We, Mark and Evan, decided to move to Pittsburgh from Denver in 2000 as we decided to continue a path toward self employment after years of working in the corporate world. We wanted a business that would utilize our passion for design, architecture and engineering that we could do together. Mark previously worked in construction management and architectural design. Evan previously worked in engineering and worldwide software development for several startup companies.
Pittsburgh attracted us with its numerous rich and consistent architectural detail reflected with such varied and beautiful homes in the region. Pittsburgh was the heart of the industrial world and remains a showcase of homes for the late 1800’s, early 1900’s, and subsequent decades. We also find the cultural and outdoor recreation opportunities to be some of the area’s best assets.
Our philosophy for home restoration / renovation is quite simple. We begin each property by taking away 100+ years of additions and “improvements” to the original structure so we can see and grasp the vision of the original home. Our goal is to improve and put back what makes sense for today’s lifestyles while advancing and leading us toward a sound and better future. We try to breathe another 100 years of life into each property.
Ultimately, we feel the responsibility to leave the Earth a better place than when we found it. We have learned much about applying principles of green design during the renovation through reuse of original architectural elements, use of green products / building materials and advanced insulation techniques.
Our development efforts are geared toward classic designs while we re-engineer the homes with modern aspects for today’s lifestyles in a way that will stand the test of time. In our experience, these details lend themselves to creating an ideal property configuration that attracts renters and home owners alike. The resulting product is a “new, old home” with all the charm and character of the original home.
By emphasizing a modern interpretation of the tried and true designs and architecture as it was meant to be, we transform our properties into something with the look and feel of a “home" to the people who live in them. Simply put, our clients so often walk into one of our projects and just "feel at home”.
These experiences have taught us how to balance the costs, rents and quality of life to produce renovations that have features and amenities that many home owners find difficult to achieve. As a consequence, many of our tenants choose to stay in our properties until they can find a comparable home to purchase as they decide to make Pittsburgh their home.
We draw immeasurable satisfaction from making such an impact on one’s everyday life as well as the overall contributions to the physical fabric of various neighborhoods.We look forward to meeting you.
Sincerely,
Mark & Evan