A small carpentry shop, built the slow way
Heartwood Carpentry Co. started with one carpenter, a truck, and a stack of borrowed clamps. Fifteen years later we're still small on purpose — big enough to take on a full remodel, small enough that the owner still knows every job by name.
Our Story
Heartwood Carpentry Co. was founded in 2011 by Russell Maddox, a fourth-generation carpenter who grew up sweeping sawdust in his grandfather's cabinet shop outside of Franklin. After a decade framing and finishing homes for other builders around Nashville, Russell set out to build a company that treated finish carpentry the way it used to be treated — as a craft worth slowing down for, not a line item to rush through before the painters showed up.
The first years were built almost entirely on word of mouth: a built-in bookcase for a neighbor, a repaired staircase for a friend of a friend, a deck for a client who told two more people. That pattern never really changed. Today Heartwood has grown into a full carpentry and general contracting shop, but roughly eight in ten of our jobs still come from referrals — homeowners across Franklin, Brentwood, and the wider Nashville metro who worked with us once and called again for the next project.
We still operate the way Russell set it up on day one: small crews, real lead carpenters, and a refusal to leave a job site until the details are right.
Our Values
- Craftsmanship first. We'd rather take an extra day to get a miter right than rush it and caulk the gap.
- Straight answers. If a job isn't worth doing the way you're picturing it, we'll tell you why before we start, not after.
- Respect for the house. Drop cloths down, doors closed, debris hauled off the same day it's created.
- Built to be repaired, not replaced. Real joinery and solid material choices so the work still looks right in twenty years.
The people who show up at your house
Russell Maddox
Founder & Master CarpenterFourth-generation carpenter and Heartwood's founder. Russell still runs the shop's most detailed built-in and stair work himself and signs off on every estimate that goes out the door.
Della Osei
Project ManagerDella keeps every job on schedule and every client in the loop, from the first walkthrough to the final invoice. She's the voice you'll hear when you call the office.
Tucker Lane
Lead Finish CarpenterTucker joined Heartwood in 2015 and leads most of our trim, cabinetry, and door installation work. Neighbors on the same street have called him back three separate times.
Licensed, insured, and inspected
We carry the licensing and insurance a real carpentry and general contracting company should carry — and we're glad to send documentation before any contract is signed.
- Tennessee Contractor License #00071542
- $2M general liability insurance policy
- Full workers' compensation coverage for all crew members
- Member, Middle Tennessee Building & Remodeling Guild