Extreme Home Makeover

[Matthew.Brendan]

Did I moss an existing thread on this somewhere?

In any case just search the Observer for the story and pics.

They demolished the obviously inadequate 1900 sqft single story brick home, in a neighborhood full of the same, to build a lot-busting two story 5100 sqft replacement.

Any guesses how long before they start trying to sell this spectacle? Six months? Less?

Hi! We've just more than doubled your taxes and insurance! (Your mortgage? Heh heh heh.) But hey electricity is still cheap, and good thing too since you'll be using plenty trying to keep that beast cool. But ain't she a beaut? Congratulations!

(Sorry, no, this is not Extreme Career Makeover and does not include a free $15k raise.)

The final parting blow is that they will not get anywhere near what they would (even in the current down market) in a "matching" neighborhood.

[rooster8]

The premise of this show is ridiculous. I am all for improving the living conditions of deserving families, but what they end up with rarely fits in with the existing neighborhood. Look at the houses on either side.

It looks like it fits in some of the historic neighborhoods, but not here.

[atlrvr]

A better TV show would be Extreme Neighborhood Makeover, where they purchase 10% of a crumbling neighborhoods housing stock (abandoned properties and such), and then rebuild them to a higher quality than what exists but at a scale that is not unreasonable. Then, populate them with deserving homeowners that spend 50% of their vacation in Jamaica learning financial skills such as budgeting, etc.....eh, too idealistic?

[tozmervo]

The Observer's coverage of this has bordered on obscene. Habitat builds hundreds of homes (most of which have a focus on very low-to-nil energy costs) every year with nary a peep from the Observer.

...unless, that is, some big star is swinging a hammer.

[Eastman]

I'm so glad to see some discussion on this, I was thinking the same thing on previous homes they have done. You cannot throw that much change instantly on a family and neighborhood and not expect adverse effects, much like those who win the lottery. It would have been better to build a house half that size and put money away for retirement, college etc., but I guess that doesn't make good TV.

[swh1972]

Agree on the points mentioned. Everyone who assists with the build is basically doing so in exchange for free advertising. I'm not saying that it is bad, but in reality, the show doesn't really do any good for anyone other than the specific family that is involved each week.

I participated on a HFH project earlier this year, and the specific street had about 5 houses that had been re-built, out of about 20 for the street. Throw in the fact that the family has to commit a lot of time to help in the building - they really get a good sense of accomplishment. Much better in my opinion that Extreme Home Makeover.

[voyager12]

I saw a news story recently, forget where that an EH family had lost their rebuilt home to foreclosure after spending too much. I can' t bear to watch this show because it is so cheesy

[monsoon]

I was a bit put off by the size of this place too. It would seem to me in this day and time of being concerned about the environment, a 5000 sq ft house would be a symbol of excessive consumption. I didn't expect any better from the local media since they make a lot of money from the house industry but there are places in this country where there would be protesters instead of groupies at something like this.

I will do a rare tip my hat to WSOC tv for at least reporting on some of the neighbor's reactions to this place which was mixed at best. They are apparently working on this place into the AM each night and it is pretty disruptive to everyone who actually lives there.

[mshook]

My understanding that the house was built to this scale due the owner's childcare business....

[mshook]

So, with a quick/simple google search found this. Does this change anyone's opinion about the news coverage (Every article that showed up mentioned this) or about the size of the house (it's a home business helping the neighborhood's single mother's better themselves and families)?

"Her dream has always been to give single parents a safe, nurturing, and affordable daycare that provides clothing, food, overnight care, mentoring, and constant education to the children. Her marriage to co-worker Curtis King in 1997 led to the birth of Kirkland and a new residence in Charlotte, North Carolina; where she finally opened

[Raintree21]

My understanding that the house was built to this scale due the owner's childcare business....

[suburban george3]

I saw a news story recently, forget where that an EH family had lost their rebuilt home to foreclosure after spending too much. I can' t bear to watch this show because it is so cheesy

[monsoon]

Would seem to me that placing a large child care business in the middle of a residential neighborhood is not a good idea. Anyone can also look at the location of Sudbury Rd to see this isn't a place designed for this. The people that lived next to this house were not happy with the events there and I suspect if they were now greeted with the news the reason for the expansion was so they could expand their business, they would have a right to raise a protest. I am thinking that using this as a justification to build a 5000 sq ft house, is a bit disingenuous but I do agree that people will say anything to justify their huge homes.

