Spring 2002 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 Coping with your Remodeling Project Our Customers Write A Gathering Place Color's Homecoming Countertops: Tile Coping With Your Remodeling Project These are the key things to keep in mind about the contractor and the remodeling project: 1. Communication and comfort with your contractor are extremely important. 2. Organization and planning--sweat the details before a project starts. 3. Problems will come up. A good contractor will address them quickly. 4. It is going to be dusty, messy, and inconvenient. Be forewarned. 5. Never make your decision based on price alone, it will come back to haunt you. 6. Get references and go see the contractors work. Not all remodeling projects have to be horror stories. Find a contractor who does his homework. You do your homework, and the project should be a success! What Can I Do To Avoid Becoming a Remodeling Horror Story? What should the client look for in a contractor? 1. Will you feel comfortable having this contractor and his workers in our house for the entire job? If not, do not hire him. 2. Does the contractor have insurance, liability and worker's compensation? If not, do not hire him. 3. Ask for references. Lots of them. Maybe ten or twenty. Then call five of them. Most people will talk and talk about how a job went. Ask the reference, how did the contractor clean up, were the workers pleasant to be around, how did the contractor clean up, were there lots of add-ons after the contract was signed, how did the contractor clean up? (Get the picture? Clean up tells so much about the contractor. If it's done right, your attitude and experience will be much more enjoyable). 4. Go see a job done by the contractor. You pick from the list of references, and you make the arrangements to see the project. 5. Proposals from the contractor should be very detailed. Don't accept a one page proposal for a project. All the information for a remodeling project will never fit on one page. 6. Read the contract including the fine print. If you do not understand something, ASK. What should the client do while their project is being built? 1. Ask questions frequently if you see problem areas, or if anything is unclear. There are no dumb questions, IT'S YOUR MONEY. 2. Put up with dust and dirt. No matter how careful a contractor is, there will be dust. EXPECT IT. 3. Make arrangements for contractor and/or subcontractors to have easy access to your house. Sometimes it's difficult to give an exact time when he might be there. Try to be flexible, or give the contractor the flexibility (i.e. a key to your house.) 4. If the project is a kitchen, eat out a lot. 5. If the project is a bathroom, and it is your only bathroom, some kind of arrangements for facilities will have to be made. What does a remodeling contractor look for in a client? 1. Easy communications. 2. Educated as to what they are buying. 3. Asks the right questions. 4. Does not expect something for nothing. 5. Knows that things may go wrong during their remodeling project, but realizes that a good contractor will deal with problems quickly and effectively. 6. Has the money, or has access to funds, to do the project.   To Top Our Customers Write Gary and I could not have been more impressed by anyone’s work over Bruce and Jim. Bruce is quite a professional with the utmost courtesy to us throughout the project. The project went so smoothly and we were so very pleased by the quality of the craftsmanship. We have two young children and Bruce went the extra mile to keep them from harm’s way during the construction. We are thoroughly pleased and impressed with Coastal. Pat & Gary Drutch Ellicott City Lee was the ultimate professional throughout the process. His knowledge of current products and designs were extremely helpful when it came time to make decisions. We also appreciate his communication of timelines and deadlines so that we could prepare ourselves for each step. He made the whole project run smoothly! Thanks again for a great kitchen and sunroom! Carrie & David Morningstar Ellicott City   To Top A Gathering Place Cocooning. Nesting. Gathering. Designers at the recent International Builders Show in Atlanta, Georgia searched for words to describe a powerful trend in our society today. Basically, people have re-prioritized their home and family, and are longing for a return to core values. The trend is away from it's all about me, to it's all about my family. Family dinners are back, but not formal dining rooms. Instead the atmosphere is a casual one, centered around an eat-in bar often with take-out food. People want display areas for family hobbies and collections. Game rooms and friendly conversations are in. Entertaining at home has become a number one priority. This desire has fueled a surge in the building industry of requests for family rooms. The family room addition featured here is a perfect example. The homeowners enjoyed their existing 2 1/2 story brick colonial in a well established neighborhood. They had no desire to move. However, they wanted to provide a large, inviting space within their home where friends and family could gather. A place where people would feel welcome and could be entertained. The children were reaching their pre-ten years and they needed more space indoors to spread out with friends, and also have direct access to the outside. The project began with an extensive information gathering process with the homeowners and their contractor. They discussed furniture placement, entertainment