Extreme Makeover

We visited the Extreme Make-over House in Toronto, SD while they were finishing up the outside of the house. There were people and machines everywhere. We made it one the news not because of anything we did, but because we were talking to a couple of people and Isaiah was being cute!
DJ is not as cranky as he looks here!

Below is the story I wrote for the The Lake Benton News.

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Extreme Makeover Home Edition builds
Thibodeaus of Toronto a new home
Toronto, SD
Imagine going on an all-expense paid, seven-day trip to New York City, only to return to find that your house had been completely demolished! That is exactly what happened to the Thibodeau Family of Toronto, South Dakota. Fortunately, for them, the demolition was intentional, and the house has been replaced with a beautiful, fully-furnished new home.

Each time Extreme Makeover: Home Edition visits a deserving family and host Ty Pennington shouts “Good Morning” through his trademark bullhorn, lives are changed for the better.
The family is whisked away for a wonderful vacation while their home is torn down and replaced in a week! The Thibodeau family was chosen in part because their daughter has a serious heart condition.

Amazingly, the entire process will completed within seven days. Demolition of the old home began on Friday morning, and the new home was standing by Monday. One spectator said, “It is amazing how fast they put the house up. I turned to talk to someone and I almost missed it.”

When I visited the home southwest of Toronto, the crew and hundreds of volunteers were putting the finishing touches on the exterior of the house and beginning work on the landscaping. Skid loader drivers, crew members, and helmeted volunteers scurried about the house, moving soil, attaching railings, and nailing the roof. Landscape designer Eduardo Xol (pronounced “soul”) took a break from his work in the early afternoon to speak to the media, then waved to the dozen or so spectators who had gathered to observe the action. When asked about the people he has met in South Dakota, Xol said that he meets wonderful people wherever he goes.

Meanwhile, inside the new home volunteers worked feverishly to finish the house before the deadline. In less than 48 hours, the owners of this home would be returning, and there is still much work to do!

Wednesday afternoon, the Thibodeaus will be driven up their driveway to see, what else, but a large bus blocking their driveway. As it is on each episode, only after shouting “Move that bus!” will the new home be revealed.

The Toronto episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition will air November 5, 2006 on KSFY.