"I am thankful for the wonderful, but exhausting experience," said Greg Scotto, owner of Pacific Heating and Sheet Metal. "Hats off to my employees. They worked tirelessly and were the real heroes."

Pacific was responsible for the HVAC labor and material in the creation of a new home for Karen Sears and her children, Jhyvre and Lucas. The new home built for the Sears included making it mold resistant to the extent as possible. The heating and ventilation system has HEPA filters, designed to make the air similar to that of a hospital's. Walls have mold guard and waterproofing, and the windows have a UV treatment.

DeNova Homes of Pleasant Hill, Calif., was responsible for building the new home for the Sears - and it required demolishing the original 1,200-square-foot home and building the new one in a matter of six days. More than 1,000 workers put in long days and nights for more than 100 hours straight.

The new house was built to specifications due to the needed environmental conditions for 17-year-old Jhyvre. In January of last year, Karen Sears' daughter was diagnosed with Krabbe Disease, a rare genetic disorder caused by an enzyme deficiency. Jhyvre was forced to relocate in March to North Carolina with her mother, where she received a life-saving blood transplant at Duke University and ongoing chemotherapy and medications.

Due to Jhyvre's fragile immune system, the doctors would not let her return to her Martinez home until it had extensive and expensive modifications. Due to Jhyvre's lowered immune system, the entire home had to conform to certain standards. Her health and recovery could not be compromised, said the doctors.

The family's challenges prompted a neighbor to nominate the family for ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" so the Sears family could once again reunite under one roof.

On Dec. 15, 2004, the family arrived to witness the unveiling of their new 3,800-square-foot home, complete with a pool and landscaping. This is the first time this home improvement series totally demolished a home and build a new one in its place.

DeNova Homes president Dave Sanson said he could not have accomplished the feat without his trusted subcontractors, which include Pacific. Bay Area SMACNA members Air Cold Supply and York Factory Branch donated many of the materials used by Pacific.

Publication date: 01/31/2005