2021 Pillar Award Entries & Winners

When you supply over a dozen categories of building materials to both homeowners and professionals, it goes without saying that your showroom needs to optimize every square foot. It was that need to capitalize on space that drove GR Mitchell’s 2020 expansion and remodel as they focused on creating a comfortable experience for both audiences while neatly and intuitively displaying as many products as possible. From custom designing an entirely new kitchen to helping to add curb appeal with a new front door, the GR Mitchell showroom has the product samples you need to make confident decisions.

Building a home is about the little touches of a homeowner’s style & color, the ambiance of the family, and the legacy created in each moment. The 3,000+ SF. Garman Builders Design Studio brings each homeowner’s dreams and personal style to sight, showcasing a symphony of products and finishes to suit every style and budget. Homeowners are guided through the step-by-step process of personalizing their home by stopping to browse in the spacious Studio, seeing the options available, touching the products, and experimenting with combinations of the fixtures, finishes, storage, exterior stones or siding, and other little touches that will make their home distinctly theirs.

The Jemson Cabinetry showroom offers over 3500 square feet of display and sample areas, highlighting their “good, better, best” marketing approach. Designers can easily showcase a wide variety of options throughout the showroom, allowing clients to choose where their home-improvement budget will bring the most value. The receptionist warmly greets customers, who point out the different product displays including seven full kitchenettes, five islands including seating, seven vanities, and bookcase and entertainment units. Jemson also displays a wide variety of trending appliances provided by a local dealer. These “working” displays allow customers to see precisely how an appliance will look and feel in their home. Jemson’s showroom is a beautiful meet place as it is large enough to present their vast selection of products while affording small gathering areas for discussion.

The website is custom designed, ADA compliant, and optimized for mobile response. The site also provides lead conversion, ready-to-go insurance pages, customizable forms that are search engine optimized, and a superior content management system.

Garman Builders had the highest scoring entry in the Marketing Achievement Award Categories for Best Showroom. Congratulations!

The dynamic vision of Garman Builders provides a compass for the company, offering a mutually rewarding lifestyle experience to all who interact with Garman, including homeowners, Trade Partners, Team Members, and families. From start to finish, Garman crafts beautifully designed and well-constructed homes, townhomes and apartments  for single and multi-family communities. In addition to building distinctive homes, Garman Builders believes in investing in the team, creating a unique and loyal workforce. Impacting a community goes far beyond putting up a home in a neighborhood. Garman Builders is proud to continue not just to build houses; but to  create communities.

An in-house Renovations team has brought many unique opportunities for Garman Builders to blend the passion of the new with the energy of revitalizing the old. Projects from basement finishing to expanding outdoor living space will receive the same high-quality workmanship and professionalism as the New Homes division.

Recognizing another need in the community, Garman Builders opened an in-house Restoration division. The Garman Restoration team works closely with customers and insurance companies to ensure an effective rebuilding process, whether a home is affected by a fire, flood, or storm damage.

Focusing on cutting edge designs, providing high-quality products, researching more efficient and cost-effective strategies benefits their customers and the business.

Founded in 2011, TK Building & Design LLC just celebrated ten years in business. TK Building & Design is a full-service remodeling and new construction contractor for residential and commercial customers. They offer a wide variety of custom solutions for their clients and are proud to have an interior designer on their team who can help guide our customer’s ideas to a complete design.

The Company has also performed services outside of its specific geography for some of its best customers, including work on vacation homes, retirement community residences, and businesses. In the last year, TK Building & Design has performed over 300 remodeling projects. These projects widely vary in size and scope, from the very simple to the complicated whole-house remodel. Their customer’s dreams and desires fuel their passion for providing the best customer service, and they firmly believe no project is too small or too large for us to tackle.

GR Mitchell has been offering a better way to buy building materials for over 50 years With over 50,000 items stocked in their newly expanded True Value hardware store and hundreds of brands available in the building material space, GR Mitchell has the raw materials and finished goods needed for a wide range of projects – making building and renovating easier for builders, residential and commercial contractors, and even homeowners.

Roll up your sleeves and get the job done; that is the approach that drives GR Mitchell’s customer service. Dedicated sales staff and their internal support teams grow to know their builders and remodelers intimately.

One might assume that there isn’t much room for uniqueness in the world of sticks and sheets, but GR Mitchell has made itself stand out for all the right reasons. In many ways, GR Mitchell is still managed like the small hometown business that it is. However, they’ve grown in ways that allow them to offer specialized solutions to their customers while leveraging buying power, manufacturer relationships, and the capabilities of a much larger organization.

