EGStoltzfus Building Construction
EGStoltzfus Design Remodel Plan
VOLUME 2  �  ISSUE 3
March 2011

Greetings!

 

In this month's newsletter, we continue our exploration of surface trends with kitchen and bath tile. Our tile article is provided by one of our trusted vendors, Indoor City.

 

We also continue our Concept to Completion series with an overview of Job Start Up. If you happened to miss a part of this series, you can read it in its entirety on the EGStoltzfus Homes website under "newsletter."

 

Finally, we are thrilled to be exhibiting at the BIA's Spring Home Show - Lancaster's Original Home, Garden & Remodeling Event - this coming weekend: March 18, 19 & 20 at F&M College. You can find us at booths #312 & #313; stop by to gather the latest information about our neighborhood and designed homes, or to talk about a remodeling project you have in mind. And if you tell us that you read about us exhibiting at the show in our newsletter, we'll give you a free gift! Stop by and say hello!

 

All the best,

 

Bill Patrick, Senior Designer/Division Manager Residential Remodeling

EGStoltzfus Homes, LLC

(717) 393-0212

 

P.S. Don't forget to consider our exclusive offer at the bottom of this email before it expires at the end of this month!



Surface Trends: Tile

This preferred vendor article is submitted by Ryan Commerce of Indoor City.

 

Trends in tile have shifted significantly over the last few years, and as a result, consumers are jumping at the options tile now can provide to bring a creative element into their home.

 

Let's look at three of today's tile trends: size, texture and color.

  

Tile Size: The first noticeable trend in ceramic and stone tile is the extreme sizes - very large or very small. Gone are the days of 8"x8" and 12"x12" tile. Today's kitchens and bathrooms are designed to "pop," and one of the best ways to achieve depth is by varying the tile sizes.

 

Larger tiles (e.g., 18"x18" or 24"x24") are a popular choice for floors because larger profile tiles use less grout - which means less maintenance. Additionally, the more tile surface you see, the nicer the overall look.

 

Small tiles - mosaic tiles (1"x1") - are also popular. You'll often see these tiles used in bathroom showers or kitchen backsplashes as accents.

 

Tile Texture: Another trend in tile is texture. Manufacturers are now able to add texture to ceramic tile, and this provides a whole new dimension to choosing tile. Some tiles look like wood grain or fabric, and homeowners can get quite creative when adding these unique tiles to a room.

 

Tile Color: Tile color choices are practically limitless in today's market. Metallic glazed tiles are popular for a contemporary look, and earth tones are still attractive to many homeowners. Timeless colors (found in the beige color family) remain stylish because they go with any d�cor.

 

Many of today's homeowners are using a timeless color as a base and then adding accent color tiles throughout their kitchen or bath. What is nice about this thoughtful design is that it gives the homeowner the flexibility to change the look of the room in the future; they can simply cut out the accent tiles and replace them with a new color.

 

Ceramic tile and stone are used most commonly in floors (kitchen, bath, foyer), as kitchen backsplashes and in the bathroom shower/tub area. However, an emerging trend is the use of tile as a wainscoting in a bathroom. Because tile is often used in the shower and tub deck areas, tiling a 4-to-5 foot high wainscoting will help tie the room together - as well as personalize the space.

 

About Indoor City

Located on Harrisburg Pike in Lancaster, Indoor City has over 6,000 square feet of showroom space dedicated to tile and stone. But Indoor City also has a wide-range of flooring, countertop and window options to help homeowners completely renovate the look of their home.

 

EGStoltzfus Homes and Indoor City have worked together for years to help homeowners design the look they desire for their new home or remodeling project. 


Concept to Completion Series

 

In each issue of this newsletter, we will briefly review one of the stages every one-of-a-kind project must flow through in order to reach successful completion.

 

Previously discussed steps can be found here:

Step 1: Begin with a concept. 

Step 2: Seeing the end at the beginning. 

Step 3: Finalizing the design by making selections.

Step 4: Reaching Agreement. 

 

Step 5: Job Start Up.

 

Last month in Step 4, we covered "Reaching Agreement," which allows you to have a full understanding, in contract form, of your completed project.

 

Step 5 is your "peace-of-mind" step - giving you full confidence that the contractor you hired will keep your project moving along and completed on time. It is during this step that the pre-construction team hands off the information about your project (the design and the selections you made) to the people who will actually be executing the work.

 

At this stage, your project materials are ordered, and the construction team is busy laying out the project timeline - from start to finish - ensuring that everything is done to your specifications and on time. In fact, this step has more to do with the delivery of the project by the committed completion date than it does with construction beginning.

 

Too often contractors tell homeowners a material is "on backorder" as a reason for why a job is held up. And yes, sometimes that truly is the case. However, more times than not, this is simply an excuse for someone not placing the order in time or not understanding the length of time between placing the order and delivery.

 

This is why, at EGS, we start our unique "From Concept to Completion Process" always with the end in mind - and keep that in our sight every step of the way. This way, our homeowners can be confident that their project will be completed precisely as they want and on time.

 

Are you ready to begin your one-of-a-kind project? Start here >>   

 

Quick Tip: Sealing Your Granite Countertops

How can you tell when your granite countertop needs sealed? If water soaks into the stone without beading up, it is time to seal your countertop.

 

Sealing countertops protects the stone. Some countertops need to be sealed annually, while others can go 2 to 3 years.

 

Handyman Service by EGStoltzfus - To Repair, Replace and Renew even the smallest issues in your home, call us at (717) 393-0212.

 

Our Purpose for bringing you "The Construction Connection"
EG Stoltzfus Team

Our purpose for bringing you The Construction Connection is to share our wisdom. We have seen it all and yet there is so much more to learn every day.

 

For nearly 45 years the divisions of EGStoltzfus (Neighborhoods, Designed Homes & Remodeling, Commercial Construction and Handyman) have been Building Better and Creating Value for more than 7,000 property owners. The collective wisdom of our team is the key to a predictable outcome for each and every project.

 

In this forum we will be reaching out to offer specific how-to's for caring for your property and improving what you have, as well as suggestions as to what to do when it's time to start anew. Additionally, we will provide you with information on market conditions, technology updates, codes and legal concerns, design trends and many more topics we feel can connect all our readers to Better Value.

 

The team of EGStoltzfus Homes is always available to answer your questions and advise you through a remodel or new home construction project.

 

Get to know us better!>>
 

 

 
Special Offer
FREE 50" Plasma TV

As part of our effort to provide extraordinary value to our past customers, we are offering a FREE 50" Plasma TV with a finished basement construction agreement signed by March 31, 2011.

 

Some restrictions apply; construction agreement minimum of $20,000. Call us for details. 

 


Must be under agreement by March 31, 2011  |   Visit us online at www.egstoltzfus.com
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Visit us online at www.egstoltzfus.com   |  (717) 393-0212

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