Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Extreme Sleep Deprivation, But Worth It!

I had a great experience last night, volunteering for the current Extreme Makeover Home Edition project in Neenah, Wisconsin.

I arrived for my 10pm-6am shift to find a lot of people doing this...


Turns out our friends from church, along with about 15 other "general laborers," had very little to do on the shift before mine.  The laborers, on the other hand, were busting tail!  I was blown away (the entire evening) by the level of organization and coordination of the skilled laborers on the job. Wow!  Every single worker seemed focused and intent on doing his/her part to stay on schedule.  


This was my view around 11pm.


And later...


For the first couple of hours, all we had to do was watch (mostly) and serve a lot of this to the workers inside:


We also cleaned up here and there but mostly watched the process, which was fascinating.  About one in the morning, though, we got real busy, since there was finally a lot of clean-up to do!  My co-volunteers and I went in and maneuvered our ways around what seemed like 100 laborers finishing installation of electricity, heating/cooling, and insulation.   I hauled out a LOT of construction debris!


With all of the work to do and the "entertainment" of watching the process, the night went by fairly quickly. Here is my view, shortly before leaving at 6am:


On Friday, a very deserving family is going to come home and be completely amazed by the transformation of their 500-square-feet home to a 5000-square-feet showcase!  [Watch for the episode to air some time in October.]  I had a lot of fun volunteering and encourage you to volunteer, should you ever have the opportunity; it's a wonderful feeling to be part of something so great. [You don't have to wait for EMHE to come to your area, either. Click on Habitat for Humanity to find similar projects in your area.]

Oh, and P.S. Here are the answers to some of your questions, as well as a few miscellaneous facts I learned last night:

*No, I did not see a single famous person during my shift. Some friends of mine saw Ty and others today, during their day shift.
*I learned last night that during EMHE projects, they actually build two homes, flying back and forth between them! (There isn't a lot for Ty and the gang to do between the time they demolish the house and start on the decor.)
*Accelerated curing of poured concrete (think basement) creates a lot of heat! While it was in the 50's outside (I had to wear a jacket and gloves when not working!), the basement was probably in the 80's.  I was extremely impressed by those guys working down there, barely breaking a sweat! (And I did my best not to whine about the oppressive heat the short time I was down there!)
*The show's producers film and set up the project, but they do not pay for it; the builder and his crew donate their labor and materials.
*Contrary to rumor, a lot of EMHE homes do not end up in foreclosure. See Reaction and Criticism for more interesting facts about EMHE.

To follow the build, visit Lexington Homes, the sponsoring builder of this project.  Visit the Green Bay Press Gazette for more on the story and links to lots more photos.

33 comments:

  1. Amazing!

    Very interesting that they build two at a time! Wow. It makes sense...but how busy are they doing that!?! Crazy!

    I had a conversation with my husband about who pays for it before. I will be happy to tell him that I was right! ;-)

    We love that show (and Ty) Both of us cry every time.

    You are rocking the construction outfit! =)

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  2. I love EMHE and watch it religously. There is a family in my area that I want to put in an application for, but they don't want me too. I think I may, just because they are such a deserving family and have so many hardships in the past. One of their children is handicapped and confined to a wheelchair. As he gets older, the harder it is for them to maneuver him and I know EMHE could do what they need to make all of their lives easier. Now I'm crying. Bless you for volunteering on this project and I will look up Habitat for Humanity and see if there are any homes going up anywhere close. I would love to donate some of my time to such wonderful causes. Thanks for sharing....Angie

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  3. Very cool! They did one in my hometown several months ago, and I was amazed at how many people came out to volunteer their time. I also found out a couple of months after the Fresno Makeover that one of my former students (a really great guy!) is now working as one of their design team. I'm so proud of him and the work that he does!

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  4. What an incredible experience. Lucky gal, you are, to be able to have been a part of it!

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  5. Sounds like a really great experience. Be sure to let us know when to watch the show. We really loved just being in the audience when they filmed here. I would love to volunteer!
    That wiki article was really interesting too.

