One of our owners, Jonathan Markt, has just passed the exam to become a Certified Remodeler through NARI (the National Association of the Remodeling Industry)! Great job, Jonathan! NARI Certified Remodelers (CRs) are professional remodelers who provide a full range of remodeling services. To become a CR, candidates must possess skill and knowledge in a broad range of business management and technical skill areas. To qualify for the CR designation, applicants must meet all of the following: Be employed by or own a firm that derives at least 90% of its sales volume through remodeling work Adhere to NARI’s Standards... Continue reading

On our website, I reference our commitment to QP3. What does this mean? Quality People: When you hire Markt & Company, you're hiring a family business. We opened our business in 1977. This year, we're celebrating our 35th anniversary! In 35 years, we have had no complaints at the Oregon Construction Contractors Board. Our core management group of 4 employees has a combined 70 years of service with Markt & Company Construction. That's an average of over 17 years each! We have integrity. We are trustworthy and have great customer service. We pride ourselves on doing the right thing, both... Continue reading

We get asked often to give customer an estimate, and it has me thinking about the work that we put into figuring a price for a customer. We don't call these estimates, we call them proposals. Why the distinction? When I think of an estimate, I think of a number. I picture a project as I want it done, and the estimate is a ballpark price for all the different parts of the project put together. What we do is a little different. Instead of giving you one total price, we break down the proposal into each area of construction... Continue reading

First of all, let me apologize for my long absence. I had my first child in March, and I've been focusing on her and the business since then, not leaving a lot of time to blog! Here's a photo from a project we just finished. Our designer on this project, Kirstin Havnaer, recommended this gorgeous tile pattern. I came across an article today about remodeling during the recession that I thought was worth sharing. (See link at the end of this post) The article says that because the housing market is still low, more people are remodeling their homes instead... Continue reading

In the world of remodeling, the first step is usually getting rid of what's already in the way of the new construction we want to create. There are a couple of different approaches to making way for the remodel. With today's emphasis on green building, more interest is being generated around reusing materials instead of buying all new. Demolition: Think wrecking ball. Think "demolition parties" where each guest is handed a sledgehammer upon arrival. Think Extreme Home Makeover, where a bulldozer drives through the house. Demolition is a process of quickly destroying a structure and clearing it away. Demolition is... Continue reading

We've updated our logo! We feel that the new logo really encompasses what we do: Distinctive Home Remodeling with a focus on the customer's experience. Quality craftsmanship done by people you trust, coupled with a process that features constant communication so you'll always know what's happening on your project. We want to make your remodeling project fun! If you want to give us feedback, we'd love to hear what you think of the change. Our new logo: Our old logo: Continue reading

We're just finishing up the master suite remodel. Here are updated photos: The freestanding dual vanity looks and feels like a piece of furniture - it's hard to tell that the pipes run through the legs and into the floor. What a great view from the new soaking tub! Wood paneling on the face and a granite slab surround match the tub with the vanity. The shower has all granite-slab walls and a river rock tile floor, as well as glass block to bring in light. The master closet is surrounded in built-in shelving, rods and drawers. The laundry room... Continue reading

Just in time for Earth Day! I am loving these bathroom vanities made from recycled materials (from Bristol and Bath's Second Chance Collection) that I saw in this month's Remodeling Magazine! We've never used this particular vendor, but I think it's a fabulous idea. They've taken old oil drums, cleaned and refurbished them, and finished in copper or pewter. A sink is then set into the top of the drum, and a mirror is made out of the old drum lid. They've done the same thing with old wine barrels - very chic! We love using reclaimed materials in our... Continue reading

Winter weather, regular use, kids, pets and other of life's joys can take a toll on our houses. Often times, an area can be spruced up with regular painting. This customer was getting ready to sell their home, and wanted to make a better first impression. Here's how the front porch looked before: And after: A little paint goes a long way!! Continue reading

Cabinets are installed! They need a little cleaning of course, but they're looking good! Check back for granite pictures later. Continue reading

I saw this article (Remodeling in Stages Fits a Family's Budget) in last week's Oregonian newspaper's Home & Garden section about a family who is completing their remodeling project in two steps. They wanted to add space to their home and also remodel their kitchen, but couldn't afford to do both. Their designer came up with a plan to add on the space now, and plan for the kitchen later. The important part of this process was that they put infrastructure in place during the first remodel to accomodate the future kitchen. This future planning allowed them to not only... Continue reading

The Environmental Protection Agency exists to protect our natural resources, and to protect us from natural hazards. Many homes built before 1978 were constructed with some hazardous materials like asbestos or lead paint. These materials are no longer in use, but we are still dealing with their effects when we remodel older homes. When we cut into a wall that contains lead paint, dust or paint chips can be dangerous if eaten or ingested, especially for children or pregnant women. To make remodeling these homes safe, the EPA has created new laws for the procedures we follow when making renovations... Continue reading

