OUR BLOG
OUR BLOG
Check out what’s happening with Myers Constructs as well as the latest news and trends in home renovation.
The Homeowner’s Dilemma: Buy/Build New or Renovate Old?
Here at Myers Constructs, we see clients facing this decision a lot right now. In fact, I am feeling it myself! There seem to be a few forces at play. During COVID, we all felt like our houses shrank around us because we were not only living in them, but also working and schooling in them. Then after COVID, home prices surged significantly. Many of our clients saw their home's worth reach 1.5-1.75 times what they were pre-COVID, leaving them to wonder whether they should make a move in the hot seller's market. But, in order to buy a “move up” house, they found they would typically need to spend more than 2.5 times their home's current value — which means they usually decided that it was wiser to renovate or add onto the house they are in now than to buy or build their "dream house." We're also seeing[...]
Split-Level Home Renovation
In 2020, our friend and associate, designer Hannah Dee, called us in to renovate a 1960s split-level ranch in Northeast Philadelphia. This is a great, fun, easy-to-live-in house that is near and dear to Hannah's heart, as it belongs to one of her close family members. Generally speaking, the house was in pretty good shape, having been maintained and improved over the years, but it needed some 21st century updates and a great whole house design to pull it all together. With whole house design, we listen to how the homeowner wants to use each space, we observe how the spaces flow together, and we make adjustments to improve them both functionally and aesthetically. Having lived in the house for decades, this family had built many memories and collected pieces of cherished mid-century furniture and artwork. While some items were donated to museums and charities, others were scheduled to return[...]
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[...]
