Building: A Carpenter's Notes on Life and the Art of Good Work

"Over the past forty years Mark Ellison has designed and constructed some of the most stunning marvels of architecture that you've never seen. He built a staircase that the famed architect Santiago Calatrava called a masterpiece. He worked on the iconic Sky House, which Interior Design named the best apartment of the decade. He's even worked on the homes of David Bowie, Robin Williams, and others whose names he cannot reveal. He is regarded by many as the best carpenter in New York. In Building, Ellison writes of the mastery that comes from doing something well for a long time, by taking you on a tour through the lofts, penthouses, and townhomes of New York's elite that he has transformed over the years-before they're camera-ready-and in a singular voice offers a window onto what he's learned about living meaningfully along the way. From staircases that would be deadly if built as designed, to algae eating snails boiled to escargot in a penthouse pond, and the deceptive complextiy of "minimalist" interior design, Building exposes the messy wiring behind the pristine walls, features, and furnishings that grace the glossy pages of Architectural Digest, revealing the overrun budgets, scrapped blueprints, and last-minute demands that characterize life in the high-stakes world of luxury construction"--