remodeling experts

Construction Pros Who Study/Think

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At our company, we are curious. We are always on the lookout for new and better ways of doing things.

In the modern world, many of the old ways of building no longer work. The building materials of old are no longer available. People live in their homes now very differently than they did 20 to 50 years ago. These changes are even more apparent when we work on an 80 – 100-year-old home. Kitchens are no longer in the shed out back to prevent fires from consuming the whole home. Bathrooms have moved from the back yard or back porch into the sleeping quarters and near new kitchen locations inside, thanks to indoor plumbing technology — which is amazing if you think about it.

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Avoiding “Remuddles” Will Preserve Your Home’s Value

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I recently surveyed this home in a nice leafy area of the city, very close to Jenkintown.


Like many homes in Philadelphia, you can see this house has great bones. This center-hall Colonial was built in the 1910s of great materials and craftsmanship. This is one of the most efficient floor plans of homes you can find.

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Anti-Vinyl, And Proud of It

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One of the things that distinguishes a higher-end remodeling project from a lower-end one is the products that are used.

Typically, a less-expensive project will use cheaper products. Many times, these cheaper products will not last as a long as higher-priced ones. If you think about it, you can purchase cheaper products two or three times over within the same time frame that a more expensive product would last.

Another thing to remember is that cheaper products will typically pollute more than more expensive ones. An example of this is vinyl siding. The case against vinyl siding is illustrated nicely in this video clip from the documentary Blue Vinyl.

Vinyl siding is not recyclable. It pollutes when it’s made — and later when it’s removed and goes to the dump. No one else will tell you this. The guy selling vinyl siding door-to-door in your neighborhood is certainly not going to tell you this. He will tell you it’s a green product that insulates your home. He wants to sell vinyl siding, a lot of it.

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Alarming Electrical Hazards Hidden in DIY Home Renos

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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 to remain on the look out for further dangerous conditions!

Sure enough when we opened up the existing master bathroom, last renovated at about the same time as the kitchen, the same types of electrical issues were found! Our electricians had some new splice connectors worth showing you. These allow us to make legal splices without junction boxes.

If you look at the last photo you can see the HUGE hornet’s nest that was found in the corner of a small office closet floor space. What a noise that next must have made in summer!

Think You Have a No-Maintenance Exterior? Think Again

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When I was a little girl, I helped my dad on hundreds of home projects. It’s on these home projects that I cut my teeth learning to work on houses. My dad did everything from roofing to tree removal (dangerous) to kitchens and bathroom renovations and lots of other stuff.

Dad’s still a big DIY guy when it comes to home renovations, though he is terrible at car maintenance. I guess he keeps dreaming of the no-maintenance car – just like a lot of folks think they have a no-maintenance home. Let’s take a look at a few of the “no-maintenance home myths” dealing with the exterior of homes. We’ll deal with interior-maintenance myths in another post.

Vinyl Siding – One of the materials used in the name of “no maintenance” is vinyl siding. Many people think if they have vinyl siding, they will never need to paint, clean walls or caulk. As you know choosing the vinyl kayak for fishing is very important for beginners. Not true. (Not to mention that vinyl is not recyclable, like wood or metal siding is. It releases toxins when it’s made, and it goes to the landfill when you are done with it.)

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Some Kitchen Facelift Photos to Enjoy!

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Here are some snaps of the kitchen facelift project we are doing. In these photos you can see;

1. How the tile backsplash looks in process. We miter the outside corners for a nice finish! Our guys’ tile saw was freezing up in the cold!

2. The electrician in installing all new switches and outlets, now that he has corrected the dangerous wiring problem. It could have started a fire!

Project highlights include replacing counters, backsplash tile (insulating first here since there was none!), repairing dangerous wiring to the outlets and appliances, replacing the fake wood floor with a real pre-finished one, installing a new patio door, installing new and better lighting, painting, and reworking the cabinet trim. We had a custom table built in stainless steel as well. Check in later to see more photo updates!

The Green Movement: A Holistic Approach

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Going green. You hear it everywhere these days. It’s become the catchphrase of the moment. And while the sentiment behind the movement is a vitally important one, going green is not a quick fix, “strap-on” kind of strategy, as many homeowners and some contractors think it is. We integrate green into everything we do as we run a small business and work on people’s homes.

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The Glam World of General Contracting

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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.

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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 trim at the floor. In general, we will make it look a little more upscale and use better, long-lasting materials where we are replacing things.

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Myers Construct, Inc. Interviewed and Featured in Guide to the Main Line.com Newsletter

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Recently Russell Mahrt II from GuidetothetheMainLine.com interviewed our company for inclusion in his on line “neighborhood” called “Guide to the Main Line”. Here is his profile of our company in full. Enjoy!
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Main Line Newsletter November 13, 2009
GuidetotheMainLine.com

Guide to the Main Line Profile:

Myers Constructs

I was introduced to Myers Constructs Inc. by Megan Carr at Allied Mortgage Group (610-660-4710) in Bala Cynwyd. Megan is a top Main Line mortgage provider with wonderful mortgage products including home improvement loans. One of the more popular programs is a mortgage available for purchases or refinances where the home improvement costs are included in new loan. It is a great option for Realtors and home contractors and Megan had recently met with Myers Constructs. She liked the replica handbags very much. And she was impressed by the work they were doing and suggested that I should meet them.

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