Archives: Testimonials

Building a custom home can feel overwhelming, but working with Mike and Beth at Coastal Cottage made it one of the most enjoyable experiences we’ve ever had.

From the beginning, Mike took the time to understand not just what we wanted in a house, but how we wanted to live in it. He listened carefully, toured homes with us, and helped translate our ideas into a design that perfectly fit our lot, our lifestyle, and our vision. Throughout the build, communication was always open, positive, and solution oriented.

What impressed me most was Mike’s ability to listen, offer thoughtful design guidance, and consistently find solutions that reflected what was most important to us. The home we ended up with truly feels like our dream home, and much of that is a credit to his vision and expertise.

Years later, we still receive compliments on the house, and my husband consistently gives Mike and me all the credit. I would wholeheartedly recommend the Coastal Cottage team to anyone looking for a builder who combines exceptional design, craftsmanship, and an outstanding client experience.

-Craig and DeLisa Selwitz

5/5 Stars- Highly Recommend Coastal Cottage!

Coastal Cottage built a beautiful custom home for us in Southern Shores, North Carolina, and we could not be happier with the experience. From the very beginning, the entire team proved to be incredibly knowledgeable and professional. They worked seamlessly with our architect to bring our vision to life, making the entire design and construction process stress-free.

Communication was excellent throughout the project. The staff is accessible, friendly, and truly a pleasure to work with. Even after the sale, Coastal Cottage has remained dedicated to our satisfaction. They have been extremely diligent about taking care of our final punch list items, proving that they stand behind the quality of their work. If you are looking to build a home on the Outer Banks we highly recommend Coastal Cottage!

-Dave & Evelyn Traub

What an excellent job by the entire Coastal Cottage team…Mike, Beth, Paul, Scott and Mary. Mike and Beth helped guide us through the multitude of decisions with vision, ease and experience. A true quality build from beginning to end.  We reviewed Mike’s previous work and liked that he was fully custom. Also, after speaking with and meeting Mike we decided that he had the right professionalism, demeaner and frankness that would work well with us. He had done several different styles of homes, and he was willing to work with us in coming up with exactly want we wanted.  Overall, we are both very satisfied with the detail he put into the design and the sound quality of the build. Mike stands behind his builds. After we moved in, if we had any issue whatsoever…if we contacted Mike, he had a team that was very responsive to fix the issue.  We have zero reservations in recommending Mike York to build your next home.  He really knows what he is doing and builds fantastic houses.

–Eric and Maria Nicholson

“We have been visitors of the Outer Banks, South Nags Head specifically, for 15 years, and we began to dream of owning our own vacation home here.  After purchasing our lot, our search for a reputable and quality home builder began and led us to Mike and The Coastal Cottage Co.  From the early stages and discussions with Mike, we could tell he was the right builder for our project.  Mike’s attention to detail, eye for design, and quality construction practices was exactly what we were looking for.  We knew we would get a home we would love, and wouldn’t be a cookie cutter design.  From design and construction with Mike, and interior design with Beth, the entire process was as perfect as building a home can be, and we got a home we love.”

-Jeff & Lisa Yingling

We have spent several days in the house. We really love it!  It’s comfortable, beautiful, so well built and the stunning view off the back is new every day.  Thanks for your outstanding professionalism.  You all have great skill, knowledge and excellent client interaction and service.  Truly our dreams are more than fulfilled.

-Rob & Shirley Smith

The Coastal Cottage Company designed and built our new Manteo home in the Peninsula subdivision. We had some very specific design requirements to be met and blended with the Coastal Cottage team’s ideas and suggestions for our new full-time residence. They did a terrific job, and we are enjoying every minute in our waterfront dream home!

