OUR BLOG
OUR BLOG
Check out what’s happening with Myers Constructs as well as the latest news and trends in home renovation.
What to Do with Fido, Kitty and Kids When Work is Scheduled On Your Home
I recently received a call at the office that made by blood pressure shoot through the roof. One of my carpenters called to let me know a customer’s dog had gotten out of the house. YIKES! It wasn’t even his fault. A reporter was coming into the house while people were working there, and when the door opened, the dog ran for it. And you should prepare the best puppy pads for your dogs. While we have it in our contracts that doggies, kitties and kids should be out of the way of the workers, today’s experience made me think it’s worthwhile blogging (repeating to you) about it. […]
The Glam World of General Contracting
Many times on projects, little SNAFU’s happen. It’s my job to handle the SNAFU’s and make sure the customer doesn’t notice or get upset about them. Sometimes the problems that arise are just the nature of the remodeling beast, but sometimes there is someone to blame. When a homeowner hires a general contractor (GC), they are hiring a pro who will handle these SNAFU’s along with managing the project. At our total home reno project in Whitemarsh yesterday, the countertop templater was out to measure for new stone kitchen and bathroom counter tops. Here is a snap of him in action. We’re just doing a kitchen freshening up since the cabinets are fairly new and layout is OK. The scope for this room is new pendant light for eating area, the new countertops, new tile backsplashes, new hardwood floors, new outlets and switches, new appliances, proper vent hood, and new[...]
Drawing on a Grand Scale at the Philadelphia Art Museum
I was out of town when this drawing was lit, but luckily Will Brown did one of his great panoramic shots. The piece, called Fallen Blossoms, was drawn with gunpowder by Cai Guo-Qiang on the front steps of Philadelphia Art Museum on December 11, 2009. It's my understanding that Cai Guo-Qiang grew up in or near a gunpowder factory in China and has incorporated this material into his work. Move your mouse around to direct your own panoramic views.
Lace and Chainlink Fence?
On our way to design meetings, Carolyn and I have been driving by this really great piece melding of lace and chainlink over at the Design Center. Here's the full story. The Philadelphia Inquirer also ran an article.
LED Energy Star Holiday Lights
Still want to light up for the holidays? Using some of the new Energy Star certified LED string lights, you can save up to 90% over the old style power suckers. That's a good gift to all of us.
Use Protection
We do! Here you can see how we protect our customer's driveway from the heavy recycling dumpster we had to park there. If we are this careful protecting a driveway, imagine how we treat the floors in our customers' homes.
Installing the Stacking Washer & Dryer
Here are a few photos showing the right way to install a washer and drier in an upper level floor where a leak or overflow can cause serious damage. This new washer drier location is on the first floor close to the kitchen. You can see the lovely galvanized pan with a PVC drain. You can see the plumbers are reading installation instructions. Our plumbers always use what's called a "rough in box" for hot and cold water. It has an integrated shut off to help prevent flooding. We vent the drier to the outside, not into your attic. Viola! Storage and hanging rod will go to the right of the new units.
“A Website With a Pathological Level of Devotion”
Many of you know that one of our promotional partners is MomsLikeMe.com. We've worked closely with them on social media, networking, and our recent write-up in Philadelphia RowHome magazine. Check out what AdvertisingAge has to say about MomsLikeMe.
Bad Renovations – A House Tour
Many folks have caught the “house as investment” bug. They might be homeowners, flippers, or investors. Some folks make money at it; many do not. Many readers may not know that I do property investment and property-investment consulting, and I’m one of the ones who actually makes money doing it. Never trust an investment consultant who doesn’t profit from practicing what they preach. Today, I did a walk-through on an interesting house. It was a large, impressive home on a nice lot overlooking a golf course in an affluent neighborhood. It’s been in real estate owned (REO) status for about 300 days, and is currently listed at $499K. That’s a great price, given the neighborhood, and it should have sold. But it didn’t. Why not? Let’s take a look at the photo gallery of this house to find the answer. These pictures provide a good illustration of something I consistently[...]
Powerful Energy Saving Hoodie Snap from Portland
Here's a snap of happy new MCI hoodie wearer Jen Bolger who lives in Lake Oswego, OR. Jen’s been an enormous supporter of our replica watches company over many months. We sent her this warm hoodie as a "thank you" treat. Jen is one of the masterminds behind the national online moms group MomsLikeMe.com. Her daughter Morgan took this photo on their front patio. Thanks to Jen, MomsLikeMe.com and Morgan.
