September 26, 2017

Meet Bill Cigliano of Edgewater Woodwork

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bill Cigliano.

Bill, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I worked as a freelance illustrator for 35 years, creating paintings and drawings for magazines, books and ad agencies. As the print market started to decline due to the internet and on-line media gradually my illustration did the same. It was really frustrating. I have always enjoyed carpentry and have worked on our 100+ year old four square Victorian home restoring it over the years. A new neighbor and friend who is an interior designer noticed some of the work I was doing and commented that I could potentially be working professionally if I was interested. A few months later she offered me a mantel project for one of her clients which I accepted. That was a success so I started thinking that this might be something new and enjoyable. I designed and built a new porch a few months later for a neighbor, another neighbor asked me to build a deck as part of a home rehab they were doing. That led to two more decks that summer and momentum through word of mouth and referrals just kept growing. My art background gave me an aesthetic foundation to be able to design many of the pieces I was building for my clients. I started to get requests for custom built-ins and furniture. I had never built pieces like that but took a few classes and did a lot of research on line and was able to successfully start doing those kinds of projects, all the time sinking much of my profits into gearing up the tools and machines needed for my shop. My background as an illustrator/ painter was also a real benefit in learning the techniques of staining and finishing the pieces that required that treatment. I loved the work I was doing, both in my shop and also working outdoors in the summer building porches and decks.

So four years ago this past May I launched my website www.edgewaterwoodwork.com, incorporated my business and decided to see if I could make a go of it full time. I stopped taking illustration assignments and have stayed busy ever since. Most of the pieces I build I design myself but have also had the opportunity to collaborate with some really talented architects and designers. It’s a real opportunity to grow as they bring a different aesthetic and design pieces I wouldn’t think of myself. I’m 62 and have no plans to retire, I’m really enjoying the work and the collaborations with some excellent clients creating pieces that will be part of their homes for many years to come. It’s been a nice surprise to get a chance at a second act and doing something new that is so enjoyable, challenging and in demand.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has actually been remarkably smooth. I’ve worked hard to make my own luck but also feel like luck has shined down on me a bit. There have been a few bumps but not too many, mostly in regards to hitches on learning how to finish/ stain pieces and occasionally working out the details on how to build some parts of a piece. I work that out on my own in the shop and don’t pass it on to my clients. When I deliver or install a piece it’s just right. I figure it’s kind of like going to trade school which I didn’t do so it’s the cost of learning on the fly. I’ve had the benefit of good advice and a few tips on process from more experienced builders and cabinet makers which I appreciate so much. Figuring out which projects are a good fit and more importantly which ones potentially aren’t has been a learning experience. There’s a pretty wide range to what I like to build but I can’t do or don’t want to do everything, sorting that out has been a bit of a learning curve. If I can stay busy building the pieces I like best and play to where my strengths are that’s what I’m trying to do.

Edgewater Woodwork – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
My company is Edgewater Woodwork, my wife and I have lived in the Edgewater Glen neighborhood on Chicago’s north side for 30+ years. When I was figuring out what to name my business that and that the name had “water” in it which has nice connotations and feeling like good karma helped me land on that name. It was definitely a good decision as our neighborhood immediately embrace me and my work liking the idea of working with a craftsman on the block or just down the street. The majority of my projects are within 15 minutes of our home and my shop.

I started out mostly designing decks and front porches for the old Victorian/ Craftsman style homes in our neighborhood. That led to restoring porches on some fine old homes where over the years previous owners closed them in for mud rooms or re-built with less attention to detail than the home most probably had when it was first built. Sometimes when taking down the walls I find the original columns and balustrades, it’s pretty cool when that happens and leads the way on how to move forward with the aesthetics of the rest of the re-build.

In the cooler months I stay in my shop and do cabinet grade work, building custom book cases, bookshelves, window seats, banquettes, radiator covers and some furniture. I can stay busy doing that all year but love working outside on a fine summer day. After many years sequestered in my art studio working long hours on tight deadlines, working outdoors feels pretty excellent.

What I’m proud of and what sets me apart is the attention to detail and finer craftsmanship I put into my work, even the decks and porches. My clients appreciate that and it leads to nice reviews and plenty of referrals, it’s the best advertising. After years of illustrating and all the detail, layout and planning that went into each of those pieces the carpentry actually seems a bit more relaxing.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
It’s nice to have my work recognized and appreciated, that leads to referrals and the opportunity to mostly focus on the creative part of my work rather than marketing which I don’t enjoy so much. I like making things, whether the illustrations, drawings and paintings that I used to do or the carpentry I make now. It might be a benefit to take on a few assistants but then I would be doing more managing than making. I like making so keep my business small so that I can focus on the making, When I finish a banquette, window seat or deck and my clients are so happy with how that is going to be part of their lifestyle and how they enjoy their home that’s what really makes it feel like a fit. Making a profit matters, I think I have a good idea of where I want to be on what my work is worth relative to what it takes to make it. I think most of my clients feel the same as a pretty high percentage of the projects I bid move forward. It all seems to fit together pretty well.

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