Home is Where It All Is

An interview with Construction Manager and General Contractor, Mara Horn of Marski Builds

Mara Horn (follow her on Instagram!), designs and builds new homes in the Northeast with her husband, Cody, their two boys, active pup and sweet cat. Unique in her industry, Mara isn't afraid to get her hands dirty - as a general contractor, she is involved in the entire homebuilding process, from planning and design, to building from the ground up (literally!). I love her perspective on creating a growing family business, having a hardworking, entrepreneurial family, instilling a love of learning and valuing work in in her boys, work-life balance (especially when you work with your family!), and her insight on creating a home that truly, fully integrates with your lifestyle. She also had some great tips about what to do if you're buying or selling a home (she's working on her realtor's license!). Did you know, she collects sea glass, loves antique butter molds, and is an avid gardener (with many amazing tips - so many, that I had to add them to another post!)? I loved reading Mara's answers, and I hope you do too!

​What do you do? 

Builder / General Contractor of new construction homes. ​

Any favorite projects or jobs that you’ve worked on/at?

Currently a house we are working on. It is a brick home, and this is the first time I have done anything with brick. It is also the largest home I have ever built.  ​

What comes easy to you for your job? Hardest? Something you love about it?

The logistics of it comes easy, you have to plan so far ahead and schedule what’s next, (subcontractors, permits, etc.) to schedule the next thing - it’s really a guessing game that kinda just flows with me! The hardest for me is the math, I’ve never been a top notch math student and so much of building is math! I turn to my phone for any formula and thankfully there are few good apps. The more I do it, the better I get. I love the ground work, which is digging the footers for a home and getting it ready to frame.  The quality of a home starts with a good foundation. I also love seeing the finished product, looking through pictures you see every step of the process and makes it fulfilling. ​

What’s a habit that you currently do or would like to start doing daily?

I have been trying to wake up earlier for more me time in the morning, whether it be a half hour earlier than what I used too. It gives me time to plan more the day and enjoy my coffee alone. Another habit I started then stopped was daily affirmations, I’d like to get back into that. Self-love is so important. 

What's your key to a thriving family and home life?

Balance.  Work/home  need to be separated.  Since my husband and I work in the same industry it can be so easy to talk work all night and get caught up in it.

How I keep my work balance is the drive to do it everyday and see what myself and my family have created as entrepreneurs.   

Here are some ways I keep my home balance:
Our kids are both teens and as a mom you don’t feel as needed some days. Setting reminders for my own self some days, whether it’s a Bible verse, other affirmations for me, my husband, or our children. If I want my children to remember anything it’s kindness. I’ve always jotted down notes for them as reminders since they were little. We also have have group talks where we sit down together and discuss things about the future, what’s going on currently, and just talking being present with them. If I think of something throughout the day, I’ll put a reminder in my phone and keep it for those moments or to talk about that evening. We also play board games together, that has always been a fun thing for us.  Most of them I got at yard sales!  

My favorite affirmation for myself is Proverbs 31:26 “She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.”

Since our kids are teens, we bring them often to work with us during the evenings, weekends, or Summer and teach them skills. Most of the time it is like a job and they will get paid, other times are being helpful and learning -not only teach them tradework but it most importantly teaches them to appreciate the time they have at home relaxing!

Lastly for us is our marriage just my husband and I together making that time. We tend to include our kids in everything we do, which is great!  But you need to also remember each other.  How often do you hug your spouse?  We hug daily, 1 minute actually!  One minute hugs with your significant other, is enough time to reduce stress, releases endorphins, and it increases oxytocin, so that one hug may go further than you think!  With that said, yes, some days it’s not as nice of a hug and your hubby felt like it took forever, lol, but he still did it and you did too - you did something for each other that day.  Whether it’s a date or one minute, make that time for each other.  If you do make that time for each other don’t use it talking about kids or work, this one can be hard for us also, but is worth it! Now go hug your man! 

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What are a few hobbies, values and quirks that give us a little more insight into who you are?

Hobbies - 
I enjoy mowing, especially listening to music and mowing I find relaxing.  
I collect sea glass. 
I have a goofy personality and like to be silly. 
I dance randomly even though I have no rhythm whatsoever.  
I love to garden, mainly veggies and plant flowers.  

Values -

• My tribe first, meaning my husband and 2 boys are first.  At the end of the day you do what’s best for who is under your roof in your home.  People will always try to give an opinion, respect that, and still do you.  It’s like a creed for us. 
• Quality over quantity, no matter what it is I like it to be done with quality work.  

​As a construction manager, what are a few (possibly family-friendly) features that you wish were included in all new home builds?

​Generator backup plug and lockout switch, it allows you to plug in a portable generator to your home's existing panel box. In the event of a power outage, it allows you to select circuits in your home that you can run like normal, such as refrigerators, freezers, microwave, or hot water heater, without the hassle of plugging everything in using extension cords!

