Extreme Home Makeover Coming to the Loop

[CSUrams]

http://www.hhnhomes....ressrelease.asp

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Coming to HoustonTuesday, July 13, 2010Houston’s HHN Homes Selected as

Anybody have any idea where? They are starting this Sunday.

[kylejack]

It will be top secret until they knock on the door. First volunteers are requested for 7/25, so should be soon.

[RedScare]

Why is the Mayor giving 'unwavering support' to a group dedicated to knocking down an inner loop residence just to build a new one, while telling me that I cannot do the same?

[Porchman]

Why is the Mayor giving 'unwavering support' to a group dedicated to knocking down an inner loop residence just to build a new one, while telling me that I cannot do the same?

Because she hates your guts. You have bad street rep.

I expect this will be in a neighborhood not charted for more restrictive provisions. You know, the neighborhoods in which white people aren't interested...yet. However, get a new, 3000 sf home in place, courtesy of HHN homes and ABC/Disney, you never know what folks might chase.

I just hope the family this is supposed to help can actually afford it. There have been a few instances in which their winners could not sustain the prize.

[kylejack]

Yeah, property taxes usually hurt them.

[Htowngirl]

From Swamplot:

"Hmmmm. Something sure looks funny about the demo permit taken out by HHN Homes and listed below for the city’s code enforcement and plan review offices at 3300 Main St. Maybe the address is just a stand-in for next week’s mystery-site Extreme Makeover: Home Edition demo and rebuild. Ya think?"

[JLWM8609]

FYI: An Extreme Makeover Home Edition convoy was spotted on S. MacGregor in Riverside earlier today going toward Scott St. The Chron reports that the house is located in the 3600 block of Goodhope. That's in the vicinity of Scott and 610.

Update: I attempted to drive by so get a look at what's going on, but HPD has Goodhope St. blocked off between Tierwester and LaSalette St. They also have Rebecca St. blocked off from the 610 feeder road.

Here's a view of the block where the house is.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=3600+Goodhope,+Houston,+TX&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=30.461748,86.044922&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Goodhope&ll=29.683009,-95.370352&spn=0.004111,0.010504&t=h&z=17&layer=c&cbll=29.682673,-95.36931&panoid=ECVrWspX-prtdSy8wF6OwA&cbp=12,283.55,,0,12.63

[Porchman]

Update: I attempted to drive by so get a look at what's going on, but HPD has Goodhope St. blocked off between Tierwester and LaSalette St. They also have Rebecca St. blocked off from the 610 feeder road.

Move Those Cops! Move Those Cops!

Thanks for the info and the map link.

[little frau]

How does this show work? Surely they won't be broadcasting live tonight, will they?

I've never watched a show from start to finish so please forgive my ignorance. Will they do the surprise to the family today and then do the real work all next week?

Do you think the family really does not have a clue? It'd take me a week just to pack. Or longer........

[JLWM8609]

How does this show work? Surely they won't be broadcasting live tonight, will they?

I've never watched a show from start to finish so please forgive my ignorance. Will they do the surprise to the family today and then do the real work all next week?

Do you think the family really does not have a clue? It'd take me a week just to pack. Or longer........

I think the family already knew. They apparently did the big announcement this morning where the guy comes out with the bullhorn, but I noticed that the winning family's info was already in the Chronicle this morning, which means they probably knew ahead of time.

[Porchman]

How does this show work? Surely they won't be broadcasting live tonight, will they?

I've never watched a show from start to finish so please forgive my ignorance. Will they do the surprise to the family today and then do the real work all next week?

Do you think the family really does not have a clue? It'd take me a week just to pack. Or longer........

The way I understand it, they get submissions from people who nominate worthy families. They choose a locale. Inform the lucky family within 24 hours of start time. (Shake a stick at the unlucky famies? I don't know.)

They go to the lucky family's house at an absurdly early hour. The host of the show calls them out with a megaphone. They pour out of the house sleepy-eyed (but fully dressed!), and they scream and hop up and down. These families typically have a plethora of children who look like Vulcans and eat dirt. They get interviewed about how ghastly their life is. A construction company, with a bunch of volunteer suppliers and builders, takes the lead in curing all their ills by building them a house they may not be able to afford to heat, cool, or pay the taxes on.

Meanwhile, the family goes to somewhere exciting like Disneyland, Disney World, a Disney cruise, or Disney Vegas. They show up at home about five days later in a limo. Supposedly, when they step out of the limo, they cannot see the new house, because the bus where host gets his hair coiffed is blocking their view. The host and all the building people start chanting "Move that bus!" They move the bus. The family wets their pants.

Break for commercials which include an ad for a bladder control med. {Insidious, I tell you}.

They come back from commercial. They tour the house which is HUGE and VERY CUSTOM. They tear up a lot and hump the host. Here endeth the show.

little frau, you are living a sheltered life. How could you not be wasting your Sunday evenings this way? (BTW, watching it with the sound off and listenting to really good music is far more...efficient).

In the end, it's a great reminder to give to Habitat for Humanity.

