Robert is a civil and environmental engineer who has overseen millions of dollars of construction over his 40+ year career and has a reputation of getting projects completed. Robert is fond of informing people that some of his best work is covered and out of sight, since he has installed several miles of underground utilities. His construction experience has also included construction of 354 homes in the copper mining town of Bagdad, AZ (there are several stories to share about this if you care to listen). Together with his spouse, Amanda, he has installed 3 kitchens (and more for others) and remodeled 2 very old homes. Robert is the left brain for the couple’s endeavors and can quickly assess construction issues. He has a pragmatic eye for details and value added and can easily generate ideas and visualize the process to reach an end goal. His role at Manor House Studio is to ensure resources are available to the staff, and clients.

As a youngster in Weston, MO, Robert and his 2 younger brothers helped with family kitchen chores of cooking, canning, dishwashing, and gardening. He also helped the next door elderly neighbors, John and Nellie Carpenter, who had no running water indoors and a wood stove in the kitchen. John taught Robert how to sharpen handsaws, knives, and chisels.

Robert’s maternal grandfather would later help improve those skills during his teenage years. His grandfather worked in carpentry during the second and third decades of the 20th century and shared his knowledge with Robert in the days prior to cordless tools. Robert is no stranger to the kitchen, as he and his three brothers were all required to participate in all of the household chores, including cooking. Robert and his brothers all became good cooks (but Amanda is a great cook) due to canning, fish and small game preparation, meal budgets and planning, and various other kitchen duties. Robert is the only one who did not work for a commercial kitchen during his college years, but he has worked in the church kitchen for almost three decades, preparing pizza and a variety of other foods for the bingo patrons. Robert and Amanda are always working on some project, visiting cherished family and friends and pursuing a retirement business of Manor House Studio. Robert is all about quality and safety, which is why he is enthused about the Wood-Mode and Brookhaven cabinets. He has worked with other cabinets, seen the quality difference and has repaired his share of cabinets from various remodeling projects with friends. Get to know more about each of our team members!