Our Customer Stories segment is intended for sharing the unique stories of homeowners and DIY-ers across the country who have trusted Ambient™ flooring and building products for their home and business projects. By giving you an insider’s look at each featured customer’s journey, we hope to inspire design ideas, provide essential do-it-yourself tips, showcase excellent work, and ultimately grow our community through these enlivening stories.
Project By: The Meyrick Family
Location: South Bristol, ME
Featured Product: Carbonized Antiqued Click Bamboo Flooring
Today’s customer story is an inspiring one that just might give you the boost you need to finally start that flooring project you’ve been putting off. Aaron and Sydney Meyrick have spent the last two years building their dream home on a family plot of land off the coast of Maine. Not only have they done majority of the work themselves, but they’ve remained environmentally conscious all while raising their one-year-old son together.
Read our (virtual) Q&A session with Sydney on how the Meyricks have become pro DIYers and found the balance between renovating their home and still making time for their family.
Q: What was your reasoning for buying floors? Tell us about your project!
A: We were building our new home and trying to find a long-term, sustainable flooring option for our entire house. We needed something durable because we have two large dogs and a small child, and between the three of them we knew that our floors would be put to the test. We landed on the option of strand-woven bamboo flooring due to its hardness and began our search for the best supplier.
Q: What made Ambient stand out from other options you were considering?
A: We exhaustively research everything and finding a company to purchase our flooring from was no exception. This was a massive financial investment but beyond that we are very aware that where and how bamboo is sourced is critical to sustainability. There were many options for where to buy bamboo flooring, ranging from the hardware store to online options. We wanted the following: Lacey Act Compliant, no off-gassing, strand-woven bamboo, handscraped, click lock, and from a reputable company. To be very honest, many of the companies that we found met the last four criteria listed but very, very few (not sure if I found any beyond Ambient) were Lacey Act Compliant and seemed to even consider sustainability.
Beyond this, our interactions with those representing Ambient were amazing from the moment we requested free samples. Service and attention to detail are very important in both of our careers so we are admittedly hyperaware and critical of this when we communicate with businesses. We were impressed with Ambient’s willingness to ensure our experience with them was comfortable every step of the way.
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Q: What was something you enjoyed/made you happy about your project or working with our product/company?
A: Seeing our vision come to life was the most exciting experience (and still is)! Our power went out one night in Summer 2018 and we turned on a camp lantern and started planning our forever house on graph paper. We had previously built and lived in a tiny house and as a result were aware of some unwavering needs/wants in a home. We were so intentional with every design element, window placement, etc. and we’re now reaping the rewards.
As mentioned above, working with Ambient was always a pleasant and easy experience. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case with everyone you must communicate with when it comes to building a house.
Q: Are you satisfied with the final results?
A: To put it lightly, we are obsessed with our floors. They make our home feel warm and inviting and the quality is unmatched. Despite some recommendations by others to avoid bamboo floors in our kitchen, we went ahead and put bamboo floors and stair treads through our entire house except for our bathrooms and mudroom, which all have tile. Our dogs play rough indoors and our son occasionally throws his wooden toys, and the floors remain so beautiful. Of course, they’re not indestructible but they certainly meet the needs of our family.
Q: If you could give one piece of advice to DIY-ers building a new home or installing flooring, what would it be?
A: When installing the flooring do be sure to pay attention to detail. Little things matter. Before you go through the act of installing a plank, check to be sure you like how it looks with those surrounding it. You want a room to look cohesive (at least we did) and if that one plank has a hue or grain that just doesn’t jive with the rest then grab a different one. Details are so important, and you will notice them when all is said and done. Our support system kept encouraging us during our build, oftentimes saying “you are the only ones who will notice that–don’t worry about it”. It is your house and if you are going to notice it then it definitely matters.
As far as DIY building your new home goes it is so easy to want to get to the “fun stuff” early on but don’t forget that the bones are the most important thing. Make sure the bones of the house are done right and know your limits of DIY. There is a lot of pride that comes with building your own home, but your pride will go out the window if parts of your house don’t reflect the quality that you desired because you stretched yourself too thin in one area. Professionals exist for a reason and know when to use them (to be fair, we should have taken our own advice when we were tiling.. never want to do it again). All that being said, we do believe the absolute most important piece of advice regarding building your new home would have to be to enjoy the journey. There are too many things to feel stressed about that can easily taint the experience, and simply don’t let them!
Follow along with Sydney & Aaron’s home project as they document their continuing journey:
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Ambient™ products used for the Meyrick family’s project include:
Carbonized Antiqued Strand Bamboo Flooring [shop now]
Carbonized Antiqued Strand Bamboo Stair Noses [shop now]
Carbonized Antiqued Strand Bamboo Thresholds [shop now]
Carbonized Antiqued Strand Bamboo Stair Treads [shop now]
Super Silencer: 3-in-1 Underlayment [shop now]
About the Author
Meet Bridgett, your friendly neighborhood green building guru! With more years of experience than she’d like to admit, Bridgett is your go-to expert for all things eco-friendly construction. She’s on a mission to make your home the envy of every tree hugger in town (and maybe even the squirrels 🐿️). Let’s build a greener, funnier, and all-around better world together – one enlightened eco-conscious choice at a time!