Nielsen Crist is a carpenter and has spent most of his life on construction sites.  As a descendant of builders and architects, his holistic appreciation for the systems within a structure combined with acute attention to detail continue to inform his work.

From carrying block and framing material, stripping forms, and vacuuming job sites as a child, trimming houses in his teens, and framing complex roofs in his twenties, there are not many aspects of construction that Niel has successfully avoided.

Niel has worked in the following disciplines: planning and design/drafting, sitework and excavation, formwork, rebar, structural steel, masonry, flatwork, wood framing, light steel framing, roofing/flashing, fenestration installation and replacement, exterior trim and siding/cladding, mechanical systems, electrical systems, drywall, finishes, and fine woodwork.

Niel has disassembled, assembled, and repaired hundreds of buildings from a broad range of eras — from historical structures from the 1700s up to the modern high-performance buildings of the future. Niel brings this experience and a reverence for good architecture to each project. He sees the value of both empirical and scientific data in building forensics.