Two women, a wedding and a home remodel: "The Forever Home: Going Green" movie premiere next weekend

        Iris Harrell' and Ann Benson's Forever Home (entryway)       Photo: Bill Enos

Ever wondered what it would be like to remodel your home, where everything is “green,” environmentally friendly and meant to last a lifetime?

Then you’ll want to tune into KQED on October 3 when they kick-off Home Improvement Month with the premiere of The Forever Home: Going Green.

The Forever Home: Going Green is not your usual home-improvement movie. Instead it is an artistic collaboration between Pam Walton (Pam Walton Productions) and Iris Harrell (Harrell Remodeling, Inc.), one that beautifully tells the story of a “universally designed” home remodel in Portola Valley, California, alongside the 30-year relationship of its owners, Iris and her spouse, Ann Benson.

  Iris Harrell (L) and wife Ann Benson 2009. (Photo: Pam Walton) 

“Iris and Ann got married in 2008 and I wanted to wrap the whole (film) around their wedding,” says Pam Walton, the award-winning independent film maker behind The Forever Home. “I (also) wanted to show that it’s not an easy process to get through (when remodeling a home)."

The 27-minute long film shows the process of green remodeling and that being green nowadays also means being “universally designed,” where “anybody, any age, any ability can use it.”

“We called this film The Forever Home because the concept of a “forever home” is that no matter what stage of life you’re in, (your home is usable and adaptable), whether you’re four-years-old or 84-years-old” says Iris. “It means aging in place.”

Iris, who founded her award-winning design + build remodeling company in 1985, began her own home remodeling back in 2007, hoping to have her remodel completed in time for Ann and Iris’s wedding in 2008.

    Iris (L) and Ann in 1979.     (Photo: Pam Walton)

“We wanted our home to be ready for an in-home wedding reception,” says Iris. “We were having 150 people!”

Just over one year later, Iris and Ann’s new home was completed in time for their reception and included “green” amenities, such as solar panels, recycled doors and fixtures and “universal design” features throughout, including a bathroom sink that moves up and down and a curbless shower.

“It’s a special privilege to live in a home that will carry you through the rest of your life,” says Iris. “The air is fresher, the views are better…(My remodeled home) is like living in my own spa. It’s like waking up in your own painting.”

Iris and Ann's home has won these National Association of Remodeling Industry Awards:
          • Platinum Award in Residential Universal Design
          • Judge's Choice Award, Most Green Project
          • Regional 8 State Contractor of the Year for Universal Design
          • National Award for Universal Design
          • The National Chrysalis Award for Universal Design

The Forever Home: Going Green will premiere on KQED on October 3, 2009 at 4:00 pm.

DVDs are available for purchase--click here for more information. 

For more info: The Forever Home, Pam Walton Productions, Harrell-Remodeling.

**To receive N. E. Francis's articles in your email, just click on the Subscribe to Email button at top of article.**

(Copyright © 2009 N. E. Francis. All Rights Reserved.)