By Margo Greenman, 425 Business Magazine

Headquartered in Bellevue, the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties is one of the oldest and largest local homebuilders association in the United States. With a more than 100-year history, the association has deep roots in the region.

It feels different here. We're at the office, talking shop. Moving past the acoustic guitar and AC/DC record (yes, record), you get a sense that these guys and gals are doing something cool and modern—so modern, in fact, that the industry has yet to catch up. It makes sense that there's a guitar in the office because this team strums to the tune of their own chords, setting new standards in homebuilding and daring anyone to do the same. Welcome to Green Canopy Homes.

BEATRICE (THEY NAME THEIR HOMES)

We're on the roof of "Beatrice" now, overlooking Lake Washington and Bellevue on one side, with a clear shot of the Smith Tower in Seattle on the other. But enough about the view—we're standing on top of building science. The guts of this home will soon be filled with enough gadgetry to wow even the most ardent tech geek, delivering cleaner air, more efficient heating, and an overall sense of innovative superiority.

Driven by the Built Green® checklists, along with meticulous Quality Control Inspection Checklists (QCIC) of their own, every Green Canopy job site is synchronized via iPads that deliver real-time project management tracking and communication. This process ensures that critical updates are made and that any mistakes don't happen twice. It's all about getting better here, from process to parts. Better homes lead to a better brand, which in turn provides validation for that tree logo on the front of each Green Canopy-certified home.

"That tree logo," by the way, is there for much more than feng shui. Turning residential homebuilding innovation into an industry strength is made possible by Value, Innovation, Beauty, and Efficiency, or VIBE, the way Green Canopy sees it. Their brand is secured—not grounded—by these four "roots," seen literally on the face of each home, welcoming owners and guests into the future of home living. And if a home doesn't meet the rigorous checklists, then it doesn't receive the logo. In other words, this brand delivers.

THE GENESIS OF BETTER BUILDING

Let's take a step back to a sleep-deprived evening in 2008. Owners Aaron Fairchild and Sam Lai had both recently welcomed their newborns, and through their giddiness came the idea for Green Canopy Homes. After trademarking their moniker, they went to work on answering a simple question: Are we making a difference? Heady question, but these guys wouldn't have it any other way. They're looking to create history.

Of course, history is defined by change and nobody knows that better than this crew. They don't throw history out, however; in fact, they embrace it in all its past beauty. Case in point; each project they take on comes with the name of an iconic and typically historical female figure. "Beatrice" is named after Beatrice Simms, founder of Seattle's chapter of Colored Women's Clubs. Each project's story continues long after the team leaves, too, as Lai envisions his future homeowners living, laughing, and growing up healthier and happier inside their Green Canopy home.

After a familial chat with the project managers, in conversation outside of Beatrice, Lai finishes his point on home efficiency by comparing vehicle MPGs to home efficiency ratings. "Hopefully my kids will think about their home MPGs in the same way (as their vehicles')," he says, almost as an afterthought. "I guarantee you they will," quips Fairchild, never one to miss a beat. The attention to detail is strong.

Those who know Aaron Fairchild may know his father, who knew everyone. Aaron worked at his father's bank from 1995 to 2008, refining his financing skills and using his area residential homebuilding experience to put investors in a place where they could succeed and do so without sacrificing values. One day, at the height of the financial crisis, Fairchild decided it was time to enter the real estate industry. Why? Human reasoning can be a tricky thing to grasp, but a simple analogy sums up his thought process: this was his chance to build something beautiful from the crash.

CHANGE WAS COMING

Of course, cultivating said change means planting the right seeds in the right place. In this case, it means building sustainability in the cultural center of the Northwest, the greater Seattle and Portland areas. Green Canopy has sprouted roots in some of the most visible and dense areas of the Puget Sound region, spanning a diverse price range. Built Green-certified homes, like the ones Green Canopy specializes in, now make up 57 percent of all residential homes built in the soil-rich Seattle area. The roots of change are spreading—must be all the rain.

