Fall 2000 Remodeling Tips   Select an Issue Spring 2002 Winter 2002 Fall 2001 Summer 2001 Spring 2001 Winter 2001 Fall 2000 Summer 2000 Spring 2000 Winter 2000 Fall 1999 Summer 1999 Spring 1999 Winter 1999 Fall 1998 Summer 1998 Spring 1998 Winter 1998 Fall 1997 Summer 1997 Spring 1997 Winter 1997 The Homeowner's View of Remodeling Our Customers Write... A Center For Entertainment Brick, Stone & Manufactured Stone When Is a Drawer Not a Drawer? The Homeowner's View of Remodeling When homeowners begin to think of remodeling, they usually have many worries. What type of people will they be letting into their home? Will the remodeler listen to the owner's needs? Will they have to settle for poor workmanship? These are legitimate concerns - we have all heard the horror stories - but there are a few ways to make sure you do not become one of them. First, make sure your remodeler has a current MHIC license, then call the MHIC to check on any complaints against the remodeler. Next, make sure the remodeler carries liability and workman's compensation insurance for your protection. Finally, get references and check them! There is no better way to evaluate a remodeler than to get the opinions of their past clients. For this reason we periodically publish letters and comments from our clients, many of whom would be glad to talk to you or even show you their project. When you are ready to build your project, give us a call and we will put you in touch with our clients and let them tell you why you should use Coastal Builders.   To Top Our Customers Write... “Recently Coastal Builders completed the addition of a "Great Room" to our house. Just wanted to let you know how happy we are with the experience we had with your company. We would recommend Coastal Builders to anyone looking for quality work, outstanding craftsmanship and on-time completion of a building project. Rich Campbell was outstanding in helping us plan and design the new room. He was timely in meeting with us and walked us through the process so that we ended up with exactly the room we wanted. We always got quick feedback, and this continued through the project as we dealt with your office and you personally. Our highest praise is reserved for Bruce - the principal carpenter on our project. He was wonderful to work with and did outstanding work. Bruce really cares about his work and is very disciplined in his craft. He arrived everyday at 7:00 a.m. and worked steadily throughout the day. Each morning we discussed the project, and he was always anxious to make sure we were satisfied with the progress and that what was planned was what we wanted. His workmanship was outstanding - he always went that extra mile to insure a quality product. During the project Bruce constantly worked to insure that disruption, dust, etc. were kept to a minimum. Bruce is a wonderful person and a superb craftsman. He made the whole experience enjoyable. Everyone who assisted him, Jim, Lee, Jeff were also very cooperative and helpful. We love our new room. It is exactly what we wanted. It was completed on time and near the cost estimated. The quality of the work was outstanding! We will recommend Coastal Builders without hesitation. It is so nice in these modern days to have such a rewarding experience - especially after hearing so many horror stories from others. Thanks to everyone at Coastal Builders.” James and Susan Meale, Columbia “A desire to remodel our kitchen and family room was a frightening thought for us. Because of past poor workmanship and a number of horror stories, we were hesitant to put ourselves and money at risk again. Then, after two estimates we set up an appointment with Coastal Builders. We want to thank Rich Campbell for his thoroughness in estimating and helpful design ideas. From start to finish we were kept abreast of all aspects of this project. All involved, from Marino Plumbing, George, the electrician, Danzco Flooring, and saving the best for last, Jeff. He is a "Master Craftsman." Our fears were laid to rest when he began the renovation. His attention to detail, quiet, courteous nature and professionalism made it a joy to have him in our home. Thank you for all the extras, Jeff. Raising our front door to accommodate the flooring, rehanging old cupboards in the garage, the makeshift countertops from cardboard were a Godsend, the taller door for the turntable cupboard, using the smaller one as a false door to the island and for the daily cleaning and timely removal of trash from all work areas. You made every effort to create calm out of upheaval. Also, many thanks for recommending Mill Town Design. Connie Siegel was a joy to work with. The draperies are perfect. We would be happy to "show off" your work anytime. Thank you again for your promptness and dependability. In the future, Coastal Builders will be our only choice.” Donna and Marv Stocker, Dunloggin “Coastal Builders, Ron Logsdon, John Watts, John Grafton, et al, exceeded our expectations by a wide margin. Our project is quite beautiful and Ron made us feel as if he were doing the work on his own home. I can, and already have, recommended Coastal to my friends and relatives.” Brenda Sohmer, Dorsey Hall   To Top A Center For Entertainment The holidays are just around the corner. We are all gearing up for the yearly celebrations that bring together family and friends for fun, food and precious memories. As you plan your parties and special get togethers, whether large or small, think about how you entertain at home. Quite often home entertainment takes place in an extended area that includes kitchen and family room or great room. Imagine how terrific that space can become when you don't limit yourself to conventional space planning ideas. For example, you've been dreaming about having an entertainment center in your home. Perhaps you have considered purchasing a ready-made freestanding furniture unit in which to house a big screen TV and surround