About Waal Construction
Our History
Grandpa Waal, who started Waal and Rexroth Construction in 1957 with Uncle Calvin, came over to our Iowa farmhouse when I was two years old. He, Grandma, and Dad earmarked that day to build custom cabinets in the Toy Room for my sister and me. I don’t have memory of this event, but have watched the 8mm film dozens of times through the years. Mom says I had an instant interest in the magic that Grandpa was working. When I wasn’t tied to his hip, I was on my knees tapping one of his real nails into a tiny table with my tiny toy hammer.
Years later, my 4H leader had a nail-driving contest at our monthly club meeting. I was able to drive a nail in fewer strokes than kids who were several years older than me. I was proud to be the fastest!
It was in early middle school, maybe before, when my view of the work began to change. I was spending entire days on the job site with Grandpa, learning the trade. He modeled that construction was more than being speedy or knowing how to make pieces fit together. Sure, he was highly-adept, accurate, skilled, and fast. But he put priority in the people he was working for, ensuring that what he was building was just right. Working to meet customer expectations was a low bar for him. His satisfaction came when the project he was working on brought joy and life to them.
It was during that middle school period that Grandpa gave me one of his primary hammers - a 16-ounce Estwing that he used for decades to drive tens of thousands of nails working his magic.
When I worked on a construction crew that built 4000-square-foot houses all throughout college, the fellas on the framing crew gave me a hard time about my well-worn, undersized hammer, having no idea of the history or what it was beginning to represent.
After college, I made construction a full-time endeavor, joining Dad in the family business, which had changed its name to Waal Construction after Uncle Calvin's retirement. I continued to learn more about the trade, but the biggest lessons were about people and life.
I tried other hammers, but nothing felt quite right. I have since given that hammer decades of more experience.
If this webpage is beginning to seem like a unique story dedicated to a hammer, I've failed in its telling. It's the story of the legacy of Harold, Faith, Bob, and Jeanine Waal that is symbolized by a hammer. While Waal Construction now resides 631 miles east of its state of origin, my mission is to honor their investment in me by mirroring the values they modeled so well. That's why, of all the clever names that could have been chosen, I chose to continue the work under the family name.
With Grandpa's experienced hammer still in hand...