SITE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION
WE ARE BROUGHT TOGETHER BY A SHARED LOVE OF THOUGHTFUL
CRAFTSMANSHIP, SUSTAINABLE BUILDING, AND DOING THINGS
THE RIGHT WAY—ON SITE, EVERY DAY.
TEAM
For 22 years Bicycle Homebuilding was myself (Pete Chramiec) and 2-3 carpenters. We would happily build one house at a time and take a month off to recuperate. During the pandemic we started building a house on Harstine Island (Erin). Our commute was a gloriously pretty 8-minute boat ride from Boston Harbor to the site (saving us 2+ hours of daily driving). An old friend heard that we were working on the island and enlisted us to build her dream project (see A-Frame). I needed more help to complete both projects simultaneously and lucked into Rohan and Jacob (prior owners of the up-and-coming Birdseye Construction) having a gap in their calendar. They quickly impressed and seemed very happy to be building new projects from the ground up instead of confronting angry possums in dark crawlspaces or bat colonies in musty attics (I think that’s what remodelers do- I only built new houses). They were precise, talented, super-organized and enjoyable to work with all day. I even had to admit that they were better finish carpenters than I was.
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Meanwhile, I had a potential huge job for some clients that I really liked but felt like the job was just too darn big for me. The idea of Rohan and Jacob joining Bicycle to tackle the big project naturally sprouted and, after a year-long test period, we decided to go for it. Bicycle soon absorbed Birdseye and the company grew to 3 owners and 10 carpenters. Unforeseen levels of organization, efficiency and professional growth blossomed. Rohan and Jacob turned out to be great teachers as well. Our younger carpenters advanced more quickly than I knew was possible. The older carpenters that had been with me for years thrived in the more-organized and information-rich setting. A year into the big job we called Erin (the owner of Harstine Island house) on a whim to see if she wanted to really quit her corporate cybersecurity job to become Bicycle’s Office Manager. She did! And, after quickly overhauling the business into respectability, has become our 4th partner.
PETE
“PETE’S CHARACTER IS EQUAL PARTS HUMOR, PROGRESSIVE THOUGHT
AND CONSIDERATION FOR OTHERS”
– LOIS MAFFEO
Pete Chramiec was born in Newport, Rhode Island, a long time ago. He spent his childhood sneaking small sailboats into the Atlantic Ocean without telling his parents. As a teenager, he joined a band and went on some tours, which led to him being in Berlin in 1989 on the very day the Berlin Wall came down, a fact that he doesn't let anyone forget. 1989 ended up becoming his best year, as he was voted guitar player of the year in the unread Flipside Magazine (a xeroxed copy of which he posts next to our report cards on the fridge every year). He later lived in Washington DC, but it was too muggy (weather-wise and also getting-mugged-wise), so he moved to the better Washington: Washington State. There, he studied Organic Farming, but couldn't grow things good. He luckily met his wife and, more importantly, had two very cool daughters (one of which he forced into making this website for him). Now, he lives in Olympia with his family, along with his two cats, one dog, and eight chickens. As you can tell, he is very into these animals. Some of his skills include eating cookies (all of the cookies), losing at Cribbage, and building houses (maybe).
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-Willa and Annabel Chramiec
rOHAN
ROHAN LOVES TO TRAVEL AND BACKPACK, FORAGE FOR MUSHROOMS, AND GENERALLY WANDER OUTDOORS WITH A CURIOUS EYE AND A SLIGHTLY MUDDY SENSE OF ADVENTURE.
Rohan Theiss was born in Deadwood, Oregon, in a rural community of back-to-the-earth individuals. He grew up in a furniture shop with a backdrop of unique owner-built homes - think real-life shelter homes. In 2004, he moved to Olympia. He has spent the last 25 years in the trades, and 7 years running a high-end remodel and renovations company (Birdseye Construction LLC) before partnering with Pete in 2022. Rohan loves to travel, including backpacking, foraging for mushrooms and generally enjoying the outdoors. He enjoys spreadsheets, finance, and efficient processes - and is driving everyone at Bicycle happily crazy with his uber organizational talents.
JACOB
JACOB'S FAVORITE PASTIMES ARE ALPINE SKIING, HIKING, CAMPING AND SPENDING TIME WITH HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS
Jacob Causey is a Native Pacific Northwesterner. He was born in University Place, Washington, and at a young age moved to Olympia, where he has been ever since. As early as he can remember Jacob has always had a hard time sitting still for too long and has thrived by moving his body and working with his hands. Just out of high school he entered the trades, beginning with solid surface fabrication and installation then moving his way to finish carpentry, tile laying and most aspects of small remodeling projects. This early exposure to construction really fueled his natural, almost instinctual, curiosity to build, and he quickly progressed to wanting to know how everything works, how to do it, and how to build an entire house from start to finish. Fast forward 23 years later and now he is building beautiful high performance homes, every step of the way from ground breaking to certificate of occupancy.
ERIN
ERIN LOVES TRAVEL, BACKPACKING, FORAGING FOR MUSHROOMS AND GENERALLY ENJOYING THE OUTDOORS.
Erin’s family is from Washington, and she spent 25 years in Portland, OR. She went to school at Willamette and earned degrees in physics and chemistry. Her career has taken her from everything from optical engineering to cybersecurity. And then Pete built a home for her. And she realized that helping to build energy efficient dream homes is where she wants to be. She now lends her talents to our company doing bookkeeping, office management, and general herding of the cats.
