Instagram – Hanson General Contracting, Inc.

Today we are especially grateful for our good heal

Today we are especially grateful for our good health and all of our talented team members. Happy 🦃 Day.

A special birthday shout out to the one and only C

A special birthday shout out to the one and only Chris Hanson. Always business in the front, always party in the back.

We recently came across this rendering from one of

We recently came across this rendering from one of our original collaborators @aos_architects by David Bae circa 1993. This project in Fitler Sq. was our first exposure to a design with lofty aspirations. Tony Atkin, founding principal at Atkin Olshin Schade Architects wanted to do something different and special with an 11' wide proletariat rowhouse on one of the narrowest streets in the city. In a heroically slow-fashioned approach, we made lots of mistakes, sometimes twice, but corrected them all, and at one point waited some weeks for an overdue library book to get returned so we could build the Rumford fireplace. We were so proud to be involved, particularly after it got published in Fine Homebuilding in 1998. The article was ghost written by Lisa Dustin, future significant other at HFB, and partner at AOS.

The perfect space for Sunday breakfast.

The perfect space for Sunday breakfast.

Today it actually does feel like it’s always sun

Today it actually does feel like it’s always sunny in Philadelphia thanks to the efforts and outspoken voices of our fellow Philadelphians. We are feeling very proud of the City of Brotherly Love today more than ever, and thankful to be among the most decisive voters in this election. Turns out ✨great✨ things happen in Philadelphia.

Now is also a good time to remember that shifting sands are hard to build on, and reaching bedrock requires a lot of digging. We are recommitting ourselves to do the long, hard and necessary work of healing within our community and country. Here’s to a nice sharp spade.

A big day for democracy! Many of our team members

A big day for democracy! Many of our team members either voted early or took the morning off to exercise their right to VOTE.

(1st photo is of Philadelphia City Hall in 1953)

It’s a special someone’s birthday today! Here

It’s a special someone’s birthday today! Here he is in the wilderness of Alaska (in 2019), perhaps contemplating what he will accomplish with this next decade. Happy Birthday, John Hanson 🥳✨

Here's a nice ol’ throwback to a project we did

Here's a nice ol’ throwback to a project we did at the Grange in Havertown. Somewhere inside this structure is a family homestead built in about 1700, on land purchased from William Penn. Some generations and additions later, AJ Downing's book on Cottage Gothic Architecture went “viral” in the 1850s and the property was sold and underwent an extreme home makeover.
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Our task in 2007 was to do roof repairs and restore missing elements of the design from that period. Using photographs and existing elements we fabricated and installed new parts using molds and reinforced resin. Another great architectural survivor story we share with @johnmilnerarchitects.

Saturday morning after and before of our new(ish)

Saturday morning after and before of our new(ish) world headquarters. We left our original shop in Roxborough after 20 years of banging nails and building our business. A bittersweet goodbye, for sure.
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We found our current location in 2017 and knew it was the perfect place to continue growing our business. Built in the early 20th century as a car barn for the early generations of automobiles, the building was ready for some attention. We uncovered six huge skylights while re-roofing, and poured a new polished concrete slab over the old cracked oil-stained one. Turned out pretty slick 😜💯

There's nothing like the smell of burning lead pai

There's nothing like the smell of burning lead paint in the morning. Also If you are striving for an A on your finish paint job you need to start with a bare wood substrate. Sure it looks beautiful now, but swipe for some behind the scenes of how we got there.

Chris Hearl demonstrating text book table saw form

Chris Hearl demonstrating text book table saw form while adhering to all safety protocols. Covid has at least helped keep his nose cleaner. #silverlining

Stair-ing right at it.

Stair-ing right at it.

Lots of wide space and natural light for you on th

Lots of wide space and natural light for you on this beautiful Friday morning 😎✨

📸: @jeffreytotaro

After ➡️ Before of the renovations to the powd

After ➡️ Before of the renovations to the powder room and main (not master) bathroom at the Mulberry House in Chestnut Hill, a slice of Colonial History originally built in 1834. Powder room features beautiful handpainted @fireclaytile and interior design by @skreindler.

Future A/C units, flying to the roof and beyond! 🏗‼️
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60 Foot crane, to lift 300 pounds, 35 feet high. There were four condensers and one ‘roof-top unit’ that were a part of this lift. It took about 35 minutes in total. Once on the roof, Finn HVAC secured the units to pre-installed roof brackets, tied them to each other, and prepped them for connections to line sets, conduit and ductwork. This is equipment the owners usually never see, but they depend on to work flawlessly when it’s 95 degrees and 95 % humidity!

Happy Labor Day! Can you guess which HFB team memb

Happy Labor Day! Can you guess which HFB team member was seasick all day during this company fishing trip 🤔

Our Italian Market Passive House project. The firs

Our Italian Market Passive House project. The first certified PH single family residence in the City of Philadelphia shockingly. One of the many benefits is the free heat (and sunlight) that streams through the triple pane windows!

This was a reverse Murphy's Law incident. We neede

This was a reverse Murphy's Law incident. We needed some brick to match an existing center city home for a new courtyard wall. After about six months of fruitless searches of supply yards all over the east coast, one of us noticed a building getting demolished just a few blocks away. By hand no less, which really helps with salvaging undamaged bricks. There was still more hand work work left to do to clean them up, but the free material helped offset the added labor costs.The match pretty well crushed it. #embodiedenergy #happyendings.

Regram from master woodworker AND wordsmith, @your

Regram from master woodworker AND wordsmith, @youroldpaljim, in his own words:

Visited a project today, one that I completed late spring (thanks, COVID-19...🙄)
for @hansonfinebuilding - I milled and installed new treads, risers and associated trim work, some of which was curved. The newel post, handrail, and balusters were saved and refinished/repainted by Frisco Painting Inc., and the stairs were stained/finished by the flooring installers. Although it looks like the quartersawn white oak looks glued up in the one photo, it’s all solid; that’s just an unfortunate shadow line.
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This staircase was extremely out of level by 1.5” from wall to outer stringer. Structural work had already been completed, so I (painstakingly) installed everything level and ameliorated riser height discrepancies. All visible fastening was done with real nails. I can’t f’ing stand the mark nailguns leave and only use them on paint grade trim. Most people don’t notice this, but they feel it and that’s alI care about.

A 1986 mural found in the basement of one of our r

A 1986 mural found in the basement of one of our recent projects. A series of self portraits or a 2020 moodboard? 🤔🙃