Steven Bodek, Inc.

In the historic Beach Institute neighborhood downtown, we're installing a new metal roof and a covered screened-in porch on this lovely cottage.

🚂 This area was developed in the 1850s by investors for the Savannah-Albany Railroad, in order to create housing for their workers. Check out the last photo: "1874 note issued by the Atlantic & Gulf Railroad Company."

We recently added some space in midtown! This growing family loves their house, but space was at a premium.

We added a laundry room and expansive “3 season” screened porch. But given our Savannah winters, we expect this will turn out to be a year-round hangout for the whole family. 😉

Click to the end to see the home before our addition.

An exciting bath remodel! We love the mix of patterns here, toned down by a limited color scheme. Scroll through to photo 3 of this space when it was in progress, and photo 4 of the bathroom before we began. A huge change! 😮

We recently posted about “change orders,” which can occur when renovation unearths some type of hidden problem. Here’s a timely instance of it: this otherwise quaint Ardsley Park home endured a shoddy expansion back in the 60s or 70s, at each end of the house.

The result was poor carpentry, which led to sagging walls and floor as well as significant damage from moisture. Nothing aligned, allowing rain and various wildlife into the walls and crevices.

Thankfully, our new renovation will correct some of the damage (some things must be left for posterity). Once we complete rebuilding the damaged areas we can get to the fun stuff: relocating the kitchen, a full bathroom, a half bath, and a nicely tricked out laundry room.

The kitchen will be expansive and become the focus of family life. The primary bathroom and walk in closet will fulfill a dream, offering abundant natural light and space. So even though it’s a lot to go through, these homeowners will have a wonderful home in the end! 🏡

Renovating this Historic District carriage house was a fun challenge. It’s charmingly cozy - a 1BR/1BA 516 square foot historic building that was being converted to an Airbnb.

Scroll to the end to see all there was to do, including excavating old pipes set in soil, to installing new walls, wiring, and a new layout.

In the end, the space is a combination of historic and contemporary, and includes a fireplace and courtyard. 👌🏽

📣 Announcing the restructure of Steven Bodek, Inc:

During my 10 years in Savannah, this company has grown, adapted, and flourished, with 2023 being our biggest year to date. Now I am looking toward tomorrow.

The last 18 months has seen the growing influence and expertise of Ryan Brendahl, our Operations Manager. Moving forward, Ryan will assume the leadership role in all aspects of this company, including quality control, client relations and overall management protocol.

Stepping into the role of Project Manager is Amber Weldy, who began in the construction trade over twenty years ago, and I am excited to welcome her to this role. Her work ethic and understanding of our industry match well with our way of doing business, and I am excited to welcome her to this role.

As for me, my time is not yet over. I began in this industry in 1989, which comes in handy for those moments when only experience will do. So, going forward I will be providing cost estimates and consulting on all matters pertaining to the management and operations of the company. I will be present to offer guidance where needed, and advice when asked.

Our wonderful team of caring, respectful subcontractors will remain with us, and they are the best Savannah has to offer. Our clients will continue to receive a level of service, expertise, and caring that no other general contractor offers.

For those of you who have come to rely on my particular (rather peculiar) way of doing business, I am always available to participate in the process. It is my intention that doing business with Steven Bodek, Inc. will be at minimum everything you have come to expect, but actually become something so much better. That has always been our mission.

Now, with Ryan and Amber, I can see it becoming a reality.

https://stevenbodek.com/our-history

If you're planning to have work done to your home, you'll want to know about a key term: a "change order." It's a written amendment to an existing contract that alters the work, the contract sum, or the contract time.

A change order occurs either by the client requesting a change in the scope of work, or by discovering some type of hidden problem that has been revealed by demolition.

When we price a job, we don't provide a budget - we provide a firm cost of all known aspects of the project. You'll want to beware of any contractor that gives only a budget number in their contract. It's a sign of abundant charges to come.

In this case, we removed a ceiling and discovered unsafe and improper framing from an earlier renovation. We would never leave it this way; it must be corrected. As this was not anticipated in the original scope, we submit a change order to the client to cover the cost of this repair.

Issues pop up, particularly in historic home renovation - something to be mindful of!

It was quite a while ago that we started sharing photos of this Ardsley Park project, in which a terrible Christmas fire left these homeowners homeless. We’re very excited to share the finished result, now that it’s been finished and (beautifully) furnished.