BACK TO THE FUTURE

At the Earth 6 property in Delridge, consisting of six detached single-family units, Fairchild fervently points out features, describing the living area as "Volkswagen luxury," inside the well-sealed envelope construction of the home. Green Canopy projects that go on the market in the low $400,000 range, such as the Earth 6 units, contain features not typically found at that price, and both Fairchild and Lai are quick to point out that they have had help in being able to spread the technology around. In steps the Washington State Housing Finance Commission (WSHFC), without whom, Green Canopy would not have been able to build the Earth 6 homes the way they wanted to. The WSHFC has helped builders like Green Canopy deliver deep energy efficiency to homes of all shapes and sizes, allowing lower-end residences to experience the joy of high efficiency ERVs, eco panels, and 230 percent more efficient heat pumps creating compressed energy with the intensity of "high schoolers on the dance floor" (another Fairchild classic), just like they do inside million-dollar homes. In WSHFC, Green Canopy sees a like-minded ally, not afraid to think outside the box and take measurable risks to achieve their mission. In their own words, green innovation within the building industry typically "hasn't been a strength," though Fairchild and friends are working on that.

It helps, too, that everyone on the team actually talks the talk when it comes to living green. Lai literally lives and breathes his product, living in a home he collaboratively designed and built himself. Hanging around the crew, especially Lai and Fairchild, it becomes immediately apparent that they really do mean it when they say they want to change the residential homebuilding industry—whether everyone likes it or not.

Cue the chatter of neighbors opposed to modern "monstrosities" being erected in their neck of the woods. Fairchild combats allied neighborhood fronts by simply sitting residents down and talking to them like the people they are, and giving them some say in what they have to look at every day. The loudest typically direct the majority at these gatherings, Fairchild points out, so Green Canopy gives individuals the option to go online and fill out a survey on features like exterior color and roofline shape, which will then influence the design direction Green Canopy takes. The home is then built according to plan—with slight alternations to paint and slope.

When asked whether or not this is enough to satisfy opposed residents, Fairchild counters the clash with reason: "We hold meetings for existing residents even before buying the property, to talk with them and see if building there (in a particular neighborhood) would be a good fit in the first place. If we think it is not right for us, we explain that another builder will eventually buy this land, and they probably won't engage the community at all."

Fairchild also discusses obstacles within the rebuilding process, explaining why he and Green Canopy have moved away from full-gut remodel projects: Persistent frustrations with an elongated plans review process of remodel permits have in the past delayed projects to the point where they "just aren't worth the trouble," he says. Ever the mender, however, he has recently taken a seat on the MBA board, where he hopes to further influence political decision-makers in our region. By engaging the public and manning the front lines of influential industry committees to squash issues before they become problematic, Green Canopy is winning before nail one is hammered.

Inevitably, when one tours a Green Canopy home, the question arises: "Can you do this for us?" With a few more of those questions answered, things won't feel so different anymore.

Cue the guitar.

By MBAKS Content Strategist James Slone

A home is not truly complete until its unique details are set in place. Crystalline shower doors, eye-popping accent walls, and ornate tile floors transform mere rooms into showpieces offering a lifetime of delights.

It’s not easy putting on the finishing touches. Tile, glass, and paint may be surfaces, but the work they require is anything but skin-deep. I spoke to three trades professionals to find out how they make functional spaces extraordinary.

Bath project showing off the painstaking work, masterful skill, and artisanal creativity that goes into Mohler Design’s vividly eye-catching tile creations. Photo credit: Cindy Apple Photography

Mohler Design—Striving for Happy Customers

There is nothing like a glimmering backsplash beckoning from the kitchen or intricately patterned entryway tiles inviting you home. Since 2001, Mohler Design has offered exquisitely detailed tiling services throughout the Seattle area that make everyday spaces stand out.

Founder Bill Mohler tells me that when he started the company in 2001, “It was just me and two other installers.” But skill, talent, and ambition quickly attracted a highly skilled team of craftspeople united by a passion for creating inspiring designs for kitchens, bathrooms, flooring, and an array of other surfaces.

“We pride ourselves on education and training and making sure all our [tile] setters are updated on current installation methods,” says Mohler. “We work with all types of tiles from classic to modern to genuinely unique designs.”

Custom work is a pleasure for Mohler Design and the company never lacks for exciting new projects. “We typically complete over 100 a year,” Bill explains. A project can require as few as one installer, or several if it’s a large custom build. Either way, “It is essential that we work together with other contractors to ensure that projects run smoothly and on time.”

