I’ve been seriously thinking about remodeling a bathroom in my house. Today I took the first step and I thought it would be fun to write about it. Okay, actually “the first step” was when my husband took a sledgehammer to the room a while back and I thought it was time to finally take the second step.
I went to Harrell Remodeling on Middlefield. I was greeted by one of the designers, Sara Jorgensen. I immediately felt like I was in good hands. We talked about who would use the bathroom, how long I planned on owning the house, what kinds of materials I had in mind for the room, whether or not the old bathroom leaked and all kinds of things that I hadn’t really considered. What an eye-opening experience and I love the idea that Sara would take care of everything. Well, I mean she and her crew of contractors, plumbers, electricians, production managers, the project manager and probably a few inspectors.
I don’t need to run around looking at fixtures, tiles, cabinets and toilets. They have it all in their “Selection Center” on Middlefield. Sara told me that I was welcome to run around and look for specific items that I might want, but that it wasn’t necessary. I’m all for not having to drive all over the bay area doing bathtub research. I explained that I was interested in being as green as possible about the new bathroom and that I liked the idea of recycled glass tiles used throughout the room.
It turns out that Harrell Remodeling is totally into being green. They hire more “Certified Green Building Professionals” than any other remodeling business in the bay area and they are a member of “Build It Green” I had a few specific concerns like the fact that I want people to remove their shoes before entering my house and that I have dogs. Would contractors be willing to remove their shoes and deal with my little dogs? Yes! They would wear fabric surgery booties over their shoes if I wanted them to and they were used to being around dogs. I had heard about contractors that brought their dogs to the jobsite, but not Harrell contractors. They won’t bring dogs to my house, they won’t smoke at my house and they aren’t allowed to cuss on the job. I should have asked "Even if they smash their thumb with a hammer?"
I noticed on their website that they offer different kinds of workshops and I think maybe I need to check out the “Kitchen and Bathroom” workshop as well as the “Low Maintenance Homes” one.
The lobby of Harrell Remodeling is packed with all kinds of awards that they and their designers won for being incredible designers, being super green and their involvement in the community. I like that they’re so involved in the community and it matters to me that I’m hiring someone who is willing to give back to Mountain View. I’m starting to think it won’t be nearly as stressful as I thought it would be to remodel this little bathroom. I think my husband can put away his sledgehammer and we’ll just let the professionals take over from here.