Extreme Makeover Home Edition visited our county this fall and the episode they filmed is set to air tomorrow evening on ABC.
I got clued in to the show coming here from a good customer of mine whose farm is just across the field from the build site. (He also had the distinction of throwing a fist-sized rock into Ty’s bus with his lawn mower)
I was one of ten asked to be talent carpenters for the episode – we had a shop set up in a tent on the site, making furniture and other wood furnishings for the house. We also did some finish carpentry projects in the house.
Our group was signed up for four twelve hour shifts, but I think we were on site for well over fifty hours, although there was plenty of down time, free meals and all the Hormel hot dogs we could eat.
Not a watcher of the show (I’d never seen it until the night before I was scheduled to work, I happened to catch a rerun on the dish), but it was a fun project to be on. We had a good bunch of guys on our crew. The house was scheduled to take just over a hundred hours, but I think it got done in about ninty.
Our crew all got tickets to a vip party after the filming, so we got to party with the cast and production crew – had a great time.
Mike
Replies
One question I have... is Ty as obnoxious in person as he is on TV? :-D
I just can't watch that show... due to him...
I have another question.
They filmed here a while back. I have seen the show. It was suggested to me that I apply by a friend of a friend of a friend what was involved with the TV end. If I applied I would have been approved through that connection. I declined as I didn't think I would want to be a part of what I thought the show to be through my regular TV viewing.
My question, if you weren't involved with building furniture but were to have a hand in the actual building of the home, would you have done so and felt the same after the taping was wrapped. I am of the opinion that substandard construction is the norm on such TV shows, but that is based on pure uninformed opinion. Would like to think I'm wrong. Vic
"My question, if you weren't involved with building furniture but were to have a hand in the actual building of the home, would you have done so and felt the same after the taping was wrapped. I am of the opinion that substandard construction is the norm on such TV shows, but that is based on pure uninformed opinion. Would like to think I'm wrong. Vic"
Hmmm, I'm not sure. I was actually told that I'd be doing trim work inside the house for like eight hours. Then the week before the show, this gal calls and tells me they have me signed up for four-twelve hour shifts, Fri-Mon. I scrambled the week before & the week after to get my regular work caught up. From what I saw walking through the house & watching from the outside, the construction looked pretty good actually. I know the local building inspectors were there around the clock, not that they'd catch everything. The only problem I noticed was some drywall tape peeling loose at a couple seams. Maybe due to forcing the mud to dry too quick?
To answer the other posters question, I'll just say most of the cast was awesome to hang with, but a few ummm.....weren't. Not being a viewer of the show, I guess I didn't think of them so much as celebrities, mostly cuz I didn't recognize most of them-the other guys had to point most of them out to me. lol
Mike
Um, not to be Debbie Downer
it's not neccissarily the family that is in need is the first priority. The show first has to find/convince a local builder to do this. The local builder puts out thousands out of pocket. I estimate easy 50k. might be more. I doubt less. That's the first hurdle
Then tradesmen have to be convinced to work for free. Not a high hurdle. But might be for some.
Then materials. Same thing.
We did work on a local builders show here. Never again. The show is a profit maker for only 2 companies. The Show and the company that runs the site build. Production company? Show makes millions. Production company makes millions. Everybody else? squat
The show isn't about the families. It's about making money for those 2 companies
You would be better off convincing a local builder and trades to help out a family on thier own. Publicize it on TV & paper and internet.
They are filming here in CT, a few towns away, even as we speak. I was wondering if any BT folks are on it?
My check in time to install concrete pavers is tuesday at 2 am.
What town are you from?
I'm in Baltic.
I'm in New London...washed ashore here 10 years ago, & love the area, warts and all...
New London, nice little city with "character" ;)
That new CO-OP........Fiddleheads........have you been?
The farmers market on the weekend is great........and the food.....
Now I'm hungry!
Just checked your profile (probably should have done that before asking about your location), is your non-profit work related to the trades?
Good friends have been giving tons of time to organizing Fiddleheads - glad you like it!I work at the public library - my retirement job - retired from teaching and farming.Otherwise, I'm just a DIY - I have the oldest house that's still a residence in New London (the oldest is the Hempsted House museum) so there is plenty to do.
The company I work for provided trusses for one of their jobs. It was a big cram rush last minute thing - Nothing planned ahead of time.
They promised the owner of the company lots of free publicity, camera shots of our crane truck setting the trusses, etc.
In reality, we got nothing that they promised. They promised the moon but didn't follow through on a single thing.
That's interesting they promised that - most every logo, other than the national sponsers, was taped over. I think the only tools in our shop area that didn't have to be covered was Craftsman. They used my customers tractors and combine in the opening parts and they even taped over the JD logos.
It was fun to watch on TV tho - different seeing all those familiar faces in the background. My wifes cousin was one of the excavator operators that tore down the house. I bumped into one of my kids' school teachers and she ended up hanging on me most of the time I was there, looking for every opportunity to get on camera -and she did. lol
I still get a lot of people asking me my opinion of the show - and I still don't really have one. I look at what all we did as volunteering for the families benefit. Sure the production company made big money, that's what they're in business to do - wish I woulda thought of the idea :)
Mike
Was that the St. Louis show? On our recent barrier installation in STL, I hired Hoette Concrete to do the excavation and pouring of our concrete pads. I spec'ed an early high strength concrete mix (some call it highway mix) due to time constraints.
Roy Hoette was telling me how they used that early high strength concrete mix on the footers and basement walls of the St. Louis house they worked on. They got to access the site at about 2 am; they formed the footers, poured them, stripped those forms, set the forms for the basement walls, and by 1:00 PM that same day they had already stripped the forms from the basement walls, and the framers were getting ready to begin.
"Preach the Gospel at all times; if necessary, use words." - St. Francis of Assisi
The house we did trusses for was around Chicago somewhere. They apparently called every truss company in the state, and no one else would touch it. I was actually on vacation the week they did it, so I wasn't involved.
I would rather have a German division in front of me than a French one behind me. [General George S. Patton]