Call us: 831.372.0728
344 Roberts Ave | Seaside, CA 93955
Our Hours
Weekdays: 9AM-5PM
Our Story: Three Generations of Craftsmanship, Integrity & Family
Carswell Heating & Sheet Metal was founded in 1949, right here on the Monterey Peninsula.
Built at a Kitchen Table
Calvin Carswell grew up in Virginia taking care of his younger brother at an early age, a role that surely shaped who he became as an adult. As he grew, with plenty of perseverance and hard work, he became a Golden Gloves boxer and served as a captain of the Army boxing team. Unable to join the military, due to hearing issues, he worked during World War II on the construction crew that built housing for the Manhattan Project. It was there he met his wife, Maxine, who also worked for the company. The two met at a dance and, as they say, the rest is history!
After the war, Calvin and Maxine, along with their two daughters, relocated to Monterey where Calvin began in sheet metal fabrication. At that time, heating systems and roof flashings weren’t standardized, so those willing to learn the trade could build a business from the ground up. Every piece was made by hand, so Calvin bought a book on how to layout fittings and spent evenings practicing on their kitchen table with poster board and tape. It was like macramé but with metal.
Growing Carswell Heating & Sheet Metal
Calvin’s skills grew, and so did his business. In 1958, he outgrew the rented space on Forest Avenue in Pacific Grove and purchased the shop building at 211 Hoffman Ave in Monterey - a place that would become a second home for generations.
This wouldn’t be a “mom-and-pop” story without Maxine. She balanced her lead accountant position at the local cannery with managing shop paperwork and answering the phones for Carswell Heating & Sheet Metal. Over the years, Calvin, Maxine, and the company earned a reputation for honest work and meticulous craftsmanship, and the number of homes and businesses they helped heat continued to grow.
Making it the Family Business: Rob
In 1954, Calvin and Maxine welcomed their son, Rob, and the family business truly began. Rob grew up in the shop on Hoffman, learning the skills from his dad that Calvin once learned at a kitchen table, but this time they were working on benches surrounded by metal and machines. After high school, Rob gained experience throughout California in various trades before returning to Monterey to work alongside his dad and eventually take over the business.
Under Rob’s leadership, Carswell Heating & Sheet Metal continued the family’s tradition of honest, meticulous work. Rob raised four boys, and just like the generation before, they all spent time in the shop on Hoffman cutting, bending, installing, and learning the details that set quality work apart. He instilled in his sons the same work ethic, integrity and pride in a good day’s work that he has.
As the business expanded, the second home on Hoffman became too small, so a new, uniquely designed building with a distinctive metal roof was constructed in Seaside. There, Rob, Alex, and Taylor continued adding to the thousands of heating systems installed, miles of gutters, downspouts, flashings, fittings and ductwork built, while also learning from and challenging each other.
Leading the Family Business Today: Alex & Taylor
In 2019, Rob officially retired and passed the company on to the next generation. Alex and Taylor now co-own and operate the business. Alex leads diagnostics, repairs, estimates, and most office operations. Taylor oversees installations and field work.
Together, they complement each other and continue the legacy of craftsmanship, reliability, and family-run service the peninsula has trusted for over 75 years.
With the next generation growing up and spending time in the shop, who knows, maybe we'll see a fourth generation carry on the Carswell family tradition.
From a Kitchen Table to a Modern Shop
While HVAC has changed and fittings are easily built by machines, so no one needs to use their kitchen tables for metal macramé, Carswell Heating & Sheet Metal has stayed true to its roots. They still fabricate custom sheet metal when needed, still have those benches and brakes in their shop, and still come across furnaces Calvin & Rob installed in the 1970s - a few of which are, remarkably, still running.
Today, the company has expanded beyond sheet metal, ductwork, and furnaces to include generators, air conditioning, and modern heating and cooling systems, but the foundation remains the same: do every job with precision, treat every home like your own, and always stand behind your work.
With Carswell Heating & Sheet Metal you're getting a family service three generations in the making, and a Carswell will be with you from your first phone call to the final install, just as it has been since 1949.
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