Home for Large Family Demolished and Rebuilt in the Most Extreme of ABC-TV’s ‘Extreme Makeovers’
With a crew of 300 people working around the clock, ABC-TV’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” razed a house and built a new one from the foundation up in only a week, relying on help from HomeAid America and Shea Homes.
Selected to receive the new house was the Garay family of Los Angeles. After Johnny Garay’s mother was killed at home two years ago by a stray bullet from a drive-by shooting, all of the five half-siblings left behind moved in with his family so that they would not be separated by Child Protective Services. With nine children, the new household was forced to move to a larger house, but could only afford a fixer-upper.
“They need a house that’s not on the verge of being red-tagged,” said Bert Selva, president and CEO of Shea Homes. “We want to give them more than a house with heat and without broken windows. We want this to be the first step in building a better community for both the Garays and their neighbors.”
Shea Homes and its trade partners donated hundreds of thousands of dollars in resources and labor to build the 4,700-square-foot dream home, which is more than twice the size of the Garay’s previous residence.