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Poetter Hall was purchased by the SCAD founders in March 1979. Classes began in September of that year.  
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Trivial Pursuits

Trivial Pursuits
 
Cislo builds niche in carpentry

Bookshelves
Photo courtesy of Rob Cislo 
Network Services Manager Rob Cislo designed, built and installed bookshelves and cabinets in Webmaster Terri Foote’s living room. The trim and molding on the shelves matches that of the fireplace already in the room.

By Monique Bos
Published: Friday, November 4, 2005

If Rob Cislo’s day job as network infrastructure manager at the Savannah College of Art and Design  is mostly cerebral, his hobby-turned-second-job gives him the chance to employ his design skills and also get a bit physical.

Cislo, who earned an architecture degree from SCAD, moonlights as a carpenter and cabinetmaker.

“I learned a lot from my dad, and I’m self-taught,” he said. “I’ve read a lot, and there’s a couple programs that I like watching and a lot I’ve learned on my own through research.”

About six years ago, he started to invest in woodworking tools and began to create cabinets, bookshelves and other items, he explained.

“It started out as a hobby and doing stuff for myself, job to job,” he said. “It grew into a side thing. I probably average maybe two or three jobs a year, in between remodeling my own home and working here.”

Most of his business has come from word of mouth. Neighbors impressed with the modifications Cislo made to his home have hired him to do renovations for them.

His largest job to date, however, has been for Terri Foote, Webmaster in the college’s interactive services department. He designed and created built-in bookshelves that match the fireplace in her living room and also remodeled her kitchen, a project that included adding cabinets, installing new doors on existing cabinets, building new drawers, and installing new tile and a backsplash.

The project took about two months “between everything else,” Cislo said.

His final creation for Foote — and in Savannah — is a wall unit that will serve as entertainment center and bookshelf in her family room, he said. “She’s kept me busy.”

Now Cislo is in the process of moving to Vermont, where his wife has already relocated. Although he’s looking for a job in information technology, he also hopes to build the carpentry business.

“My plan is eventually to start a business full-time doing it there,” he said. “I hope to have some type of shop, maybe a house with an old barn.”

Cislo said his wife’s parents, who also live in Vermont, have already created a buzz in their community about his woodworking skills.

“There are lists of stuff piling up,” he laughed.

Cislo credits his design background and skills for the low margin of error in his work. He makes careful measurements and develops plans in CAD, though the preparation isn’t his favorite part of the process.

“When I’m actually building it, I like doing the grunt work more than anything,” he said. “I like hands-on. It’s like pulling teeth when I have to sit down and do my CAD drawings; I’d rather get started.”

Having a tangible product to show for his labors also is a benefit for Cislo.

Working in IT, “people don’t physically see or understand what you do, so it’s hard for them to relate to it,” he explained. With carpentry, “I get the satisfaction of being recognized for my work.”