You might be wondering why the URL of this site is "cmongehr.com". Well for many years, my son Mike and I would have the “best out of 5” ping pong games in our basement. By age 10, Mike was starting to beat me in the best of 5 game. As Mike got better and better, I needed to find a way to encourage myself to try harder. I did that by saying "C'mon Gehr!" before each point. Those two words became a joke at first, but actually became something that my son and, now his friends, say when they are trying to solve a problem, be competitive in sports, or as a response to something a good friend may have said. I feel those two simple words can now encourage you to say "c’mon" to yourself when you want to be creative and take a risk in your life and with projects.
Please explore the many projects that you can do yourself with some tools & imagination. I would love to answer any questions and help you with ideas
I grew up in a family with 5 siblings, three brothers and two sisters. My dad was a Master Builder of homes and a total Jack of all Trades. He could fix anything mechanical and also flew and restored Piper Cub Airplanes. My mom was a stay at home mom who took care of anything that had to do with chores, finance and making sure her kids lead a very “independent” life. Both of my parents supported us in anything we decided to do. There was very little advice given to us about what career and interest to have, but they ingrained in all of us the ability to work for everything we had and to always give back and help others.
From about age 12 until age 18, I went to work with my father on his construction sites. He was very hard on me and wanted to make sure I did things right. I looked at the job as a way of making gas money for my 1964 Chevy Nova II (that my brother Bill gave to me when he went into the Navy). Little did I know that the many skills I picked up while working with my father would become a big part of my future. I always observed how hard my father would work, in all types of weather and during hard times in the building industry, all to support his family. I also saw the toll it took on his body doing such hard work. The summer before my senior year in high school, my father told me to pursue a different career than the one he had. I always loved math, so I became a High School Math teacher.
When I started teaching, the salaries for teachers were not nearly enough to be able to afford an apartment, a car and have children. A friend of mine at my first teaching job asked if I would help him paint apartments at night to supplement our income. I did that and it expanded to us painting the outside of homes. One day, one of our customers asked me if I knew anything about building a deck. Of course I said yes and then panic set in. Did I? Well, I went to visit my dad and he gave me some quick carpentry lessons on how to build a deck, stairs and railings. As he was showing me, I had come to realize just how many skills I had learned working with him all those summers during my childhood.
From that point on, my confidence and tool collection increased. I have had three homes and in all of them, I made renovations and additions to make them my own. I have also built decks, additions, screen porches and finished basements for many of my friends.
I have also discovered that my love for teaching mathematics has also now given me another path to show others how to design, plan and build any project they can imagine.
Please look at the projects that I have done at my current home. If you have any questions or would like some advice or ideas please email me at
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