OUR BLOG
OUR BLOG
Check out what’s happening with Myers Constructs as well as the latest news and trends in home renovation.
Alarming Electrical Hazards Hidden in DIY Home Renos
We are working on a "new" home built in the 1960's. Its a 2 story ranch in decent shape for its age. The homeowners who just bought the house, asked us to come in for a lot of projects all over. In particular, we are focusing on a great paint job, refreshing hardwood floors, tweak an existing kitchen, rework a laundry powder room, and a gut remodel of the master bedroom suite. While working in the kitchen it was discovered that the electrical wiring in the kitchen was really dangerous. It was a surprise that no fires had been started. Many hidden splices were found and illegal junction boxes. You should know that junction boxes must be accessable, and covered to be legal. There were not enough lines to the various outlets either. Our electricians corrected all these problems. But encountering them set a tone for us. We were going[...]
Investing in Energy Upgrades? Spend Your $$ Wisely
We recently caught up with one of our HVAC pros. He's a very nice and knowledgeable guy who works for a large HVAC company, whose name I won't mention here. He let us know they have been installing a lot of geothermal HVAC systems and had just completed one for a house in Mt. Airy, a town on the outskirts of Philadelphia. Let me provide a little backstory on this. Typically, geothermal is done for houses with yards since the geothermal heat/cool collectors are placed in drilled holes in the ground, or under a lot of soil, or in ponds. In other words, you need access to soil or groundwater to make use of the system. That's because these systems use the constant heat/cold differential of the earth, or a pool of water, to condition the air in your home. This particular home is about 1,500 sf --[...]
Myers Constructs Eyeing B Corp. Status
Last week, Tamara and Diane attended a B Corp workshop at Wharton Small Business Development Center. The next step is taking their online audit/survey to see where our company falls at this time. Once we see where we stand, and make any necessary adjustments, we'll apply for B Corp status. We want to do this because it's a quantifiable third-party assessment of the good, sustainable business practices we employ. It means we treat employees, subs and customers well! It also means we are integrated into a U.S.-based (and soon to be worldwide) B Corp community that supports other B Corp businesses. Find out more about it at bcorporation.net.
A Serendipitous Find at The Philadelphia Home Show
At the Home Show last week, we saw some nice, new products, including energy-efficient heating plants. These new hot water boiler systems can make hot water for heat and for domestic use, they are smaller than what you have now, and they are 95% or more efficient! We also found that one of the window suppliers we use offers a 10-year warranty on its product! This was news to us -- and good news, at that -- since a set of their doors we installed seven years ago has water-damage issues. We have contacted their offices to see about getting the prob fixed!
Unsafe Decks: Things to Look For
I looked at a home for sale yesterday. The door to the deck off the kitchen was marked with a “Do Not Enter” sign, and “DANGER” was written large on that sign. The deck and under it looked like this. Can you see why this deck is unsafe? Keep in mind dozens of people are killed in the US each and hundreds injured year by unsafe decks! In general because it is a structural renovation, decks are not a homeowner DIY project and they do require permits and inspections. […]
How to Get Started in This Business
While walking to the Philadelphia Home Show, Tamara took me into the AIA building one block away on Arch St. to look at their bookstore. I was more interested in the cute display they had set up highlighting children’s building blocks. Did you know these were first developed by Friedrich Froebel (best trampoline 1782-1852) the same man who came up with the Kindergarten concept? The little exhibition has examples of playing blocks of many kinds. See if you can find blocks you played with as a child. There are three low-level play areas where children and their parents can play with blocks together. You can see the model of the city, also in this room, is also made of blocks!
Buying a Home? Don’t Forget to Factor in a Renovation Budget.
A couple of weeks ago, we blogged about our home-buyer consulting service, “Helpline for Home Buyers.” Yesterday, I got a call from a first-time home buyer who was considering buying one of two homes. She wanted to know a little about our services and how we might help her. In her case, since no offer had yet been made or accepted, I suggested that she get some free online remodeling cost information to arm herself with useful general information. I directed her to “Remodeling Magazine’s” website and their annual “Cost vs. Value Report.” That’s a great place to get good information about what typical remodeling projects will cost. […]
A Site Built Cabinet
This is what one looks like before its installed. You can see the pink area of the kids bathroom where our crew will be installing it. The funny little shelves will be removed and the whole space here filled with proper storage. We'll bring the outlet that was there into the cabinet. Our carpenters build these site built cabinet elements on site using table and chop saws. They use MDF or plywood for the case and poplar for the face frame. So the quality of materials is very good. The poplar doors are made for us by a local cabinet shop since fancier cabinet making tools are needed for these. A site built cabinet is a nice solution to finding a great fitting cabinet at a good price. A stock built unit wouldn't look as good or be of the same quality. A custom cabinet shop built one[...]
Small Business Strategic Planning Workshop We Will Be Attending
At Myers Constructs, Inc., we believe a business that is healthy can do a better job for its customers, employees and community. This is one of the core values of our company. Everyone here works toward the goal of making our small business a healthy, long-lived one, so it can serve everyone it touches better. In February, Tamara Myers and Diane Menke will attend a series of Small Business Strategic Planning Workshops presented by the Wharton Small Business Development Center. Check in with our website as we give updates on what new business strategies we will be developing.
Tamara and Diane Will Be Attending a Seminar Presented by the Energy Coordinating Agency
Myers Constructs, Inc. is a Philadelphia certified Woman Business Enterprise and member of The Green Building Council, and our fearless leader, Tamara Myers, is a LEED AP. As part of our planned participation as a general contractor in the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority's (RDA) Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP), we have been invited to attend a training seminar hosted by the Energy Coordinating Agency (ECA). The date of the seminar is Friday, Jan. 22, 2010. The session will discuss current NSP requirements for its targeted projects, how to evaluate, and RDA's review process.
