Hi, I’m Tess (they/them).

I grew up in the midwest in a 100-year-old-farmhouse with blue collar parents who didn’t believe in child labor laws (sorta kidding). The joke’s on me though, because while I hated hauling gravel and painting walls as a kid, I can’t get enough of it now.

Why this work means so much to me

I love helping

As cliche as it is, I simply love being of service. I sleep well at night knowing that the way I spent my day left someone feeling more at ease, more joyful, or less stressed. Every relief-filled smile or emotional room reveal gives me the biggest dose of dopamine.

I’m still healing

I am symptom-free after a decade-long struggle with diagnosed PTSD from a handyman-related incident. I know how nerve-wrecking it can be inviting male tradespeople into your home, so I started this business to offer an alternative and continue to reclaim my power.

I’m a designer

My first career was in graphic design. I loved creating visual beauty, solving complex problems, and making clients happy. I am a sucker for color theory and user experience design. The issue? I loathe sitting at a desk and only lasted 9 or so years before I found myself playing too much hooky and needed a change. It was truly fun while it lasted.

The work itself is gender-affirming

I love thinking about how my dad taught me to swap out electrical switches, tile a kitchen floor, or remove old cat-pee-soaked ducting. They were some of the rare times I didn’t feel pressure to “act like a girl.” He saw me as a competent helper and taught me to pursue whatever I was interested in, regardless of gender expectations. I’m so grateful for that, and see this work as a continuation of the times I felt most free.

My personal & professional values

I know that I should write stuff here about customer satisfaction & quality workmanship, but that’s honestly kinda boring and should be the bare minimum. Here’s what actually fuels me:

Curiosity

I’m driven by finding creative solutions and asking “what if?” Getting trapped in “the way we’ve always done things” stifles innovation and limits possibility. I want to know the rules thoroughly, so that I can break them skillfully.

Mindfulness

To me, mindfullness means being able to hold two or more opposing perspectives without judgement. Especially in design (and really anything involving other humans), seeing things from multiple viewpoints leads to greater outcomes.

Connection

I’m in it for the human experience. I want to know people and facilitate connection. Whether you’re connecting with the land you’re on, with the people in your world, or with yourself, I would be honored to help shape that space.

Wanna work together?

Every project starts with a free virtual consultation. I want to make sure we both feel safe and confident moving forward, and that I have an accurate idea of what you’re looking for.