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  6. Cheers to you for helping out in a worthy cause. And just think, if teaching doesn't work out for you, you always have construction to fall back on.

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  7. What an exciting - and rewarding - experience!!!

    Two SMA families have been chosen as recipients over the past few years, so I'm a big fan even though there's not much time for TV. Holler when you learn when the episode will be on!

    Lucy

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  8. So cool.

    And I love your new layout

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  9. What an experience!!!!

    Look at the difference in the house in just that time you took pictures!!! That blows my mind how fast they get these houses up!!!

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  10. Good job. And I had no idea the builders pay for the houses. But then - they get to write it off as an advertising expense. The way Real Estate has been, I'm surprised any builders have the funds to put into advertising. But I'm glad they do.

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  11. that is so cool! interesting facts, I have always wondered how many can maintain the homes after the show. and if they are really helping and not just profiting from the show.

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  12. It's hard to believe a construction company (in this economy) can afford to donate all the labor & materials. That is awesome!

    Pretty amazing how fast a house can go up.

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  13. EMHE is the only reality show I will watch, I love it. What a wonderful opportunity for you and your friends to participate in this project. I will keep checking on the broadcast schedule and make sure I watch this episode.

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  14. I'm sure the whole process is amazing and totally interesting. Bless you for volunteering and taking a part to help in this so very worthy cause. Changin' lives baby!

    You have an extraordinary day!

    BTW: You look too darn cute in that hard hat....what a fashion dive :o)

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  15. They did a house near us a while back and the t.v. crew came in for a few minutes one afternoon and then spent the rest of the day in the city doing photo ops. The next time they were seen was at the reveal. The local volunteers were annoyed.

    You look great hauling refuse!

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  16. Very interesting post. I bet it was a great experience. Thanks for the extra information in answering the questions ahead of time that I am sure would be flooding in. Good job there, friend.

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  17. What a great experience for you and the community. How are you going to top your summer off after this? Run for office? Publish your book? Add more vblogging? I think you discovered an unlimited energy source -- you.

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  18. Wow! What an amazing thing to have been a part of! Good for you for participating :) I'll keep an eye open in October!

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  19. Look at you! All amazing and stuff in a hard hat.

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  20. wow I'd love to do that - It must have been a lot of fun.

    I find you kinda.... sexy in that construction garb.... LOL

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  21. One of our daughters worked for Habitat for Humanity for over a year. She could really swing a hammer when she was done. I think it's a great org and often donate to it.

    Honestly, I'm not a big fan of the show maybe because my family was in the business since I was born and there's too much stuff that they do just for show. It seems more like a pep rally than a construction project.

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  22. this is SO awesome...what a great feeling to give your time to this family!

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  23. That is so great! You are one awesome person and I am proud to be your friend! :)

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  24. I'll bet that was a very fulfilling experience. So cool for you to be part of it!

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  25. So cool! We watched an EHME house go up in our community. We did see all the famous folks and my kiddo got his shirt autographed.

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  26. Neat. And cool info. I'm bummed you didn't see TY, but glad you had the opportunity.

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  27. How cool that you got to be a part of this! I didn't know that they build two homes at a time. That's pretty crazy!

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  28. What a great experience!! Thanks for all the cool facts and your personal play by play. I have only occasionally watched the show, I like it even better now!

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  29. What fun!! I'm so glad you were there :)

    Kristin - The Goat

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  30. I love this show and never have dry eyes while watching.
    It does feel so good to volunteer and I do as much as I can. Thanks for the facts on the foreclosure thing because those rumors were discouraging. The house they did in my daughters neighborhood turned out beautifully but my daughter told me the woman who owned the house got a $6,000 electric bill and the show did not pay the bill and the electric company wouldn't give in. The neighbors all chipped in and payed most of the bill for her.

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  31. How very cool! We watch the show and love it...moves me every time. How great to be involved with that. I'll have to show this post to my kids.

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