Story Created:
Jun 30, 2009 at 10:12 PM CST
Story Updated:
Jul 1, 2009 at 4:23 PM CST
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TV personality Ty Pennington and the crew from ABC's Extreme Makeover Home Edition will soon be in the Ozarks. They'll be here to give one special family the opportunity of a lifetime.
Everything is in motion, and before you know it, one Ozarks family will have a brand new home.
"Yeah, I've never built a house in six days," says builder Sam Clifton of Millstone Custom Homes.
Clifton is leading the charge. ABC producers approached him with the idea and gave him one week to assemble a team. “We've got a great goal in front of us," says Clifton.
The goal is to build a house in about 100 hours—nonstop—with the help of up to three thousand volunteers. “It can be done,” says Charlie Meek, general manager of Meek’s Lumber and Hardware. “It is truly amazing to watch it happen." Meek would know. Meek’s Lumber is a primary sponsor for this makeover, but Meek's was also a major contributor back in 2005, when Camp Barnabas in Purdy got a remodel from the show.
"To say it was tough was an understatement,” says Meek. It may have been tough, but Meek says it was worth it. Too bad no one at the Springfield press conference knew which Ozarks family will get the remodel. ABC likes to keep that quiet.
"They won't give me all the information,” says Clifton.
What we do know is that the house will be beautiful. It will also be completely green. Anything left over will be donated to the Habitat for Humanity Restore.
And, it’s nice to know that the Ozarks is generous. At the initial meeting between the network and the builder, EMHE producers told Sam they were amazed that so many local sponsors jumped on board, so quickly.
"I actually had at that time about 70-percent of the house donated,” says Clifton. He adds that the number is closer to 90 or 95-percent, but now he is working towards getting those thousands of volunteers.
"It's been done in Colorado. It's been done in California, and we can do it in Missouri,” he says.
We know there are five finalists—all families—and all within 30 miles of Springfield. The lucky family will get a knock on their door on July 14th, and the other four families will also get a nice prize from ABC.
In the meantime, though, the identity of the family is top secret. Otherwise, ABC could pull out. Julie Vanvig Burnell, the builder’s press contact, said ABC told her that the show’s producers have backed out of a city before when the secret was exposed too early.
If you’re interested in being one of the thousands of volunteers needed, you can call (417) 885-9696. The phone lines are open 24 hours a day. As a volunteer, you can help with construction or do things like pass out water. There will also be a spectator area for people to watch. When the show has its big reveal, the producers say they want 10 to 15-thousand people there.
And, volunteers who sign up early enough can be a part of a big rally hosted by the show's producers. That rally will be in about a week.
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