At Myers Constructs, Inc., we see and work on all kinds of exterior renovation styles. We come in to make repairs or changes after something has worn out or failed. Seeing what failed is a great teacher. So, even on vacation, I am always on the lookout for evidence of what’s working or failing in the buildings I see.
Domestic Arts and Design-to-Build Construction – A Woman’s Perspective
I have to say, I’ve never understood why people buy residential remodeling projects from people who are not domestic. There are scores of contractors and builders in the business who can handle the technical aspects, the nuts and bolts, of home renovation – but it ends there. They don’t understand the finer points of home renovation, including how homeowner emotions are so closely tied to how a home looks, feels and operates. I like thinking of this as the “soft touch” aspect of the business.
In Praise of the Little Things
Take a look at our white board notes from a recent company-wide meeting. Our agenda was simple: discuss the little things – or “soft touches” – our company members do every day to take care of our customers.
We asked our whole team to attend this little lunch meeting, and we asked them to list things they routinely do to lessen our customers’ anxiety while their projects are underway. We came up with quite a list. And we found that we do most of these things just because they are the right things to do. When you hire nice people, this kind of serendipitous “good stuff” happens.
Finding a “Healthy” Remodeling Contractor
Remodeling is a very complicated business in which it’s very difficult to be successful. Each project is custom, which means there are unlimited ways for a company to make a mistake and lose money. And a company that loses money will not be in business very long. A contractor in trouble may even go out of business on your project or, worse, entangle your home in their business quagmires with liens or other legal problems.
Multiple Bids = A Race to the Bottom
Most home-renovation buyers have heard about multiple bids. Lots of people will tell you that you should collect three bids from contractors when you are considering a remodeling project. Is this even good advice?
“Bidding” means that contractors involved in that process are trying to find the cheapest way to complete your project so they will be awarded the job. Do you think these guys are going to bring care, consideration or thoughtfulness to your project? Will they go beyond code to do something “right” not just get it done? More than likely, they will bid low to be awarded the project, then tack on lots of extras as the project develops. In the end, conflicts and arguments arise from the bid process.
Our Fearless Leader in Action
To check out Tamara Myers in action click on our new video updates link! You will find it at the top right hand side of the links column on the right!
Natl. Academy of Science Says Our Current Energy Economy Has $120 Billion in “Externalized” Costs
Ars Technica has a brief article on the NAS report, which was requested by Congress. Externalized costs are those not charged to producers or consumers, but which must be absorbed by society as a whole. A very good example is the damage to subterranean acquifers in West Virginia done by mountaintop removal coal mining. Rent the film “Burning the Future” for details. We need to move to microgrids. See my post on feeder tariffs below.
Think You Need an Addition? Think Again.
We often receive phone calls from folks who think they need us to build them an addition for their home. I wanted to share my perspective as a design/build remodeler with you about this: you shouldn’t build that addition before you maximize the space you already have!
Now don’t get me wrong. We like nothing better than to build stuff. The bigger the home-remodeling project, the better!
After & Before – Chairs
Here are two chairs I recently had reupholstered for use in my sunny living room.
I got the two tatty blue, but underneath it all, very good chairs from my neighbors who were moving to Florida.
You can see that these were from the 1970’s. The fabric was a faded indigo velvet. We kept the welts and general tailored look but deleted the skirt.
I’m delighted with the results.
Aging In Place
Aging in place. That’s a heavy phrase. But the fact is that many of the people I know are thinking about either their parents or themselves aging. Some folks have moved from thinking about aging to actually feeling it!
While most of us aim to stay healthy, eventually some physical limitations begin to affect our quality of life. For me it became ‘real” when losing weight became harder, and I got my first progressive eyeglasses. Ouch! How’d THAT happen?