[mshook]

^Too me it seems like the most perfect place...schools tend to be best in the middle of a neighborhood, as do grocery stores, hardware stores, and etc.. It seems that this would encourage urbanization. Should daycare centers go in strip malls or next to Big Box stores? Should single mothers have to go out of their neighborhood to drop off/retrieve children out of a NON-Residential neighborhood? Makes no sense, but hey, I'm not a single mother living in a poor neighborhood trying to raise children and build a better life for them.

[monsoon]

^How can one win against that kind of argument? That is, if you are against a daycare being put in a house and thereby affecting all of the neighborhood, most would say in a negative manner, then somehow you are against helping single moms. It's a red herring defense to a much more complicated issue. They are building a house BTW,not a school.

The state and city have a lot of regulations on these places and I am not sure that all of the ramifications of such a thing have been examined to make an judgment. It has been shown however than many of these places have operated to the detriment of children. I am not saying this one will, but until that is determined, its a far jump to say that because this party wants to operate a business, then therefore a 5000 sq foot house is justified.

[jruckman]

Why is everyone complaining so much? And how could anyone possibly call this a disservice to Charlotte?

A group of companies came in and built a huge, beautiful house for a family struggling to provide free daycare to the neighborhood's children. Would it be such a big deal if they came in and built a neighborhood school? Surely a school would stick out from the houses as much or more than this. In the end the family's and neighborhood's apparent needs were met, and the companies, through television publicity, are profiting from it too. Sounds like a win-win.

Does a huge gift and community service become a DISSERVICE when it doesn't blend in to the status quo? Is how well a building blends in to the other buildings near it really more important than meeting the needs of struggling families? Last time I checked the entire city of Charlotte doesn't exactly blend that well into the beautiful wilderness that used to cover this area some 300 years ago. But we view it as a positive thing because it suits our needs. This is all a matter of perception, which is entirely within our ability to control.

[caterpillar2]

Here are individuals that ran a child care service in their garage without air conditioning? Now they have a 5100 square food house to air condition. When will there be a T.V. program on site called "Extreme electric bill collecting"? Yea, they are going to really enjoy living in this big house. LOL!

[monsoon]

Ironically the lead story on The Consumerist today is about the Extreme Home Makeover and the fact that a number of families can't afford these monster homes once they move into them. Seems they all have some sort of touching story to go with them and these homes end up making things worse in some cases. You can read more about it here.

[atlrvr]

I'm feeling optimistic at the moment, and think perhaps that neighbors will be inspired to do little things to their homes to improve the curb appeal of their homes, and this house could be a sense of community pride....who knows...trying to think happy thoughts

[voyager12]

I think a commenter over on Mary's Naked City blog was right on target. The home could have been just as nice,less of an eyesore, and a drain on resources if it had been rebuilt within the established scale of Windsor Park. Ooops, well that would have negated the big bus moving "Reveal". This is a profit driven TV show in the end not a charity.

[palmetto75]

Face it this is just another TV show promoting the new American Dream of just being one lottery ticket away from a life excess and extravagance. These people are very deserving no doubt, but spending $500K and a house that will be only worth $350K is a waste resources that would best used elsewhere. I think we all agree there.

Given the problem of the subprime ghettos that are now spreading throughout suburbia I think the idea of Extreme Neighborhood Makeover is a fantastic idea. I'm sure one of the networks could cheese it up enough to make a boring act of good social responsibility appealing to the Shock Me, Wow Me, Zow Me world of televison production.

[tiblerbrit]

I think a commenter over on Mary's Naked City blog was right on target. The home could have been just as nice,less of an eyesore, and a drain on resources if it had been rebuilt within the established scale of Windsor Park. Ooops, well that would have negated the big bus moving "Reveal". This is a profit driven TV show in the end not a charity.

[Justadude]

^Too me it seems like the most perfect place...schools tend to be best in the middle of a neighborhood, as do grocery stores, hardware stores, and etc.. It seems that this would encourage urbanization. Should daycare centers go in strip malls or next to Big Box stores? Should single mothers have to go out of their neighborhood to drop off/retrieve children out of a NON-Residential neighborhood? Makes no sense, but hey, I'm not a single mother living in a poor neighborhood trying to raise children and build a better life for them.

[Charlotte_native]

I have no problem with the show or what it does. I watched it for a while then quit when it became a massive contant advertisement for Sears. I don't really like shows that pander to everyones emotions, same reason i don't watch Oprah to my partners dismay, and that is about all this show is. I do think they do overall good for the families that give homes to -- especially when they set up trusts or give funds to cover the new huge expenses.

My main beef is the name. They don't 'makeover' a home. They build a new home. Extreme New Home Construction.