[Jeebus]

I think the show helps them pack their things quickly the first morning after the intro shots, but before they leave for vacation. Then the crew re-populates the house with their belongings before they get back.

[Original Timmy Chan's]

How does this show work? Surely they won't be broadcasting live tonight, will they?

I've never watched a show from start to finish so please forgive my ignorance. Will they do the surprise to the family today and then do the real work all next week?

Do you think the family really does not have a clue? It'd take me a week just to pack. Or longer........

The cops had Tierwester shut down at Lydia on Saturday night when my wife and I were coming home. We didn't know what it was for, I assumed it was something going on at the church there.

We were out yesterday and saw the Extreme Makeover bus on Montrose. We wondered which $400,000 townhome they were tearing down (with tears in our eyes, of course). Wife said they ought to be in our neighborhood, not the Montrose. She's smarter than I look.

[little frau]

I think the show helps them pack their things quickly the first morning after the intro shots, but before they leave for vacation. Then the crew re-populates the house with their belongings before they get back.

/quote]

It does make sense that they'd need help vacating the house and most of their furniture will not be kept so that does speed up the process. But, there are still things that have to be gathered by the owner. That first pair of real baby shoes, a favorite cooking pot, the little china ring cup that belonged to grandma.....and these items probably are not all in the same place being easy to grab and go.

It just doesn't seem like a quick and easy process.

I'm just trying to get my head around all the papers that have to be signed what with liability and title searches. And, do the new home owners have any input at all as to what they like? Not speaking to what they need as that's probably already been established but what they actually want or like. There are certain elements in house design today that are very trendy but that does not mean that everyone likes that trend. I personally hate granite counters (probably as much as some folks hate WalMart).

That's reality television though. Porchman's description just about sums it up. I had to LOL myself.

[Original Timmy Chan's]

Now that I've thought about this for a second (because I usually don't give much thought to Extreme Makeover)...I'm wondering how the hell they're going to put up a 4500 sf house on a 5000 sf lot. We've got a 2500 sf, 2-story on our lot, and I can't imagine putting anything much bigger on this lot.

Most of the bigger homes in our neighborhood are on 2, 3 or 4 lots. I wonder if the Extreme Makeover folks have also bought an adjacent lot to put the new home on. There are homes on both sides of the Johnsons house...so is one getting demo'd with the Johnson house?

[Original Timmy Chan's]

There are certain elements in house design today that are very trendy but that does not mean that everyone likes that trend. I personally hate granite counters (probably as much as some folks hate WalMart).

That's kinda what went through my head with the 4500 sf house on a 5000 sf lot. The original homes in our neighborhood were in the 700-900 sf range. Most have been enlarged to 1000-1500 sf, but I can't imagine 4500 sf on a single lot. Are they going 3 stories?

No matter what they do the 4500 sf house will be out of scale with the rest of what's around...but spreading it over a couple of lots would help, I think.

[sevfiv]

I really hope they got an adjacent lot, too..

Community volunteers Eric and Elaine Johnson, along with their five perfectly poised daughters, live in a 720-square-foot A-frame with a rotting floor. The house in the 3600 block of Goodhope has serious structural issues, and, because of Hurricane Ike, unruly locks that must be manhandled by a screwdriver.

[...]

By 8:30 p.m. Sunday, Eric Johnson, a pharmacy technician at Texas Children's Hospital, and his six thrilled gals were scheduled to be on a plane to Paris, where they plan to enjoy a grand tour of sites until they return Saturday.

[...]

Between now and the family's return on Saturday, HHN, the construction firm on the project, and some 3,500 volunteers, will be replacing the Johnson house with a 4,500-square-foot, two-story structure.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7124579.html

[Fringe]

The way I understand it, they get submissions from people who nominate worthy families.  They choose a locale.  Inform the lucky family within 24 hours of start time.  (Shake a stick at the unlucky famies?  I don't know.)  

They go to the lucky family's house at an absurdly early hour.  The host of the show calls them out with a megaphone.  They pour out of the house sleepy-eyed (but fully dressed!), and they scream and hop up and down.   These families typically have a plethora of children who look like Vulcans and eat dirt.  They get interviewed about how ghastly their life is.  A construction company, with a bunch of volunteer suppliers and builders, takes the lead in curing all their ills by building them a house they may not be able to afford to heat, cool, or pay the taxes on.  

Meanwhile, the family goes to somewhere exciting like Disneyland, Disney World, a Disney cruise, or Disney Vegas.  They show up at home about five days later in a limo.  Supposedly, when they step out of the limo, they cannot see the new house, because the bus where host gets his hair coiffed is blocking their view.  The host and all the building people start chanting "Move that bus!"  They move the bus.  The family wets their pants.

Break for commercials which include an ad for a bladder control med.  {Insidious, I tell you}.

They come back from commercial.  They tour the house which is HUGE and VERY CUSTOM.  They tear up a lot and hump the host.  Here endeth the show.

little frau, you are living a sheltered life.  How could you not be wasting your Sunday evenings this way?  (BTW, watching it with the sound off and listenting to really good music is far more...efficient).

In the end, it's a great reminder to give to Habitat for Humanity.

