OUR BLOG
OUR BLOG
Check out what’s happening with Myers Constructs as well as the latest news and trends in home renovation.
Restoration: Storm-Damaged Historic Fairmount Cupola
Crash! Just like that, our clients' cupola was hit by a large section of the tree from a neighbor's yard when it toppled during a recent storm. The treetop came smashing through two skylights, giving the main section of the bay a real bump. When we came to survey the damage, we found that the bay had been covered at some point in vinyl siding and lots of tar paper and muck, all of which were hiding bigger issues and problems. Often, we find that coverups like these don't keep out water, so they can add to the problems they are covering up. That was the case with this little structure. The framing was rotted in many places because the old wooden windows had been replaced with leaky aluminum sashed windows. And once the tree hit the cupola, the windows on the side of the bay were about 1-1.5 inches[...]
Pocket Doors: A Great Space-Saving Solution
Consider this surprising fact: The average single swinging door gobbles up about 11 square feet — or around 1% — of a room's usable floor space. That means you can't put anything within this radius of the swinging door if you want it to open and close. When you realize that most houses have several swinging doors, you find that the loss of usable square footage really adds up quickly, particularly in smaller homes. By contrast, a pocket door only takes up the space of the actual door itself, and only then when it's in use. Otherwise, it is tucked away, and the floor space is open. Of course, pocket doors aren't always the right answer, but we find them to be a brilliant space-efficient design solution, given the right circumstances. You first need to have an empty wall cavity into which the door will slide. Many interior walls have[...]
Weekly Wrap Up: Whitemarsh Kitchen
We are working this week on the final touches for this wonderful, modest-sized Lafayette Hill kitchen. What began as a fairly cramped space is now more comfortably sized, thanks to the removal of a non-load-bearing wall between the kitchen and dining room. Last "to do" items for this project include: Grout the honed Carrara subway tile Electrical trim out Install the micro hood Install the knobs Final coat the all-new oak floor To keep their budget in check, the homeowners decided to handle the painting themselves. And since their appliances were fairly new, we were able to reuse everything but the garbage disposal. Cost-cutting measures such as these equate to a project that is within reach for most folks! P.S. Spring is right around the corner (finally!). Here are some seasonal projects you should be thinking about in your own homes: Spring "To Do" List: Projects Big and Small
Final Reveal: Mt. Airy Kitchen Photo Shoot
Our clients have lived in their spectacular schist stone single Mt. Airy home, located near Philadelphia's Fairmount Park, since the 1980s, and they have wanted to renovate since the day they moved in. They have two sons, and the oldest is now at college. We often find that major life milestones like this spur projects into action. This space, which once served as a servant’s kitchen and butler’s pantry, was last renovated sometime during the early 1980s. In the process, a structural wall had been removed, and home made cabinetry boxes were installed. The homeowners wanted to completely update this kitchen, making it a modern space that they can use and enjoy on a daily basis. To that end, we streamlined the layout to make it more logical and easy to use, and we installed radiant floor heating so we could eliminate the large existing cast iron radiators. These clients[...]
Want to Boost Your Home’s “Warm & Dry” Factor? Think Windows and Doors
This week, we are replacing several outdated, leaky windows and doors for a local artist who lives and works in a carriage house in Philadelphia's Callowhill neighborhood. We are installing color-coordinated, metal-clad wood windows and doors that will be much more energy efficient and low maintenance for our client. In this case, the exterior grade is higher than the inside of the home — a common condition that can cause moisture issues. So, we selected a high exterior door threshold to help keep water out of the building. However, in winter months, the homeowner will still have to shovel snow away from the door to help keep this area dry. While this is a prime time for customers to notice and act on drafty windows and doors, we happily do these projects all year round.
The Secret to a Streamlined Kitchen? P-U-R-G-E
Remodeling a kitchen is only the first step in creating a great cooking and entertaining environment for your home. The next task is making sure the space is neatly organized and streamlined for optimum efficiency. Here, local culinary blogger Kate Donegan, aka The Philly Foodist, provides tips for making the most of your kitchen space. Winter is the perfect time of year to take inventory of your kitchen and pare back wherever possible to ensure that the space is working properly for you and your family. Begin with the following common problem areas that create 'bottlenecks' in most kitchens: Spice Cabinet — If dried herbs and other seasonings are over a year old, they have lost way too much potency to keep. Toss them. I usually find that the "basic" dried herbs, including the ones I grow myself — oregano, sage, thyme, marjoram — usually get replaced throughout the year[...]
Lead Paint and Home Values: Not a Match Mixed in Heaven
A recent court ruling in California has many homeowners wondering what effect the existence of lead paint in their homes will have on their future value. The judge in this case has ordered three of the country's top paint manufacturers — NL Industries, ConAgra, and Sherwin-Williams — to pay $1.15 billion into a fund that will remediate the existence of lead paint in homes throughout the state. Experts say this decision could send these homes — labeled "public nuisances" in this case — into a downward spiral, with some far-reaching potential additional side effects, as well. As industry professionals, we understand that there are a lot of politics at play in this case. It has been public knowledge that lead is poisonous for a very long time. Even in the 1800s — and probably earlier — people knew that dangers existed. In fact, warning labels featuring skulls and cross bones[...]
Retirement Planning: Design With an Eye to the Future
Here in our office, we are seeing an uptick in calls from prospective clients who are preparing for retirement. Some are planning ahead for "aging in place," if they plan to live in their homes long term, while others are making modifications for their aging parents or special-needs children who live with them. Our challenge in these projects is determining how to successfully update these older homes to make them more accessible and accommodating while factoring in the changing needs of the families who live there. Here’s a look at our process. The first step is conducting a survey of the house to learn how it currently works. We then interview the homeowners and any in-home care providers about the pros and cons of the existing space. This allows us to learn how the house fits the needs of the people living in it and what changes need to be[...]
Your Home and the “Polar Vortex”
The wild temperature swings we've experienced on the East Coast this week really test a house and all of the systems that make it feel comfortable — a place you want to be in, in all kinds of weather. Let's take a look at a few of them: Windows — Windows are essentially holes in the walls of your house, so make sure you've invested in good ones to keep warmth in, to keep heat and destructive UV rays out, and to block drafts. But a great window, even an expensive one, is only as good as its installation. Modern windows have complicated installation procedures and are rated "not for beginners." There are two additions being done in my neighborhood now. One addition looks like a master suite pop up addition to the house's 2nd floor. Those homeowners really skimped on the windows, by selecting very small vinyl models that[...]
Making Your Holiday Home Improvement Checklist (and Checking It Twice!)
Most people spend their holiday season making all sorts of checklists, including those for shopping, baking, gift-giving, entertaining, and so on. What they often don’t realize is that this is also a great time of year to begin a home renovation or repairs “checklist” to plan for their home-improvement needs during the coming year. At our house, we recently sat down to make our own list. Here is what we found. Re-purposing rooms — Right away, we noticed that we have not been inviting older family members to the house because we don’t have a comfy bed for them to sleep on. So we put together a plan for turning unused office space into a proper guest room. Since we also recently renovated our master bedroom, we’ll take some of the furnishings we replaced and put them into the new guest room. They include a queen-size bed and mix-and-match dressers[...]
