Women’s Work: Katherine Carlson
PHOTO COURTESY: MAINE MOUNTAIN TIMBER FRAMES
WHAT IS YOUR JOB AND WHERE DO YOU WORK?
I’m an owner at Maine Mountain Timber Frames. We design and build custom timber frame homes and barns throughout Maine and New England.
HOW AND WHY DID YOU GET INTO THIS LINE OF WORK? WHAT INSPIRED YOU?
I was planning to pursue graduate studies in architecture. To gain some experience in the building industry I apprenticed with a timber frame company. The orderliness of wood to wood joinery drew me in. I find the visual expression of a building’s structure compelling. After working for several timber frame companies, I wanted to live in the mountains of western Maine. Starting a business with my now-husband somehow seemed like the best way to achieve that goal. I thought it was a temporary plan, but fifteen years later we’ve continued to grow and expand the business.
DID YOUR BACKGROUND AND UPBRINGING IMPACT YOUR CHOICE OF CAREER? AND IF SO, HOW?
I had several hands-on jobs in high school and college, on trail crews and organic farms. So, in that sense, a career oriented around a tangible result makes sense. In many ways, however, owning a building company is a departure from anything I knew growing up or could have envisioned for myself.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT YOUR JOB? WHAT IS MOST CHALLENGING?
I really enjoy the integrated process of communicating with a client to develop a design, working out the structural details with the engineer, and then ordering the timbers from a local sawmill and seeing them turn into a three-dimensional building. Filling out a crew of skilled coworkers in rural Maine has been a big challenge.
WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IS?
Low unemployment rates are a factor, as well as a lack of people who see working in the building field as an option to choose intentionally. Expanding the pool to include more women would be helpful. And the growth of job opportunities in prefabricated building components, which can be done in a sheltered location, might be appealing to more people.
IN WHAT WAYS IS YOUR INDUSTRY GROWING OR CHANGING IN MAINE?
There is a strong tradition of timber framing in Maine. And the growing interest in building with locally produced wood makes timber framing a good fit for this moment. There has always been a connection between timber framing and sustainability, and I think that connection is becoming more explicit.
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS NEEDED TO SUPPORT MORE WOMEN IN THE SUSTAINABLE BUILDING SECTOR?
For women to choose a career in the sector they need to see it as an option, so articles like this one are a great start.
DID YOU FEEL THERE WERE ANY BARRIERS TO ENTRY FOR YOU AS A WOMAN IN YOUR CAREER?
In my apprenticeship, early jobs and, unfortunately, even in my own company I’ve been the only woman. Several times, someone has walked into the timber frame shop, looked at me and asked, “Is anyone here?” For the most part, I’ve seen this as an opportunity to surpass the expectations others may have of my ability simply because I’m a woman. But it would certainly be nice to have more female peers in the industry.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE THE BIGGEST PRIORITIES, AND/OR OPPORTUNITIES, FOR SUSTAINABLE RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION IN MAINE?
I think making tight, well ventilated homes accessible across the economic spectrum is a big opportunity. The more mainstream high performance homes become with both homeowners and building professionals, the more possible that will be.
WHEN NOT WORKING, HOW DO YOU LIKE TO SPEND YOUR TIME?
I feel so fortunate to live in a state with such great outdoor opportunities. I try to spend as much time as possible mountain biking, trail running and skiing.
This article appeared in the Fall 2020 edition of Green & Healthy Maine HOMES. Subscribe today!