LOL. You have obviously watched this show way to many times. 

[20thStDad]

It does make sense that they'd need help vacating the house and most of their furniture will not be kept so that does speed up the process. But, there are still things that have to be gathered by the owner. That first pair of real baby shoes, a favorite cooking pot, the little china ring cup that belonged to grandma.....and these items probably are not all in the same place being easy to grab and go.

It just doesn't seem like a quick and easy process.

I'm just trying to get my head around all the papers that have to be signed what with liability and title searches. And, do the new home owners have any input at all as to what they like? Not speaking to what they need as that's probably already been established but what they actually want or like. There are certain elements in house design today that are very trendy but that does not mean that everyone likes that trend. I personally hate granite counters (probably as much as some folks hate WalMart).

That's reality television though. Porchman's description just about sums it up. I had to LOL myself.

If they were smart they would just get some self storage for them to hold all of the junk that was in the house for a few months so they could rummage and reclaim as needed. Then I'm assuming or hoping they give it all away.

As for design preferences, I've never applied for the show but that should be a checklist as part of the application, but only at a high level. You will be happy with your free house dammit!

[kylejack]

Niko Niko's is feeding the volunteers tonight.

[Highway6]

The family lives in a 700 SF Ike damaged home.

All 7 members were out at a comedy club when they were "surprised" ... I know I would certainly bring my 5 children along when the wife and I went out.

And they all happened to have passports ready... and Mr Johnson happened to be able to get a week off from work at Texas Children's just like that.... Right. ... Surprise!!

[Porchman]

The family lives in a 700 SF Ike damaged home.

All 7 members were out at a comedy club when they were "surprised" ... I know I would certainly bring my 5 children along when the wife and I went out.

And they all happened to have passports ready... and Mr Johnson happened to be able to get a week off from work at Texas Children's just like that.... Right. ... Surprise!!

Disney Paris!

[Original Timmy Chan's]

I drove by last night on the way home, almost 10 pm, and the place is lit up like a stadium. You can see the site from the South Loop, but can't make anything out at 70 mph. I couldn't make anything out from the next street over, with all the blazing lights. Police have four different intersections shut down 24 hours a day. Not only the block they're working on, but another block each side of it. Crane trucks up and down Tierwester and LaSallete. I was wondering what the crane trucks were for...is the house pre-fabbed or something?!?

I also noticed lots of new asphalt patching old potholes...I guess the whole neighborhood benefits from Extreme Makeover!

[kylejack]

The family lives in a 700 SF Ike damaged home.

All 7 members were out at a comedy club when they were "surprised" ... I know I would certainly bring my 5 children along when the wife and I went out.

And they all happened to have passports ready... and Mr Johnson happened to be able to get a week off from work at Texas Children's just like that.... Right. ... Surprise!!

The passports are a dead giveaway, but I could see the job thing working out, especially if the producers covertly contacted the employer ahead of time.

[20thStDad]

I drove by last night on the way home, almost 10 pm, and the place is lit up like a stadium. You can see the site from the South Loop, but can't make anything out at 70 mph. I couldn't make anything out from the next street over, with all the blazing lights. Police have four different intersections shut down 24 hours a day. Not only the block they're working on, but another block each side of it. Crane trucks up and down Tierwester and LaSallete. I was wondering what the crane trucks were for...is the house pre-fabbed or something?!?

I also noticed lots of new asphalt patching old potholes...I guess the whole neighborhood benefits from Extreme Makeover!

In a project management class I suffered through once, they showed a video (from 1983 or something) of 2 crews racing to build an entire house in the shortest time (they did it in 6 hours, foundation included). They had a project plan down to the minute for everything to get done by different crews. Anyway, the point is to build the roof, they put the entire roof frame together on the ground while the walls were getting done, then they lifted it on top. That probably wouldn't work if it's a custom non-uniform roof, but who knows. A crane would be really helpful to speed up lots of things like a'c install and just about any supplies that go above level 1.

[houstonartstudent]

I'm curious to see if the houses still stand almost 20 years later!

In a project management class I suffered through once, they showed a video (from 1983 or something) of 2 crews racing to build an entire house in the shortest time (they did it in 6 hours, foundation included). They had a project plan down to the minute for everything to get done by different crews. Anyway, the point is to build the roof, they put the entire roof frame together on the ground while the walls were getting done, then they lifted it on top. That probably wouldn't work if it's a custom non-uniform roof, but who knows. A crane would be really helpful to speed up lots of things like a'c install and just about any supplies that go above level 1.

[Jeebus]

I really wish there was a show to revisit people who get large gifts like homes a year or two later. I'm always curious to see how things turned out.

[JLWM8609]

I was actually able to see the wooden frame today, no pics though since I didn't have a camera. It looks like it'll be 2-3 stories.

[sevfiv]

They are needing more volunteers - the family is supposed to return tomorrow and the construction is about a day behind schedule.

[JLWM8609]

They are needing more volunteers - the family is supposed to return tomorrow and the construction is about a day behind schedule.

I passed by there after trying out a BBQ joint on Lydia St. and from what I could see around 3pm, they had yet to put on the siding and such.