Extreme Home Makeover Filming in Camden, NJ this week

[VW_Guy]

Hi all. I'm not sure if this is the correct place to post this, so mods, please move if there is a better suited place.

Anyhow, now that I'm allowed to talk about it, I thought I would let all of my fellow DISers in the Philadelphia area know that the ABC show "Extreme Makeover - Home Edition" with Ty Pennington is filming this week in Camden. (We were under strict "hush-hush" orders from the execs until the family was told yesterday).

The structural engineering firm that I work for did the framing design for the home, and we will be on-site for the 48 hours that they are putting up the main structure of the house in case anything goes wrong. I'm not high enough on the food chain to get to be one of the on-site engineers (I don't have my license yet), but the rest of the employees and I were allowed to volunteer our time (company paid) and got a sweet time slot on Thursday afternoon, when all of the finishes should be going in.

If anyone wants to stop over and see the circus, here is the website they have set-up for the build. I don't think they are accepting anymore on-site volunteers, but it does look like they could use ice and fans for the workers. There is also a map and directions to the site.

I don't know if they will allow cameras at the build, but if they do, check back here for as much action as I can capture. Maybe Ty will take his shirt off again and I can swipe it while nobody is looking. Ebay riches here I come! (*kidding*)

 

[sharonW]

VERY VERY COOL

 

[extreme8]

They're wrapping up here in Conncticut today.
Guess it's just a short hop to Camden for the production crew.

 

[BobbiLee23]

My husband is there all week he works for Comcast Vinland. And I have pictures if you need them.

 

[bobbiwoz]

That's wonderful, if there's any city that needs a boost more than Camden NJ, it's just too sad to think about.

Bobbi

 

[Cindy B]

Thanks for the info.

So it looks from the map that it will be in the area of 37th Street... there is not an official address listed.

we will donate some ice/water. That location isn't that far from my house.

 

[Cindy B]

They're wrapping up here in Conncticut today.
Guess it's just a short hop to Camden for the production crew.

I guess a short hop equals about 5 hours of driving! I'm sure it would be a quick plane ride though.

 

[VW_Guy]

Well, I just got back from my 4 hour shift, and I have to say, it was quite an experience.

We arrived on-site just as they were gearing-up to serve lunch, so I was assigned to the catering crew to help serve lunch, which was cool, because I got to see everyone that was there working. In all, I think we served about 250 people. There were only a few of the "Talent" people there, but I didn't recognize any of them. I served lunch to one, he was a new guy, really tall and blonde, and he seemed nice enough. I don't remember his name. The rumor on-site was that Ty was up in CT (as a previous poster said) closing up the job there. For the most part, the Talent stayed back in the carpentry and production area that was off-limits to the general volunteers. After the first 45 minutes of the lunch rush, things slowed up, and I was talking with some of the catering and production staff that follow the show around the country. They said they have two teams going at all times, and they shuttle the "talent" back and forth to film pieces at each site as its under construction.

While I was there, they only filmed for about 15 minutes, when the owners of the construction company signed the last piece of trim to be installed on the facade of the house. Other than that, it wasn't like we were on a TV set, it was like we were on a Habitat for Humanity site on steroids. The area where I was serving lunch was a church about three houses down from the site, and the amount of food they had there was astounding. In addition to the hot catered meal I was serving up (pasta, sausages, meatballs, peas, salads & corn on the cob) there were tables and tables of chips, snacks, cookies, pies, cakes, and towers of water bottles, energy drinks, sodas and Red Bull. I think most of it was donated by their respective corporations, but there was a lot of stuff there that locals had brought over to donate to the workers. It was hard not to sit there and just stuff my face.

