Preserve the Environment With Green Remodeling with Marrokal!

Reducing our dependence on fossil fuels is becoming a greater concern to Americans. Fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and natural gas, are used to produce energy but green remodeling can reduce energy use by 50 percent in a home without costing a fortune.

According to reports, half of the known oil reserves on our planet have already been used. The rest is more difficult to reach—further out to sea, deeper underground, or more chemically complex—causing it to be even more expensive.

In remodeling, Centrullo says that preserving the environment starts by making sure that the materials that are collected during the demolition phase of the remodel are properly recycled. Marrokal Design & Remodeling makes sure that these materials are saved for recycling centers. “Rather than filling up landfills, our waste haulers deliver the materials from the demolition phase to recycle centers. They sort the materials into glass, paper, wood, steel, and other materials that then get recycled or reused.”

Centrullo says the demolition materials often can have a second life, “If we save reusable items such as doors, windows, or even appliances, we can then take them to organizations that can reuse the materials which are still in pretty good shape.”

During clean up, Marrokal Design & Remodeling uses best management practices to make sure that run-off from products don’t flow into storm drains.

Marrokal Green Building is for a Healthy Lifestyle

Many homeowners aren’t aware of the dangers that are linked to numerous building products that are commonly used in American homes. “A lot of these products continue to give off harmful gas vapors,” says Certified Green Building Professional, Mike Centrullo, who is a Design Consultant at Marrokal Design & Remodeling. The non-green products can cause health problems such as headaches, eye irritation, asthma, nervous system disorders, and even cancer.

Green remodeling uses healthy building materials and therefore helps to eliminate potential health risks. One of the biggest areas of concern in green remodeling is ensuring proper indoor air quality.

That process begins in the design phase. Centrullo says making sure that a home is well ventilated creates a healthier living environment. For example, he says, “If there is a breeze corridor that runs parallel with the side of the home that we’re working on, we might consider installing a casement style window that opens out and allows the air to funnel into the home, which creates better ventilation.”

“Using low Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) finishes, cleaners and adhesives can also make a huge difference in indoor air quality,” says Centrullo. And when it comes to flooring, using the proper types of materials such as carpet that has low VOCs or even using pre-finished wood floors instead of finishing them on site will reduce the amount of harmful exposure to product fumes.

Green Remodeling: Healthy, Saves Money and Resources

If you’re considering a remodel for your home, you’ve likely heard that going “green” can make a difference in your pocketbook, the world, and your lifestyle. But you may not completely understand how or why green remodeling is becoming the leading choice for savvy and eco-friendly homeowners.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, green building (also known as sustainable or high performance building) “is the practice of creating structures and using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building’s life-cycle from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, and deconstruction.”

Marrokal Design & Remodeling has an award-winning Green Certified Design Team that focuses on understanding homeowners’ lives and then building the most energy-efficient green-type homes to match their clients’ needs. The result is a whole-systems approach to remodeling projects that ultimately saves you money, makes the home more comfortable, increases healthy air quality, requires less maintenance and provides higher and sustained durability. The final outcome positively affects your lifestyle, the environment, and your bank account.

See What Our Customers Are Saying About Us!

Notes like this are not the exception but rather the rule. It seems this nationally recognized and award-winning company is constantly receiving praise for its work.  “Our sincere gratitude to Senior Design Consultant, Jim Dyjak, and his design team, Project Designer, Scott Hall, and Interior Designer, April Worrell, who came up with ideas we never thought of. Jim even managed to get us back some of our lost view by moving our kitchen, rearranging windows, enlarging sliding doors, and repairing the adjoining sun deck. The new kitchen is our absolute favorite with its nine-foot island (aka: the sushi bar). We look forward to many get-togethers with family and friends—they'll see firsthand what high-quality work Marrokal Design and Remodeling does,” writes homeowner, Marilou Seki from Point Loma.

And think about this, when is the last time you hired someone to work on your home and you wound up giving them an endearing nickname? You’ll probably have to think for a long while about that. That’s because the home improvement industry ranks high in consumer complaints but Seki had such an exceptional experience that she wrote this.  “Last, but not least, a special thank you to our Project Manager, Pete Hoffman. Frankly, we don't think we could have survived our home remodel without him. His availability for countless calls and questions, his professionalism, unflappable personality and quiet humor had my daughter calling him "Sunshine". Pete single-handedly kept us from panicking over unexpected problems with his calm presence and knowing where to find sensible solutions,” writes Mrs. Seki.

From Lakeside, the Chavarrias write, “It has been a few months since our remodel has been completed. The project was completed on time, no surprises, no flaws, and it absolutely looks great! We are still receiving compliments about how nice it looks.”

