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We’re 6 months into our 30 for 30 campaign and having so much fun engaging with and getting to know some of the local charities in Charleston. Here’s a recap of what we’ve done so far:
This was the project that kicked off our 30 for 30 campaign, back in March. We’re collecting pop tabs throughout the year and will be donating them to the Ronald McDonald House of Charleston to help provide funds for the needs of their residents.
We’ve made 4 donations to the Lowcountry Blessing Box Project. With boxes all over the Tri-county area this is an easy way to provide essential goods and hygiene products to those who have maybe fallen on some hard times. It’s a give what you can, take what you need program and there’s no easier way to give back to the community.
We’ve also made 3 donations of toys and personal care items to the MUSC Children’s Hospital. So far we’ve been able to provide for Infants/Toddlers, Preschoolers and Teens.
One80 Place is on a mission to end and prevent homelessness in the Lowcountry. They provide job training, shelter, and Veteran services as well as help people get into permanent housing. By providing Move-In Kits, you can make the transition from the street/shelter to a new home much easier by providing some of the “necessities” that help make a house feel like home.
We were thrilled to be able to provide lunch for the teachers and staff at Haut Gap Middle School here on Johns Island. The staff was so appreciative of the gesture!
We purchased school supplies to donate to Charleston’s First Day Festival, which provides free items like backpacks, paper, pencils, and rulers – everything students need to start off a successful school year.
Educational Passages provides students with an opportunity to build a five-foot long, unmanned sailboat, complete with GPS tracking. Once building is complete, they launch their boat and monitor it’s progress over the course of the year. We’ve donated a boat to the students at Buist Academy who will be working with their sponsor and the team at Educational Passages to learn about ocean currents, weather, technology and more.
Some of our office staff took some time out of their morning to head over to the Ronald McDonald House to prepare breakfast for their residents. Ronald McDonald House provides 3 meals a day – at no cost – to their residents.
We paid a visit to our local fire station on Maybank Highway and dropped off lunch for the firefighters there, as a way of showing appreciation for all they do. In addition, by purchasing lunch through Firehouse Subs, a portion of our purchase will go to the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation, to be used to provide lifesaving equipment to first responders.
So far, we’ve sponsored the adoption fees for two special dogs, currently available for adoption at Pet Helpers. Our hope is that, by covering the adoption fees, we’ll help remove any obstacles for adoption once these sweet pups find their perfect forever families. (PS – Both are still up for adoption at Pet Helpers!)
We have really enjoyed having the opportunity to work with some of our local schools this year, especially those where some of the younger members of Classic’s family attend. This year we are pleased to sponsor the College of Charleston Symphony Orchestra and the Stiles Point Elementary’s Fall Festival.
We all know that teachers are underpaid and too often have to use their own money to purchase supplies for their classrooms. We had the privilege of being able to purchase ALL of the items on the wish list for the Art Teacher at Buist Academy, who teaches art to approximately 500 students in grades K-8.
This has been a really rewarding experience so far, and we’ve got a lot more to go as we wrap up the year. Stay tuned to see how we round out our 30 for 30 campaign this year!
Classic is thrilled to announce that we’re the recipients of 2 awards recognizing our customer service and craftsmanship.
Earlier this year, Classic was recognized as a Guildmaster winner by GuildQuality. GuildQuality is a third-party customer satisfaction surveying company focused exclusively on the building industry. In order to qualify for the Guildmaster, GuildQuality members must meet the required survey response rate (based on volume) and receive a recommendation rate of at least 90%. Classic has received the Guildmaster award 15 consecutive times. We are one of only 6 companies nationwide to receive this recognition each year since the awards began.
This month, Classic was also named Best Kitchen/Bath Remodeler by Charleston Living Magazine. The Magazine’s “Best of Charleston” awards are calculated by open ballot votes and winners are announced in their July/August issue. This is our 6th consecutive “Best of Charleston” win.
We appreciate everyone who has taken the time to provide feedback and nominate us for these awards. We pride ourselves on providing exceptional customer service and delivering quality craftsmanship on every project, no matter how large or small.
