OUR BLOG
OUR BLOG
Check out what’s happening with Myers Constructs as well as the latest news and trends in home renovation.
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[...]
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[...]
Buying a Home? We Can Help
Whether you are considering buying a home to live in or a house to invest in, purchasing real estate is a huge investment with many complicated layers. We can help you understand the property you are considering buying through the lens of the necessary fixes, upgrades, and ongoing maintenance items you will face in the future. We can join you on a property visit to gather answers to questions like: How is the home built? Looking at important systems and infrastructure features, we can tell a lot about the overall construction quality of the home. What year was it built? We're familiar with common issues and concerns associated with certain construction eras that you should look out for. What are the problems the home inspector found? By evaluating the cost of the fixes, we can help you determine which ones should be considered "deal breakers." What are the allowed uses[...]
Selling a House? We Can Help
So you’ve lived in and loved your home for a long time. You have fond memories when you look at every single thing in it. And now you've made the emotional decision to sell. The first thing you need to know is buyers don't want to buy your memories. They want to make their own memories in the home you cared for all of these years. What's more, they typically don't want to have to do a single thing when they buy your house. They want it to be perfect and “turnkey.” Some will even walk away from a house that is painted “the wrong color.” I even once met a home buyer who complained about the doorbell chime! Buyers want that charming older home you've loved so long to look like a brand new vintage house fresh off the best shelter magazine presses — but with all the charm[...]
The Wrong Hanger and Why Remodeling Is Very Different Than New Construction
We are currently working on a split-level rancher in a friendly, quiet neighborhood in Northeast Philadelphia near Pennypack Park. This house was inherited by the current owner, who wants to make it more hip and fun. This will involve remodeling the kitchen and three bathrooms, installing new HVAC, and adding lots of pretty mid-century touches. In this house, the kitchen ceiling does double duty as the floor of the attic space above. The kitchen is about 20 feet long, and the ceiling was framed with 2x6’s that ran the length of the room. Because these joists are very undersized for that span, and they were overloaded with items stored in the attic, the ceiling in the kitchen had drooped quite a lot over time. To cure this sagging problem, we jacked up the droopy joists, cut them at about midway, and inserted a double-laminated beam across the span. From this,[...]
469 Happy Customers (and Counting!)
Our firm recently marked its 21st anniversary. It's a substantial milestone, and it got us thinking about the number of older houses we've improved over that span of time as well as the people we've helped to live better lives as a result. So we tallied up the numbers: to date, we have had 469 happy customers. Incorporated in 1998, Myers Constructs is now one of the oldest, most trusted design build remodelers in the region — and the only one that is women-owned. And whether the projects we do for clients are large or small, very expensive or rather modest, our goal is always to understand how our clients want to live in their homes. We listen to what clients say, what their houses say, and then we come up with a plan to exceed their expectations about what their homes can be. We help clients dream and imagine[...]
In the Works: Re-Loving the “Flintstone House”
Our clients affectionately call this home a "Flintstone House," and that really makes us smile. This charming and well-loved home, which features a schist stone exterior with free-form columns and bluestone front patio — both materials that are native to the Philadelphia area — is located on a quiet street in Chestnut Hill, PA, that is walkable to the quaint and lively center of town. It also has a lot of history, as the homeowners grew up in this house, and they have other family still living on the same street. While the home has been lovingly maintained over the years, it is currently in need of a new kitchen, pantry, and powder room, as well as some maintenance upgrades — which we were happy to be called in to handle. In terms of backstory, the current kitchen was installed by our clients' father decades ago, a project that was[...]
New Year, New Home Resolutions
While you’re likely busy preparing for holiday celebrations, festive entertaining, and winter travel, this is also the perfect time to take a closer look at your home and plan for the repairs, maintenance, and redesign projects that need to be tackled in the coming year. We don’t know a better way to celebrate the fresh possibilities of a new year than to breathe new life into a space that you use every day. Instant quality-of-life improvement! We're grateful for the trust our clients place in us, and we make it our goal to exceed their expectations for reimagining the spaces they share with family and friends all year through. Call us today to discuss your needs. We’ll be happy to create a 2019 plan for your home.
Behind the Scenes: What Our Customers Never See
Being a design build general contractor working any given day on a variety of projects throughout the Delaware Valley means that there's never a dull moment around here. Each day brings new challenges and opportunities to find creative solutions — and that's one of the things we love about this business! At Myers Constructs, our clients' projects receive the attention of both company owners: Tamara and me. At the outset, most of our clients understand that we will design their projects and also manage the construction, as well as the complex processes that are involved. What they don't know is that when the need arises, Tamara and I go to the job site to personally handle some portion of a project ourselves to ensure great quality control for clients. In fact, there are important things we do on a daily basis that most clients never see. For example, Tamara could[...]
In the Works: Glenside Colonial Goes Art Deco
One of our clients recently purchased this lovely large brick Colonial in the quaint and eclectic Philadelphia suburb of Glenside. His goal is to restore the home in a way that showcases his love for Art Deco styling, decor, and an extensive collection of art, ceramics, radios, and other electronics. The home was built by a local developer in the 1920s, and it represents the best quality workmanship of its era — in fact, even the laundry room floor has the original aqua blue linoleum floor still in very good condition! However, the challenge presented by this home is that some of its previous owners made adjustments over the years that didn't fit its style. For example, the large pantry and back hall, where you might carry in groceries from the rear parking area, was converted into a wine bar featuring faux stucco and brick accents applied to the plaster[...]
