OUR BLOG
OUR BLOG
Check out what’s happening with Myers Constructs as well as the latest news and trends in home renovation.
A Look at the 2010 Old House Fair…
This past weekend, we attended the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia's (PAGP) Old House Fair, an event that brings together homeowners and aspiring owners of older and historic homes with historic preservation specialists from throughout the Philadelphia area. This is the second year in a row we've attended the fair, and we always seem to run into many great folks we've known for a long time but haven’t seen in a while. Our company is excited and honored to be involved with PAGP -- and to be receiving one of their 2010 Preservation Awards for our work on an extensive window-renovation project at The Fleisher Art Memorial (link to 3/10/10 press release). At the Old House Fair, our customer, Carolyn West, was also honored with a Homeowner Award from the Preservation Society! You can see her receiving her award in the photos below (she's wearing the blue blouse). And our[...]
Myers Constructs, Inc., to Present at 2010 Old House Fair
Myers Constructs, Inc., will be on hand at The Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia's 2010 Old House Fair on Saturday, April 3rd, at the Germantown Friends School, located at 31 W. Coulter St., in Philadelphia. (Hours are 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.) At 1:00 p.m., Myers Constructs, Inc.'s recent customer, Caroline West, will receive a Homeowner Award. At 2:00 p.m., Tamara Myers, LEED AP and window expert, will host ”Refurbish, Renovate, Replace: A Look at Historic Window Projects,” a presentation on window renovations that preserve the historical integrity of an older home while providing energy savings. Admission fees for the 2010 Old House Fair are as follows: $10 for general admission, $5 for Preservation Alliance members, and free for children under 18. Contact Amy McCollum, Old House Fair Co-Coordinator, at amy@preservationalliance.com or 215.546.1146 x7.
New Video — How to Repair a Slate Roof
Click the Video Gallery link over on the upper right side to see the next how-to video involving Tamara Myers. The topic is how to repair a slate roof.
No Maintenance Exteriors?
I’ve received some flak recently from purveyors of vinyl siding. Those of you who follow my blog know I hate vinyl siding. It poisons people when it’s made, and when you’re done with it, you have to send it to the dump because it’s not recycled. Furthermore, while it’s on your house, you are deluded into thinking you have a “no-maintenance exterior.” I hate to shatter the illusion, but that simply doesn’t exist. My house is a 1957 split level. Originally, it had wood siding on it. Some areas were in a board and baton style, and other areas were long lengths of pretty cedar siding with an eight-inch reveal. What’s more, the patterns of the original siding highlighted the low-slung style of this house. […]
Easy DIY Projects With Big Results
When we bought our house, it was a “granny house.” No offense to the grannies out there, but everything in the house was either pink, or ruffles, or completely vintage and spotlessly clean circa 1957. The house even smelled of lady’s powder. “Granny” is an adjective that no homeowner wants to hear when someone is talking about their house, but it’s a great descriptor to hear when you are buying a home. It generally means you will get a house with good bones, but perhaps some stylistic or cosmetic issues. So you can buy the house a bit cheaper than if it had been updated, and then update the house the way YOU would like. This was the case with our house. […]
Production Meetings Keep Our Crews on Track
Myers Constructs, Inc., does things differently than other folks in remodeling and renovations: We run an organized business. One way we keep things organized is with meetings. Each Monday at 7:30 a.m., everyone involved in production at our company meets at our office. At this meeting, we look at the next several weeks of projects. We discuss what company resources are needed where and when. Notes for several projects running at the same time are made on our office white board, office calendars and the field crew's work calendars. Our field crews then work from these. This is the same meeting where the field crews hand in their time sheets and other paperwork they are responsible for. At these weekly meetings, we also discuss any issues or problems we have encountered. A big part of what we all do is problem solving. We have a lot of experience doing it,[...]
Design to Build = The Better Way to Go
At Myers Constructs, Inc., we use the phrase “Design to Build”™. It is our trademarked remodeling system. You’ve all heard about terrible remodeling projects where the project goes over budget and takes forever to complete, while no one knows what's happening, and the homeowners are suffering while waiting for the next shoe to drop. That's not us! Our system takes the chaos and stress out of your home renovations. This system is great for commercial projects, too. Design to Build™ means we only design what you want and can afford. We don’t design with the aim of piling up billable hours like some people. That's because our business model is based on what we build, not on design time we bill for. We won’t design highfalutin flying buttresses (or other misfit architectural details) on your addition just because they're really cool. We understand your home’s style and we Design to[...]
Award Winning Project Photos in Mid Atlantic Construction
Our Project is on/in Mid Atlantic Construction! The Award Winning Fleisher Project Photo Gallery was accepted. You can view it here: Fleisher Photos
How We Work and Feedback From our Sales Department
When Tamara and I tell folks what we do for a living, they generally picture us walking around in tool belts all day. For us, as the owners of Myers Constructs, Inc., this has not been the case for more than a decade. In reality, it’s our crews who wear the tool belts now. Tamara and I are busy every day managing the company. We work in the office selling projects, planning projects, and, like most other small business owners, working to keep cash flowing through the company. We spend a lot of time in front of computers with spreadsheets and CAD programs. We also spend a lot of time talking to customers about their projects. […]
All Eyes on New Lead Safety Laws
Most people are aware that exposure to lead is a bad thing. What you may not know is it’s a neurotoxin, and even a small amount present in your home can affect your family – especially small children – and contractors (like us!) who do renovations and repairs. Even family pets are at risk. The risk of lead poisoning is especially high for those living and working in older homes and buildings. That’s why new regulations from the EPA that go into effect in April 2010 will require all contractors of any trade that disturb more than six square feet of painted surface in any building built before 1978 to be certified in lead-safety procedures. That means they must attend EPA’s Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) class – which our team just completed. In a nutshell, RRP standards have to do with containment of construction dust that may contain[...]
