Welcome back!

Welcome back to the RKA Construction blog!  It's been a while since the last post and RKA has been busy!  I'm thrilled to be taking over the blog and will be sharing some of these great projects along the way.  First, I want to take a minute to tell you about how I got here.  I met Ryan and the guys at RKA when I was a client.  My husband and I hired them to renovate our home in the summer of 2014. We did a major renovation to a very special, very old house and we trusted RKA to oversee the project from start to finish. We were so happy with not just the final product, but the complete process as well. In fact, it was such a good experience that I have joined their team.

My first order of business (before I show you some of these gorgeous homes), is to introduce you to the wonderful group of talented people that make up RKA Construction.  It's a team over here at RKA and these guys are the real deal.  One of the things that really sets our company apart is the skill, knowledge and experience of this group.  Ryan runs the business side of things and spends much of his time in the office.  He oversees all projects and is in constant contact with clients, subcontractors, and vendors. His organization and attention to detail keep things operating smoothly.  Beyond Ryan, we have 3 project managers; partner, Chris Clark, Alex Wellford, and James Poe.  They run the field and are on their job sites EVERY DAY overseeing construction.  In addition, our 3 in-house carpenters and 3 laborers are essential to timely progression of our projects.   I really believe this team sets RKA apart from its competitors.  They provide excellent customer service to their clients and are able to deliver a really superior finished product. 

 

  The whole RKA Construction team

 

Be sure to check back with us next week for an extra special post featuring one of our newly finished homes.  You will love this transformation!

 

Maggie

 

 

 

Home

I recently had the pleasure of attending the Spring Board Meetings for the National Association of Home Builders in Washington DC. It was great to see the scale of the NAHB and the many things they do for the home building industry. Carrie and I had the chance to do a little sightseeing while there, so of course I drug her to the National Building Museum. Who knew this even existed! It was an impressive place with some great exhibits relating to housing and construction. One section in particular really caught my eye and reminded me why I enjoy residential work so much. It was simply a collection of quotes on a collage of home photos. Some ring true and others are a bit comical, but I wanted to share them here...


"Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing."
      -Phyllis Diller

"Mid pleasure and palaces Though we may roam Be it ever so humble, There's no place like home."
      -John Howard Payne

"Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in."
      -Robert Frost

"A man builds a fine house; and now he has a master, and a task for his life: he is to furnish, watch, show it, and keep it in repair, for the rest of his days."
     -Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Since a housewrecker differs significantly from a homewrecker, the inference is clear that house and home mean different things."
     -Paul Fussell

"No man who owns his own house and lot can be a communist... he has too much to do."
     -William Levitt

"Architecture is a visual art, and the buildings speak for themselves."
     -Julia Morgan

"All architecture is shelter. All great architecture is the design of space that contains, cuddles, exalts, or stimulates the person in that space."
     -Philip Johnson

"Where Thou art - that- is Home-"
     -Emily Dickinson

"The home is the center and circumference, the start and the finish, of most of our lives."
      -Charlotte Perkins Gilman

At Home Magazine

This month's issue of At Home Memphis and Mid South features the home of architect, David Anderson. We had the pleasure of working with David as his builder and are proud to share the feature here on our blog. David is a very talented architect who worked under well known local architect, Doug Enoch, before starting his own firm this year. Below is a link to the story as well as a link to David's website. The magazine should be on the stands this week.

Congrats David!

http://athomemms.com/index/design/contemporary-country-living/

http://www.davidandersonarchitect.com/

Until next time...

-Ryan

The Office!

First off, welcome to the redesigned blog! We should be able to provide more information and updates with this format. We hope you like it.

 

With that said, what better way to start our new blog than to share about our new office location. Over the past two years we have worked behind the scenes to bring top notch home building and renovations to Memphis and the surrounding areas. Some days this meant we would be completely mobile, while other days (and nights) we would be stuck in our home offices. As our business has grown, we felt a centralized location was the best step for RKA. With that goal in mind, we didn’t want the standard issue dingy contractor office or the typical space tucked in some large office building. So after an extensive search, we settled on great location between The Half Shell and Gus’s on Mendenhall. It’s a very accessible space in a fantastic location. Not only will this space improve our efficiency and capabilities, but it will also be a perfect place to interface with current and future clients. I think you would all agree that this is not your average contractor’s office!

 

 

 

Come visit us at 714 S. Mendenhall!

 

 

 

Congrats to Chris on some well deserved recognition in this week's MBJ!

 

The Daily News

I know I haven't updated the blog in forever, but I wanted to share an article that will be published in tomorrow's Daily News about RKA Construction!!

http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2013/jun/19/sticking-to-niche/


Ryan and I have had a very busy year so far and I'm excited to share more about the projects he has going. More to come soon...

