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Monday, August 3, 2009
‘Shocking’ progress at the Extreme Makeover site
What was just a hole in the ground yesterday is now starting to look like a house.
Extreme Makeover volunteers have made shocking progress on the Terpenning family home since late yesterday afternoon, according to several spectators at the work site.
“We couldn’t believe that the house was up already,” said Michele Blake of Huber Heights. “When we left yesterday they had just poured the cement for the foundation.”
This afternoon volunteers could be seen putting up siding, finishing up the final sections of roofing and bringing in the drywall.
“It’s pretty amazing how quickly it’s all coming together,” said Beavercreek resident Heather Barker. Barker last visited the site on Thursday and said she was surprised to see the new house so soon.
Members of the show’s production team said 24 hours ago there was nothing on the site. It seems the house appeared overnight.
Rob Arnold, the site builder and president of Coventry Fine Homes, said the project is moving along but construction is about three hours behind schedule.
“We’re doing a lot right now and should be finished with most of the exterior of the home by the end of the day,” Arnold said.
Volunteers will spend the rest of the day hanging drywall, painting, putting up siding, setting cabinets and doing tile work.
There have been no Ty sightings today but designer Ed Sanders could be seen running around on top of the roof. Ty’s latest tweet on twitter says he is in Wisconsin.
Construction on the house will continue until Thursday, Aug. 6, when it will be revealed to the family when they return home from their Disney World vacation.
TweetWhat’s it really like to volunteer for ‘Extreme Makeover?’
By Jen Mahaffey, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition volunteer blogger
Volunteers Come Together To Make A Difference I am a stay-at-home mother of three very active boys in Kettering. My youngest son has a rare lung disease, and it’s because of his disease that I, along with my mother, uncle and great uncle, am helping with the Extreme Makeover home.
I had no idea what to expect, I was a little nervous and felt as though it were the first day of school. When I walked up to where they are building the home, all you could see where blue shirts and white hard hats. There were people working in every direction.
It is like being on a movie set: there are tents and cameras everywhere. They have volunteers that walk around and ask you if you need anything to drink, and others walk around and ask if you need anything to eat. You feel as though you are a celebrity. Everything is “extreme” while the home is being built.
When I first arrived, the frame was being built. The contractors and all the volunteers seem to work well with each other, and all are working really fast. The work is done in teams, and each team has different things they are responsible for getting done. Surprisingly with a large number of people that are in such a small area, there is still control and it seems as though everyone knows what to do and what has to be done. Of course the contractors have no problem telling you what needs to be done and what to do next. But to everyone’s credit, so far things seems peaceful and to be going smooth. The volunteers work for hours. I talked to people that had been there for 24 straight hours. Its amazing how many people are willing to do so much for a family they don’t even know.
The home is going up so fast that by the time I left this morning the roof was going on and some of the windows had been put in. This truly is an amazing experience not only for this family but everyone that has volunteered as well.
Each volunteer has a different story as to why they want to help. I am helping because I know what this family is going through, I know firsthand what it’s like to need help to make your home safe and comfortable for your family. I understand the frustration of not being able to make that happen, so I feel as though it’s the least I can do to help this family out.
When you work with these contractors and all these volunteers, you feel as though it’s one big family. It really is amazing. And no matter what seems to be going on or how stressful you may think things can get, everyone stays calm and helps each other out.
The only way to understand all of this is to see it for yourself, even as each hour that goes by all the people that just watch from the sidelines and all the neighbors that stay up late into the night taking pictures or video taping for the family every move and minute-by-minute updates. By the end of my shift I felt as though this was my family; it really is an amazing experience, and I am so glad that I get to be a part in it all.
This post by an Extreme Home Makeover volunteer was reviewed by the show’s producers before it was released to this web site.
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