Meet the Team Behind the Getaway

The Getaway Team Video

 

The Getaway – a 1,000-square-foot second home – is Family Handyman’s latest endeavor.

What makes this project special is that our talented in-house team designed and is building this unique house themselves from the ground up in America’s Northwoods.

Get to know who they are, and enjoy this journey with us!

Brad Holden – Senior Editor

As Senior Editor for Family Handyman, Brad has seen and done pretty much everything around home repair and DIY projects. His experience with tools, plans and projects gives him a voice of authority with anything from plumbing to furniture building. Brad was instrumental in much of the Getaway build, and he handled the shower installation, the landscaping, and the windows.

Jay Cork – Associate Editor

Jay started his work in remodeling with a focus on trim carpentry, then moved to custom cabinetry. One project led to another, and he learned custom architectural accents, low voltage wiring, siding, and more. As a hobby, Jay builds, repairs, and refinishes musical instruments and dabbles in audio recording. For our Getaway project, Jay’s experience helped with insulation, lighting and HVAC work.

Josh Risberg – Set Builder

He’s our Set Builder, but Josh does so much more than patch and paint walls. When it comes to home construction, he knows it all. Josh even passed a general contractor’s test outside of his home state with only a few days’ notice. He’s overseen the construction of multi-million-dollar custom homes, and he made sure everything came together smoothly on our Getaway build.

Bill Bergmann – Associate Editor

Bill has been building the cabinets and remodeling interiors and exteriors for years. He handles power tools in the same way as he plays guitar, with artistic talent that delivers fine results. Bill was responsible for framing that keeps our Getaway strong and square, and he managed the installation of the beautiful steel siding.

Mike Berner – Associate Editor

Mike fearlessly executes complicated building projects, reviews tools with a keen attention to detail, and composes engaging and understandable projects for every level of DIY prowess. He learned some of that when he was a schoolteacher, but more as a builder. He’s also a father and husband and missed his family deeply while building the deck and installing the roof on our Getaway.

Joe Cruz – Associate Editor

Joe started woodworking when he was young. He expanded his carpentry and woodworking skills professionally working on custom cabinetry and kitchen installation and building props for theaters and art museums. Joe is also a fine furniture maker. For the Getaway project, Joe installed the ready-to-assemble TA kitchen cabinets to build our kitchen island.

Glenn Hansen – Deputy Editor

A magazine editor and writer by trade, Glenn gained experience in home repair when he bought his first old home while working side jobs in construction to supplement his starving-writer salary. He has built a number of furniture projects from the pages of Family Handyman magazine and worked through countless fix-it-up projects at home to save a few bucks. Glenn worked on the site preparation for the Getaway.