President of the company, Gary Marrokal, knows you simply can’t buy this kind of advertising. But he knows that you can earn the praise by doing extraordinary work and running an exemplary company. And, while his company has received many awards for its high industry standards, perhaps the most satisfying indicator of success comes from comments like this one from the Marmalejos.  “Businesses of every sort should use Marrokal as the model for recruiting only the best, retaining a highly professional staff, contracting and outsourcing with the best tradesmen, and setting the standard for customer service.”

So when you’re researching home remodelers, remember to look for an ethical company that makes you their top priority, offers full design/build services, and has a staff that is experienced and responsive. When you search for those criteria you will find Marrokal Design & Remodeling. Count on Marrokal to enhance your home, suit your needs, and exceed your expectations.

Outdoor Living Rooms Are In!

Extending your living space to the Great Outdoors, creating a cushy relaxation and entertainment space on your new patio deck is what the new generation of outdoor living rooms offer. Affordable, casual living with outdoor room ideas perfect for entertaining, cook-outs, sun tanning, lounging listening to music or even watching widescreen TV.

Yes ... but ... a great chair, a new barbecue, a set of speakers also looks inviting to birds, mice, spiders and even snakes. Result? Outdoor room designs are becoming more comfort-focused, more pragmatic, even more "defensive" as families leave behind close door air conditioned living for the Great Open Spaces.

Outdoor Dining Room. Think food ... ants ... other bugs. No amount of comfy outdoor living room furniture can overcome a deluge of crawlies. Solution? Tight construction, from your patio paver stones or brick patio design up to your deck railings or your outdoor screen room, you'll need to think "defensively" in order to get the sort of peace and enjoyment you're looking for.

Outdoor Bedrooms. Night sounds ... crickets ... possums ... fireflies ... coyotes barking ... V-formation geese winging by in moonlight. All this and more will be possible if you're bold enough to venture beyond Appalachian Trail tents into a patio or lawn centered outdoor bedroom.

Outdoor Living Rooms, What Do You Think?

Your backyard living room design should be just as useful and enjoyable as the inside of your home. Depending on the size of your yard and the needs of your family, there are a variety of outdoor living areas that can be integrated into your design plan to create dedicated space for entertaining, playing, and relaxing.

Outdoor dining rooms are quite common and often connect to the inside dining area of the home for convenience and flexibility. Your dining area may feature a rustic family picnic table, a quaint, intimate patio table, or an elegant wrought iron dining set for eight, depending on the overall style of your home and your needs.

An outdoor kitchen can be a great convenience if you plan on entertaining in your backyard regularly. From a simple gas grill to a custom design with fine outdoor appliances and counter space, there are many possibilities to make your outdoor cooking area practical and beautiful.

Outdoor Living rooms are also integral parts of many backyard designs. Before selecting the best location for your outdoor living room, consider:

* The time of day it will be used most.
* The activities the space will be used for primarily.
* The effect sunlight will have on the location.

Decks, terraces, and fine outdoor furniture and accessories can make your outdoor living room a favorite spot all year round.

Recreation areas are equally important parts of a functional and pleasant backyard. Tennis courts, play areas for pets and children, hobby workstations, and custom swimming pools can add personality to your outdoor space and provide years of enjoyment for your family.

A Room Addition Plan of Action

Building a Room Addition can be one of the best investments you can make in your home. Building a room addition, such as a family room addition, or bonus room can add wonderful new living space to your home. However, prior to starting a room addition, a homeowner should first formulate a room addition plan. There are several key factors that should be considered prior to breaking ground.

Developing a room addition plan should include both interior and exterior considerations. With many room addition projects a homeowner can draw up the basic room addition plans, including the floor layout and the physical exterior shape and size of the addition. However, if the roof lines and/or foundation footprints on the existing home or the new room addition are complex, an architect may be required. An architect may also be required to ensure that the finished room addition aesthetically melds well into the existing home. This is a key factor for resale value. If a room addition appears as an afterthought to the home it will be aesthetically unappealing to the neighborhood and to someday prospective home buyers.

When planning a room addition, the permit / inspection process will typically include an overall building permit, as well as electric, plumbing, and insulation permits. In order to complete the building permit process you will need drawings or sketches of the room addition. Besides overall sketches of the room addition with overall dimensions, the drawings will also need to include cross-sectional views showing the framing type and physical sizes of floor joists, roof rafters, and wall framing construction. You will also need a bill of materials and a cost estimate for the construction. The building inspector will use this information to determine if the construction will meet all construction and safety codes. The building inspector also uses the Bill of Material and cost information to assess the amount of the permit cost.