Speaking of awards, we’re currently in the running for the Post & Courier’s “Charleston’s Choice Awards” in the categories of “Best Home Remodeling Company” and “Best Bath and Kitchen Remodeling Company”. If have a moment we’d love it if you’d cast your vote for Classic! You can do so here. Voting ends July 24!
After kicking off our 30 for 30 Charitable Giving campaign in March with a pop tab collection for the Ronald McDonald House charities, we were anxious to see what all we could accomplish in April.
In addition to giving back to the greater Charleston area, we also want to help our local Johns Island community. This month we were able to do just that!
Our first effort was to say “thanks” to our first responders here on the Island. We took an afternoon to deliver lunch to our local fire station, St. Johns Station #1. The firefighters on duty dined on a delicious spread from Firehouse Subs (and we even had enough leftover for the next shift). Additionally, we were pleased to find out that Firehouse Subs donates a portion of each purchase to the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation. The Foundation provides lifesaving equipment to first responders.
Our next organization was the Lowcountry Blessing Box Project. You may have seen these boxes popping up all over town. Lowcountry Blessing Boxes are stocked anonymously with things like non-perishable food items, basic toiletries, and baby supplies. They will accept anything that might be helpful to someone who finds themselves in need. This past month, we were able to fill 2 blessing boxes here on Johns Island.
Last but not least, we provided a donation of toys to MUSC Children’s Hospital. With thousands of children visiting their facility each year, MUSC is always in need of toys, games, and crafts for their patients. This month we elected to provide toys for their infant and toddler patients.
We’ve had so much fun being able to give back to our community and we’re looking forward to our May activities. Be sure to stay tuned to see what’s next in our 30 for 30 Charitable Giving Campaign!
As Classic embarks on it’s 30th year in business, we’re kicking off a special charitable giving campaign we’re calling “30 for 30.” Over the course of the year, we plan to participate in 30 acts of charitable giving or random acts of kindness – one for each of our 30 years in business. This gives us an opportunity to give back to many different organizations throughout the Lowcountry in a variety of ways – either through donations, sponsorships, volunteering or event participation.
We’re kicking off our campaign with the Ronald McDonald House Charity by participating in their pop tab collection. This is a collection that will be ongoing throughout the year. The pop tab collection is one of the simplest ways to donate to the house. Here’s a little bit more about the Ronald McDonald House Charity and the pop tab collection program:
The Ronald McDonald House is a 32 bedroom “home-away-from-home” that provides a safe, welcoming place for families to stay while their children receive life-saving treatments at MUSC Children’s Hospital. Most of the families they serve have children battling heart issues, cancer or were born prematurely. The House provides everything you can possibly think of to families who really need to spend their time focusing on the care and treatment of their children. They ensure their guests have easy access to not only lodging so they can stay close to their children, but also 3 meals a day, snacks, laundry facilities and those essentials (like a toothbrush and toothpaste) that might get left behind. The House relies heavily on volunteers and donations for everything from household goods and supplies to meal preparation, and there are a variety of ways you can contribute.
In addition to the House itself, the charity also has a Ronald McDonald Family Room located at MUSC. The Ronald McDonald Family room provides a place within the hospital where families can rest, shower, or grab a snack and a cup of coffee without having to leave hospital grounds.
By recycling the tabs, the Ronald McDonald House receives a donation for the price of aluminum (whatever that price is at the time).The pop tab is the only part of the can that is pure aluminum, giving it a higher recycling value than the aluminum in the rest of a can. They are also clean, compact and easy to collect. The tabs are collected in a full size dumpster and picked up by a recycling company when full. The dumpsters are typically emptied 4 or 5 times a year.
It costs Ronald McDonald House Charities about $3,200 per day to house 32 families each and every night. The funds raised through the pop tab program go towards the operating costs of keeping the doors open 365 days a year for families in need. Last year, Ronald McDonald House Charleston made over $5,000 in pop tabs and all together have raised over $100,000 through the program.
