Meet Mitch Christofferson of Christofferson Woodworks

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mitch Christofferson.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Mitch. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
I grew up in a construction family. Carpentry has been a trade in my family for several generations, so I like to think that being a tradesman is just in my blood, it just comes naturally to me. As a kid, I was always messing around making things in my dad’s shop. I’d make skateboard ramps, tinker with motorcycles or anything with wheels.

I learned to weld as a teenager and would help my dad at construction jobs during the summers throughout high school. I always knew that I wasn’t bound for the traditional four-year college degree so as soon as I graduated high school, I went to work with my dad for his General Contracting company.

My dad has taught me everything I know and instilled a killer work ethic. I dove right into the construction industry and had a hand in countless projects big and small. In my early 20’s I worked as a structural Ironworker with my uncle for two years. It was a great experience, but I missed the variety I had working with my dad. We’d do something different every day.

One day would be running heavy equipment, forming and pouring concrete, the next we’d be framing a house and doing drywall and interior trim. You name it and ive had the opportunity to do it, in my eyes, there’s a core set of skills that are applied across all the trades, and I am just lucky enough to have the opportunity to get a lot of time and practice across the board.

That’s why when someone asks me what I do for a living its a tough question to answer because I do it all, so I usually settle on the term “Jack of all trades.” A few years ago, I really gained an interest in fine woodworking, I had all the skills, and my dad has a complete woodworking shop that I could hone my skills in. So I started taking on any little woodworking project I could.

At the beginning, it was a lot of little stuff for family members. Making little shelves or an end table and it just started snowballing from there. I also do a lot of photography in my spare time, so I would build frames for all my pictures I would print out. My brother and cousin opened their own brewery in 2015, Chain Reaction Brewing, and I was able to do a ton of work for them.

All their tables, their bar, lots of wood paneling, we even built them a 30 foot wooden Colorado flag for their taproom. This was around the time my dad had invested in a large bandsaw sawmill. We milled all of the wood from raw logs to make everything in the brewery. From then on 90% of all the lumber I use is milled right here in Littleton by us.

A year or two later, we had opportunities to reclaim multiple old barns and buildings that were full of great lumber that was over 100 years old so now we have a huge inventory of reclaimed barn wood to make things out of too. I try to approach every day willing to learn more and more about any and all trades.

I am simply in love with the idea of being able to do or make anything that you want or need or need to fix. Its a dying skill in this day in age where everything is disposable and everyone just buys everything from a huge corporate store. Today, I am still working with my dad as a general contractor and taking any and every woodworking project I can get to further build my skill set and portfolio of completed projects.

I enjoy working with people on a personal level for every project, I like to invite the client to be part of the design process because I want to make exactly what they want or what they’re picturing in their heads. I’ll always tell them that I can make whatever they can imagine because thats half the fun of every project is figuring out how to make it if its something I’ve never made before. And to have the client be a part of the process makes the finished product that much more special to them.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I don’t want to give the impression that it’s just been an easy fun-filled road getting to where I am. Or that where I am at is the end of that road, if anything its only the beginning still.

I have good and bad days just like anyone, days where I don’t want to get out of bed at the crack of dawn, but I get up and lace up my boots and get out there and work. There are days where I dream of being in an air-conditioned office not in the 100-degree weather nailing off a roof, but in my heart I know I’m doing what’s right for me. I get great exercise every day and an immense feeling of accomplishment and that’s good enough for me.

I’m 27 years old and already have a sore back most days after work, my hands are always cut and scraped up, I have scars everywhere, I ruin clothes faster than I can buy them but in a way that’s all part of the pride that comes with being a tradesman. My hands and boots aren’t beat up and worn out because I like them that way, but they’re a direct reflection of the work that they have put in, day in and day out.

Please tell us about Christofferson Woodworks.
Like I said before I’m a Jack of all trades, but as far as my woodwork, I make a lot of rustic furniture, doors, wood paneling, cabinets, and home decor. I custom mill lumber, a lot of the Colorado beetle kill pine and have a huge selection of reclaimed wood, all of which can be used for any project.

The main thing I want people to know is that I can make anything they want and that they can be apart of the process. We can combine certain aspects of different ideas and designs or different building materials designs and come up with a 100% unique product that will last for generations to come.

That’s probably what I’m most proud of is the quality and longevity of everything I make. I make everything as if I were making it for myself, I put a massive amount of thought and care into every project that I do.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I really don’t believe in looking back to the past. I’m sure I could have found the joy in hard work earlier but at 27 and loving working my ass off every day, that’s early enough for me I’d say. I learn something new with every project that I can store in my mind and have that knowledge for future projects.

Whether it be a certain technique or workflow process or things that worked and things that didn’t work, its all a learning experience and ill never claim that I’ve mastered anything because I think there’s always more to learn in any trade.

Contact Info:

• Phone: 303 241 8901
• Email: mitchchristofferson@gmail.com
• Instagram: @christofferson_woodshop

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