Fulton Quality Construction

After years working in more traditional jobs, watching and depending on the ebb and tide of industries, Tim Fulton now depends on himself and his family.

And despite an awkward economy, he has just as much work as he can handle, possibly too much.

“Every time we think there’s going to be a downturn, we plan a vacation,” his wife, Annette, said.

There hasn’t been a downturn, nor a vacation.

He and Annette are familiar with the North Idaho workaday world. Annette worked in the bank while her husband logged, did mechanics, worked on the railroad. Married in 1978, they have three children, five grandchildren.

When logging job played out, she encouraged him to pursue his talent for construction; she would keep her day job as a bank teller, she said. Not long after, she had to quit. Not because she wanted to, but because her husband’s burgeoning business needed her help.

Now, she does everything but swing a hammer, keeping track of the many projects that keep them busy.

Winter and summer, there is always work for them to do.

While Annette lauds her husband’s skills and takes care of the business end of things, Tim does what he grew up doing.

Put simply, that is only to build as close to perfection as his materials will allow. And to do so, he says, with a smile and a wave.

“I like seeing things started and finished,” Tim said. “I will not leave a problem.”

According to Annette, it’s his attention to detail and perfection that is responsible for his continued success; according to him, it’s his neighborliness.

“One of the things people appreciate about Tim’s work is that it’s accurate,” Annette said. “When someone comes in to lay the carpet or the tile, they know the measurements are going to be right.”

He always has a smile, and he is always available to talk; he doesn’t get flustered much by picky people. In his mind, the customer is always right, and always a friend. And his crew, he said, works on the same principle.

Annette has given up hope that Tim will be tamed; he does what needs to be done, no matter the day or time. He takes pride in his crew, even while demanding perfection.

His son, Rob, is a carpenter, as are Eddie Madden, Jeff Ward, Travis Atkins and Josiah Kirk.