Extreme Makeover-Home Edition

[TNHermit]

Yes I watch it And have wondered about it. I've done motel rebuilds in short times. I thought some would like to read about it Its long article in from Custom Builder Magzine. there are a few pics at the end

http://www.customhomeonline.com/indu...ticleID=683351

[Randy Rooster]

I dont see how building ostentatious palaces place fit for a king benefits the families involved or humanity in general.

[wy_white_wolf]

Originally Posted by Randy Rooster

I dont see how building ostentatious palaces place fit for a king benefits the families involved or humanity in general.

I'd like to see what many of these homes look like 5 to 10 years after they are build. Seems many of the problems of the homes they are replacing are do to lack of maintenance. Never see them teaching the owners anything about do that and the new home will usually require more than the old homes.

[Ninn]

I'd love to see them build an off-grid place in a week. Maybe stretch their minds a bit. Learn what's really important. A home is important. So is being able to meet the mortgage and utility payments. I wonder how many of the recipients lost those homes due to overwhelming mortgage fees.

[Wags]

When it first started there were more remodels but as the show has progressed the houses have gotten larger and more elaborate and our interest has dropped to the point we don't watch it at all - even when they did a house near us.

I understand that building from scratch is faster and easier then doing a remodel, but the McMansions they are building now just seem like major overkill to me.

[Lizza]

Originally Posted by Randy Rooster

I dont see how building ostentatious palaces place fit for a king benefits the families involved or humanity in general.

We live by the one they built in Corvallis Oregon. On the news a month or so ago they reported that not only has the family lost their beloved daughter to cancer but they are going to loose the house as well that was built last year. They can't keep up with the property taxes and the heating bills. I haven't seen anything else in the paper but it would have helped this family MUCH more with a nice small house that they could afford the taxes and heating on. Of course that probably wouldn't have made very good TV.

[fishinsoap]

They built one about two blocks from where I sit now. It was no larger than what she had, but is much nicer. Her old house she bought while she was helping her husband through graduate school and times were tight for them. About the time he finished school, she was diagnosed with MS and he left her. The house they built is more suited to someone with her condition and looks nicer as it is newer and was built for the show, so they have to make it look good. That being said, building it in a week had drawbacks, various local contractors have been visiting her house to fix this and that for almost two years now. She is a community person with a big heart so I was very pleased when she got the new house and everyone who works on it now does so either for free, or they are paid by someone else, nobody would charge her a dime because she has had such a rough time of it. And for the record, she has done everything in her power with limited mobility to make the place look even better. Sometimes I drive past and see her in excruciating pain planting flowers, she smiles and waves, and I feel like a big fat lazy SOB because I cant keep my place looking as good as she can and I am of supposedly sound body.

[TNHermit]

I've watched as the latent advertising has gotten more and more. So I suspect with the popularity of the show more corps want their name in there so they donate all kinds of stuff. So the house gets bigger and more fancy.
Seems like a lot of them get their mortgages paid or a big chunk of help. But I agree with you others about maintenance and pmts.

[Lizza]

My husband was talking with a swimming pool builder in California (he's a pool contractor) that did the pool for one the houses down there. They were saying that the show got in some "better looking" actors for the shots of building the pool and they had to tell the actors what to do to make it look like they were building the pool. I don't know if it's true because it's second hand info but I've always thought it was funny that his crew wasn't cute enough to put on TV.

[MushCreek]

I often wonder how many Habitat-for-Humanity style homes they could build for the money and effort that goes into one of those places? Why go over the top for one family a week, when there are so many in need? I would love to see what happens to those families a few years down the road- I bet they are not all happy endings.

[LandRover]

I think that too MushCreek. I don't begrudge the families who get this because most are very deserving causes - but it all seems so excessive sometimes. And they all love to show what great people and companies they are while drawing huge salaries or advertising there products.

[Ardie/WI]

We quit watching the show because it was always the same, week after week!

[retire2$]

Extreme Makeover built a home and barn about 6 miles from my place. Local paper covered it big time. Long story short she will probably loose the place within 5 years. Here's the scoop. A family ran a FREE riding area for handicapped children. The barn was in poor condition and the house was old. The husband died before he could repair the barn. Extreme Makeover comes in and builds a beautiful riding arena and a HUGE house with all the bells and whistles. The lady has had a few open houses (charging admission) to try and raise money so she can continue with the free riding therapy for the handicapped children. Through the grapevine I've heard if she tries to sell the house the builder will have to be paid to recoup his costs (most of the stuff was donated and the builder got all this free publicity), they gave her $50,000 to help with taxes (which won't last long considering the value of the place now), the lady only wanted the barn refurbished and didn't want a big house (putting the handicapped children before herself) My thoughts is that when the tax sale comes some rich person will buy the place, close down the arena for the handicapped children and make it a riding area for paying customers. The woman will loose, the children will loose, and Extreme Makeover will be on to other ventures. Result: One womans dream will become her worst nightmare.

[texican]

It's all to make people "feel good"... the watchers anyhow. The recipients are overjoyed, till the tax bills arrive.

If people can't afford a livable home before, they won't be able to afford the taxes and upkeep on a new one.

