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When we built our house, the name that kept surfacing for quality woodwork was Dugan Essick. And there’s a reason; the craftsmanship in his work seems to stem from a real passion he has not only for working with his hands in this medium, but for his capability in working with clients, always striving to produce the finest work tailored to the individual. He did many pieces in our home – the mahogany front door, the fireplace mantle, for example – pieces that we wanted to have an extra dimension of detail that comes only with hands-on crafting, from selecting the wood and collaborating on the design to watching his creations come to life with care and pride of workmanship. Those are the real characteristics that go into quality work, and that’s exactly what you get with Dugan. His are the pieces we talk about when showing our home; they are the creations of a true artisan.

It was our 40th anniversary and I was also retiring,  I was thrilled when my husband informed me that he had commissioned Dugan Essick, a friend and fine craftsman that we had known for over 30 tears, to design and build a piece of heirloom quality furniture to celebrate and commemorate this milestone.  We have followed and admired Dugan’s work for almost a lifetime and were assured that this project would meet his high standard of quality and artistic merit.  Whether it’s furniture, sailboats or houses, his work is always of the highest level of craftsmanship. just as important, he is easy to work with, fair and reliable.  Dugan built an imaginative and unique rocker from beautiful black walnut; the chair’s lines are soft and fluid and also meld into sharp angles for delineation and contrast. It is a traditional piece yet at the same time it is comfortable and appropriate for a modern decor; in essence the chair is timeless!  It is a true heirloom.  I treasure this piece of furniture  and it exemplifies a legacy of quality and endurance that appropriately chronicles a life of memories.

It had always been our dream to have custom kitchen cabinetry.  In every house we had lived the kitchens had cheap, paper-thin cabinets.  The boats we have owned had better quality cabinets.  Which led us to Dugan Essick.  Dugan built the most beautiful sloop displaying exemplary craftsmanship.  We knew Dugan was the man for our kitchen remodel.  Dugan’s work ethic cannot be beat.  He always arrived on time, worked efficiently, and cleaned up thoroughly at the end of each day.  Besides, Dugan and his wife, Janet, are just great people.  Every evening while sitting in our living room we can appreciate Dugan’s work of art.  Everyone that enters our living room/kitchen are extremely complimentary and always ask who did the job.

My husband and I are so thrilled to have met Dugan and to be the proud owners of one of his gorgeous works of art. He created a beautiful of black walnut armoire for our bedroom TV and for some of our clothes. The piece has wonderful drawers that close on their own and the TV fits perfectly on the rotating stand. In addition when we close the doors to the cabinet, it is quite a handsome piece of furniture. Thank you, Dugan, for making such a beautiful cabinet for our room. We hope to be fortunate enough to have you make more furniture for us in the future.

Dugan Essick has worked for us and crafted many fine pieces of woodwork within our home over the past 21 years.  His craftsmanship is outstanding, and he is always prompt and is completely trustworthy-we left him in charge of our home for various projects through many days and had no second thoughts about leaving him in charge.  We would recommend him for any project in carpentry, woodworking, or job oversight needing to be done.

Dugan remodeled my kitchen from top to bottom.  Even before the work started, he offered his keen sense of aesthetics in helping with the design and choice of materials. He is honest and up-front in his feedback. While he did the work he was efficient, neat and thorough. Each day he left the job site in good shape so he could start right away the next day. The cherry cabinets he made are gorgeous with some special details which really set them off.  He installed my stove diagonally in a corner which required precise fitting. He worked with subcontractors to make the job run smoothly and in a timely fashion. It was a delight to have Dugan do the job because he is a superb craftsman and artist and he is so easy to get along with. The kitchen turned out beautifully and I love using it every day! He also built two full-size doors for my laundry area (part of the kitchen) . They are cherry and frosted/piped glass. They really finish off the kitchen. I would hire Dugan to do any project I have!