Summer 2001 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 Call Now for Winter and Spring Remodeling Projects Coastal Builders Can Design AND Build Your Addition The Greenbergs' Garden Smart Kitchen Design for the New Senior Countertops: Quartz Surfacing Call Now for Winter and Spring Remodeling Projects It's the middle of the summer, who is thinking about working on winter or spring remodeling projects at this time of year? Well, if you have a project in mind for the winter, or one for next spring, you should be in touch with us now! Traditionally, people begin to take action for their spring projects after the first of the year and their winter projects in the fall. This year, industry-wide demand for the services of high quality remodelers has been so great that people have had to wait much longer than they anticipated to have their project built. This pace shows no signs of letting up, so if you were planning to call us for an addition in the winter or spring, call now! By calling us this summer, we will be able to design your project and get it into our winter and spring construction schedule so you can enjoy your new space next summer.   To Top Coastal Builders Can Design AND Build Your Addition Additions come in all shapes and sizes, fat ones, skinny ones, tall ones, odd-shaped ones. As long as the final outcome enhances the architecture of your home, and is built in such a way that it's difficult to tell that your home has an addition, you will without question increase the quality of your life as well as your equity in your home. With life being so busy and stressful, why come home to a less than perfect living situation? Most of us love our neighborhoods and have neither the desire nor energy to move. So instead of living five, ten or even twenty years in disappointment or frustration, why not consider partnering with Coastal Builders and becoming a change agent to improve the quality of your life? This is what additions are all about: adding value, excitement, options, and, of course, space to your home or office setup. I occasionally run into past customers in my day to day travels who after twelve years are still beaming and talking about the wonderful space we added to their home. This is a phenomenal reward for us, but think of the possibilities for you. We here at Coastal Builders are very blessed to have the opportunity to meet and work with so many great customers. It is our passion to help you see your remodeling dreams become reality. Design/Build is a process that includes the owner throughout the design phase. We will work with you from the very beginning to design a project that meets your personal needs and objectives. We will review the design and costs. We work to keep the costs within your budget. We think that this gives the owner the advantage of more control of the design. Every project, though it may be the type of work we are used to seeing, is still new to you. Everyone has different needs and desires that they wish to incorporate in their project. We find that the best approach is to involve the homeowner as much as possible from the very beginning of a project. We tell our clients that they will design their projects, and initially they are somewhat skeptical, however, as the process unfolds they realize that they know what they want. Most people only need to be asked the right questions. It is important to Coastal Builders that the project reflects the homeowner's interests and life style. Often the homeowner has some pictures or has seen a neighbor's home with the features that they want to incorporate. These can be a vital aid in the design process. It is our role to help you get your desires translated into a set of construction drawings and specifications. The best money and time spent on a remodeling project is during the design. This leaves few surprises and costly changes after the fact. We use Soft Plan, a computer aided design program, to design your project. Soft Plan can generate 3-D views of the newly designed project and this is a quick, inexpensive way to get a close picture of how the finished remodeling will look. In designing an addition, master bedroom, or kitchen it is important to emphasize the ease of use of the space while maintaining the architectural integrity and style of the original house. Rich Campbell, our designer and Sales Manager, has almost 20 years of experience in architectural design. He is the person who will guide you through your design adventure. He really enjoys being able to help people solve their design concerns. If your home is not yet your castle, in one or two hours Rich may be able to come up with an idea or concept that can solve your dilemma or living situation. We offer free consultations and folks always thank me for the service we give them. If you are interested in discussing a design/build project with us, please give us a call. We look forward to the opportunity of working with you.   