OUR BLOG
OUR BLOG
Check out what’s happening with Myers Constructs as well as the latest news and trends in home renovation.
How Long Will My Renovation Take?
While it is difficult to discuss how long a remodeling project will take without being specific about the type and scope of room being done, generally speaking, most of our projects take between two and five months from start to finish, with the average being three and a half months. We manage a number of complicated, inter-related phases of work during a project. Here's how it breaks down: Design — Whether you are considering a kitchen, bathroom, outside space, addition, or redesigned interior space, you can expect the design phase to last 2-8 weeks, depending on the complexity of the project. Our design team will conduct a complete site survey and meet frequently with you to learn what you want from the project, your aesthetic sensibility, and your budget. With this input, the design team will prepare and revise schematic drawings and elevations, accompany you on supplier visits, and otherwise[...]
How Much Will My New Kitchen Cost?
(Part 1 in a series that examines our customers' most frequently asked questions.) New clients often call us wanting to know what a new kitchen will cost them. The simple answer? Until we visit their home and find out what they want us to spec out for the project, we don't know what the exact price will be. But we can provide some general pricing information. Kitchen remodels can run from $15,000 to well over $200,000. However, most of our kitchen customers spend between $45,000 and $90,000 for a soup-to-nuts, gut-to-the-studs-and joists total refit to their kitchen. Let's take a look at what one of our kitchens in this average price range looks like. This is what we mean when we say "gutted": In this case, we didn't take the floor down to the joists, but that happens on many projects in older houses. We gut a room like this[...]
Personalized Renovation: Your Home Should Tell Your Story
When we work with homeowners during the design phase of a home improvement project, we ask about them about how they live their lives and how they use their rooms. We inquire about their hobbies and the attributes of a home that are really important to them, and we actively listen to their answers. We do this because we want their homes to tell a special story about their lives, interests, and personalities. We then help them prioritize their product and design decisions based on what they have told us. This is, after all, the project they’ve saved for and dreamed about for years. The right choices to tell a homeowner’s story never lie in builder-grade solutions or cookie-cutter renovations that look just like their neighbors’ homes. The photo on the left shows a recent kitchen renovation we did for a couple in Center City Philadelphia. In our initial discussions[...]
How Does Your Home Fend Off February Chill?
This week started off quite brisk and windy. We noticed that this made our house exceptionally chilly, even though the temperature outside was no lower than some other nights this winter. The wind made the difference — and the reason why that happened is because we have some leaks in the "envelope" of our older home. While we have invested in many energy-efficient upgrades, such as insulation and new windows and doors, we still have more steps to take until we reach optimal efficiency that will keep our house warmer on cold, windy nights (and cooler on hot summer days, too!). But because we had an energy audit we know where those further improvements need to happen and we have a plan in place to get them done. If your house is drafty on a windy night too, don’t let anyone tell you that your older home can’t be efficient,[...]
Home Buyers + Construction Pros = Due Diligence
Most people who are in the market for buying a home that is in need of repair or renovation are not home-construction experts — and they don't know what the various necessary upgrades will cost them. That's why it makes sense to reach out to a reputable local construction expert for information before you make the offer on a property purchase. We get calls from people in this position often, and this is the advice we give them: Your real estate agent, who is working on your behalf, should provide you with comparable values for the property you are considering. Your agent can also tell you where that property may be falling short, in terms of value and saleability. For example, does it have enough bathrooms? Is it up to date? What other features should it have to be at the top of comparable values in the area? Are those[...]
The Art of Studio Design
We often receive requests to design spaces that integrate our customers' professional work into their homes. These spaces dedicated to our clients' needs to work, play, and be creative in their homes are sometimes single rooms, entire floors, or even entirely separate buildings! Not only do these studio spaces minimize costs by avoiding the need to rent space elsewhere, but they also maximize home and family time — a win/win, all around. Shown here is a his-and-hers art studio that we created at our clients' Manayunk residence. As the photos reveal, the interior finishes of these studios — such as hard-wearing plywood walls and floors, and a simple HVAC system — were chosen with the intent of making them true work spaces. During the design phase of this project, we really focused on getting the desired amount of natural light in the right orientation. Both studios have skylights, so creating[...]
Mixed-Use Redevelopment Project Launches
On deck this week: A mixed-use three-story building renovation in Fishtown. We are currently in the planning phase of this project with our client, who recently purchased this building "shell" with plans to renovate it into one residential rental unit, one commercial rental unit, and an apartment and studio space for her own use. There is also a garage that will be addressed at a later date. We met with our client last week to discuss zoning issues. Without proper planning, the zoning approval and permit process could hold this project up for many months. However, Tamara and our architect thoroughly understand local zoning issues and where the various triggers for challenges lie — including facade, entrance, ADA and use issues, stair height requirements, property line setbacks, and such — so we expect to navigate through the zoning and planning phases very efficiently for our customer. This is especially important[...]
Nice Review
There's a nice, positive new review on our Houzz page: http://www.houzz.com/browseReviews/myersconstructs/myers-constructs-inc
Design: A Pet Project
At Myers Constructs, we love animals of all kinds, and we enjoy when our designs benefit our customers' four-legged friends. As part of any design-to-build™ project we undertake, we spend some time in the beginning learning about our customers' goals and priorities, what problems will be solved with the renovation, and, of course, who will use the finished space. If our clients have pets, we want to know that information so we can keep it in mind from the outset and plan for it. In designing kitchens, for example, that can be as simple as making sure there's a place for the dog's food bowls to avoid being kicked, a place to store those big bags of food, the leash (and, these days, the dog's sweater!). Sometimes, we find that folks have gotten so used to working around their pet bowls that they don't even realize that they are in[...]
When the Designer Becomes the Customer
I am a design to build remodeler. That means that I renovate other people's homes for a living. But when it came time recently to start my own living room remodel, I started the process the same way most of our clients do: by looking at magazines, websites, and other sources of inspiration. I knew the direction I wanted to take with the room, but was having some trouble with furniture selection. Sorting through these resources helped to narrow down my choices and get a feel for some of the textures, styles, and options out there. After taking some measurements, I then had to choose a professional who would be the right fit for this project. While I had the advantage of being able to wear two hats — that of the homeowner and the designer of the space — I still knew I'd want to bring in a pro[...]
