| About Us Quality has been Cowan & Son Construction’s foremost consideration since 1978. Owner Dane Cowan is a Master Craftsman and Qualified Specialist in Historic Restoration. Carefully, and with artistic talent, Dane integrates time-honored techniques with current technology. "I think it’s important that we do what we can to preserve the quality craftsmanship of our past," says Dane. 
With an artist’s eye and a craftsman’s attention to detail, Dane and his crew create authentic reproduction millwork, custom cabinets, windows, doors, and entire restoration projects, all from his business in the "Victorian Village of Ferndale," a tiny ranching and artist community on California’s North Coast.As a team, Dane and his crew are known as the Qualified Specialists in Historic Restoration. "Our employees are skilled carpenters & craftspersons," explains Dane. "They pride themselves in the quality of their work and are a big part of our success." Dane’s skills have caught the attention of clients near and far. Projects include involvement in the restoration of the historic lightkeepers’ homes of Point Cabrillo State Park in Fort Bragg, California. Dane and his crew were chosen to build over one hundred custom Redwood windows and mill thousands of feet of authentically reproduced mouldings and sidings for that project. Restoration projects have also taken Cowan & Son Construction to both the Sonoma State Historic Park and the Jack London State Park, located in California’s wine country.  Locally, Cowan & Son Construction has been involved in the restoration of many of the historic buildings and homes you see in Ferndale and throughout the North Coast. "What many of our clients have in common," says Dane, "is the desire for historic accuracy and attention to detail."Cowan & Son Construction’s projects have also been featured in several issues of Old House Journal, as well as a segment on HGTV, highlighting restoration work done on Ferndale’s famous Gingerbread Mansion. "Humboldt County is rich in architectural history, and it's an honor to be involved in preserving that history," he says. A licensed General Contractor for more than 25 years, Dane brings a wide scope of construction experience to each project, as well as a willingness to pass on that experience. As an Associate Professor at College of the Redwoods in Eureka, California, he shares his knowledge and hands-on experience with students enrolled in Historic Preservation & Restoration classes. His student audience extends from those on the college campus to employees of the Presidio in San Francisco. "Quality and integrity are the cornerstones of our vision," explaines Dane. "With every project we work on, from turning a rosette to restoration work on Ferndale’s own historic Fern Cottage, we offer the same dedication and enthusiasm. One of my favorite quotes is by John Ruskin. It appeared in 'Audels Carpenters and Builders Guide' in 1923. It pretty much sums up my philosopy." "When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone. Let it be such work as our descendants will thank us for; and let us think, as we lay stone on stone, that a time is to come when those stones will be held sacred because our hands have touched them, and that men will say, as they look upon the labor and wrought substance of them, 'See! This our father did for us.' " |