If you are interested in learning more about the Ronald McDonald House Charleston and how you can help, check out their website.
Stay tuned to our blog and social media sites for updates on our pop tab collection progress and to see what our next 30 for 30 charitable giving activity will be!
We are thrilled to announce that Classic Remodeling has won “Best of Design” and “Best of Customer Service” on Houzz, the leading platform for home renovation and design. We were chosen by the more than 40 million monthly unique users that comprise the Houzz community from among more than 2.1 million active home building, remodeling and design industry professionals.
The Best of Houzz badge is awarded annually, in three categories: Design, Customer Service and Photography. Design awards honor professionals whose work was the most popular among the Houzz community. Customer Service honors are based on several factors, including a pro’s overall rating on Houzz and client reviews submitted in 2018. Architecture and interior design photographers whose images were most popular are recognized with the Photography award.
You can find a “Best of Houzz 2019” badge on our Houzz profile. These badges help homeowners identify popular and top-rated home professionals in every metro area on Houzz.
This is our 5th consecutive Best of Customer Service award and our 4th win for Best of Design. We’re honored to receive these awards once again and would like to thank our clients who have been willing to share their Classic Remodeling experiences on the platform.
“Best of Houzz is a true badge of honor as it is awarded by our community of homeowners, those who are hiring design, remodeling and other home improvement professionals for their projects,” said Liza Hausman, vice president of Industry Marketing for Houzz. “We are excited to celebrate the 2019 winners chosen by our community as their favorites for home design and customer experience, and to highlight those winners on the Houzz website and app.”
Be sure to follow Classic Remodeling on Houzz to stay up to date on what we’re working on!
It’s that time of year again! While everyone else was getting ready to celebrate the start of the holiday season we were been busy getting ready for our annual client appreciation party.
Each year, just before Thanksgiving, we gather together with past clients and friends to say thank you and show our appreciation for those who continue to call on us for their home remodeling needs and recommend us to their friends and family.
This year, we were thrilled to host our event at the American College of the Building Arts. Their courtyard provided the perfect setting for our evening. We even wrangled a few student volunteers to offer tours of the college to our guests, which really gave some great insight into the value of the programs offered by the College and how important those skills are to our community – especially here in Charleston!
Our entertainment for the evening was provided by local band, Salt Water Renegades. They kept our toes tapping while we dined on the delicious food, courtesy of Harvest Catering. They served up a great spread this year – everything from steamed oysters to BBQ chicken flatbread and sausage gumbo with grilled pimento cheese sandwiches. We even had a few fresh crabs make their way to the table!
As always, we enjoyed a wonderful evening of catching up with some of the wonderful people we’ve had the opportunity to work with over the years. We hope everyone has as much fun as we did!
Before your renovation can begin, the space has to be cleared. Starting with a blank slate allows your contractor to get into your home and immediately start on the demolition phase of the project without delay. It’s certainly not the most exciting phase of a project, but it’s definitely an important one. And when done well, it can make your renovation less stressful and your move-in at the project’s end much easier. Here are few tips for decluttering and cleaning out your space before a renovation:
Plan. Just like any project, make sure you begin your “move out” process by having the right tools to do the job.
Identify your everyday items. Identify the items you’ll need to use on a daily basis. Store them in an easily accessible area. For a kitchen renovation think about utensils, plates, cups and small appliances (like the coffeemaker!). In bedrooms and bathrooms, think about the clothes and toiletry items you will need.
Declutter. This is a perfect time to get rid of anything that won’t fit in your new space. Consider selling or donating any furniture that you won’t be reusing. Sort through paperwork. Throw away what you don’t need.
Pack up the items you want to keep. Remembering to keep your everyday use items aside, pack up everything else that will be going back into the room at the end of the renovation. Be sure to label your boxes so you know what’s in them (that will make unpacking much easier).
Figure out where you’ll be storing your items. Do you have another room in the house where you can keep your things? Will you be storing them in the garage? Do you need to rent a storage unit?
