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Doug Williams started WillCalc with a mission to assist in bringing clean, comfortable, energy efficient systems into the local environment, believing that each of us should make a contribution to a better world.  In addition to 30+ years as a licensed building contractor, Doug has been a Certified Energy Analyst (CEA) since 2007, and a California Certified HERS Rater since 2005.  He has used his expertise to help Michael E. Robinson design an energy efficient cottage to California’s 2016 Building Code energy standards in a cost-effective manner.  He has also advised us on the more stringent 2019 energy standards that will [...]

On June 11, Department Head, Joseph Lucido, and Adjunct Professor, Riccardo Ferguson, from the Department of Architecture at Palomar College accepted the Architectural ‘baton’ from Michael E. Robinson.  Joseph will be our Project Architect and Riccardo will be our Architect of Record for future Warrior Village Project cottages.  Joseph has big plans for increasing the involvement of his students in the Warrior Village Project and growing the relationship between Palomar College and our participating high schools.  We are really excited about our growing collaboration with Palomar College.  Meet Joseph and learn more about the Palomar College Department of Architecture through this [...]

Michael E. Robinson has volunteered considerable time as our Project Architect and Architect of Record for our first two cottages being built at San Marcos High School.  We are very grateful for his contribution to our program.  We could not have accomplished what we have without his expertise and guidance.  On June 11, Chris Geldert presented a custom crafted thank you plaque to Michael for his support of our students and our veterans.  After two years of hard work, Michael passed the Architectural ‘baton’ to Department Head, Joseph Lucido, and Adjunct Professor, Riccardo Ferguson, from the Department of Architecture at Palomar [...]

Each cabinet in a kitchen is assembled with a variety of hardware pieces that hold the individual cabinets together, and connect them together into a beautiful wall of furniture.  Wurth Louis and Company donated all of the  hardware for our cabinets, including all of the fasteners needed to assemble and install the cabinets: #7 5/8” wood screws; #8 1”, 1-¼” and 2-½” wood screws; 1-¼” and 1-½” 18 ga. crown staples; Euroscrews; Fastcap PVC screw cap covers; 1 mm PVC edge banding, and; 3M Fasbond contact cement. No kitchen cabinet would be complete without decorative hardware from Wurth Louis and Company. [...]

ESI (aka Edgebanding Services, Inc.) donated four rolls of 1 mm x 300’ of ESI Cannella Oak tape banding to finish the edges of our doors and cabinets, and two rolls of 1 mm x 300’ hardrock maple banding to finish the edges of the interior shelves.  That is 1,800 feet of edge banding for two sets of kitchen cabinets.  Thank you ESI for your generosity!

Brendan Mathews wasn’t satisfied with building nice, functional cabinets.  He wanted to build beautiful cabinets for our veterans!  So, naturally, he wanted to finish the cabinets built by his students with a textured melamine laminate finish from American Laminates.  Jennifer Ruder and Melvin Hardy from the Palomar College Department of Interior Design worked with Mia Roseberry of Wounded Warrior Homes to select a beautiful laminate finish material from dozens of color and texture options offered by American Laminates.  They selected the Cannella Oak color, with a Real Wood Texture.  Our friend Brad Irvine from Saroyan Hardwoods helped Brendan obtain a donation [...]

What are cabinets without drawers:  boring and not very functional!  When Brendan Mathews asked Chris Kish at DBS (aka Drawer Box Specialties) for help, Chris not only promised to donate drawers for our cabinets, he said “Thank you for allowing us to participate in this fantastic event.”  Thank you DBS and Chris Kish for your generous donation of 24 drawers and two double trash bin units for our two cottages.  The next time you buy cabinets, make sure that they have the finest drawers available, from DBS, of course!

To be functional, cabinet doors must be hung with hinges, and cabinet drawers must have drawer glides so that they can be easily opened and closed.  Brendan and his students are building Euro style, frameless cabinets which require specific hinges and drawer glides.  Fortunately, when Brendan asked Blum, Inc. to donate hardware for our cabinets, Brent Akenson of Blum was happy to support our students and our veterans with the donation of 60 cam height adjustable hinge plates, 44 Inserta hinges, 16 zero protrusion Inserta hinges and 26 Movento 21” drawer guides.  If this sounds ‘Greek’ to you, trust me when [...]