Click past the first two photos, of the before, and you’ll see that they have moved back into what is now, essentially, a new home. All new plumbing, electrical, HVAC, ceilings, walls, and woodwork, and for the first time in the history of this home: insulation! Except for the brand new kitchen and kitchen layout, the rest of the house looks as it did when first built, which was 100 years ago. Crisp and classic.

They have been busy acquiring appropriate furnishings to fill this lovely home. We wish them all the best! 😊

This is a really ingenious idea by the homeowner to add valuable usable space in a 425 s.f. structure: modifying this studio cottage to include a sleeping loft.

As usual, a structure this old (built 1863) provides us with challenges. No wall is plumb, method of framing is “unique,” to say the least. We always enjoy the chance to problem solve!

All finished with this new staircase, railings, trim, screens, and a deck extension. 👌🏽

We used Azek decking from Guerry Lumber instead of treated lumber, for a superior appearance and significantly longer life. The newly added pet screen will guard against tears from their two dogs.

Best of all, we added a platform to the deck, allowing the homeowners to sit and view the sunset over the marsh. Just in time for these daylight savings longer evenings!

We've got our work cut out for us on this one! We're in an 1850s rowhouse in the Historic District that had fallen into disrepair, but the current owners are gradually bringing it back. Last year we added fresh stucco (scroll to the last photo for this) and new windows, roof, and gutters. The year before that, we remodeled the kitchen and living room. Now we're on to this bathroom.

Well, this is an exciting Before & After to share! We took a single bathroom and sizable laundry room, and and made a smaller laundry area behind double doors, now flanked by two modern bathrooms.

Big thanks to Taylor Elliot, of Authenticity Design Co., for her incredible interior design. 👏🏽

Click through to see 3 Before photos - the previous bathroom and the laundry room when it was taking up too much space.

Be still my heart ❤️! …for this cool new project. (Attempting a Valentine’s Day pun; don’t worry, we won’t quit our day job.)

Here we’ll be installing a new staircase, railings, trim, and screens, and building a deck extension. So much potential here. This yard, with its beautiful tree, really needs a grander deck. 👌🏽

👀 There’s a lane in the Thomas Square neighborhood made up of historic bricks, and it piqued my curiosity so I did a little investigating.

According to a brick collecting website, the “CATSKILL” bricks were made by Catskill Shale Brick and Paving Co., which operated from the late 1880’s to the early 1900’s along New York’s Hudson River. These bricks have been found all along the eastern seaboard.

The “GRAVES, B’HAM. ALA” bricks were manufactured in the Graves Shale Brick Company in Birmingham, Alabama. This company operated from 1901-1920, and even today many Birmingham streets are made up of these bricks and pavers. They’ve also been located recently in St. Augustine and other Florida cities.

We're in the midst of a number of long-term projects lately, but are happy to show this recently finished bathroom reno. Love how much visual interest there is in this space now even keeping the colors to black, white, and grey. 👌🏽
Scroll to the last 2 photos to see the before.

🤔 Did you know? 🧱

The mortar part of a brick wall is there to be a sort of “sacrifical lamb” for the bricks! Water is constantly hitting and drenching historic brick walls, even seeping in from the ground. Water contains salt crystals, and both of these elements move over and within the bricks, causing peeling and cracking over time.

So a wall is built to be a system: the mortar is the softer component, and thus lets water and salts pass through instead of moving into the bricks and causing damage. Mortar is replaceable, and every so often needs to be “repointed.” And in order for it to continue drawing any water to itself and away from bricks, whomever does the repointing needs to be sure and use a soft enough mix.

Late 1800s bricks are made of special clays and fired in factory kilns, and aren’t as hard as bricks used in post-WWII homes. So when we repoint brick here in Savannah, we take care to use mortar compatible with these historic bricks - it’s made from water, lime, and sand. This ensures our beautiful Savannah homes will continue to last.

🥂 Happy almost-2024! We hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season, and want to thank all of you for the many kind words, interest, and support of our work. We look forward to whatever interesting projects come our way next year, but first a little look back at one of our coolest jobs of 2023: a new backyard in the Victorian District.

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Very happy to unveil this finished Victorian District project. We demo’d the previous small backyard deck and installed two new ones - one of which showcases a beautiful oak tree. Throw in two storm doors, a lattice privacy screen, a concrete driveway, and an electrically powered gate, and they are ready to enjoy outdoor living!

