OUR BLOG
OUR BLOG
Check out what’s happening with Myers Constructs as well as the latest news and trends in home renovation.
How Myers Constructs Can Help You & Your Home in 2021 — Part 3 in a Series
Not Ready to Be Your Own Renovation Project Manager? The Owner's Rep Solution You already know that Myers Constructs specializes in the design, build, and general contracting of a wide array of renovation projects for residential and commercial properties. What you may not know is that we can also assist you in working with another general contractor by acting as an “owner's representative” on your behalf. In the role of owner's rep, we take the stress out of managing your home renovation project by putting our decades of expertise to work for you. After all, project management is a profession that you are likely too busy to handle and, more often than not, it doesn't match your current skillset. In many cases, we find that clients prefer to focus on their day jobs and hand off the responsibility for project management to our team. What does this type of arrangement[...]
How Myers Constructs Can Help You & Your Home in 2021 — Part 2 in a Series
Your Partner in Property Purchases Are you considering buying a primary home or an investment property? If so, you already know that there are many complicated layers to this life-changing decision. Generally speaking, you'll spend more on a home you plan to live in, and you'll be there for at least seven years, during which you'll be looking to build a cushion of appreciation and make it as comfortable and attractive as possible. For most of us, our home not only houses us, shielding us from the elements, but it communicates to us and others what is important to us. Your goals for a rental property will be much different: you'll want it to generate positive cash flow, last a long time with minimal maintenance, and hopefully also produce appreciation. Of course, if you're investing in a unique commercial property situation like adaptive reuse, rezoning property, doing land development, or[...]
How Myers Constructs Can Help You & Your Home in 2021 — Part 1 in a Series
The COVID-19 global pandemic has made each of us change how we live. The vast majority of us and our children are spending the bulk of our time at home while learning and working virtually, which has highlighted the ways in which our existing spaces may fall short of meeting our needs. As a result, we're seeing an uptick in requests for a wide variety of project types that will help our clients get the most out of their home and enjoy it to its fullest for many years to come: Large-scale additions Impactful project combos like kitchens with laundries and powder rooms Mudrooms and bathrooms Creating privacy within family spaces for home offices, study areas, and creative studios Whole house remodels where we touch every room in the house We invite you to visit us on the web, Instagram, and Houzz, where you can see the wide variety of[...]
The Details That Matter
You may recognize this deck image from our Facebook and Instagram accounts last week. It was a popular post that generated a lot of questions and interest, so we thought we'd share the backstory with you. We came up with this little railing detail maybe 20 years ago, and we now use it on all of our decks because it's a superior solution. Here's why. When you work on older houses, you have to take things apart as a part of renovating. You see what worked and what did not, and how long it lasted. You see how the people who did a section of work maybe 10, 20, or even 100 years ago thought about how to put something together — and they set you up to be able to fix it easily when it finally wore out. We always notice this, and we think about those people, who[...]
In the Works at Myers Constructs
In South Philadelphia, we're busy working on a large-scale renovation creating a 3-story house with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms from an existing 2-bedroom, 1-bath, 2-story house. The plans call for adding a 3-story addition in the back as well as a 3rd floor master suite. The house is currently a shell, so it’s going to need everything, including a lot of masonry. Of course, the house is also vacant — which is a must with such a big project. Northwest of the city, we're also working on a high-end bedroom project in a lovely Lower Merion house. We're turning what is now a simple, boxy bedroom into a luxe retreat featuring custom glass pendant fixtures, handmade wallpaper, custom furniture, upcycled large-scale hand-carved Asian doors for the closets, and many other rich textures and colors. All of the decor was selected by one of our interior design partners, Hannah Dee[...]
Home Renovation Problems & Solutions in the Era of COVID-19
After general contractors were given the green light to resume home renovations in early May, the process has looked and felt a lot different, thanks to COVID-19 — not only for us, but for subcontractors, vendors, and homeowners, too. What does this mean for people who want and need work done on their homes right now? Having a well-organized design build general contractor with solid plans in place and great long-term relationships with their vendors and subs is essential to getting any project done right now. As we navigate a host of challenges together, here is a top-level look at some of the most common issues we are all currently facing, and how our team is making the process as smooth as possible for our clients. Problem: Supply chains are being disrupted. Solution: Starting at the end of 2019, when the coronavirus pandemic hit China, we started seeing delays in[...]
Reflections on New Homeowner Realities in the COVID-19 Era
Wow, what a different world we live in now. After our first week of more normal working conditions, we thought we’d take a few minutes to reflect. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we've all been spending all of our time in our homes — working, cooking, and watching television — but now that the warmer weather is here, homeowners are finding other ways to unwind and enjoy their outdoor spaces. We have definitely noticed an increase in requests for new beautiful and transformational outside spaces. Do any of the following scenarios sound familiar to you? You're spending more time outdoors, but your porch, deck, or patio are in serious disrepair — or you need better equipped exterior cooking and entertaining spaces. You have a grill outside but wish it was a more complete outdoor kitchen. It's almost swim season, and you need a cabana room or dedicated powder room and entryway[...]
Great News: Home Renovations Resume
We are pleased to announce the news that we've all been waiting for: Governor Wolf has cleared the construction industry to resume work starting today, May 1. We are excited to move projects that have been in our design queue into construction — and to take on wonderful new projects for homeowners who have been dreaming about transforming their spaces but waiting to get started. Of course, our focus will remain on the safety of our clients and our teams going forward. In addition to the typically careful and clean work spaces we maintain, we will follow the stringent new guidelines established by the Governor and the Secretary of Health. They include standards for social distancing, cleanliness, and mask-wearing, limits on the number of people on site at any given time, the appointment of a safety officer, and more. We will also continue to hang signs on our job sites[...]
A Message of Heartfelt Gratitude and Sympathy
Dear Family and Friends of Myers Constructs, We take great pride in the curated personal service we provide our design-build clients. Our clients know our process includes listening to and reviewing options closely, together. In response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19), we will be monitoring the requirements and recommendations of the CDC, Governor Wolf, and Mayor Kenney, and making adjustments daily and weekly, as needed. We will continue providing our same intimate services, but limiting our communications for now to telephone, email, video sharing, and virtual conferencing. Reflecting back on some of our favorite projects over the years, we find that the best have always been the ones where we work with clients to make long-term, holistic plans for the improvements that honor the style of their home and the way they hope to live in it. We have been privileged to work on some amazing whole-house projects, additions, and multi-phase[...]
Buying a Home? We Can Help
Whether you are considering buying a home to live in or a house to invest in, purchasing real estate is a huge investment with many complicated layers. We can help you understand the property you are considering buying through the lens of the necessary fixes, upgrades, and ongoing maintenance items you will face in the future. We can join you on a property visit to gather answers to questions like: How is the home built? Looking at important systems and infrastructure features, we can tell a lot about the overall construction quality of the home. What year was it built? We're familiar with common issues and concerns associated with certain construction eras that you should look out for. What are the problems the home inspector found? By evaluating the cost of the fixes, we can help you determine which ones should be considered "deal breakers." What are the allowed uses[...]