We just completed this adorable bedroom addition in West Linn for a little girl's room. The size of the addition was dictated by the size of the first floor of the house - there was a small area that didn't have a second story where this room could be added on. The roof lines and window bumpout give architechural character to the room, and the owl motif and chandelier light fixture are extra special touches. We also remodeled this customer's kitchen, adding bench seating in the nook and changing the island. Here are before and after pictures of that part... Continue reading

Cabinets have been delivered! Whew, that's a lot of cabinets! It's hard to see in these photos, but paint is also completed, and the bathtub has been partially installed. Next week, we'll be installing granite! Continue reading

There are many ways that remodeling is different from building a new house. Most importantly, our customers are living in the homes we're working in. It's very important that we are respectful and trustworthy, and that we take precautions to minimize dust and dangers to kids, pets and guests of the homeowners. Remodeling also presents different logistical challenges. When possible, we like to minimize the amount of demolition or damage to the existing parts of the house. Not only does this save the homeowner money, it's often better for the enviroment because we're using less new materials. This is one... Continue reading

As of this week, the triple pane windows have been installed, and the sheetrock has been hung. To me, this is the exciting part of the job, when things seem like they're really coming together. We consider the drywall stage to be the halfway point of most projects - even though a lot of work has already been done, the finish work often takes longer than the framing. We still have a lot to do in this room, including cabinets, paint, tile, granite slabs, carpet and fixtures! That many specialties takes a lot of coordination as well, since more than... Continue reading

Ok, I got a little behind on my posting! Here is an update of the master suite remodel from March 5th: Framing has been completed. The rough plumbing and rough electrical have been installed and inspected by the city. (Rough installation means basically that it is the stuff behind the walls, the term "finish" is used for installation of the fixtures) We ran a recirculation line to the bathroom so the hot water will be available instantly. Now we just need some windows and interior insulation (both of which will help with noise dampening). Continue reading

Well, we are 3 weeks in on the master suite project. Here's what we've been working on: So far we've done the necessary demolition to allow for the rebuild. The concrete was cut and removed to allow us to lower the floor into the shower for a curbless entry. This is a great feature for planning to age-in-place - eliminating as many obstacles as possible is very important. The photo above shows where the new shower and bathtub will be. The plumbers have run their under-slab plumbing to allow the free-standing vanity to be installed. When finished, the vanity will... Continue reading

We started a new project this week; a master bedroom and bath designed to take advantage of the sweeping city views from the customer's home. Some of the more unique parts of the project that we'll be following are an island vanity with no attached walls, Milgard Quiet line triple-pane windows for sound control, a recirculating pump for hot water available instantly, and a shower with granite-slab walls. We'll be following this job from start to finish, so check back every couple of weeks for updates! Here are the starting, or "before" pictures: Before views of the master bedroom, bath... Continue reading

Photo: The kitchen in a house we recently remodeled to accommodate many aging-in-place features. Photo by Jus 1 Look Photography I've been reading a lot recently about aging-in-place remodeling, and new trends in this area. Robotics keep coming up as a way to allow people to live independantly in their homes in the future. While the technology is still fairly new and its emergence in the common home may be a ways off, it is an exciting field with a lot of possibilities. Panasonic has created a prototype of a bed that can morph into a wheelchair upon voice command... Continue reading

We've been having unusually cold weather here in the Portland area this week, which has caused people to worry about frozen pipes. We had a customer call today who had a frozen hose bibb, and asked us how to handle it. There are two ways to look at protecting your pipes from freezing weather. If your pipes are not currently frozen, take the following steps to keep them flowing: 1. Open cupboard doors under sinks to allow heat from the house to reach the pipes, or leave a small trickle of water running so the water is not sitting in... Continue reading

Last night, I had the pleasure of attending a lovely party at a customer's home that we recently remodeled. The company was very enjoyable and the house looked amazing! In talking with a fellow guest, I got a question that I thought many people might have, so I'll answer it here. The question was, "How does your company work? Do you just bring in a bunch of other companies to work on a customer's house?" I answered that we use a combination of our own employees and subcontractors for specialty trades. This way, we have a Markt & Company affiliated... Continue reading

I was reading an article in the fall issue of Ecohome Magazine today about the advances that have been made in electric cars. According to the article, GM will release an all-electric car by the end of 2010, and other auto companies, including Ford, Nissan, Toyota and Honda, are not far behind with electric cars of their own. The 2011 Chevy Volt (see picture) boasts a range of 40 miles on battery power, which means that many commuters would need no gas for a typical work week. The models of electric cars being developed now charge using a typical outlet,... Continue reading