OUR BLOG
OUR BLOG
Check out what’s happening with Myers Constructs as well as the latest news and trends in home renovation.
One Great Project Ends; Another Begins
Over the next couple of weeks, we will be winding down an extended multi-phase whole-house renovation in a historic twin home in Philadelphia's Fairmount neighborhood. While the last of the subcontractors are scheduling their trim outs, the painters just finished up inside. We expect the exterior paint, gutters, and roof details to happen soon now that the temperature has warmed up. The deck is complete (see Facebook for photos ) and ready for the homeowners to put plants in the beautiful custom planters. We have our punch list items to complete and are ticking off our list. Meanwhile, the homeowners have scheduled their cleaners and movers and are thrilled to be able to move into their newly renovated historic home. As that project comes to a close, a new whole-home renovation at a pied-à-terre across town is picking up steam! Before the demolition phase, we applied for and were granted[...]
New Projects Spring Into Action: Center City Pied-à-Terre
This week, we began an exciting new whole-house makeover for a lovely pied-à-terre in Center City Philadelphia. This charming 2-story, 2-BR, 2-BA house was recently purchased by a couple who is downsizing from their prior home on the Main Line, where we did renovations with a large addition over 10 years ago. The home was previously renovated sometime in the 1990s by its owner-occupant, an architect, who did a lot to enhance its good bones. Now, our clients want to really bring out the charm and style of this small house and make it one they can enjoy for decades to come. The project involves adding a half-bath just off the new kitchen space on the first floor, so the homeowners' aging parents can visit without having to climb stairs. We'll also renovate the existing bathroom on the second floor, reconfigure the bedroom with a walk-in closet, and transform[...]
Basement Theater Remodel Wins NARI Award!
Most of you will remember the Mt. Airy basement renovation we recently completed for clients who wanted to transform a previously underutilized space into a beautiful theater and entertainment room. We're thrilled to announce that this project just won a NARI 2016 Regional Contractor of the Year (CotY) Award in the category of Basement $50,000 to $100,000 — Region 1/Northeast! In this national competition, regional awards are presented first, with national winners announced in April at the National Business Meeting of NARI in Austin, TX. We're really proud to be honored in this way by The National Association of the Remodeling Industry, which sets the standards for quality and professionalism in our industry. Project recap: Previously an unfinished basement, this space now has lots of different areas to relax, think, be entertained, and play music and games with family and friends — including a library with reading nook and a[...]
Sustainable Choices: Critical to Our Collective Futures
Part I in a Series on Adaptive Reuse, the basis of an upcoming presentation by Tamara Myers at the 2016 Las Vegas NKBA Kitchen and Bath Industry Show and NAHB International Builders' Show. Earlier today, I stopped by one of our job sites to admire this stack of reclaimed lumber peacefully acclimating itself to its new home, waiting to be installed as our new finish flooring. How exciting that this lumber is gaining a new life and that we can bring an older material into the renovation of this older home. Great choices that will give both the material and space a new, long life. Many of you already know about our passion for reuse and sustainable choices. We have built our business on bringing our brain trust of collective creativity and years of experience and relationships to make solutions that really create a difference in our clients' lives. Woven[...]
What’s Old Is New Again — and Better Than Ever
We have spent decades becoming experts at breathing new life into old structures throughout the Greater Philadelphia region. And now Tamara is busy preparing a presentation on this topic — adaptive reuse — that she will make at The 2016 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) at the Las Vegas Convention Center on January 21. While this presentation is geared towards industry insiders who will earn continuing education credits for their participation, we are eager to share with you our insights on some exciting and effective approaches to sustainable adaptive reuse that can be applied not only to adaptive reuse projects but also to renovations in your own home. In the coming weeks, we'll cover the following topics: Why the choice to renovate existing structures is vital to a sustainable future; Examples of buildings and spaces already integrated into our community that illustrate adaptive re-use and what makes some of[...]
Built-In Storage: A Place for Your Stuff
"That's all you need in life, a little place for your stuff. That's all your house is — a place to keep your stuff. If you didn't have so much stuff, you wouldn't need a house. You could just walk around all the time. A house is just a pile of stuff with a cover on it." —George Carlin This quote always makes us laugh, but let's face it ... George was right. Our houses are filled with "stuff"; some of us are just better at organizing it than others. We often find that the houses we come across don’t have enough storage to accommodate the homeowners' belongings. People need places to stow books, coats, off-season clothing, shoes, toys, cleaning supplies, camping and sports gear, and more. To combat potential clutter issues, we like to learn about how our clients need to live, and how their homes can better serve[...]
New Images Posted
We've posted slideshows of the completed kitchen and cupola renovation work at our Fairmount neighborhood whole-house project. They're rather spectacular. Have a look: The new kitchen The restored cupola
Myers Constructs Awarded Best of Philly Best General Contractor for Philly Homes
Myers Constructs has been awarded Best General Contractor for Philadelphia Homes, in Philadelphia magazine's 2015 Best of Philly awards. Read more here.
That’s a Wrap: Mt. Airy Basement Movie Theater
This week, we are putting the finishing touches on the Mt. Airy basement that we transformed into a posh movie theater and entertainment space. We are in the process of adding "soft finishes" like gorgeous custom drapes and a reupholstered chair for a reading nook, adding shiny bits like doorknobs, and installing fancy, custom, electric movie-watching recliner chairs that are being delivered via a white-glove service. After a bit of cleaning, we'll turn this room back over to the homeowners so they can kick back with some friends and enjoy their first movie-viewing party!
In the Works: Mt. Airy Whole-Home Renovation
The start of a new large-scale project is always an exciting time here at Myers Constructs, and last week was no exception. We went out to survey a new project at a lovely Mt. Airy single home situated on an extra large lot. Years ago, the homeowners had bought the house from a flipper, but no renovations have taken place since then, so they are ready to make some significant upgrades. The house has many great original oak trim details in great condition, and a third floor that features attractive wood paneling and a loft-like ceiling that follows the home's Gothic roof line. We have been tasked with developing a long-term plan for improvements that will make this a more comfortable and efficient home for the family to enjoy. Working on this project reminds us of some similar projects over the years where we have brought our expertise to plan[...]
