Scarmazzi Homes builds headquarters in Canonsburg
August 28, 2020
Katie Anderson
Observer-Reporter
The local home-building company Scarmazzi Homes is building a new headquarters in Canonsburg.
Owner Paul Scarmazzi said since the company has grown in the last few years, it was time to find a new place to consider home.
“My wife (Lisa) and I started Scarmazzi Homes 20 years ago, and for 17 years, we’ve been renting an office space in Houston down on Pike Street,” Paul said. “We now have more employees and more communities we’re doing. Last year, we hired a chief operating officer and a land development person.”
They wanted to find a place in Canonsburg to establish the company’s headquarters. The first house he and Lisa ever built together was in Canonsburg, Paul said.
“My wife and I both grew up in Canonsburg,” he said. “We love Canonsburg, and we believe in Canonsburg. We think it’s a community in the middle of everything and convenient with everything, but it still has a small town feel.”
They found the perfect spot, in the 100 block of Adams Avenue, and are building a two-story, 8,300-square-foot office building with plans for a design studio in the building next door. The two buildings, which will be separated by a narrow courtyard, used to be the Zoom Corp., a woodworking company owned by Keith and Sharon Evans.
Scarmazzi said he started talking about purchasing the property when he and his wife and the Evanses worked closely together on preparations for the borough’s Old Fashioned Christmas Festival. Scarmazzi said they acquired the property July 27 and started the project right away. He said he hopes to have the office building open by the end of the year and the next- door design center open by the end of January.
“We’re excited about it,” Scarmazzi said.
Scarmazzi said the structure that will become the design center, the old brick building, used to be a power substation for the former Canonsburg trolley system.
“We liked the history of the building,” Scarmazzi said.
The design center will be a space to meet with clients to plan and design their new home, with a display kitchen, cabinetry and flooring samples.
Their homes are typically designed for folks who may be ready to retire. Most are one level with living services provided through a homeowners association.
“Twenty years ago when we got into this business, we targeted the baby boomers and the active retiree market,” Paul said. “We understand their needs, wants and desires.”
Scarmazzi Homes has developed patio homes in five communities in Chartiers, Cecil and North Fayette townships.
Canonsburg Mayor Dave Rhome said he hopes their company will “have much prosperity” with the new Canonsburg location.
“It is so wonderful that these folks grew up here in Canonsburg,” he said. “Their roots are here, and it’s great that they’ve found a way to come back home with this facility. We are so excited for them to relocate here in our town.”