For Bill, there’s never a dull moment working with individual homeowners or designers and builders on a diverse spectrum of projects. “Our projects can vary greatly in size and detail from a small backsplash to a large custom home build with tiling in multiple rooms.”

With two decades of experience and a reputation for excellence, Mohler Design has established strong working relations with the finest tile and stone distributors in the industry and have collaborated with top designers, builders, and general construction firms in the area.

Bill takes great pride in the company’s long-standing relationships throughout the community. “We have been honored,” he says, “to work on some very cool projects over these past 20 years.” Quite a few have netted significant accolades, including several Trades Excellence in Remodeling Awards from MBAKS.

Awards are great, says Bill, but they’re not the biggest motivator. “When all is said and done, we strive to ensure our clients are happy.”

Distinctive Glass—A Legacy in Glass

“We ask a lot of questions, listen carefully, and do our best to help the client get what they envision. It’s so fun to see [a client’s] dream bathroom completed with a really nice shower door or mirror. It puts that finishing touch on their home.” The effort involved is worth it but takes time.

“An average shower door takes about four to five weeks to fabricate, but some custom showers can take as long as eight. With sales, estimating, production, and installation, it takes seven to nine different people to finish an install. We complete about 15 per day.”

The company has a sixth sense for what the customer wants, and experience means they can deliver. “We have 10 employees who’ve been with us for 20 years,” says Brian. “What makes the company is the quality of people we have working with us.”

Brian’s passion for glass is a family legacy. “I’m a third-generation glass guy,” he says. “My father and grandfather were lifelong glass guys. Both of my boys are now in the industry and love it. My co-founder and business partner Dennis Vogt started in the 1970s.

“Dennis and I had a vision of being known for the highest-quality glass work in the state. We try very hard for that.” Now, says Brian, they’re doing it in more than one state.

A longtime Distinctive Glass employee Matt Dunston recently opened a new location in Arizona to bring the shop’s high-quality work to the Grand Canyon state. “It is doing very well, and we are excited about what the future will bring.”

Hedlund Painting put the finishing touches on this stunning Kirkland update with gorgeous interior and exterior paint that makes the home seem lighter than air.

Hedlund Painting—Picture-Perfect Finishes

A house is just a structure before you add paint. With vivid colors and tactile textures, Lynnwood-based Hedlund Painting transforms mere collections of floors, walls, beams, and ceilings into homes brimming with vibrancy and life.

Their luminous work has won numerous awards, including several Best of Houzz Awards and Angi Super Service Awards in 2019, 2020, and 2021.

Hedlund Painting doesn’t just paint. They offer a full range of services, including interior and exterior staining, cabinetry refinishing, millwork, drywall repair, and wall texturing—and they do it all on point. But the power of their work is about more than mere craft and artistry. It’s also a matter of pride.

The company’s success, says owner Christopher Whitman, lies in their dedication to customer service and quality results. With years of experience painting thousands of households, the company has developed highly efficient work processes that keep projects on-time and on-budget.

Their website declares, “We are not looking for a single job; we build relationships that last.” This is accomplished by “showing up when we say we will, respecting the job site and everyone we interact with, and by being honest and ethical.”

To ensure that the end result meets or exceeds client expectations, Hedlund maintains strong lines of communication with clients, emphasizing punctuality, cost-effective technique, and perfect finishes.

Whitman says that Hedlund’s team, both office and field staff, work closely together. “Office Manager Carmen oversees internal operations while Charlie, Rigo, and Zak provide estimates and other customer-facing services. Vince and Erika handle day-to-day field tasks such as scheduling the crews, material orders, and onsite customer relations. All in all, it’s a team effort and we strive to emphasize that to each other and our clients.”

From the moment they contact the client, Hedlund initiates a “very friendly and informative” process. “When conducting the walk-through, we provide the client a detailed and organized list of their requests and our tasks.” The client agrees to the work to be completed before a single brush is dipped.

“Upon agreement, the task list is given to the project managers who execute all the details and tasks discussed during the initial walk-through.” The work is always aligned with the customer’s wishes. What they dream up is what they get.

Christopher loves the process. “I have a lot of fun helping clients achieve the changes they’re looking for. Painting as a whole is a reasonably cost-effective way to make huge aesthetic changes in your home. I personally find making that connection on a personal basis very rewarding.”

For Hedlund Painting, that human connection is the real finishing touch.