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Our Specialties:
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W.A. Coolidge Company is a full service construction company serving the Seacoast of New Hampshire, Maine, and Northern Massachusetts. The owners, Wayne A. Coolidge and Wendy A. Wentworth Coolidge have been partners for over 30 years. We specialize in high quality residential and commercial building, renovations, and restorations.
The Coolidge Company is about flexibility, innovation, and results. Our company will focus on your precise wishes in order to deliver cost-effective solutions to any project. We strive to offer superior quality by using and overseeing the best and reliable subcontractors and suppliers in the area. We believe that every project that we undertake will be completed within a timely fashion as if it was our personal home. We offer first class craftsmanship and attention to detail from start to finish. We want to make your dream project a reality along with providing a fun and memorable experience.
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During the winter months, we can crave more indoor space. Having a renovated basement is the perfect extra space for children and adults alike!
Snow Means SkiingBy: Wayne Coolidge
Seeing the fresh snow on the ground makes me think of skiing. Which then brings back a flood of memories from my years and years of downhill excursions. My favorite memory is the first time Wendy ever went skiing. We were dating and my folks invited her to go to Bretton Woods with us. I rented her skis, coached her on the chair lift procedure, and proceeded to the summit. Upon getting off the lift and looking down at the ski lodge, which looked like a spec in the distance, and straight down, she said, “Oh no, I can’t do this!” “Well, there is no other way down,” I replied. She looked around in panic, sized up the situation, and quickly responded, “that chair lift goes in both directions!” She got me there – lol! My mom, who is one of the most graceful skiers I have ever seen, took Wendy under her wing and said, “Stay in my tracks, and we’ll get back to the bottom safely.” Over the next couple years of skiing with my mom, Wendy too became a very graceful skier. But as she got better, I had to step up my game to impress her. As newlyweds, we went night skiing at Cannon Mountain. This one run, she got to the bottom before me. Seeing her standing off to the left of the line, I thought this was a great time to seize the opportunity. I was going to fly down the last section, come in hot, do a hockey stop, and spray her with snow. I know, nice guy huh? I was young! All was going as planned and just as I was about to do the hockey stop, I caught an edge and down I went- straight into the people standing in line for the chair lift! If I was a bowler, that would have been a strike because I took out ten people and none were left standing. Luckily, only my ego was bruised, and all the other skiers were ok. Standing there safely, Wendy announces to the floundering crowd, “Ahh sorry, it’s his first-time skiing.” Years later when our girls were old enough to ski, we started a tradition of going to Bolton Valley during the week of February school vacation. When Melissa was three years old, we decided to hire a private instructor to teach her to ski. His name was Mark, and he great working with young children. He started with the basics, teaching the snowplow, which he called ‘pizza’. Then advanced to putting the skis parallel to each other for speed between turns, which he called ‘french fries’. The following day as Wendy and I were casually coming down a slope, some young kid goes flying past us, skis parallel, yelling, “french fries. Followed by Mark yelling, “Pizza! Pizza!” Realizing the situation, we gave chase too, but didn’t catch up with Melissa until she stopped at the bottom. We had created a speed demon! The next year, when Rebecca was eight, we would take off and ski the more challenging blue trails for a few fast runs together. On this particular run, we agreed to get off at the mid-station instead of going to the top and dealing with the black diamonds. I got off as planned, but for some reason Rebecca didn’t. In a panic I started yelling to her to wait for me at the top, but she couldn’t hear me. I started to freak out. My little girl was heading to the summit without me. Would she be able to get off the lift safely? Would she wait for me? Would someone grab her? Would she try to navigate the black diamonds to get back down? My only course of action was to ‘french fry’ to the bottom as fast as I could and take the lift to the top. Ever notice how slow the lifts go when you are stressing and need to get to the top quickly? I kept an eye out on the other skiers going by, but she wasn’t one of them. As I approached the end of the chair lift, I looked to the left at the ski patrol building and saw waving from the window. It was Rebecca! A flood of relief came over me! As I got off the lift, there was a ski patrol member there that asked me if I was missing something… I went inside to get her, at which point she asked, “Can I finish my hot cocoa before we keep going?” Now it is time to introduce skiing to our grandchildren. I will update you in ten years with new stories and adventures. Until then, I am wishing you all the best! Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! View our winter newsletter here! Hidden Treasure: Renovation ProjectYou never know what you will discover hidden under a ceiling, floor, or in a wall during construction. Like this home, imagine how delighted the owners were to find beautiful beams hidden in the ceiling, which we incorporated into the new ceiling!
Tip of the Month: JanuaryProtect your entryway floors. During the winter season, snow, ice, salt, or sand can get tracked into your home. Prevent this by putting a mat outside your front door with a boot scraper to keep most of it out outdoors. Put a larger mat inside the entryway for the winter, like a runner or floor mat that can take abuse from all the wet shoes coming in. Additionally, make sure you have boot trays available to place boots and shoes.
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