Protect Your Valuables. Find a safe place to store your valuables. Your contractor should be trustworthy, but during the renovation there can be any number of workers come in and out of the house. Don’t take a chance with your valuables. Lock them up in a safe or safe deposit box.
Taking the time to get organized and declutter before your renovation project begins will ensure you have easy access to the things you need during the renovation, and will make moving back into your new space easier and quicker!
Know the steps to take to protect your home from hurricane damage.
It’s September! As we look forward to things like cooler temps and the start of football season, we can’t forget that we’re also right in the middle of the hurricane season. In fact, early August through end of October is the peak of hurricane season in the Atlantic. Now is the time to make sure you have a plan and the supplies to protect your home in the event of a storm.
Here are a few tips to help shield your home from costly hurricane damage:
If you don’t already have them, you may want to invest in storm shutters. Storm shutters are durable and will help protect your windows and doors from wind, rain, hail and flying debris. If you don’t have storm shutters, opt for plywood to board up windows before the storm arrives. Count and measure all of your windows and doors to be sure you have enough material on hand to do your board up. We’ve all seen how quickly supplies dwindle when a storm is on the way!
DO NOT TAPE WINDOWS. There is a common believe that taping your windows will help prevent cracks. Many experts say this is nothing more than a myth.
You also want to ensure that your door and window locks are secure. The last thing you want is a door or window flying open during strong winds.
Also take some time to caulk around doors and windows to prevent any moisture from entering the home and causing damage.
Garage doors are often prone to wind damage thanks to their large size and the lightweight materials with which they are built. Although many newer garage doors are designed to withstand higher wind forced, if you have an older door you will want to consider some type of reinforcement. Bracing your door not only helps to prevent the door from breaking off the track, it will also help protect your roof. Did you know that when wind gets into the garage it creates a simultaneous push-pull with the wind swirling above the home and can cause the roof to fly off your house? So don’t forget about the garage.
Bracing kits are available for purchase from most home improvement stores. You can also research DIY methods online to see what works best for you.
In addition to the garage, make sure any carports, porches, decks and sheds are in good repair and firmly attached. Don’t forget to clean out gutters and make any necessary repairs.
A category 1 hurricane, with wind speeds between 74-95 miles per hour can cause large tree branches to snap and shallow rooted trees to fall. A category 4 storm can reach wind speeds between 130-156 miles per hour. That will uproot entire trees and power poles. To minimize the threat of damage caused by flying tree limbs, take the time to trim trees and bushes, removing any dead or weak branches. If you any trees that look unhealthy, have those trees removed. When an impending storm is on the horizon, you may want to also consider tying down any small trees or shrubs to help prevent uprooting.
Although it probably goes without saying, don’t forget to move any patio furniture, flower pots, grills or other outdoor items to a secured indoor area. These items can also get blown about in strong winds and cause damage to your property or your neighbor’s property.
Preparing for a hurricane is not something that should wait until a storm is headed our way. By being proactive and preparing in advance, you stand a better chance of keeping yourself, your property and your belongings safe. Visit the National Hurricane Center and Ready.gov for more information on planning evacuation routes, building supply kits and much more.
Classic Remodeling was recently recognized as a customer satisfaction leader in Qualified Remodeler Magazine’s annual customer satisfaction report. As part of this special report, compiled in conjunction with GuildQuality, 60 of GuildQuality’s highest-scoring remodelers are profiled. These sixty firms were selected from a pool of over 15,000 GuildQuality members across the nation for excellence in providing customer service.
Classic is honored by this distinction and has always been committed to delivering the highest quality craftsmanship and customer service. We’re thrilled to have a “likely to recommend” score of 97% for 2017 and a 96% overall recommendation rate.
Qualified Remodeler’s annual report highlights areas of importance for consumers regarding their recent remodeling projects. The data was collected by GuildQuality and represents more than 100,000 consumer surveys.
As you can see above, homeowners have indicated that the three most important areas for determining client satisfaction are:
1. Trust
2. Problem Resolution
3. Value
Building trust is not an easy task. Remodelers need to establish their trustworthiness at the very first meeting with a potential client, long before we deliver a finished product. So, how do we do it?
