Only one fine carpenter and contractor in The Piedmont will calm your concerns with perfect pitch tenor classics and help you plot bucolic bike rides when you celebrate the conclusion of your renovation. That would be Philip Bzdyk, known to his customers and colleagues as the founder and CEO of Apple House Carpentry Contracting.

A licensed contractor who has been restoring and repairing homes in Northern Virginia for twenty years, Phil's expertise includes Green Advantage Training that offers his customers the very best Universal Design techniques. "Universal design is a rapidly evolving set of renovation and building techniques that focus the work on how one interacts with your living space," Phil said. "We spend so much time in our houses today that careful planning by a contractor will not only create terrific energy savings, they help you create a space that will serve your family for generations, no matter how old or how young your family members might be."

A tenor, who began singing at an early age, Phil moved with his family from Long Island to Northern Virginia because he and his wife, Kerry, now a pre-school teacher at Bluemont Community Center, wanted to raise their children in a slower-paced setting.

"I finished my Bachelor of Fine Arts in film and television with a concentration in animation and was commuting every day to and from Manhattan. It works for some people, but it didn't work for me. We came to this beautiful area because we were really ready to leave Long Island, and we've never been sorry."

Phil, who works with a crew of six specialists, describes his biggest projects as major residential remodeling assignments and his smallest as trim repair and classic handyman jobs. But no matter what the scale of the job, he insists on the best possible solutions with the most efficient materials.

"We work diligently and intelligently for our clients."

Log and stone structures are an Apple House specialty. "I love to bring those beautiful buildings into the 21st century without compromising either their character of their integrity," he emphasizes. "They can be more efficient and more modern without anyone ever realizing they have been touched in any way."

Both Phil and his wife are very musical as are their children. Emily, who was two when she arrived in Northern Virginia, is studying Entomology at the University of California at Davis, and their son, Rudy, who was only nine months old when they moved from Long Island, is a music major at Shenandoah University.

"Both of our children are quite musical. Rudy plays ten or eleven instruments, and Emily has turned her focus to pursuing a doctorate in entomology. We're very proud of them."

Phil, who began his carpentry work when he was in college, underscores how much he enjoys his work.

"I enjoy problem solving and devising unique solutions when we encounter a difficult remodeling challenge. Sometimes it's as simple as selecting the right style of window to complement an old home. Solving that is as rewarding to me as designing and contracting an entire building renovation. We do both extremely well and with great pleasure."

Speaking about the difficult economic times, Phil notes that this is the third recession he's weathered at Apple House Carpentry Contracting. "We plan our annual work flow very carefully, and have enjoyed tremendous and consistent referral business."

He means what he says, as illustrated by his work with Christmas in April, the national organization that repairs and re-builds homes for individuals who cannot afford upkeep.

"The organization has been active in Loudoun County for 18 years and has helped over 100 families in that time. I was proud to be executive director last year and I can't tell you what it means to people to have a crew show up on a Saturday morning to make repairs that are really causing them poor health and heartache. We install plumbing, windows, drain fields and repair leaky roofs. Anything that needs doing is our specialty."

The volunteer national organization recently rebranded itself Rebuilding Together.

For an appointment with Phil at Apple House Carpentry Contracting, please contact Office Manager Vicki Curtis at 540 338 5612. or view their website at www.applehousecarpentry.com.