Journal
The MRC Journal
What I look for before we build, the decisions that shape a renovation, and the details that make a home work. Practical guidance from Mike Mroz and the MRC team on significant renovations, additions and custom homes in New Jersey.
7 articles in Planning & Investment
Planning & InvestmentWhat Cost Per Square Foot Really Tells You About Building or Renovating in New Jersey
What a cost per square foot actually includes, why the same number means different things for a custom home and a renovation, and what drives the difference.
Planning & InvestmentWhat Can Delay a Major Home Project in New Jersey?
Construction projects, whether they involve home remodeling, renovations, or new construction, often come with challenges. One of the most frustrating aspects of any project is delays.
Planning & InvestmentBuying a Spec Home or Building Custom: What Are You Actually Comparing?
A new construction home built by a developer or builder without a specific buyer in mind, using pre-selected floor plans, finishes, and features intended to appeal to a broad market.
- Planning & Investment
From Our First Conversation to Move-In: What Happens at Each Stage
Building a home is one of the most exciting—and personal—investments you can make. At Michael Robert Construction, we believe your home should be a reflection of your lifestyle, your values, and your vision.
Planning & InvestmentWhat I'd Ask Before Hiring a Builder for My Own Home
The questions worth asking before you hire — about communication, change orders, references and whether a builder is right for your project.
Planning & InvestmentHow Long Will Your Home Project Take? Start by Defining the Starting Line
Why a build takes as long as it does: design, approvals, construction and selections each have their own clock, and they overlap less than people expect.
Planning & InvestmentDesign-Build or Your Architect's Plans: Two Ways to Work with MRC
What changes when design and construction sit with one team, and where working with your own architect is the better fit.
Details
What a well-built house looks like up close
Most of what the Journal is about happens at this scale: a brick arch laid to match the original, cabinetry built by our own carpenters, a ceiling of poles scribed one to the next. The decisions are small and the house is the sum of them.
Built by MRC's own carpenters: white oak doors over a soapstone feeding station, with a pot filler plumbed to it. Mendham whole-home renovation 
A soldier course turned over the window head, laid and painted to match the original brick. Mountainside exterior renovation 
Eucalyptus poles laid tight across the ceiling, each one scribed to its neighbor. Westfield pool cabana