After we cleaned up after lunch, I went over to the site to check out the house. There was an army of skilled labor inside, beginning to install the finishes. While I was there, they installed all of the trim and painted it, they were installing the kitchen cabinets, and starting the tile work in the bathrooms. There were at least 3-5 people in every single room of the house, but everyone knew what they were there to do, and it was getting done incredibly fast. For the most part, the volunteers were there as the support staff for the skilled labor. We walked around with 5 gallon buckets full of ice and hand towels, for the workers to take the towels and use them to cool off. There were also a bunch of people walking around with bottles of water and Red Bull to pass out to the workers. There was so much going on, but with so much help on-hand, it was hard to find ways to keep busy. As soon as something came up, like a pile of construction debris that needed cleaned up, there was a team of 10-12 volunteers pouncing on it, and it would be gone in a matter of minutes. The most help I was able to offer was when they started tearing up the old sidewalk out front, they needed some stronger guys to help carry away the chunks of concrete as the jackhammers broke them up. Within 15 minutes, we had demoed and cleared a good 35 feet of sidewalk.

All in all, it was a really fun experience, and I'm seriously considering going back by myself on Friday after work to put in a few more hours. Its hard to explain the feeling on the site. I have been to a number of job sites in my work as an engineer, but being on this site was like being charged with electricity. Everyone was happy to be there, and was happy to help out in any way that they could. Usually, job sites are full of gruff guys that bark orders or complain about the heat. Here, everyone was smiling, cordial, and genuinely happy to serve. To be honest, I think most of us went there just to be able to brag about it to our friends, but once you get on-site, the sense of community spirit and giving was so overwhelming, it was so great to be a part of it. If you ever hear about them coming to your town, I highly recommend any able bodies to get down there and volunteer!

My boss brought a camera with him and was taking pictures of all of us working, so hopefully, I will be able to post those tomorrow sometime. When I was talking with one of the production guys, he said that the show probably won't air until sometime in November, and until then, nobody except the family is supposed to see the inside of the house. However, photos of the exterior of the house are allowed to be taken, so I think I will only be able to post those. Check back soon!

 

[zipuzee]

Wow! This is so awesome. I really love the show and its super cool to get an inside perspective on how it works. Keep up the reports! Thanks!

 

[bobbiwoz]

Thanks for the update. I hope you can post pictures.

Bobbi

 

[BobbiLee23]

I have pics of the house going up and of the house just about finished. Check out my aol profile LuvMikeCarlie the pics r there.

 

[kswm30b]

There are a ton of articles & pictures of this on the Courier Post (South Jersey newspaper) site:
http://courierpostonline.com/

 

[tiggerfan4me]

I am from the Reading, PA area and saw this take on the local news. Do you know when the show is going to be aired? It sure was great to see a father and his sons get a new start. That show always makes me cry. My son works in Disney and has been around to see some of the family vacations there. It is really neat. It sure restores our faith in humanity.

 

[kswm30b]

I am from the Reading, PA area and saw this take on the local news. Do you know when the show is going to be aired?

November 4. There was another article in the Courier Post today about it, about all the things local companies are doing for the boys, including scholarships and jobs. Here's the article:
Marrero family savors chance for new life

You can see tons of pics and vids at that article, or on the paper's main site (which I linked earlier.)

 

[tiggerfan4me]

wow, reading the articles and seeing the outpouring of love for fellow human beings is just wonderful. I wish the family well and hope things go well for them.

 

[bobbiwoz]

November 4. There was another article in the Courier Post today about it, about all the things local companies are doing for the boys, including scholarships and jobs. Here's the article:
Marrero family savors chance for new life

You can see tons of pics and vids at that article, or on the paper's main site (which I linked earlier.)

Thanks for the link...it's a wonderful story !!
Bobbi

 

[tiggerfan4me]

Wow I saw this episode last night. SO many children should see things like this, as one of the things the kids wanted most was a bed, and the one son even stating that seeing his father have a bedroom, he would gladly give up his bed just so that his father could have a room. It was so touching. Most of us are so blessed and we need to be thankful for things we have. Did anyone else see this episode? What did you think?