Special thank you to Jason Russell with South Georgia Ornamental Iron, LLC, who installed this beautiful gate. Savannahians know what a luxury it is to have secure off-street parking, so the customer is thrilled. 😊

Finally able to unveil a big project we've been working on all year (supply chain issues are no joke)! We know the homeowner is thrilled to have this completed too.

This is a home on Jones St - last year we renovated the entire interior, and now we built a carriage house at rear. First we demolished an old shed, with original Savannah Gray brick walls, saving all the brick for reuse in the new structure. This courtyard was a tight space, and very difficult to work in.

Scroll to the end to see the coolest part. It's the same view - looking from the home to the carriage house - both currently and when we began! 🙌🏽

Restoration was long overdue for this 1855 home, so we have some really satisfying before-and-after photos.

The condition of the paint and wood adds limitations to our restoration process: we cannot use fillers, like Bondo, to smooth out the appearance of the wood. And sanding down to bare wood is also not an option, as the original wood is too brittle. So, we learn to live with imperfections in the finish. It is enough knowing we have not damaged or altered original materials, which can still be appreciated 168 years later.

The stucco presents its own challenges, as we must employ the original lime and sand mixture that was the custom at that time. Matching the color was a slow, experimental process, as the original color has faded over time and was made from a different source of sand. In the end, this home is back to being a historical beauty.

In this 1886 townhouse we’re doing an extensive remodel, including widening the openings between rooms. You might have seen a few past projects we’ve posted in which we did this - it’s a great way to retain the historic design style of separate rooms (not completely open plan), but still increase the amount of natural light that comes through a home. 💯

Here are a few photos, going from the starting place to more recent.

We had a question about ensuring the longevity of historic brick homes, and this is a great opportunity to mention maintenance tips:

Exterior surfaces take a particular beating in Savannah. Intense heat and high humidity degrade brick, mortar, and wood at extremely fast rates. What to do? Keep it clean.

Routine cleaning, particularly pressure washing of brick and siding, extend the life of these surfaces significantly. It keeps organic build up - which degrades all surfaces- at bay. Routine maintenance, such as annual examination of seams, gaps, and joints, help prevent water intrusion.

Check that all caulked seams are sound, all masonry pointing is fim, not powdery, and any cracks get sealed promptly. A good restoration lasts only so long as good maintenance is practiced. 👍🏽

Here in the Victorian District, we're on a project that we do fairly frequently - pressure washing and repointing of rotted brick mortar. Spring and fall are good times to pressure wash your home, as you want mild/moderate temperatures. 👍🏽

Savannah’s Historic District is a National Historic Landmark, so if you’re planning on a significant rehabilitation of a home within that zone, it’s important to note that you might be eligible to claim income tax credits at both the federal and Georgia levels!

At the state level, eligible rehabilitations on a principal residence earns a tax credit of 25% of qualifying expenses, BUT this program is slated to sunset at the end of 2024. Something to think about. 💡

We're currently doing a complete remodel of this 1886 townhouse, under historic consultatation with , trimming all woodwork per the specs for historic tax credits.

The start of a bathroom remodel...renovation note and a wild-looking wire. 🙃

✅ All done with this project to provide more curb appeal *and* functionality. We built a new wider staircase, a brick retaining wall, and a paving stone pathway to the rear yard.

Our biggest challenge was to make the wall work with adjacent walls and property lines. Also, the sidewalk doesn't follow property lines, so where we put it, at what angle and height, was a lengthy discussion.

In the end, it looks right. Ready for landscaping!

We hope everyone made it through Hurricane Idalia safely! Here's a big project we're just beginning in the Historic District: restoring this home's woodwork, stucco, and painted surfaces.

We know you’ve all hung in there with our many updates from this Jones Street courtyard project…and here’s one more! 🙂

We began by demolishing an old shed, saving all of the Savannah Grey bricks to build a new carriage house and redo the courtyard space. Having a few trees for shade really helps! 🌴

Here’s a nice project that’s addressing both form + function. 👌🏽

These homeowners wanted a more welcoming and functional entrance to their property. We’re building a new brick retaining wall, which prevents erosion. The new, wider staircase allows for easy access, and a paving stone pathway provides a natural access to the rear yard.

We should be finished here in two weeks!

Snapshot of the current state of this 1886 townhouse, where we're doing a complete remodel. Historic consultant is providing guidance. 👌🏽