Summer 1999 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 Customer Satisfaction is Our Business Our Customers Write... The Bathroom Everyone Wants Architectural Styles: Southwestern Art From the Anvil Customer Satisfaction is Our Business We have always known that the most valuable asset we have as a business is the good will of our customers - and their willingness to refer their friends and neighbors to us. A recent survey in "Professional Builder and Remodeler" magazine really brought the point home: 69% of homeowners will select their remodeler based on a referral from a friend or relative, or from their experience with a remodeler. Our customers have been very willing to talk to our prospective clients about their experiences with Coastal, to refer their friends and neighbors, and to come back to us for additional projects. If you are a past client and refer someone to us, tell them to let us know so we can thank you personally. If you are a potential client in the process of selecting a remodeler, give us a call. We will be glad to provide you with a list of our local references which more than likely will include some of your neighbors. Take a look at page four for some comments from some of our customers, and check our web site (www.coastalbuilders.com) for other comments and a list of references.   To Top Our Customers Write... “Once again, and for the third time, we can say that we are happy Coastal customers. The bathroom and kitchen remodeling and sunroom addition serve as testament to the skill of your personnel. For the sunroom addition, Jeff and John did it all, displaying the level of experience we have come to expect of Coastal Builders. Jeff Miller did an outstanding job in organizing and executing the job, and was always available to confer on the various aspects of the work as it progressed. Rich, as always, patiently worked through various options of the job as it was being considered.” Frank and Barbara Shekore, Columbia “Your company went beyond their call of duty when building my bathroom. My family was never inconvenienced during the construction. The project was cleaned up daily before Lee left for the day. It was a pleasure to do business with your company. Lee is an asset to your company and a pleasure to work with. Thank you for a wonderful addition to my home.” Margaret Rappaport, Ellicott City “We have sent about three people your way, because we like the work you did. We would use your company again!” Mr. & Mrs. Jacob Sites, Ellicott City “Project was actually completed 2-3 weeks ahead of schedule. Jeff Miller is an excellent project manager. He kept us informed daily. He’s a great carpenter too. Really impressed by how neat the crews were. Very little mess made. Very pleased.” Mr. & Mrs. Doug Burchardt, West Friendship “Lee did a great job. He was very professional and always made sure not to leave a mess when he went home. I was amazed at how little the garden was disturbed. I am very pleased with the room.” Mrs. Ruth Glick, Columbia “Our appraisal of the work performed by Coastal Builders on our room addition was excellent. The materials used, the knowledge level of your employees and the craftsmanship of their effort was outstanding. Joyce and I especially want to acknowledge Bruce Nelson for bringing together all the necessary elements required to make our room addition a pleasant experience.” Mr. & Mrs. Martin Valliant, Ellicott City “The crew was extremely polite and they did a beautiful job.” Mrs. Marie Ash, Ellicott City   To Top The Bathroom Everyone Wants After a hectic day, filled with cell-phones and faxes, teleconferencing and frenzied freeways, nothing relieves stress better than relaxing at home in your own bathroom get-away. Maybe your bathroom transports you to another time and place as it creates an ambiance reminiscent of a Roman bath house. Or perhaps your bath recalls the memory of the wonderful weekend you spent in that elegant, upscale hotel in New York City. Daily pressures just seem to vanish as you pamper yourself in the luxury of today’s bath. Luxury and comfort are the key words defining what everybody wants in their bathroom haven. Whirlpool tubs continue to be strong, especially those that offer the latest in technology; programmable hydrotherapy jets for a body massage that can’t be beat. However, there is also a growing desire for larger, more sophisticated shower systems with custom glass enclosures, often with the shower taking precedent over tub when space is limited. "Hot" trends include steam units in showers, body sprays, multiple shower heads and showers for two. Amenities such as built-in TVs, telephones and mini bars remain popular luxury items. Radiant floor heating and heated towel bars provide a soothing warmth that eases away tension. Multiple windows or skylights utilize natural light to brighten up the room, and invite inside the elegance of the great outdoors. Greater choices than ever in bathroom finishes let homeowners express their personal taste by setting a mood, or evoking a memory. Faucets are no longer selected for functionality alone, but for elegance and detail. Fixtures, such as toilets and sinks, have become pieces of art with rich textures and unique shapes. Many styles feature exquisite hand painted designs. Cabinetry rivals the appearance of fine furniture, and countertops speak high-end luxury in materials such as marble. Bathrooms are also being personalized to fit the particular needs of individuals, adding grab bars and raising or lowering the height of vanities as desired. Pressure-balancing bath and shower faucets eliminate surges of hot or cold water. Overall, bathrooms are open and airy, and include plenty of storage and dressing space. Today’s bathrooms are definitely becoming a kind of personal sanctuary, a place where we can relax and dream dreams in privacy, comfort and luxury.   To Top Architectural Styles: Southwestern The southwestern areas of the United States first colonized by Spain developed a kind of architecture distinct from that in the East. The earliest Spanish Colonial houses were very simple one-story buildings with thick adobe brick walls. The roofs were either flat with a parapet through which cylindrical rainspouts projected, or they were low-pitched with a covering of half cylindrical tiles. These homes had multiple exterior doorways and only a few small window openings covered with grilles of wood or iron instead of glass, closed from the inside by wooden shutters. As homes increased in size, the additional rooms were not connected by internal doorways, but by long, narrow covered porches on the back side of the building. The resulting structure often formed a U-shape, enclosing an inner courtyard. English immigrants arriving in the Southwest brought into fashion a front-facade cantilevered second-floor porch on two-story homes. This came to be known as the Monterey style. The 1900s saw a revival in the Southwest of Hispanic architectural design elements in what is called the Mission style. This style is known for its great variety of shaped dormers and roof parapets, imitating the designs on some Spanish Colonial mission buildings. Typical features are smooth stucco walls, quatrefoil windows, red tile roofs with wide overhanging eaves, and generous front porches supported by large, square columns. Some examples even include mission-like bell towers. At this same time, a southwestern style called Pueblo Revival turned to Native American historical precedents for inspiration. Trying to imitate the hand-built look, the flat roof and parapet normally have irregular, rounded edges. Rough-hewn wooden roof beams extend through the walls. The stucco wall surfaces are textured rather than smooth and left a natural earth color. In 1915, the Panama-California Exposition held in San Diego exposed the public to the wider scope of Spanish architectural tradition. This brought in the Spanish Colonial Revival style. Roofs are low pitched, usually with no eave overhang, and covered in red tile. Arched doors and windows are typical, the doors often carved with elaborate designs, and placed between spiral columns. Decorative window grilles of wood or iron are common, as are similar railings on cantilevered balconies. Arcaded walkways leading to rear gardens with cascading fountains are popular details, as well as square or round towers. Wall surfaces are usually stucco. Southwestern home architecture today continues to meld a fascinating history with modern advances in home construction.   To Top Art From the Anvil Observing a blacksmith at work is fascinating. Your face stung by the heat of his forge, you watch transfixed as the once rigid iron yields to his heavy blows, bending like soft clay. Forging with fire, hammer and raw steel is not only hot, but extremely labor intensive. Each piece that emerges from the hands of the skilled craftsman is both unique and powerful. Modern blacksmiths preserve a link to our history. Using the techniques of the traditional forge, the pieces are fabricated with rare craftsmanship, reminiscent of a time when expert artisans, hammer and anvil in hand, transformed pure iron into simple, functional designs. Whether it be drawer knobs, door handles. or towel bars, the finished product is an individual work of art. These styles, reflective of the old world, make an exceptionally beautiful addition to today’s home. © 2003 Coastal Builders, Inc.