinet making in 1975 and had my builders licence. I used to make a lot of furniture then, in those days we used to use cypress pine, tasmanian oak. It had to be soft stuff for all the turning and carving. We used cedar because we used to make a lot of cedar windows. We used tallowwood, a fair bit of blackbutt and mahogany mainly for furniture.

So it took three years to do my apprenticeship, then in my final year I was put on loan to my teacher’s brother who was a builder. So I could learn the outside stuff. I did that for a year or so, then went back to the joinery for a while where I was a lead in the workshop, then eventually left to go back to the outside building stuff which I preferred.

Jason [Mick’s Son]: So that’s where you would have learnt your craft?

Mick: Yeah that’s right. I enjoyed doing the fixing stuff when building because of my furniture making background. So I went to work with a builder in Wollongong who used to do all custom built homes, and another bloke who was an ex-bush builder who knew everything about how to build a house. He used to do little extensions on weekends, and I’d help him out. He taught me how to dig footings, pour concrete, lay brings, plastering, electrical, plumbing - we did everything ourselves. Eventually I left the bigger company with him, to go and start our own little business.

We did just extensions and renovations for around 10 years. Then one of my relatives living in Canberra got onto me and said there were no carpenters available. So I used to drive up and down for a little while, working on custom built homes. Eventually I ended up staying here.

Jason: So that’s a good point, your carpentry passion is more focused on the finishing side of the process rather than the structural carpentry. All those internal fit out and details are your focus.

Mick: That’s right. So I started Classic Constructions in 1987 after working for someone else for a while in Canberra. I brought most of the subbies from the other company that was closing down. At that point George my brother came in with me, his background was as a bank manager - and I taught him the carpentry trade.

He always stayed and looked after the financial side of the business, and ran the business. I taught him to quote in the beginning, then he took off from there. I said you run inside, I’ll run outside - and that’s the way it’s always been.

TELL US WHAT YOU LOVE ABOUT TIMBER…

I think bringing timber into a house, brings warmth, feeling and gives character to a place. I’ve always been passionate about timber. Since getting involved with Melinda our designer, every display home since the 90s has had an element of timber. It just brings that nice warm feeling instead of only cold concrete and tiling. Whether it’s windows or flooring, or more recently doors, cladding and things like that.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF MAKING?

I had an Italian accountant, and I made his bed, his bedhead, and a bedside table in cypress. It was very Italian detailed, hand carved chiselled flowers and leaves and stuff like that. No photos though sorry, it was the 70s! The joiner I learnt from in Wollongong was a dutchman, and he learnt with all the wood carving chisels and mallet when he was growing up, so we’d use that. He also had a specially made machine that could carve.

More recently I enjoyed the Clonakilla Winery project because of all the recycled timber on the exterior, and also in the ceilings. I enjoyed how way we did the ceilings, where we left all the trusses exposed and made them on site, because you need to bolt the double trusses on site to hold the weight.

I had an idea to use old wine barrels for the bar. So we stripped one down and showed it to the designer who liked the idea. We used the complementary concave and convex angles to fit into a channel at the top and bottom to run along the front of the bar, it came out really well - so we ended up using this technique on the outside too. We also plumbed some of the wine barrels from underneath that sit around the floor of the cellar door so there's running water taps coming out the top into a spittoon for wine tasting.

I love getting involved and helping bring a client’s project to life, bringing a bit of passion. Working with the interior designer, the client etc to create something innovative.

RUSTIC OR CLEAN DRESSED (TIMBER OF COURSE)?

I’d go with rustic. It brings that extra character.

IF YOU HAD TO WORK WITH JUST ONE MATERIAL………

Blackbutt, I love the colour. It’s got a nice variety of colour. It’s really hard. It’s got a lot of variety which adds to the character of a job, compared to Tassie Oak or something like that which is a bit more plain. It doesn’t misbehave like Spotted Gum does. It’s reliable.

DOWNTIME IS BEST SPENT………..

I play golf at Gold Creek on Saturdays. I’m trying to get on every Wednesday at the moment. I go on holidays when I can, and a lot of baby sitting for Jason! Following my grandkids sports, soccer etc my wife and I really enjoy that.

RECOMMEND US YOUR BEST SOURCE OF INSPIRATION

Mick: I love getting involved in the design side of a project. Innovating, creating new things. When I meet with a client, helping them have a new idea - and it’s really rewarding when you see the end result.

Jason: He’s not involved as much operationally in the business, but where he gravitates towards most is that innovative level with our jobs and new projects - providing ideas to clients along the way. And just getting involved at various trigger points and milestones on jobs where he can provide some of his knowledge, as opposed to being involved with the general day to day stuff. He still adds so much value in that part of the process, because every home we do is custom and varies so much, every home’s different, every lifestyle’s different and every budget is different - he has so much to add for our customers. It’s not something you can teach someone, or hire someone to do. He doesn’t need to be at work, but this stuff keeps him coming in.

Mick: I still really like coming in and getting to know the clients. And I always say to the supervisors and subbies, “treat the project like it’s your own”. Take a bit of pride and passion in what you’re doing.

Thanks again Mick & Jason! What an inspiring pair. You can check out Classic Construction’s latest projects at www.classicconstructions.com.au and the Clonakilla Cellar Door project we worked on with Classic Constructions on the blog here.

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