Spring Creek Ranch!!!

There are some big things happening around here! I don't know how many of you saw the article in the Memphis Business Journal a couple of weeks ago but it was a great article on everything that Ryan has accomplished thus far and some of the things he is currently working on.

One of the most exciting things underway this year is the purchase of two lots at Spring Creek Ranch!! Boyle is opening up a new section of the development in the Collierville Reserve and Ryan is one of five builders that will be starting houses this year. The lots are two of the most desirable in the section, overlooking a green space with beautiful trees. Amazingly, Ryan has already sold both properties to wonderful families.

The first house to be started was purchased and designed by David Anderson. David is a very talented architect with T. Douglas Enoch Architects, and has drawn a beautiful European inspired home. We'll definitely document the construction progress, as there are many unique features of the home that we will share. David has a great family and Ryan is very excited to work on a project such as this.

The second property has just been put under contract and Doug Enoch is preparing designs for this home as well. Ryan is really looking forward to working with the buyers and we'll be sure to share progress on this home as well.

In addition to these two projects, Ryan is staying busy with his other custom work. Current projects range from small renovations and additions to a large custom hunting lodge. Ryan is looking forward to the projects that are in store for the year and we'll try and share progress as much as we can.

Just In The Nick of Time

The exterior of our house is finished!!! Having the house done before Christmas was a pretty big deal for me. I love Christmas and decorating for Christmas!!  I would have been very sad if I had not been able to put up any lights on my house this year.

Now granted its not near as many lights as I have put up in the past. I like to cover all of the bushes but since they were planted the week before I didn't think that was the best idea.

Two things about this door picture: thanks to some bored neighborhood kids, the bottom right hand corner of lights were out. Apparently is funny to remove a few bulbs from someone else light strand. Also, you can see our old mailbox lying on the ground, which was replaced with a really neat retro mailbox that is polished chrome.

I wanted to show you the step by step process that we went through with the exterior.

This is what the front of the house looked like for a couple of months. We took off the shutters and ripped out the scraggly bushes that were right in front of the house.

We felt like it was so hard to see the house before with all of the trees. So, we had most of them cut down. We really liked the magnolia that was to the left of the house but the trunk was literally inches from the house. We had the foundation checked before we moved in and there was no damage, but it was a risk that we weren't willing to continue to take. 

Then we had the driveway ripped out. It was in extremely bad condition. During that same week they started work on the fence. Which you can see hear before it was finished or painted.



The next step was having the house painted and putting in a sprinkler system. Then the driveway came, followed by the shrubbery, the fence, and gate. The last step was sod and mulch. Unfortunately it rained a descent amount during the weeks this was all going on. When you are doing exterior work rain always causes delays. Ryan came through for me though and had it done for the holidays!

 

I would like to thank Ryan for making our house exactly like I had envisioned inside and out. I have always wanted a house with a red door and I am so excited to see what this house will look like in the spring when the azaleas bloom and the grass is green!!

The colors on the house are all Behr: the front door is Awning Red, the house is Silver Sky, and the shutters are Deep Space.
We had Coates Company here in Memphis do the sprinkler system and landscaping. They do fantastic work.

Happy New Year!

Carrie and I would like to wish you all a Happy New Year and thank everyone for making 2012 a great year for RKA! With over fifteen projects successfully completed, it was a great first year. We're very excited about 2013 and promise to keep posting photos and information that you will hopefully find useful as you undertake projects of your own.

I do want to mention a few things that we are excited about for this year.
      
-Re-branding. As you probably noticed, the company logo has undergone some changes. This is part of a re-branding effort that will position RKA Construction as a division of RKA Investments. All the services will remain the same, but the construction division will be solely responsible for custom building work.

-Spring Creek Ranch. RKA Investments is currently in the process of acquiring lots in Spring Creek Ranch with construction starting in February. This is a great community and we look forward to furthering the quality of the development with our homes.

-Custom Building. With a full year under our belt, we couldn't be more excited about the possibilities for the future. With projects finishing, in progress, and ready to start, we have established a great system that has resulted in very happy customers. We're looking forward to many new projects in 2013.

Be sure and check back as Carrie and I will be posting as much as we can. Often times are busy schedules can get in the way, but don't forget about us :) 

Happy New Year!

Update on RKA

As most of you are aware, my wife, Carrie, keeps the blog for the company. She does a fantastic job and I can't thank her enough, but I thought I would hijack this week’s post to share a little bit about the company and what we are doing now and in the future.