-Carl & Sheila Garrison

We have owned property on the Outer Banks since 1992. Over the years, our oceanfront home was ever the worse for wear. We thought it best to tear it down and start anew. We contacted 3 Outer Banks builders and decided the best fit for us was Mike York and the Coastal Cottage Company. Over a period of months, Mike worked to design the best plan to fit our needs and to maximize the available space on our lot. All costs and fees were discussed and agreed upon; we never were given a bill we did not expect (as happened when we built our home in Pennsylvania). All billing was quite fair and the company worked within our budget. Our home was completed in July of 2018 and we have been quite pleased with it. The quality is outstanding. We have had numerous compliments from friends, family, and passersby. We used to worry about hurricanes and would fear that our house would not stand up to the elements but not any longer! We truly love our home! We highly recommend The Coastal Cottage Company and their outstanding workmanship!

-Louise Murray & Dale Bryansmith

My wife and I have been visiting the Outer Banks for over twenty-five years. We always dreamed about building our own home at the beach. We finally purchased a lot, and then spent a great deal of time researching builders located throughout the Outer Banks. Our search led us to Mike York owner of The Coastal Cottage. We chose Mike for many reasons. To begin with, The Coastal Cottage is a true Design/Build company. Mike surely did not disappoint. He worked with us from the beginning of the project to the end. In fact he continues to respond to any questions or concerns we have even after our house has been completed. During the building process, Mike was flexible in any changes to the our designs. Throughout the design process my wife obtained ideas from various homes on different websites. Mike was able to incorporate these ideas into our original home design. One other point I cannot stress enough. The quality of the material, and detailed workmanship performed by The Coastal Cottage is second to none. Our home was built as if Mike was building a home for his family. 

-Scott & Susan Lee

As first time homebuilders we were apprehensive and uneducated about the build process. We knew from our first phone conversation with Mike at The Coastal Cottage Company that he was the builder for us. From the start he went above and beyond expectations. He walked us through the whole process and worked hard to understand our requirements, taste and design ideas. Mike even went so far as to go out and look at building lots with us in advance to give us his professional opinion as to location and build ability. Not only is Mike an experienced builder but he is also an excellent designer. He was able to take our vision and ideas and design a house that fit perfectly on our lot and designed specifically to our requirements. Mike had real patience with us during this initial design phase as we had many changes, revisions and requests throughout the process. Having the builder as also the designer was an invaluable asset. He was able to make changes to his designs throughout the build process to make sure everything looked just right. Mike’s attention to detail along with his eye for design really made this the custom build that set him and his company apart from other builders. We are constantly amazed as we look around and see all of the custom design elements he was able to incorporate for us in our build. Mike knew we were working within a budget and worked really hard to make sure we were able to get the most from our investment. He worked countless hours going through design ideas and finishes, educating us on what the best options were. His use of technology to give us real time access to our budget and the progress of our build was incredible. We are so thankful that we chose Mike at The Coastal Cottage Company. The finished product is so much more than we could have hoped for. Thanks, Mike, for making our dreams a reality.

-Bob & Jennifer Kalainikas

My wife and I worked with Michael York for about 18 months building nothing less than a spectacular second home. During that time, they have been nothing but professional. I know several people that live full time on the Outer Banks and a lot of them are in the civil/structural engineering field, they all spoke very highly of Mike. Michael has over 20 years in the design and construction industry which instilled confidence that we chose the right person to make our dream house come true. During the design and construction process Michael worked with us every step of the way to make sure that our vision is being created to our standards. During the process there were points where my wife and I could get a little overwhelmed with all the decisions, such as tile selection, but Michael guided us through the process to help narrow our selection and keep us focused on the theme of the house. This saved us an incredible amount of time and money. Another point I would make in recommending Mike is that he was always looking out for our expenditures. We were never nickel and dimed, he always attempted to get the best price for the selections we made. I think one thing he does very well is to estimate the costs in a realistic manner. I would recommend a drive down to Askins Creek-Avon, NC to see our house. The design, build quality and finish is amazing, you will not be disappointed. In short, I have built 2 homes now and if I were to build another home I would not hesitate to use Michael York again.

-Michael & Jackie Lynn