2021 Heritage Calgary Awards - Heritage Trades & Craftspeople: Klaus Angermeyer
2021 Heritage Calgary Awards
Klaus Angermeyer at work in the shop. Photo by @chalmers.heritageab
Klaus Angermeyer, Chalmers Heritage Conservation
2021 Heritage Calgary Award: Heritage Trades & Craftspeople
The heritage Calgary Award-winning projects highlight the important histories of our great city and residents. Dave Chalmers, owner of Chalmers Heritage Conservation (CHC), sat down with us to answer a few questions and showcase the work he is doing for the community thanks to the expertise of Klaus Angermeyer.
Chalmers Heritage Conservation (CHC)
HC: Tell us a bit about your company & project.
Dave: I started Chalmers Heritage Conservation Ltd. (CHC) in 2015, working out of my garage! It has been important to us to keep the art of craftsmanship with respecting the original character of the buildings & projects we work on.
Flash forward to today, and with the help of Klaus and his expertise, we are the only company in our community creating and working on these types of projects.
HC: Tell us a bit more about Klaus’s influence in your work?
Dave: Klaus Angermeyer is a master carpenter who spent 43 years working as a shop foreman for Calgary Sash and Door, Calgary’s premier wood window and door manufacturer. In 2016, Klaus retired after Calgary Sash and Door closed their business permanently.
In 2017, after numerous discussions and some begging and pleading, Klaus agreed to come and consult and help us develop a window and door program. What was initially a part-time consulting contract quickly turned into a full-time dedicated position with us.
For 4 years, Klaus not only taught our staff joinery and fabrication but also helped us develop a strong work ethic and drove home the need for quality in everything we do.
HC: What makes your company & projects unique?
Dave: We are providing a ‘lost’ service, by creating the highest quality in window and heritage restoration. Restoration is a lost art, and we come to work everyday knowing that the work our guys are doing makes a difference in the community. With Klaus’s help, we have become a huge benefit to the heritage community. People don’t have to throw out their old windows; restoring a 100 year old window to make it last another 100 years is our core mission. No one else does that!
Linseed Oil Paint at CHC.
HC: What’s something people might be surprised to know or learn about your company?
Dave: One of the most interesting aspects of our work is the story behind the paint we use. We use a product that is sourced from Sweden called ‘linseed oil’. The product is 100% naturally based. Meaning you could put it in your compost bin and it would never cause any harm to the environment. It is a much more expensive product, but the quality is like nothing else. We also mix our own colours, all through hand-written formulas. When a client comes in and hands a swatch from the local paint store, we become ‘mad scientists’ to create the colour match accordingly.
Chalmers Heritage Conservation Ltd. (CHC)
HC: What is the biggest takeaway that you and your team learned from Klaus?
Dave: He would never accept anything less than perfect. Be proud of your work, because it is either the best or it’s not. Be consistent, be honest and always bring your best work forward.
HC: What does ‘heritage’ mean to you?
Dave: Heritage creates stories which are important to help us try and understand where we came from, what we need to conserve and where we go from here. Heritage means understanding the past and the present.
“Statue of lion on Centre Street bridge, Calgary, Alberta.” 1977. NA-2399-91. Courtesy the Glenbow Digital Collection, University of Calgary.