Bear Creek helps make homes more livable

CORNWALL — Big jobs, little jobs, Terry Mazurkewicz looks forward to them all.

The owner of Bear Creek Remodelers, based in the center of Cornwall Bridge, Mazurkewicz is finding no downtime in the business.

“It’s been steady,� he said. “People are updating and repairing, not so much to sell but to make their home more livable.�

That pretty much sums it up. With the real estate market stagnant, skilled remodelers are in demand. Mazurkewicz offers experience — 28 years in the business, 15 years in Cornwall — and a gift for knowing just what it is his clients need. For example, he loves the challenge of creating space, or as he puts it, maximizing the use of space. It’s a constant challenge when updating old homes — and, really, what home couldn’t do with a little more storage space?

Mazurkewicz does much of his work in lower Litchfield and upper Fairfield counties. At the recent Chamber of Commerce’s Tri-state trade fair at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, he had a steady flow of visitors who wanted to look at a photo album of recent jobs. One particular area of interest: kitchen renovations. His work runs the gamut from total redesigns to cosmetic work (quick and affordable upgrades that can make a big difference).

“Refacing cabinets and adding a little tile work to the backsplash or behind a stove makes a huge difference,� Mazurkewicz said. “I also do a lot of rearranging of kitchens. Using what you have in a better layout, maybe adding storage, is another way to get a lot for a little.

“I get a lot of jobs for bath tiles falling off the walls. Nothing makes a home look worse, and I can install them properly so the new ones won’t come off until you want to remodel again.�

While chatting with this reporter, he showed photos of an innovative way to create a closet. Rather than frame it out, he installed two full-length, freestanding cabinets, facing each other, with space in between to create an instant walk-in closet.  Previously useless nooks can also become walk-in closets without looking like it, with Mazurkewicz’s custom built-ins.

Bear Creek Remodelers also does interior painting and faux finishes. For more information, call 860-672-2345.

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