Based out of Manhattan Beach, Lombardi Construction specializes in creating beautiful, luxurious homes for the unique environment of Southern Californiaâs beach cities. Building a beachfront home means year-round outdoor living and incredible natural vistas, but it also means working to ensure that projects are suited to coastal conditions.
With twenty-four yearsâ worth of experience, founder and president Chris Lombardi combines the knowledge and skill set of a large builder with the attention and care of a small business. A carpenter by trade, he works with the client, architect, designer and contractor to create high-quality homes tailored to the individualâs lifestyle needs. We spoke to Chris to see why he chose Infratech Comfort Heaters to facilitate the outdoor lifestyle of this specially-designed beach city British Colonial Home.
What made you select Infratech heaters for this Southern California home?
We like the fact that they have a recessed (flush mount) application where the body of the heater is set into the building frame. We like electric heat over gasâalwaysâin a residential application. Given these two criteria, Infratech, in my perception, is the standard. Theyâre the best solution. The real value for me is separate from product quality and performance, in that [company president] John is a neighbor and he treats me like a neighbor. I get the feeling that heâs very eager and interested that Infratech is the go-to choice for all the builders in the beach cities. He certainly made the effort to make that impression on me and I wouldnât go anywhere else. Thatâs a huge value.
What is your favorite thing about the heaters?
Theyâre a fantastic combination of aesthetics and performance. Often when you build a customerâs house, you have to choose between one or the other. Infratech is great because they look beautiful and they work
What was your overall inspiration for the design of these spaces?
Itâs client driven and itâs lifestyle driven. My clients are looking to make a statement. Theyâre very involved in the design of their homes and everybodyâs got a reason for why a design means something for them, whether theyâre pure modernists or very traditional.
The use of heat is all lifestyle driven. Our clients want to be outdoors. At the beach you donât have yards. People want to be outside even when the ocean breeze is blowing, so we heat the decks.
How are your customersâ outdoor living lifestyles influencing your designs?
Itâs vision driven. As people are designing, theyâre actively projecting how theyâre going to use every space. My clients are maximizers; thatâs what we call them. Theyâre people who are not disposed to accept âgood enough.â Theyâre people who constantly study and evaluate how they can get the most out of their homes and when I say âmostâ I mean the most beauty and the most enjoyment. A simple feature like an outdoor heater turns a simple deck into a living space.
All Photos via Lombardi Construction.