Garman Builders strongly believes in the importance of staying active in the communities where we live, work, and serve. Garman Builders chooses not just to build up homes; they build up lives. Team Members actively and thoughtfully strive to be a force of good within each of their communities and activities, embracing Garman’s Compelling Vision of providing a mutually rewarding lifestyle to all we encounter. During the extreme challenges of 2020, Team Members adopted the “Garman Gives” attitude, seeking ways to give back to others. “Garman Gives” continues to be a vital mission for all the company. Through “water sponsorships,” happily provides bottled water to community events such as golfing fundraisers, church bingo, 5k charity walk, and community Block parties. This allows the charity and organizations to focus more on providing a better experience for its participants and focus on incoming funds on the charity fundraising rather than administrative costs. Team Members are encouraged to sponsor organizations for which they are passionate. As a coach, a Team Member focuses on sponsoring the Elizabethtown Little League Club for several years. Garman also actively provides sponsorship to the Lititz Shock Youth Soccer League, Warwick Girls HS & MS Soccer teams, and others. Garman avidly supports the Lititz Area Mennonite School by helping a Team Member provide Gift Baskets to auction and purchase meals for the Team Members and families at the annual fundraising dinner. Garman’s passion for Gala event sponsorships, such as Horizon, which empowers orphans, the North Star Initiative who supports women surviving domestic sex trafficking, and Brittany’s Hope Ball, raising funds to help abandoned children worldwide. Garman also gifts local Firehouses with needed funds.

GR Mitchell had the highest scoring entry in the Company Achievement Award Categories for Supply Company of the Year. Congratulations!

The circa 1920’s home had a lot of character, but  the lack of space and low basement ceiling clearance was problematic. Existing doors were re-used where possible to showcase the original craftsman style of the home. The hardwood flooring throughout the first floor was completely refinished to match the new addition.

The renovation and addition project included a new kitchen, great room, full basement, and master suite, as well as practically replacing all existing electric and plumbing. The new custom kitchen now expands into the new great room, with a large 9-foot island, quartz counters, wet bar, and plenty of storage space.

The master suite renovation includes a fully tiled walk-in shower with two large, unique shower “lockers,” double vanity, and a built-in linen cabinet, as well as a walk-in closet, laundry room, and home office space.

The basement of the new addition provides 9 ft ceilings and is the perfect space for a home gym.The exterior finishes of the addition showcase a unique gambrel roof and a large shed dormer.

The client’s uniquely shaped home-layout and lot provided the opportunity to remodel for more storage space, a library/game room, a playroom, and a media room.

Their wish list also included a bathroom, wet bar, and murphy bed for guests. Though the project was halted due to the construction shutdown during the pandemic, this pause allowed the homeowner to reevaluate the media room plans, and the grander idea of a theater room was born. Audio/visual specialists aided in the design, and a 106″ diagonal screen and ceiling-mounted home theater projector were installed. While the speakers and a subwoofer create an immersive experience, sound deadening features are utilized in the walls and ceilings to minimize sound transference to the remainder of the home. Lighter colors were chosen for the flooring, the wet bar, bookcases, and window seat to enhance the open feeling.

Whether you need a space for the kids to romp around, to welcome out of town guests, a quiet corner to read, or a comfortable place to enjoy the latest flick, this transformed basement fits the bill!

The homeowners desired several unique spaces in this basement remodel. In keeping with a modern farmhouse theme, they were looking to add a home gym/dance studio with mirrored wall and ballet bar, a gaming/office area, full bath, kitchenette with large island, a conditioned wine closet and family room for entertaining. For functionality, the homeowners requested a hard surface flooring. Light paint colors, recessed lighting, and natural light from the existing egress window keep the basement space bright and inviting. A complete staircase replacement with oak treads and painted white risers brings you down to shiplap wall accents. The kitchen space showcases a fully conditioned wine closet featuring custom wine racking and a fully insulated glass door. The large island provides seating and stand-up gathering space with a view to the custom-built media center. Barn doors separate the game room from the living area. The full bath featuring custom linen built-ins and tiled shower stall provides new living space for clients to enjoy for years to come.

This dark, very dated bathroom was not suiting the aging homeowners’ needs. They desired a large shower with a bench seat for easy accessibility and a separate soaking tub for relaxation.