needs, their electronic entertainment equipment, and all the little details that make a room work. The homeowners wanted something unique and different (not the usual run-of-the-mill family room). The end result of this thorough design process was a unique, oversized family room that feels just right. The big room was designed specifically with several different use areas, each one flowing into the next. There is a casual sitting area that has a soaring natural stone fireplace and artistically arranged windows. Another is a pool table/game area, while a third incorporates an entertainment center for stereo, high definition TV, etc. with special shelving and unique solutions to ventilation requirements. There is also a computer station, bar, new direct access back into the main house, and it all opens out onto a large entertaining size deck. The deck offers good traffic circulation with access to the family room and the kitchen. A steel ridge beam was used to carry the load and support the large span, eliminating the need for any interior supports that would destroy the design or get in the way of furniture placement. The room boasts a beaded board ceiling with exposed beams (non-load bearing), natural oak hardwood floors, Venetian Gold granite countertops in the bar area, lots of creamy white cabinetry for storage, and a wood burning fireplace with gas logs. The interior and exterior blend artfully with the rest of the home's traditional styling. What this all amounts to is a comfortable, versatile place for the family to gather.   To Top Color's Homecoming by Barbara Schirmeister, ASID Consumers are opting for innovative colors and special effects in home design. This new presentation of color has sparked a growing number of consumers to become more creative when decorating. Each year, the Color Association of the United States (CAUS) gathers its panel of designers and interiors professionals to forecast future color trends for manufacturers of environmental and interiors products. The result is that the consumer may purchase home products, from appliances to fabrics to flooring, that are color compatible. CAUS's recent forecast looks to water, air and translucence as important influences in its 2002-2003 color palette. In addition, sophisticated hues are emerging as consumers are concentrating more on their home and family values. Experimenting with these new colors in their home decor is the perfect way for consumers to customize their surroundings, indoors and outdoors. The new use of color can be seen in the saturated or multi-colored shades and can also include softened colorations such as airy blues, fresh greens, merest yellows and petal pinks, today's neutrals. Rich colors are seen as well: gracious greens, regal blues and opulent golds are as timeless as they are naturally beautiful. Another trend, which points toward the increase of color, even in a subtle form, is the use of traditional neutrals combined with accent hues. These accents can include colors reminiscent of water, translucence or anything that mirrors colored glass. Special effects, first in fabric and now in tile and other home furnishings, have caught the glimmer in the consumer's eye. An increasing number of designs exhibit special effects such as translucence, pearlescence or the hint of metal. These effects create products that outshine the ordinary! Consumers are spending more time at home and therefore are looking for color that's as interesting as it is individualized. Internationally renowned color expert Barbara Schirmeister, ASID, is a longtime member of the Interiors Committee of the Color Association of United States, helping to formulate the annual Environment/Interiors Forecast palette. She has served for many years as color/style consultant to a number of major manufacturers of home furnishings, building products and finishes.   To Top Countertops: Tile Tile is a versatile material that can be used for practically every kitchen surface, from floors to countertops to backsplashes. It is valued for its durability as well as its variety of colors, shapes and patterns. The design possibilities are endless. Of the three main types of tile, ceramic, porcelain, and quarry, porcelain is the toughest, since it is baked at a higher temperature and becomes very dense. The surface of a porcelain tile is virtually waterproof, and resists scratches, burns, and stains. This especially makes porcelain tile an excellent choice for countertops. Tiles can be glazed or unglazed, and the glazes can be matte or glossy. Some of the glossy pieces seem to be almost translucent. There are beautiful hand-painted tiles, and tiles with three-dimensional patterns and textures that can be used on vertical surfaces only. New, exciting tile products include glass tiles, and tiles with a metallic surface. These can be used to create unique walls and backsplashes. To clean tile, use spray cleaner or water with vinegar or just wipe clean the metal or glass tiles. When choosing grout, keep in mind that there are a myriad of colors. Selecting one similar in color to the tile will result in a more unified look. Professionals recommend using an epoxy grout to help protect the grout against staining or mildewing. One drawback of tile that is often mentioned is that the surface is not smooth enough for cutting or rolling dough. However, the current trend for placing a variety of surfaces in the kitchens, based on their end usage, makes that not so much of an issue. © 2003 Coastal Builders, Inc.