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Extreme. That word describes the experience of being chosen to get a brand new home with all the bells and whistles.
Imagine opening the door and seeing Ty Pennington there with a camera crew, a design team and the promise of giving you the home of your dreams! That was what happened to a family in mid-Michigan this week.
On Friday, September 26, 2008, Arlene Nickless, of Holt, Michigan, and her family got the wake-up call to become the next family to be on ABC’s hit show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition!
The house, which was built around the 1860s, was supposed to be the dream home that the family would fix up slowly but surely. However, the dream was cut short by the death of Arlene’s husband Tim last January. Tim was the craftsman in the family, and his passing meant that there was only Arlene to keep the dilapidated house from falling apart around her and the couple’s three young sons. With the arrival of Ty and his crew, the family could now have a fresh new start without having to worry about the pipes or the wiring inside the house.
I am a fan of this show, and I’m so excited that I can now see for myself just how they can build a house in just 5 days, or exactly 106 hours! That’s right, it’s just an easy drive from my house to Arlene’s neighborhood. So I scooted off today to take a look for myself, and be able to bring you, for this week, a glimpse of how the show’s crew is able to do the impossible.
Friday was when the family started to pack for their vacation to Disney World, which is paid for by the show. If you’ve seen previous episodes of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, you know that the family is sent away for the entire week of construction. They also went through their belongings with the crew to let them know which they wanted to keep.
The schedule of jobs for the rest of week is roughly:
- Saturday (September 27): Move-out family’s belongings. The family leaves for Disney World.
- Sunday (September 28): “Braveheart” march of volunteers to the site. Demolition. Foundation is put in.
- Monday (September 29): Utilities; basement; house framing, plumbing and electrical jobs; second-floor deck; windows; roof trusses and shingles.
- Tuesday (September 30): Drywall; siding; ceilings; cabinets; exterior trim; painting.
- Wednesday (October 1): HVAC; more plumbing and electrical work; doors; appliances; hardwood floors; garage doors; closets; more painting.
- Thursday (October 2): Sprinklers and landscaping; furniture move-in; interior decor; final cleaning.
- Friday (October 3): “Move the bus” to welcome the family to their brand new home!
Now, how is all this going to be done in only a week? The secret is in the volunteers. Or rather, the hundreds of volunteers. For this project, 1,500 volunteers signed up to help. They will be working in shifts 24 hours a day to finish the job. The volunteer efforts are being organized by local builder Mayberry Homes. Local companies have also pitched in by donating materials, time and skills.
Next up, photos of the house and Saturday’s progress.
(10-01-08 Update) Schedules: Spectators are welcome to visit the site. Shuttles will be available on Thursday, from 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., from the K-Mart parking lot on South Cedar St. On Friday, the shuttles will run from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. ‘Move the Bus’ is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. on Friday. Spectators are urged to get to the site hours before the 2 p.m. reveal. “Up to 6,000 people are expected” according to this LSJ article.
image from personal collection
I would like to know where to write to Ty or one the other menber of extreme makeover. I’m very need and don’t where trun. PLEASE Help. mpope
i am a widow since 2002 and the only way that we are paying rent is the kids ssi and now that the ssi is cutting us out of our check we will have to go back to a motel i have raised my kids and done the best i can but now it is serious my son has cerebal pa;sy and cant get any help and my daughter has a heart condition an all i wanna do is keep this family together and provide the best i can please help us please
Hello,
We are P.I.K.E. (People In charge of Keeping Entertainment). We are also freshmen at Pike County High School working on a Civis project. Our school would like a new auditorium. The one we have is falling apart. It floods when it rains and there is a major mold problem. There are unfortunatley more issues but too many. We would like to earn money and make this dream happen and change the future for the other students at our schools. We would really appriciate your help.
Tahnk You,
P.I.K.E.
I consider my mom to be the most hard working lady in America. She has been working 60-72 hours a week to make a living for me and my brother. Ilove my mo so much It has reached apoint where by its kind of depressing me to watch her work those hours. She divorced from an abusive marriage in september 2007. Since then she rented a house, she has credit cards topay,car loan and all the bills in the house. My mom works for a non profit making organization called Scar jasper mountain center. Of late she has not been able to keep up with those hours and i wonder what will happen to us next. she is so good with kids and has been dreaming of being a TFC parent to help some of those kids. Though she was aproved to be a TFC parent through jasper i still feel like our living enviroment will not be entertaing enough for those kids. Ty and your group can you please come to my moms rescue and get her a better house to make her dream come true and also have time to relax and make a difference in those kids life and may be help me and my brother got to college. My brother will graduate in june and has been admitted to Oregon state university. I graduated in high school in Kenya with an A grade and have never been able to continue with school as much as i wanted to. I had to look for a job to help my mom pay off some of her bills that she got into while educating me and my brother. I wonder what will happen if my brother will not join college if he does not get a scholarship. This might end up depressing my mom for life. I have tried my best to help her but all in vain. Please! Please! please! Hlep my mom.
I have this couple that goes to my church Chris and Cheral Milligan thay just lost there son in a car accident. I would like to see there house made over I would like to help to. Cheral went throuh hard times through the years from having bad headaches.
1297 days ago
[...] Moloney is one of the members of the design team that worked on the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition house for the Nickless family in Holt, Michigan last [...]
Hi Jamshed, you can apply directly to ABC’s Extreme Makeover:Home Edition. Here’s the link to the application page:
http://abc.go.com/primetime/xtremehome/index?pn=apply
Maricar,
I would like to use this, and another one of your articles for a research paper about EM:HE. Would you allow me to do so? Also, Where do you get all of your information?
Thank you,
Andrea
How we can apply to have such beautefull house?
1311 days ago
[...] Pennington, the host of ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, combines an art education (specifically graphic design, painting and sculpture), carpentry skills, [...]
1311 days ago
[...] Hillis is the new hunk member of ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. His carpentry experience goes back to college, when he framed houses and did demolition and [...]
1311 days ago
[...] is the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition design team member who wears a pair of pink boots, pink work gloves and a pink tool [...]
1313 days ago
[...] ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is popular for its concept of choosing a deserving family and building a new home for them in one week. A team of talented designers travel with the show to provide direction for furnishing and decorating the home. [...]
1314 days ago
[...] was the day! At the site of ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in Holt, the crowd was huge, excitement filled the air, shouts of “Move that bus!” rang [...]
They finally moved “that bus” at just after 4pm today.. very long day but it was great!
1315 days ago
[...] are some of the photos I took at the site of the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in Holt, Michigan yesterday. Landscaping has started, and most of the work on the home’s [...]
As early as you can. :)
What time would anyone suggest being there on Friday for the first shuttle? I bet people are going to be there way before 7:30AM don’t you think?
Great. Thank you so much!
Megan, It will be in about six to eight weeks.