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Additional insulation also helped address the challenge presented by the home's very open first floor plan.

“The builder gets a lot of input from the network about how they'd like the Extreme Makeover home to look on television,” Guiles says. “That means the first floors on these homes tend to have tremendously open floorplans, which means no place for wall-stack ductwork. That really limits your ability to keep your ductwork inside the envelope.”

The TAG team took care of the issue by splitting the VRS systems between the first floor and the second floor, and by asking the insulation contractor to spray foam the second floor roof deck. “This allowed us to put our equipment and ductwork into the attic, and yet still be able to keep it inside the envelope,” Guiles says.

In addition to providing the HVAC System for this home, TAG Mechanical Systems provided the Energy Star rating services and assisted with working to have the home comply with the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED^®) for Homes rating system. While not submitted for certification in the LEED for Homes program, the home would have achieved a gold level rating if the paperwork had been submitted, according to Guiles.

Great Efficiency is Achieved

“The whole property, the home and the gym, are running at about 50% of the energy usage that would be used by just a typical new 3,500 sq.ft home that meets this area's codes,” Guiles says.

Overall, TAG Mechanical was left with a lot of tired people and a lot of good feelings from working on the Extreme Makeover project, which aired on ABC November 9, 2008, and again on May 24, 2009 (the video is archived on ABC.com at http://www.veoh.com/collection/Extreme-Makeover-Home-Edition/watch/v18514406YZrnp9Xj).

Although this project represented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work on a project with national visibility, Guiles says the company participates in charity events quite often.

“We like to give back to the community, it's a part of who and what we are at TAG, and we do something every year at some level to participate in local charity events,” Guiles says. “It's part of what any good company needs to do, to keep raising the bar and in the process saying to clients or potential clients, ‘Wouldn't you like to be involved with a company like ours?’”

From a contractor's perspective, Guiles says if such an opportunity presents itself in your community, jump on it. While it's only worth so much from a marketing standpoint — there's a flurry of local media interest during the project, and when it airs — the real value comes from positive experience of teamwork.

“It's truly a very positive experience, to work with that many people on a team that's all pulling together,” Guiles says. “Most of us become accustomed to the day-to-day haggling at a construction site. There wasn't any of that here. There was a lot of camaraderie, a lot of people just wanting to pitch in and do whatever it took to get the job done.”

It's with extreme pride that ContractingBusiness.com presents TAG Mechanical with its first Quality Home Comfort Award, for extreme dedication in the face of extreme pressure.

EQUIPMENT LIST:

• 2 Daikin VRS systems
• 2 Daikin indoor air handlers
• Tutco electric heaters
• Hart and Cooley grilles, registers and diffusers.