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An ‘extreme' need
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Friday, October 3, 2008 10:28 AM EDT
Argus-Press Photo by Anthony Cepak Construction crews paint and install siding on the exterior of a Holt home being rebuilt by the ABC show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”
HOLT- For Arlene Nickless and her three children, this week started with a memorable vacation at Disney World - and it will end with a new home and national attention.
This past Friday morning, what has become known across the country as the “wake-up call” has changed the Nickless' lives forever.
They were surprised with a visit from ABC's “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” crew and Ingham County-based builder Mayberry Homes. On Saturday their home was emptied of their personal belongings and the Nickless family left for vacation.
The Nickless' home, a nearly 150-year-old farmhouse, was in dilapidated condition, according to the Mayberry Homes Web site. The builder decided to take on the project of helping the Nickless family after husband and father Tim died.
The volunteers stopped all work Tuesday afternoon for a moment of silence in memory of Arlene's husband.
Tim, a nurse, died earlier this year after battling hepatitis.
On Sunday morning, hundreds of volunteers arrived at their home, which was soon demolished.
Construction of a new foundation began immediately, followed by structural additions. The exterior stonework and the interior drywall began at 2 a.m. Monday morning.
By Tuesday afternoon, the home was roofed and siding was being completed. Interior work was taking place all day, as well.
“It's an amazing process,” Eddie Louch said, owner of Custom Irrigation & Landscaping in Laingsburg. Louch was contacted about two weeks ago and asked if he and his crew would be part of the project.
“We have 23 hours to complete the entire irrigation and landscaping, including the sod,” Louch said.
He expects his portion of the work to take about four hours.
“With a normal crew of four, it would take about a day and a half,” he said.
However, Louch was on-site many hours during construction to help the dozens of volunteers.
“Everything is donated,” Louch said.
Louch is volunteering his time, and his crew is doing the same.
“Every contractor is coming in with their own donations,” he said. “Everybody wants to help. It almost ends up with too many chiefs. Everybody is all pumped up. As soon as the crews come in, they're right at it. It feels good to help somebody.”
Among the hundreds of volunteers helping the ABC show complete the project were Ashley Duchene of Shaftsburg and her co-worker Jennifer Naranjo, a Haslett resident who grew up in Perry. They were on-site as observers Tuesday afternoon. They both are part of the Molly Maids volunteers who will clean the completed home before the family arrives.
“It's definitely awesome to watch this go from nothing to something in seven days,” Duchene said. “I'm just so excited. I don't know any other way to explain it.”
Brent Ebert of Perry is a self-employed trim carpenter who volunteered Tuesday and found himself helping to build a playhouse in the Nickless' backyard.
“This is organized chaos,” he said. “There are so many different contractors who are all used to doing things differently, and nobody butted heads.”
Ebert said he plans to be back volunteering today and Thursday.
“I took Thursday off work so I can spend the night if I have to,” he said. “I'm here to help someone else, but the one I'm helping the most is myself.”
Joel Mollay of Lansing is working all week as a shuttle driver, transporting volunteers to and from the work site. Security guards have isolated the site from random onlookers, although many observers were officially bused in and out all day.
“I'm just bringing the volunteers back and forth in small groups,” Mollay said. “I'm loving every minute of it.”
The Nicklesses return home Friday and the ceremonial “moving of the bus” takes place at 2 p.m.
Anyone wishing to be part of the welcome home should arrive at the home site, 2376 Eifert Road, Holt, early on Friday to obtain a position in front of the home.