This same kind of thinking.... that good people deserve good homes.... 'irregardless' of their ability to pay, is one of the reasons why the economy is on the brink of disaster... mortgages on high dollar homes... and situations where folks cashed out their equity, and now owe more for their homes than the homes are worth.

I'd rather live within my means, personally, and not have to worry about losing my place, than to have an unmanageable mortgage, and risk losing everything... Of course, if the nanny state steps in and rewards people who lost on their home equity gambling... I'll look silly. [rewarding them by helping them afford homes they never could afford... wrong wrong wrong]

[DamnearaFarm]

Originally Posted by MushCreek

I often wonder how many Habitat-for-Humanity style homes they could build for the money and effort that goes into one of those places? Why go over the top for one family a week, when there are so many in need?

Because it is a TV show, not a ministry or a nonprofit devoted to building for the less fortunate.
Lotsa poor people in regular houses aren't as interesting to the general public as one profiled family with the "the bells and whistles".

I've said it before on threads about this show. They don't have to help anyone, they could just do some other show and generate a viewer base. It just happens to be a TV show that builds homes.

[MelissaW]

My husband worked on an Extreme Home Makeover house last year. I can't speak for the entire house, but the portion his company worked on was top notch work. They sent out the best workers they had, used the best possible materials, and worked 16 hour days for the entire build. This particular house was fairly modest in size. Unfortunately, it was still in a marginally safe neighborhood, and the motorcycle that was given to the owner along with the house was stolen shortly after. One thing that the show never mentioned on TV, however, was that the local university donated full tuition to all of the families children. That alone would be worth the experience. I can't say that we were impressed by the cast. They showed up only for a few short visits to film clips showing them do "work" that they had no part in doing. There was also only one cast member who acknowledged the many, many local workers who donated their time. You would think that a hundred plus skilled workers putting in a full weeks work over the course of a long weekend for free (the subs didn't even get advertising, this was strictly charity), would at least warrent a few handshakes from the "talent".

[frogmammy]

Well, they just did a home near me...this last weekend, in fact. Wouldn't have even known there was anything going on if not for the LARGE construction dumpster outside this last week. There's a couple nice little houses right there, so I always notice them when driving by.

They didn't make a McMansion, and in fact from the outside, it seems little changed...do you suppose they're slipping?

Don't know when it will air, but look for the Saint Louis rebild/redo.

Mon

[ladycat]

Originally Posted by MushCreek

I would love to see what happens to those families a few years down the road- I bet they are not all happy endings.

I've seen updates on some of them in the press. Yes, MANY of them lose the houses within a year or two. But many also manage to hang on to them.

[farminghandyman]

I have wondered How many of the people have difficulty maintaining the houses built as well, as maintenance seems to a huge lack in many of the homes stated for the show,

(nothing against any of the family's, I do think there all deserving or in need), but a lot of it is a sob story and a tear jerker process it appears to be nominated, and my guess is the process is more on TV ratings than deserving families, and IMO the sponsors and the companies that donate are or many are not adequately recognized, unless there is a blitz by local media, but for national exposer, many times it is jsut a box with a logo or a truck shot for a second or less, and My guess is many are not reconized for there efforts.

one that got me was a family in WYO and the old house has radon in it so they built a new monstrosity, the old one was earth berm and was built for energy efficiency the new one sat on a hill and walls of window for two stories, looked like more heat lost (My guess) on that wall of window than the old house in it entirety almost, and they could have dug down and vented under the slab with venting tubes of the old house, and a few repairs and my guess Evey one would have been thrilled, (it was an nice looking home inside) but I would guess the new houses heating bill is more than the old houses mortgage was. alone taxes,

Also some of the theme rooms seem to way over the top in my opinion, yes some kid may like Sponge Bob Square pants or similar, but at the age of some of the kids, next week it will be GI Joe or Barbie or some new movie cartoon figure, I could see a border or some accents but the whole room and furniture and at times built-ins as well.

The other thing is the WAST, the destruction of many times a usable home that with some modest repairs for a fraction of the cost or materials and possibly with a modest add on, it would have been a great home. or at least for some one. that part of it really bugs me as well.

Also if your "given" a house, or car or other large item, new or old, doesn't one have to pay the taxes on the "gift"? of its value as income. or represented income?

I am losing interest in the show fast, I still have it on in the back ground many times but I do not watch it, (I enjoyed watching some of the building details and how they did it), now it shows three scenes a time laps and the family comes home and presto there is a new house behind the bus.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

a few years ago there was another show on (i do not even remember the title of it) it was no here late in the night, but it was more on the habit for humanity side, of things, small and practical and reasonable, they went to people in need and did repairs and maintenance and need improvements, but not entire rebuilds but fixed what need, the people that they helped seems actually more thankful than that of the "extreme home make over".

[sparkysarah]

I don't think the WYO house had to do with Radon....it had to do with "wanting" a new house. I found it amusing as Wyoming is filled with Radon and everyone should test if they have a basement. It's not unusual here.

Like I always tell my husband....I'm glad we don't qualify for a home on that show because for the most part you have to be dieing or have a dieing or sick child. We'll just stay happy and healthy in our little two bedroom trailer. We do like the show but feel for those families....and I hate crying.