Thanks in part to today's home-improvement craze and ever-burgeoning green-building movement, the shop has grown from a two-person operation to a full-service staff of 40-plus, including architects, designers, computer-aided draftspersons, salespeople, carpenters, estimators and more.
Along the way, the firm has garnered numerous national and regional awards for its projects, most of which entail comprehensive design-build contracts through which Harrell associates conceptualize, design, plan and execute all the remodeling elements.
Last year, the National Association of the Remodeling Industry's San Jose chapter honored Harrell with two of its META (metamorphosis) first-place awards and eight second-place awards. In addition to numerous previous METAs, Harrell has also taken home multiple Chrysalis Awards for Remodeling Excellence, judged by staffers at Sunset magazine and other media.
Harrell management has tried to "institutionalize" green-building with its staff, including getting Certified Green Building Professional designations (by the National Association of the Remodeling Industry) for more than 30 associates. "You've got to have everyone on board if want to be a mover and shaker," educator-turned-contractor Ms. Harrell stressed.
The state's revised Title 24 energy-efficiency standards are helping drive the green-building movement in remodeling, for instance with its emphasis on fluorescent kitchen lighting, Ms. Harrell noted. It's arguably a matter of economic survival, given the recent history of rolling blackouts when energy consumption peaks, she added.
As big homebuilders slowly adopt new practices, it appears remodeling jobs far outnumber the construction of new homes in green-building activity in Silicon Valley these days, observed Michael Foster, San Jose's Green Building Program coordinator.
Home improvements can make residences healthier -- and support sustainability efforts -- through selections as simple as low- or no-VOC paints and recycled carpets, Mr. Foster added. "It's not rocket science; it's a matter of making the right choices."
Indeed, much of Harrell's handiwork illustrates how mostly low-tech home improvements can promote environmental sustainability, energy conservation and healthy living spaces. Key elements include flooring and other surfaces and related building materials and finishes; energy-efficient appliances, lighting and plumbing fixtures; and wood-conserving framing, structural systems and materials.
Given persistent perceptions that emerging green technologies and techniques cost much more than traditional alternatives, Ms. Harrell strives to sell green-building benefits in real-world terms. "There's this myth that you'll pay more and get lower quality," she lamented.
Accordingly, the company conducts regular Green By Design workshops for its customers and other consumers interested in sustainable home-improvement practices. Even with clients who don't seem particularly motivated to go green, Ms. Harrell takes pains to point out that many environmentally friendly remodeling materials and products are comparable in cost and quality to traditional selections.
For instance, low-VOC paints are now of sufficient quality that the extra coats once required are no longer necessary. At minimum, crews make every effort to recycle materials extracted at job sites, in addition to the eco-friendly paints and formaldehyde-free insulation.
As for the latest trends in conservation-minded floors and other surfaces, bamboo flooring is attractive and exceptionally durable -- and is considered a sustainable product due to the vastly faster growth relative to traditional woods. "Our designers really like the look, and the cost is the same," Ms Harrell said.
Rather than oak and other natural woods, Harrell also frequently installs alternatives such as an ecologically produced, natural linoleum product called Marmoleum, as well as Antico vinyl floor tiling. And, in kitchens especially, cork is another sustainable material becoming increasingly popular.
Concrete and tiles made of recycled glass have become a widely-accepted countertop material, Ms. Harrell added. "That's something we don't have to talk people into." Ms. Harrell also sees more suppliers carrying formaldehyde-free cabinets with water-based varnish.
The company's approach also aims to conserve energy via various means. Formaldehyde-free batt insulation for instance is an increasingly popular, energy-saving improvement complying with Title 24.
In addition to promoting modern energy-conserving kitchen and laundry appliances and air-conditioning systems, Harrell crews also emphasize efficient plumbing-related improvements such as tankless water-heaters and low-flow toilets which have consistently improved through technological advances. Most customers are opting for gas fireplaces rather than wood-burning, Ms. Harrell added.
As for energy-conserving lighting improvements, motion-detecting kitchen and bath light switches comply with Title 24, Ms. Harrell continued. And as compact fluorescent lights use 75 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs, and last for up to five years, Harrell representatives even demonstrate for customers how their particular reflection interacts with the colors of various kitchen surfaces.
Dual-pane, low-E (emissivity) windows are also becoming an energy-saving standard, and in fact some manufacturers have pretty much phased out traditional offerings, Ms. Harrell noted. Harrell consultants during the design stage also stress how strategically located windows can help reduce energy use by letting in natural light and allowing for cross-ventilation. Adding smartly placed skylights can certainly help the day lighting cause as well.
Where applicable in its remodeling work, Harrell is also striving to incorporate the latest framing techniques, which provide the same (or superior) structural soundness relative to traditional methods using significantly less wood.
http://sanjose.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2006/03/27/focus2.html?jst=pn_pn_lk
