Tom Molinelli - Owner / Craftsman
Owner Tom Molinelli has been active in the construction world for 30 years.
Molinelli grew up in South Central Los Angeles and even as a child had a curiosity and affinity for life outside the city. Backpacking and exploring California is beautiful. Sierra Nevada was an early age, which fueled his passion for trees, nature, fishing, music, and building. He studied horticulture and landscape architecture at SoCal roc, where he also began learning to build homes.
Straight out of Compton, Molinelli ventured across the United States to Atlanta, Georgia, where he began apprenticing with custom builders. A foreman at age 19, he ran a roofing crew throughout the greater Atlanta area, working on custom Cedar and Copper roofs. In the evenings, he frequented the downtown blues scene and sat in as a special guest, playing guitar and harmonica with many of the great legends of our time. With the newly dubbed name, Tom T-bone steak Molinelli, he accidentally ended up out on tour for a million years, flyfishing all of the United States greatest rivers and creeks, and continuing to share stages around the country with amazing musicians.
.. attempting to settle down, T-bone accidentally went out on tour again. This time, as a loyal member of a local San Luis Obispo band by the name of Stilltime. His travels led back and forth throughout the US. While he continued his construction company back at home, he traversed the eastern and western seaboards and all in between, learning about the many diversities and building challenges around the country. This sparked his interest in environmentally conscious projects, including the challenges of earthquakes, high altitudes, the sea, snow, and high UV exposure.
Back in Ventura, California, T-bone partnered with a good friend and began a custom construction company. Once again, as the foreman and head of customer relations for the company, as well as the installer and inspector, he helped the company succeed. With a wide range of management and contracting experience under his belt, T-bone branched out and started his own company in San Luis Obispo, California, with a focus on remodels, repair work, and custom landscape design for a roster of private clientele.
In 2011, Molinelli moved to Durango, Colorado, and started a children’s outdoor environmental education program with a partner and her two boys, “Frosty Pines.” Was created and ran for several years as a nonprofit organization. Providing children with a wide variety of skills and knowledge. The program's summer camps, weekend workshops, and homeschool programs went on to be praised by newspapers, the local school district, True West magazine, the Colorado Forest Service, and many happy children. Molinelli found himself at home amongst the Mountain streams, fly-fishing programs, and the abundance of wildlife in the area.
Years later, he developed a team of artisan craftsmen, and Earth Wood and Stone was born. Educating and empowering his crew with a vision of a sustainable future, Molinelli strives to provide quality service to the Durango area. With a wide array of services, including ponds, water, features, and custom landscapes, as well as remodels and reclaimed custom Barnwood interiors. Earth Wood And Stone has now expanded to the greater Asheville area in North Carolina, northern Idaho, and the Sonoma and Mendocino areas of California, where our passion for creating maintenance-free, fireproof, earthquake-proof, safe, sustainable homes continues.