The Early Years: A Young Boy’s Introduction to Construction

At 10 years of age, you really don’t know what you want to be when you grow up—at least I didn’t. But that’s how old I was when I was first introduced to the world of construction. My dad decided to move out into the country, buy 5 acres, and build our home. The rest is history! (I’m the handsome one on the left!)

From the City to the Sticks: A Move to the Country

It was 1965 when I turned 10. We were living right outside the District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.) in a rapidly growing area known as Prince George’s County, Maryland. We lived in a rather lower-middle-class subdivision known as Palmer Park. If you recognize the name—I’m sorry. That means you were just as broke as we were. The good thing about Palmer Park is that my favorite boxer, Sugar Ray Leonard, also lived there; but not at the same time as us. We moved out, and he moved in. That’s a story for another time. He’s now worth over $100 million, and me….well, you know!

Building from Scratch: My Dad’s Ten-Year Project

When I said we moved out to the country, what I mean is that we stayed in PG County but moved to Upper Marlboro, Maryland. In 1965, that was still the sticks. While living in Palmer Park, we spent every available minute traveling to Upper Marlboro to build the beginnings of what would eventually become our home.

Dad decided to build the house out of pocket, and he did. It took him over 10 years to finish it all. He never owed a dime, but it required some struggles. Today, you couldn’t take 10 years to build a home, but in 1965, times were different, and you could get away with it.

Lessons in Hard Work: From Carrying Blocks to Living Rough

My experience with construction started with carrying blocks to my dad while he laid the block—yep, he did everything possible. We hand-shoveled the backfill around the basement after it was parged, we put the joists up for the first floor, covered them in 1×6 (no Advantek back then), covered it all with tar paper, and moved in. It was temporary, but we were out of Palmer Park and fully invested in Upper Marlboro.

Roughing It: The Early Days in Our New Home

Starting out humbly comes with a few tales that will make most modern folks wince. The plumbing was not complete when we moved in (that’s how much of a hurry Dad was in), so the #1s were done out in the woods, and the #2s were also. In the winter, it was cold. We lived on 5 acres, that at the time was surrounded by hundreds of acres of woods. So there was no one around to care what number you did! That privacy wouldn’t last long. Remember, we were in PG County, and it was growing rapidly. Government jobs were readily available in nearby DC, and everybody wanted one.

Learning by Doing: The Construction Process Unfolds

From the age of ten until I went into the Navy at 18, my brother and I were involved in whatever was going on. We watched the entire process happen before our eyes. I can remember Dad with a rope around his waist framing the roof on the old saltbox-designed home. In case you’re not familiar, it’s got a 12/12 pitch on the rear and about a 5/12 pitch on the front. Cheap to build and a great design for the DIY guy.

Swearing Off Construction… Or So I Thought

While the process was going on full-bore, I became very unhappy with the home-building process as we lived in the basement for years until he got the upstairs finished enough to move into. I swore that when I grew up, I would stay as far away from construction as possible. Then life happened.

A Reluctant Return: Construction Keeps Finding Me

We tend to make careers out of what experiences life has thrown at us. When I graduated from high school, I took a job working at a truss manufacturing plant in nearby Cheltenham. I had some experience in homebuilding, and that was enough to land me the job. Six months later, I joined the Navy. I thought I needed a real job! I was still running from construction.

The Navy Days: A Handyman on the Side

After enlisting in the Navy and getting stationed at a submarine base in Groton, Connecticut, I found myself starting to take on some little handyman jobs for extra money. Yep, life was throwing things my way, and my background kept showing up to help me make a little more money. Well, 10 years later, I got out of the Navy and returned to Upper Marlboro and took a job at 84 Lumber.

Finding My Path: Back to Construction, Full Circle

You start to get the picture. Construction-related work was heading my way, and I was pretty good at it. The experience at 84 Lumber led me back to the truss company, which was now a full-blown lumber yard, and I became their number one outside salesman. That led to starting my own construction company. We had an 8-man framing crew, built a few custom homes, did a lot of remodels, and generally increased my knowledge of the business 10-fold. I was the owner, handled all the books, got all the licenses, and things went fine for about four years. Then life happened—a story for another time.

The Retail Shift: New Skills, Same Roots

From here, my career moved back into retail. Management at Lowes and private lumber yards gave me experience in purchasing, warehouse, shipping and receiving, inside sales, and people skills. There would be some downtime over the years, and my skills as a handyman would always come in handy to pay the bills. What you learn never leaves you and usually makes you stronger.

A New Chapter: Writing About What I Know – Construction

I finally retired from the retail lumber business in 2019 and started writing articles for a couple of agencies, and I guess I was pretty good at it. Here I am today, making a living at being a construction writer, and excited that I can share my experience with others in a way that helps businesses grow by educating their customers. It’s been a great ride, and I thank the Lord for His help and encouragement along the way.

Closing Thoughts

Blessings,

Wally