Finding an asymmetrical corner tub and removing the current storage closet allowed for creating a large walk-in shower with a standard showerhead and an additional hand-held shower at the bench seat. Custom tile work is seen throughout the shower and on the wainscoting, bathtub front, and floors. The space became brighter and more airy by keeping the colors light, adding an additional transom window and more lighting. The Remodeler met their client’s budget requirements and covered all their wants and needs, as they plan to stay in this house for many more years.

This 1911 house had a very oddly arranged master bathroom; it was split into 2 separate yet connected areas. One side included a large corner sauna unit and single vanity. The smaller bath area had a sink, toilet, and bathtub. In addition to the strange layout, the entrance to the master bedroom was through the master bath. The homeowners’ goal was to create a seamless master suite, with an updated master bath, a freestanding tub, and a walk-in shower while keeping design in mind to preserve the character of the original 1911 style of the home.

The bathroom was divided from the bedroom to allow for a  proper entrance by creating a small hallway. A large walk-in shower with a custom laser jet mosaic, as well as a freestanding slipper tub, stands as the focal point. A separate water closet, tile accents on the floor, polished nickel fixtures, and a crystal chandelier add luxury to the space. Traditional detailing such as wallpaper, trim work, and wainscoting tie the areas together. The homeowner’s budget fell in line with the value of their house and materials they wanted to integrate, making for an enjoyable design and selection process and resulting in a beautiful and functional new space.

This dramatic exterior makeover included the replacement of the existing stucco with new LP SmartSide lap siding, adding new ProVia stone veneer to the “turret” area, and adding several new pent roofs with Drexel Metals standing-seam roofing. Twenty-nine windows and 3 doors were replaced with Marvin Elevate fiberglass units. The homeowners suspected they were having moisture issues with their existing stucco, particularly on the northeast side of the home. They also wanted to bring new life, and a “country” feel to their house, which is situated on a large lot surrounded by pasture and woods.

The homeowner desired to stay in the area, and renovating the exterior of  their traditional brick ranch house had been an ongoing “want” for them. A very rustic / cabin style look was the inspiration, like the many timber-framed homes that you would traditionally see out west.

The remarkable transformation of the exterior included new stonework, timber-framed details on the gables and windows, additional rooflines, and standing seam metal roof accents. The remodel also included wooden accents of the new cedar shutters, all new siding, windows, and exterior doors to complete this beautiful exterior renovation.

The homeowners like to host large dinner parties, and while their home has plenty of room for entertaining, their dining area lacked the space they needed. The idea was to extend the dining room to 16 feet to create an ample entertaining space, complete with a built-in wet bar area.

Adding floor-to-ceiling windows, wood beams,  5 large, impressive chandeliers, up-lighting, and under cabinet lighting keeps the space bright, and full of interest. The bar includes quartz tops and a full height quartz backsplash, a custom stained wine rack, pull-out trays for beverages, sink, wine fridge, and plenty of storage space for extras. The homeowner even built his table for 12 people on-site to make sure it would fit the space.

This 1980’s style rancher needed updating, and the homeowners desired a more open design for the space. It was decided to remove the wall between the kitchen and family room to provide an 8 foot opening for the living room entry, significantly improving the overall flow of the space.

The Remodeler maintained their client’s desired budget by utilizing a white shaker-style stock door for the perimeter cabinets while accenting the island with their semi-custom line in a “Smokey Blue” finish. The wall cabinetry was increased in height with crown molding, giving a sleek look that increases storage. A large apron sink adds to the transitional look that the homeowners desired. Under-cabinet task lights provide additional work and ambient lighting; the Quartz tops work well with the new luxury vinyl plank throughout the entire area. The homeowners are thrilled with the new layout and transformation of the whole space.

Our clients who love being outdoors wanted to add either a screened porch or enclosed room to the back of their home, which faces west. The sun often prevented them from enjoying their existing patio, which included 2 sections: an original 12X17 area that had an existing foundation and a floating slab that was added later. Using the existing Foundation for the new room offered considerable budget savings, allowing the floating slab to be used as a patio.

Enclosing the room would exceed their budget and limit the outdoor feeling they desired, and a screened porch would only be enjoyable for a limited time of year. The solution was to offer them a screened porch using a product called EZ Breeze. This product provides a beautiful look, with options of being completely open, screened, or closed with a rugged clear poly, providing numerous ways to enjoy the space. They added skylights and finished inside with Azek PVC panels. The result is a beautiful space that offers numerous options for the homeowners, and they are delighted!