We have always felt that clear communication is the cornerstone to building a trusting relationship with our clients. It is also the key to problem resolution on a job. We believe in setting clear expectations with clients at the beginning of our working relationship. We discuss everything from budget and schedule to the construction process, timelines for decisions on selections, and change order policy. Internal communication among team members is also essential. Our project craftsmen meet with designers weeks before a job start to review plans and talk through the project. Just prior to the start of construction we’ll do an on-site walk through. Our process during construction includes several regular check-ins with clients to review progress and discuss any questions that may arise.
At the end of each project we use GuildQuality to survey our clients. These surveys provide valuable insight into our customers’ experiences. Internally, it allows us to identify areas where we excel, as well as areas where we need to make some adjustments. As a GuildQuality member since 2003, we are fortunate to have 15 years worth of survey responses and testimonials from past clients. That feedback is in an invaluable resource to potential clients as we work to establish their trust in our firm.
Each project is different and presents a unique set of challenges. Qualified Remodeler asked us to describe our most challenging project type and how we alter our approach to those types of projects to maintain customer satisfaction. Our dedication to customer satisfaction and building trust shows in our response:
“Whole house renovations are sometimes a little more trying for the customer – with larger budgets and longer construction times, we tend to find the clients’ stress levels go up as the job goes along. In addition to trying to keep those lines of communication open with our staff, we also use GuildQuality to survey these larger projects more frequently throughout the job. We know that sometimes clients will share information with a 3rd party that they may not necessarily feel comfortable sharing with us directly. By surveying at key points throughout the job we can hopefully get a better gauge of how the client is feeling, giving us an opportunity to identify any areas we need to address before the end of the project, to make sure we wrap things up on a positive note.”
We know that when you decide to remodel your home, you want to work with a contractor that you trust. That’s why we are continuously working to refine our processes, identify areas for improvement and continue to capitalize on the things we do best. GuildQuality surveys are an important part of that process for us and we thank all of our clients who have replied to GuildQuality surveys in the past. It is through your feedback that we’re able to continue to improve and remain a leader in our industry.
Kitchens are one of our most requested projects, and with good reason. Homeowners spend a lot of time in their kitchens, making functionality and design equally important. In addition, kitchen remodels continue to offer a good return on investment. According to the 2018 Cost vs Value report, produced by Remodeling Magazine, a major kitchen remodel will recoup about 87% of its cost in resale value. So we thought we’d share some of the most popular kitchen design trends, and show you how we’ve implemented them in some of our recent projects.
The open concept floor plan continues to be extremely popular among homeowners. In their 2018 Kitchen Trends Study, Houzz reported that 49% of homeowners are choosing to open up the kitchen to other spaces in the home or making kitchens more open to outdoor spaces. The open space allows for more interaction and easier entertaining. This is one kitchen trend that is probably here to stay.
Homeowners have indicated that keeping kitchen surfaces clear of clutter is a huge priority. Trash pull outs, drawer organizers, abundant cabinet storage and wine/bar cabinets have become increasingly popular.
Quartz countertops have eclipsed granite countertops in popularity. This may be due, in large part, to the fact that quartz is a lower-maintenance and more durable stone. Because quartz isn’t porous, these countertops are stain resistant and don’t require sealing each year, like granite does. There are a variety of available colors and patterns available, many which mimic the look of natural stone.
Plain white subway tile is taking a backseat to more stylish backsplash designs. The backsplash has become an area where homeowners can get a little creative and have some fun with colorful designs and bold patterns. As Classic’s General Manager, Kim Williams, notes, a backsplash “gives homeowners an opportunity to be creative and express their personal style. Think of them as an accessory – like adding jewelry to an outfit.”
To see more Classic kitchens, check out our online portfolio. And if you’d like to learn more about some of the popular kitchen design trends for this year, check out the results of Houzz’s kitchen survey.
1832 River Road, Johns Island, SC 29455 T 843.763.3297 | F 843.766.9342 E dreams@classicremodeling.com
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