sound speakers. However, for most of us, entertainment includes much more than simply the audio visual aspects. It is a total experience involving relaxation and refreshment, excitement and laughter. What other entertainment opportunities might you want to offer your guests? Here you will see the advantage of using custom cabinetry. It lets you redefine the concept of home entertainment according to your individual lifestyle. With custom cabinetry you can create a distinctive environment that is uniquely yours, where architecture, furnishings, cabinetry, appliances, electronics and lighting all work together. This center for entertainment may include a wet bar with a built-in ice maker and a computer station with built-in wiring, as well as a complete audio visual system with big screen TV. The cabinetry integrates it all. You don't have to hope that somehow everything will fit. When using custom cabinetry, all is specified according to your particular needs: the cabinet height, width, depth, number of drawers or shelves and their configuration and size, etc. Your cabinetry style and finish options are virtually unlimited. Some of the state-of-the-art features are TV swivel trays, hide-a-way doors, and decorative column pullouts that store cassettes, CDs and DVDs, laser discs and videotapes. So, if you are thinking about an entertainment center for your home, don't just rush out to a furniture store. You can have a special center for entertainment designed just for you.   To Top Brick, Stone & Manufactured Stone Brick and stone are derived from the earth itself, and their natural beauty is as colorful and variable as they ground from which they came. As home exterior wall coverings they tend to connote solidity and permanence in our minds. A brick home, or one finished with stone has that refined, prestigious look which typically gives it great curb appeal and generous resale value. But more that just a pretty face, brick and stone have inherent characteristics that make this type of exterior finish a smart buy, despite the generally higher cost. One is energy efficiency. It just naturally takes longer for heat to travel through walls that are heavy and dense. Brick or stone walls, especially when combined with insulation, keep out the heat on warm days and retain heat on cooler ones. A second factor is sound insulation. The thickness and density of brick or stone walls will deaden noise transmission and deflect noise from streets and neighboring homes. Third is fire resistance. Brick and stone don't burn. Fourth is lasting beauty. With brick and stone you eliminate the problems associated with rotting, denting, warping, rusting, splitting, peeling or fading. Finally, ease of maintenance. Basically, brick and stone don't need continual maintenance. However, it is always wise to inspect any masonry on a yearly basis. An attractive alternative to natural stone is manufactured stone veneer, which is made from natural ingredients, including Portland cement, lightweight aggregates and iron oxide pigments. These manufactured stones look and feel authentic because individual pieces are cast in molds taken from selected natural stones. The advantages to this product are that it is lightweight and needs no additional footings, as with natural stone. It may be applied to any structurally sound wall surface and is less expensive than natural stone. Also, it is often difficult to find the right color or texture when you are using quarried stone. With manufactured stone you can choose from a wide range of shapes and colors that are readily available.   To Top When Is a Drawer Not a Drawer? Spend time in an upscale kitchen these days and you may at first have trouble finding the cutlery drawer. Open this drawer, open that - you will be surprised at the contents. Consumer demand for convenience and luxury in the kitchen has spawned a multitude of innovative, versatile appliances. And in addition, many of them are so cleverly integrated with the rest of the kitchen, concealed behind stylish front drawer panels that you won't even suspect them. In today's spacious kitchens, wouldn't you enjoy the flexibility of having your refrigerated vegetables located right next to the counter area where they are rinsed and prepared? Well, take hold of that graceful pewter handle beside you, and there in the drawer you discover a refrigerator! Sub-Zero's 700 series includes a refrigerator unit consisting of two drawers set one on top of the other with a combined capacity of 4.9 cu.ft. A microprocessor gives you the capability of setting the optimum temperature for the food in each drawer. Bring the refrigerator to you, instead of you going to the refrigerator. How do you make certain your holiday turkey is roasted to perfection, and at the same time heat the dinner rolls? What if your guests are late and you need to keep the food at serving temperature? Check out the drawer below your wall oven! It is actually a warming drawer from the Monogram series by GE. It gently heats foods during the period between cooking and serving, or it can also be used to warm leftovers and carry-out foods. Controls inside the drawer switch the unit on or off and regulate the heat as well as the humidity. An exterior light glows when the heating element is on. After that elegant dinner party, when you are faced with a pile of dirty dishes, you'll be happy to know that the drawer alongside your sink is actually a dishwasher! The DishDrawer by Fisher & Paykel consists of two totally separate, independently operated wash drawers, which allow you to handle delicate crystal and heavily soiled baking dishes all at the same time. Each drawer has a large, 12 dinner plate capacity, but uses as little as 1.8 gallons of water. Therefore, if you only have a small load, using only a single drawer will minimize water, energy and detergent use, costing less to run that a standard dishwasher. © 2003 Coastal Builders, Inc.