Under cabinet lighting, not only is it beautiful but being dimmable it’s serves as a great nightlight for the children.

Fire extinguishers! I was on a safety committee for many years, and every home should have one somewhere! Garage is a good choice. I have had my CPR, First-Aid, and Hazmat certifications since 2016.  CPR & First Aid are easy classes you can take many places.  I get our first aid kits from Amazon & I keep a pet one in the car, we take our dog a lot of places, but if your's is mostly home, I’d find a good place for it at home. Cody and I also have our Pesticide Applicators License in PA.  I think one thing parents can easily overlook is teaching there kids safety! Showing them the basics, explaining it to them, even when they are young it could come in handy one day.  

​What are a few simple upgrades someone could do themselves to improve the function and/or value of their home?

Improve Value - 
Pressure washing your home. Cutting shrubs or anything overgrown away from the home. Upgrading old light fixtures, faucets, or cabinet hardware - any of these can be bought on Amazon, which most are actually cheaper than your local hardware store.  
Painting can also be a good way to freshen it up to sell.  

​Improve Function - 
Upgrade to a smart thermostat to keep your home at the temperature you want while your there and allow it to switch to a more efficient setting when your not.  

​What are some home maintenance tasks that you recommend everyone does at least annually?

Change your filters in your home, you can even get away with vacuuming them a few times to cut on costs. Cleaning your dryer vent, reduces risk of a fire, and a free flowing vent dries your clothes faster, which saves energy.

What is your design style? Any tips for choosing finishes you'll love for many years? Any building trends you're noticing in 2022?

My style - I’m Boho walking into a Modern French Farmhouse….lol, like legit!  Walking into a Modern Farmhouse, I love a good boho chair, throw, or light in the bedrooms with the classic french countryside design in the kitchen.  The chandeliers can be gorgeous!  Then top that all off with the antique butter molds hanging on the wall.  If you haven’t seen how pretty antique butter molds are, look them up.  They are so pretty!  

“They say” (whoever that may be!), brushed nickel will never go out of style. So, if you want to play it safe do everything in that.  

The black windows are huge right now (and have a huge price too)! I see the gold trending a lot with the mid century modern look. Mid Century Modern meets farmhouse seems to be trending in our area currently.  

The gray floors that were in for awhile are going back out and I’m starting to see a-lot of the lighter wood tone floors back.  They are timeless as well in my opinion.  

Don’t be scared to do the Luxury Vinyl Plank, that stuff holds up to anything and waterproof. Also a great option for bathrooms. There is so many colors and designs now, I recommend trying it if your looking for a new floor. Real wood or bamboo is gorgeous and timeless but with kids and if you have animals in time it will get destroyed and restore costs are expensive!  

What’s your favorite room to design and layout? What’s your favorite part of the home building process and why? 

Kitchens, I love a well thought out kitchen, it is rated the number one room that moms especially, and families spend the most time in. Has to have an island, I wouldn’t build a house without one! I also like to see refrigerators covered on both sides, but not out against an end wall, you can get the one side door open the whole way then - I have no idea why people design that!  

I love the logistics of the building process, it’s something different every time and it forces you to stay organized.  Favorite part is putting the house number on at the end, it’s just a final touch where the house has an address and it is an official home. Cody would say settlement day! HA!

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I know you are working towards your real estate license! If a family is looking to buy in this crazy market, do you have any thoughts or a tip or two to make the stressful process a little smoother?  

Deal with a real estate agent you are familiar with or feel you can trust, and if you're not sure, don’t commit to a contract with them right away.  

If your looking for a new construction home, preview homes that are under construction to find a builder you like and contact the builder in advance.  A lot of new homes are selling before they are finished, so if you wait, you may miss out. I always say, it doesn’t hurt to ask, the worst you will ever get is a no!  A lot of builders are more flexible than you might think.  

If your wanting to build a home, buy the lot first and if you can pay it off before starting to build.  It’s a lot easier to get a building loan if you already own the lot.  Banks and builders will be more forgiving on loans and pricing if you already own it.  

When purchasing an older home, don’t be afraid to ask for the inspections to get done, sometimes agents do not push that bc they have both sides of the listing and want to sell the house.  You're the buyer, at the end of the day, you need to do what’s best for you and your family. Asking for inspections on an older home should be done.  

Read all of your deed restrictions, some people do not realize how strict an area can be and overlook deed restrictions. As for stress, don’t bring the kids, (if you can that is).  

Write down a list of needs and wants before meeting with an agent or going to a home. Make sure you and your spouse are on the same page on as much as possible, especially the price.  

Remember, a light fixture and paint color is an easy change.  

Lastly, less is more in my book!​