Up to this point, the blog has mainly been a forum to share some of the spec homes that we have under construction. These are homes that are built or renovated for the purpose of resale. This however has become a much smaller piece of our work as a company. Our present focus and long term goal is to be the finest custom home builder in Memphis. A lofty goal perhaps, but one that I think is very attainable. We'll continue to share progress on our spec homes, but we'll also be sharing different aspects of our other projects that I think you'll find very interesting.

Many of you have asked about my business partner, Chris Clark, so I think it’s worth sharing who he is and what he means to the company. The execution of our goals start with Chris. He is not only one of the most talented craftsmen in Memphis, but also a truly great person. Chris started his career as a framer in Louisiana and found his way to Memphis as a builder in the 1980's. Here, he compiled a client list of the who’s who in Memphis and built many homes designed by some of the top architects in the area. I got to know Chris from our time at a previous employer, and when I needed someone to manage the field, calling Chris was an easy decision. Talking him into putting up with me full time was a little more difficult, but we have formed a great friendship and business relationship that yields a very good product.

All that being said, over the coming months and years we will continue to refine our business. Spec building will be something we continue to pursue, but will always bat second to our custom clients. We have completed in excess of ten custom projects this year and have three more underway. I feel very blessed with these early successes and we will continue to work hard to deliver a great product for a satisfied client.

Kitchen Before, During & After

I know I just showed you pictures of our kitchen in the last posts, but I feel to really appreciate the kitchen you have to remember what it looked like before...

Here is the very strange sink that stuck out into the middle of the room!

Here is the even stranger double oven tower in the middle of the room. This really divided the kitchen. You couldn't see around it so it made the kitchen seem much smaller then it actually is.


You can also see the the wet bar sink that stuck out on the right and the wall of cabinets on the left. Both of these divided the den and kitchen area.

We left the stove by the door but made it into a range. We left the sink in front of the window but of course moved it to a regular angle.

I didn't just want to show before & after. I feel like with before and after people are like wow that was fast. In reality there is a time when it looks like this. This was right after we obviously gutted the entire thing!! 

Then it looked like this. With the wood floors laid but not finished. The drywall hung but not mudded. This really gives you a better idea of the size of the room

We used carrera marble on the island and black pearl granite on the other cabinets. We used white subway tiles as the backsplash with a dark grout.

We have all Frigidaire Professional appliances, which I am really liking! You can see the microwave hidden below the island.

The knobs and pulls are from Marth Stewart's Home Depot collection. The faucet is from Faucet Direct. It has been so long since we bought these things that I can't remember exactly what the names are. 

The brass candle sticks to match my brass hardware is from my Mom. Thanks Mom!!

The red lantern is from Graham's, here in Memphis. They did not have a red lantern like what I wanted so they went above and beyond in getting this for me. I picked out a lantern that they had in stock. Then I went with our wonderful sales person, Patty Clark, to different places around town trying to find somewhere that could paint it and had the color we were looking for. I really like the way it turned out!!

I also wanted to include a picture of my inspiration kitchen. I pinned this on pinterest a couple of months before we moved and fell in love with it. So, when we were deciding on what to do in here I immediately showed Ryan this picture, (I didn't want the floors, just the cabinet colors and the red lantern!!)

How do you think I did? Does my kitchen look like this???

Upstairs

Here is Ryan's office space upstairs. One of the reason's we moved was so he could have office space for starting his new construction company. As you can tell by the clutter, things have been going well for RKA Investments.  If you have any construction needs, he would love the opportunity to help.

This is the TV area where Ryan basically just watches the news. The door you see at the end is access to the attic; which is huge by the way. To the left behind the duck is where we added a closet. That way this room can be considered a bedroom for resale value. To the right is the door to the bathroom.

 

 

We completely renovated this bathroom. The carpet flooring was replaced with black and white pin wheel. We also put in a new shower stall, sink, and toilet. The only thing we are waiting on up here is the shower door.

I also wanted to share my wall gallery that I put up downstairs. Most of them are pictures from our Wedding!

I also wanted to show how I decide where to put the pictures. I trace the pictures on newspaper and hang them up with tape to make sure I like the placement before I make a hole in the wall. I even put a mark on the paper where the nail hole should be. So, once I decide on placement I don't have to do any measuring.

These are hanging outside the guest bathroom waiting to be replaced with the actual pieces. I used the Elvis article because I figured it might be a while before I could get Ryan to actually hang them. Since they have been up for about three weeks now, I'm glad I at least get to look at Elvis :)

Our House II

Here are a few more pictures of our house.

This is our guest bathroom. We completely gutted this room and the only thing we left was the bathtub.  This used to be two smaller rooms which we made into one larger space. 