To Top The Greenbergs' Garden A wonderful vitality is present in the hustle and bustle of urban life. Not only does it provide close proximity to the workplace, city living also offers the attractions of exceptional food and outstanding entertainment after a busy day in the office. It's a great place to be. However, people who live in cities often desire to get away from all the noise and distraction. Michael and Peggy Greenberg felt this way. Their beautiful home is situated on a quarter acre lot which backs up to a rail line. For many years, their dream was to have a meditative and secluded area in their backyard which would provide an oasis away from the stresses of everday city life. The challenge was to use natural landscaping to screen out the urban noise that surrounds them. Their dream has finally been realized in the form of a garden centered around a Koi pond. Koi ponds are constructed to provide adequate oxygenation and filtration of the water for keeping Koi, the national ornamental pond fish of Japan. These magnificent fish, often referred to as "living jewels," are known for their gorgeous colors and entertaining habits. Like pets hey will often follow a person from one end of their pond to the other, and their brilliant flashes of color are a delight to the eyes. The Greenbergs added a small waterfall to their pond which, along with helping oxygenate the water, offers refreshing "white noise" to disguise the steady drone of traffic nearby. A variety of lush plants and colorful flowers encircle the pond in a tastefully arranged design, set off by natural rock and a curved retaining wall of manufactured stone. The arbor vitae around the perimeter of the garden provide a wonderful landscape screen for privacy. The elegant Pau Lope deck was built within inches of the Koi pond so that the Greenbergs can relax on the deck and happily watch their ever-active fish. The unusual strength and durability of Pau Lope wood, which is naturally resistant to decay, insects and fire, make it an excellent choice for a water garden deck. The decking was run on a diagonal, drawing the focus once more to the Koi pond, and fully integrating the deck with the rest of the environs. Fanciful cast aluminum deck furniture painted copper-green lends old world charm. All through the elements of the project an easy flow of man-made and natural materials exists. Truly a sense of comfort and relaxation radiates from the Greenbergs' garden. Their dream has come true. The garden, is in their own words, "the eye in the center of the storm."   To Top Smart Kitchen Design for the New Senior A new wave of building is going on in our country these days, and the building and remodeling industry is sitting up and taking notice. It's the Baby Boomers again, the generation that has had such an impact on our society throughout every stage of their lives. Now they have newly become seniors, empty nesters finally with money to spend on their own dreams and desires for their homes. And what they want is luxury, casual elegance, and individuality. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the kitchen, where these active and educated seniors are opting for high performance appliances, work islands and dual sinks. While planning their dream kitchens, however, it also makes sense to incorporate concepts into the design that accommodate the predictable changes that occur with age. As people advance in age, their senses decline and their flexibility, balance, stamina and reflexes diminish. Kitchen and bath designer, Mary Jo Peterson, CKD, CBD, feels that "smart" design should take this all into account. She specializes in Universal Design, which is design that is flexible enough to meet the needs of each member of a household throughout their lifetime. She is quick to point out, however, that Universal Design can also achieve classy, good looks. The following is practical advice Peterson offers for creating an accessible kitchen: 1) Flush entry at the door instead of a raised threshold. 2) Clear floor space for maneuvering. 3) Slip-resistant flooring with some give--to prevent serious harm in case of a fall. 4) Generous amounts of task and ambient lighting. 5) Retractable doors to conceal an open knee space for sitting while working. 6) Raised dishwasher cabinet for easy loading and unloading. 7) Rollout trays and/or tambour doors for easily accessible storage in base cabinets. 8) Lower wall ovens and microwaves for easier transfer of items. 9) Lower counters and work areas that can be used while seated. 10) Rolling storage that moves to the point of use as desired. Owning a state-of-the-art, luxury kitchen is often the fulfillment of a lifelong dream for Baby Boomers. Using the principles of Universal Design in the planning of that kitchen will help ensure they can continue to enjoy it for years to come.   To Top Countertops: Quartz Surfacing Fashionable in Europe for more than a decade, quartz surfacing (also called engineered stone) is now rapidly gaining popularity in the kitchen and bath countertop market here. Cosentino developed their quartz surfacing product Silestone® 12 years ago in Italy. Another quartz surfacing product called Zodiaq™ was recently introduced in the United States by DuPont. Composed primarily of natural quartz particles mixed together with binders and pigments, quartz surfaces have the weight and solid feel of natural stone. The quartz particles give quartz surfaces the glimmering radiance and brilliant clarity of granite. Quartz surfacing is extremely dense and non-porous. Unlike natural stone, it never requires sealing, polishing or sanding to retain its shiny finish or to resist stains. It is more resistant to scratches, heat and burns than solid surfaces. Cleaning requires simply soap and water. The resin binders used to make quartz surfaces give the surface greater flexural strength than natural stone as well. This prevents much of the chipping and cracking that can sometimes occur with granite. Although the color palette in quartz surfacing is currently more limited than natural stone, a great advantage is that computer-controlled technology duplicates the exact color shade from one year to the next. No color variation eliminates the need for additional seams as well as adding to the inconspicuousness of the seams. Quartz surfaces can be machined and manufactured with a variety of edge treatments possible. © 2003 Coastal Builders, Inc.