Downsizing from a large family estate, these empty nester’s found solace in a home with the charm of a small-town feel. Their previous home featured a large patio area. Since this new property had minimal outdoor space, the importance of adding a charming place to relax and gather with family and friends was a priority. The feel and aesthetic of this space’s experience were vital to the homeowners.

Adding a 15′ x 24′ covered patio with a hot tub and wood-burning fireplace, with an adjoining 11′ x 24′ flagstone lined open patio, provides their desired gathering space. Incorporating details such as centering the fireplace with the large kitchen window, visible beam and rafter detailing, color-tinted ceiling, radius hearth, custom mantle brackets, and wood box seats maximized the space. The final result creates a stunning setting to entertain and seek relaxation.

These homeowners often entertain, especially during fall football months, and they wanted to expand their entertaining space to the outdoors and make use of their backyard more efficiently. The rear of the yard backs up to farmland and has excellent views of the surrounding areas. By adding a covered area outside, we could bring the inside-outside by incorporating heaters for the cooler evenings, fans for the summer months, a complete masonry fireplace, TV, surround sound system and lighting in the pillars for the evening. Wood plank-stamped concrete, reclaimed barn beams and mantle, and Azek beam wraps complete the space.

Garman Builders, Renovations was asked to create an exciting outdoor project consisting of a poolhouse with loft space above and an outdoor covered patio. Adding to their outdoor living space was important to the homeowners, as was the function and aesthetic tie-in to their existing home.

One of the most efficient features of this structure was the large serving window which opens up from the poolhouse kitchen to the outdoors with a stunning Ice White granite countertop spanning both areas. Brass fixtures, wood beam accents, shiplap trim, and sustainable luxury plank flooring clad the structure. Vaulted ceilings open to a quaint loft nestled on the right side, with cable railing installed for safety and aesthetics. A sliding wood ladder is accessible through the main living area to enter the loft area. The interior bathroom has a fully tiled shower, installed in a fun herringbone pattern, glass shower enclosure, and of course, plenty of hooks for towels and bathing suits. For the ease of rinsing off outdoors, an exterior shower head and controls were placed outside, adjacent to a painted cedar fence for privacy.

The home was built in 1991 and modeled after the historic George Wythe House in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. The existing windows were the original wood units, and recently several of the sills had rotted and had been replaced. The homeowners noticed that several more were heading in that direction, and rather than fight an ongoing battle of repair; they decided to replace 24 windows on the main section of the house. The homeowner’s primary concern was finding windows that would not detract from the historic appearance of their home. They also wanted to improve energy efficiency and find units that required little to no maintenance.

The Marvin “Signature” window with aluminum-clad, Kynar finished exterior, with painted wood interior and historic locking mechanism gave them the authentic look and maintenance-free result they wanted. One other bonus was Marvin’s built-in “Lock Status Sensors” that allowed the new units to connect seamlessly to the existing home security system. The clients are thrilled with the results!

Having the challenge of finding both the home AND the property to meet their needs, they decided to focus on the property that best suited them, and remodel! The house required significant work to update the finishes, and they needed a space for the family to gather. They also wanted to bring new life to the drab façade of the home.

The company added a 24′ x 24′ great room with a 14′ high coffered ceiling and stone fireplace. The rear wall on the first floor was removed to enhance the openness and flow of the house. The new enlarged kitchen features custom cabinetry, textured stone tops,  and two islands. Other renovations to the home included updates to the trim, painting, and stair work. The exterior updates include large paneled porch columns, a new front door, new brick and shutter color, a standing seam porch roof. New landscaping opens the sightlines around the entire property. The changes are stunning, and the family is thrilled.

Garman Builders was presented with a unique challenge to help restore and remodel an original 1778 stone farmhouse. The homeowners desired to restore as much as possible of the 2,332 square foot home, including the original stonework, solid wood floors, and the hearth and mantle while updating the space to meet the needs of the family, including adding a 3-car garage and master suite, bringing the final square footage to just over 4,000.

The challenge faced with preserving a 200+-year-old home is the structural integrity of the building. Structural engineers became integral in ensuring the home was shored up and stable. Recommended cabeling was installed in the bottom and top thirds of the house, and the cabling was integrated into the design. Every floorboard of the home was also removed, refinished, and reinstalled to maintain the historical beauty.

Metzler Home Builders had the highest scoring entry in the Remodeling Project Achievement Award Categories for Best Basement Remodel Under $100,000. Congratulations!