We are going to wallpaper this room and obviously get mirrors.
The wallpaper is in but is going to be hung next week.


Below is the hallway leading to the bedrooms. There used to be a door leading upstairs but we knocked out part of this wall to expose the stairs. There is now a door at the top of the stairs to allow for privacy.

This is the first guest bedroom on the right of the hallway. We don't have enough furniture to actually put anything in here since this house is one bedroom bigger then our old house. So it's pretty much a catch all room at the moment.

Here is the guest bedroom that is at the end of the hallway. This is all the same furniture/bedding we already had. I do think it looks better since this room is bigger. I do have a window treatment for the other window, but it's laying on the bed waiting to be hung.... hint hint

This is our master bedroom which is once again the same furniture/bedding that we already had. Ryan kind of wanted me to get new bedding but I was afraid if we changed it might not feel like home. But we did paint this room with a soft green color, which is different from our old master. We also are going to get a new rug since we put our old one in the guest room.

This is our master bathroom which is not completely finished. 




We are going to have a glass door and enclosure, which obviously hasn't been installed. So we are currently showering in the guest room. 


All of the bathrooms are also waiting to have the towel bars, tp holders and towel rings hung... hint hint again Ryan!!! You can see some of them stacked on the shower just waiting.


I finally got my all time favorite tile - the black and white basket weave - in my own bathroom!!! This tile was in my Great Grandparent's guest bathroom in Kentucky and I have always wanted it in my own bathroom!

Here is my vanity, which of course always looks this clean!! 


Well, maybe not quite this clean. Though I have been accused of having a slight case of OCD so its usually pretty clean. 


Ryan's vanity is the exact same as mine on the right side of the door.


I realized when doing this post that I never took any pictures of the upstairs, which is Ryan's office along with a small sitting area. It looks really good up there so I will be sure and take pictures to show you later. I will also go through and do before and after pics of some of the rooms in a later post.

Our House

Well, I apologize for the long time between posts. I have been very distracted for the last few weeks. I am also off for the summer and basically lose all of my productivity. 


We have been in our new house for about a month and are still getting settled. Even though we still have some things to complete on the interior, I wanted to go ahead and share some photos.

This is our den, which opens to the kitchen. Disregard the dog toys on the floor in case you were wondering.  We are really pleased that our furniture fit perfectly. This picture makes it look a little bare, so I guess its time to get things on the walls.

Here is our kitchen which we are really proud of. I will give more detailed pictures later.  You can see we are still waiting on the pendant that hangs over the island. It should be ready early this week.

Here is a picture showing how open the kitchen and den are. Also, you can see the built ins we had made for the TV. 

Please excuse this mess. It is kind of our catch all at the moment. We are going to have hooks hung on the left for jackets and stuff. I am also going to get a cushion to go under the window and I am going to redo the bar stools to match.

Here is the dining room, which turned out really well. I love the new chandelier. 

And here is the living room and entry on the far end. As you can see in a lot of these pictures we still have things that need to be hung on walls, such as that piece of iron work just propped up on the chair. You can also see stuff on the table to the left that I can't decide where to put.


I am going to save the rest of the pictures for a second post. Then I will definitely do a before and after picture blog later. 

On The Market III

Here are the rest of the pictures from Saint Andrews. I wanted to finish showing you the upstairs final pictures as well as some exterior views.

This is the bedroom that is to the lest at the top of the stairs. This was the only bedroom upstairs and there was one tiny bathroom to the right of the stairs. That bathroom doesn't exist anymore. We left the paneling that was all over the bedroom and painted it. I think it gives it a nice, warm cozy feeling.

This is the big playroom area that is upstairs. There is also a built in desk around that right corner you see. The door on the right is attic space and the door on the left is a large cedar closet. Then next to that are windows with a built in window seat. 

This is the upstairs bathroom. The playroom, this bathroom, and the bedroom below are all new. We added them over the master bedroom addition.

This is another view from this bathroom, which is shared between the two upstairs bedrooms.

This is the other upstairs bedroom. It has great views of the backyard. I also love the color. We actually used this color in our master at our new house.

This is the view of the side of the house from garage/parking area. I wanted to show the portico over the back door. I love it. I think it is the cutest thing ever and with the trim color we used it really makes it stand out. 

This is a view of the backyard with the new patio and brick surround. Check out all the windows that are in the great room. The light is amazing and it looks out on the freshly landscaped backyard. 

I also wanted to leave you with this picture of the front of the house. This is taken from the parking pad to the side of the house. I think it shows how pretty this house is. The design with the windows, columns, and new paint colors turned out so well in the front of the house. The existing trees and the new landscaping really make this house stand out!!!