Charleston Wine + Food Festival

Each year the Charleston Wine + Food Festival unites some of the most renown authors, chefs, and wine professionals in the country. With events from March 3-6, the mission of the festival is "to enhance Charleston's culinary reputation and support important charitable endeavors by focusing national attention on the entertainment, education and gastronomical gratification opportunities presented by world class culinary professionals and wine experts". The Culinary Village and Grand Tasting Tents will house book signings, the SCE&G Celebrity Kitchen, and wine and food vendor samplings. This festival serves as an additional way to experience the innovation and expertise that Charleston's culinary scene has to offer. For a complete list of events and ticket information, visit Charleston Wine + Food Festival. But even if you don't snag a ticket, you can still enjoy the sights and smells while strolling around downtown Charleston and surrounding areas.

SEWE

The great outdoors and its resources will be highlighted this weekend as many locations throughout downtown Charleston host the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition. As the largest event of its kind in the nation, this 29th annual exposition attracts hundreds of global artists and exhibitors in an effort to promote the conservation and preservation of nature and wildlife.

SEWE's mission is as follows: "Simply put, the mission of the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition is to continue to positively impact the local and statewide economies through increased tourism; to showcase the finest wildlife art available in the world; to invest in and positively influence wildlife and nature education through specialized programming; and to assist in the conservation of wildlife and the environment by creating awareness and contributing financially to designated programs."

Check out chef demonstrations at the Gailliard Auditorium, The Dock Dogs Competition at Brittlebank Park, and numerous children's activities in Marion Square Park. For a full listing of events and locations, click here. Don't miss out on this opportunity to enjoy the beautiful Charleston weather and take advantage of this fun, educational event!

Charleston Restaurant Week

Many Charlestonians have an ever-growing list of restaurants, new and old, to check off as they eat their way through the myriad talented chefs and dishes that Charleston has to offer. It seems like that list grows exponentially, without the opportunity to sample the most coveted fares of each eatery. Luckily, every January Charleston Restaurant Week allows diners to enjoy three-course meals for $20 or $30 at over 80 casual and fine-dining restaurants in the area. January 14-22 is Charleston Restaurant Week. Be sure to check out the specific menus each chef prepares ahead of time and make reservations as tables fill quickly during this much anticipated event in Charleston!

All Moved In

After several weeks of rearranging furniture and hanging pictures on the wall, we are all moved in at the new Structures office. We love our new space which now includes a design center that houses numerous references and a conference room that is suitable for meeting with our clients and architects. This space has given us new opportunities to grow as a company and meet the individual needs of our clients as we make their dreams and custom homes/remodeling visions reality. Come visit us at 1415 Stuart Engals Boulevard in Mount Pleasant! Although our physical address has changed our mailing address will remain the same:

Structures Building Company

P.O. Box 2267

Mount Pleasant, SC 29465

Snapshots of the Season

Our company Grill Masters, R.P. Newton and Steve Kendrick getting the main course ready for us to devour!

Anne Kendrick and Miles posing for a shot in front of the tree before dinner.

Marty Kersey, Dave and Tori Hargis, R.P. Newton and Anne Marie Cale scarfing down the homemade fruit salsa and cinnamon sugar chips Dave made for our incredible appetizer!

Deborah Way, Anne, Dave and Tori enjoying pre-dinner conversation.

Steve and Will

Anne Marie, Marty and R.P. contemplating the right answer to their Cranium question. They successfully won the game, I might add!

Sugar Bake Shop located on Cannon Street did an amazing job baking tasty cookies for us to give out this holiday! I think we all gained about 5 extra pounds after all the sampling we did, we just couldn't help ourselves!

Co-owner Bill with Anne Marie and all our boxes of cookies!

One of my favorite things we did this holiday was to buy Christmas clothing and toys for children who have a mother or father in prison. Each gift was purchased on behalf of the parent who is unable to spend Christmas with their child.

Sophie, Will and Miles were perfect for the job! They had great ideas as to what we should by our Angel Tree children so they would have fun gifts sitting under their Christmas tree!

James Island County Park Festival of Lights displaying the old and new Cooper River Bridge through lights!

We hope you and your family are surrounded by the hope, peace, joy and gift of this holiday season! From all of us at Structures!

Just the Typical Holiday Greeting Card

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Fine Homebuilding Magazine Article

From Fine Homebuilding211, pp. 16-22
April 29, 2010

"Remodeling and construction are service businesses, not commodity businesses. In a slow economy especially, homeowners and architects are well advised to remember this fact when selecting contractors. Although bidding can provide a homeowner with a low initial price to do a project, it is likely not a good way to select a contractor to get high construction quality. To do this, it is best to choose the most desirable contractor based on a perception of his competence and fairness; his track record of building well-designed projects; and insightful comments received both from customers and architects with whom he has worked. After a contractor has been selected and has carefully reviewed and commented on the information in the drawings and specifications, then it’s time for him and the homeowner to negotiate a detailed price for the work. " for the entire article http://t.co/BIb8OlP