Local company wins awards
By Barbara Adolfi/Special to the Rappahannock News
Building houses one step at a time
As a boy, Mike Puskar was always in the woods building club houses and tree forts near his home in Annandale, Va.
Today, the 44-year-old Rappahannock resident has an award-winning construction company in Flint Hill that over the past six years has won top awards in Washingtonian Magazine's Residential Design competition, and this year was no different.
M. T. Puskar Construction Company, working with three different architects, won three out of 11 of the 2008 Washingtonian Residential Design Awards.
The company. which consistently places in a pool of up to 140 entries, was featured in the June issue of the magazine. The awards were sponsored by the Washington Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and Washingtonian.
Last year, Puskar's company, which is located at the old Aileen factory site, was named one of 26 top contractors in the D.C. metropolitan area and the company has been published in over 20 hardcover books.
“Building is the process of creating,” said Puskar in a recent interview. “We are never doing the same thing twice. It is always different.”
One of Puskar's award-winning homes is a contemporary addition - joined harmoniously with a traditional home - in Rappahannock and featured on HGTV Dream Builders. It is the home of Robert and Elizabeth Haskell in Tiger Valley.
The Haskells speak highly of working with Puskar's company during the construction of the addition.
“They were great to work with and subsequently we have become friends with several of them,” said Robert Haskell.
“We interviewed builders and selected this company because of their experience with glass and metal, and felt they were the best match to meet the needs of this job,” he said. “They did all the metal fabrication themselves. The addition took a little longer than either of us expected, but they met time lines and the work was of excellent quality.”
For Puskar construction, no project is too large or too small, and the company’s motto is that there be AIA award-winning quality in every project they undertake.
Puskar construction purchased the Aileen factory site from the county three years ago when it relocated from Alexandria to expand its capacity. County administrator John McCarthy said that the county had sold the site hoping that the purchaser would both improve it and bring economic development and employment to the county.
The construction company seems to have done just that.
It has invested over $300,000 in building improvement, including roof demolition, creation of office space with air conditioning and site improvement.
The company is preparing to improve another part of the old factory with the goal of manufacturing trusses and wall panels. Twenty of the 34 acres remain agricultural with fish ponds and two-acre deer plots on the property.
In terms of economic development, the company has completed eight projects in the county, with several others in process. They have employed up to 12 county residents, depending on project needs.
A strength of the company is client satisfaction and low employee turnover rate, according to Puskar officials. Some of the superintendents have 30 years experience and have been with Puskar construction for 10-12 years.
Puskar, who is president, takes great pride in the fact that this is a full service contracting company. Having invested in its own heavy equipment, the company can provide all services from complete site preparation (demolition, clearing, sewer, septic, retention ponds, bridges, culverts, etc.) to the smallest detail of fine finish work. Many of its projects have been contemporary homes and commercial buildings requiring, for example, custom steel beams for unencumbered two- story window views and custom metal railings for circular staircases. All these are manufactured on site in Flint Hill.
Puskar met and became friends with Christopher Stanton at Holmes Intermediate School in Annandale. Stanton, now 44, of Chantilly, is senior vice president and a principal in the company.
The two men launched their first enterprise from the woods - tree removal service and firewood sales. They started with nothing but two pickup trucks.
The men have been joined by Mark Primeau, 49, a long-time friend from Stanton's church, who is vice president and general manager. He lives in Unionville, Va., in Orange County.
Getting started
Puskar had completed all but two academic requirements by his senior year in high school and immersed himself in the Fairfax County Vocational and Technical Program. His first job after high school was with older men who were master carpenters, teaching him all aspects of the trade and instilling in him a deep respect for the building trades.
While attending George Mason University and during summer vacations, Puskar continued building. At one point he was involved in fire damage reconstruction. Later he worked with the Manhattan High Rise Construction Company, thus broadening his hands-on experience that has served him well both in contemporary home and commercial construction and design. In 1990 he started his own company and has been expanding since that time.
Over 39 framed awards for M. T. Puskar Construction Company line the modest office in the once-abandoned Aileen plant.
One of the awards is for the Kessler residence in Chevy Chase, Md., which is completely handicapped accessible, including the lap pool. Jury comments included the following: “The beautiful interior is light, airy and well-detailed. Accessibility is handled with successful invisibility.”
An eco-friendly, AIA award- winning budget conscious in-fill development in Falls Church of four free standing brick houses is noted for its compact energy efficiency with custom fabricated insulated panels that were quickly installed with the use of the company crane.
The company offers design and building services and many projects are completely developed and supported by Puskar and his staff.
The company also has formed relationships with several architects over the years that have developed into long-term working partnerships. For example, Puskar started with a small job with Robert Gurney in 1999 and now has completed 15 projects with him, garnering 19 awards along the way.
Puskar and his wife, Heather, live near Boston, Va., with their daughters, Marie, 16, and Amanda, 7, who are involved in the theatre arts in the county. Amanda is an actress; Marie often makes costumes; and Heather does set designs.
The company is located at 113 Aileen Road in Flint Hill. (540) 675-1510 www.mtpuskar.com