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‘Extreme Makeover’ ― What It’s Like on the Job Site
 The second of two parts.
Last January, my wife, Konne, and I were lucky enough to work on the popular home building show, “Extreme Makeover — Home Edition.” The fruits of our labor, and of that of hundreds of other volunteers, aired on Feb. 20.
In last week’s article, we examined some of the magic, truths and myths surrounding the popular home building show — and dispelled some of the myths. (The house went up very quickly — I dare say, extremely quickly — but not quite as quickly as depicted on TV.)
This week, we look at what it was like working on the job site.
Konne and I were able to work on the inside of the house. Our primary task was to help screw down the sub-flooring throughout the house. And while the work kept us dry and out of the rain, it put us right smack in the middle of a whirlwind of activity.
It Was a Zoo
We screwed down Weyerhaeuser sub-flooring with special screw guns while all around us the sheetrock was being hung, taped and floated at the same time.
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The Bawdens screw down some sub-flooring — in relative solitude.
| There was no electricity in the house at that point, so every trade working indoors (including the sheetrock installers, carpenters, clean-up crews and more) was hooked into a rat’s nest of extension cords that ran all over the house to power their individual tools.
After only a couple of hours of work, I came upon a ball of tangled extension cords about a foot and a half in diameter near the upstairs landing. The tangle reminded me of some battles that I lost with my fishing reels ― only much, much larger, of course.
It Was Noisy Pandemonium
While my wife and I went from room to room screwing in 1-1/8-inch decking, about 75 sheetrock workers — many on stilts or scaffolding ― barked orders back and forth all around us and put up drywall in some very difficult places, including archways and on full two-story high ceilings.
That gives you some sense of how hectic it was on the job site throughout construction. Everyone worked quickly. There was noise and activity everywhere. But that’s only half of what went on.
How the Building Process Was Accelerated
Some construction processes, as you well know, take time. Here’s what they did on “Extreme Makeover” to accelerate the processes while the rest of us worked on the Kubena family’s home.
The Slab Was Poured and Cured in the Wee Hours
For one thing, we poured the slab during the wee hours of the first night of construction. In Texas, most homes are built slab-on-grade with no basements. The slab on this project was post-tensioned with sleeved cables that would be stretched later.
The crew used an industrial strength concrete curing accelerator brought in from Canada to save valuable time. The process was closely supervised by inspectors.
One of the engineers told me that the concrete chemical used to set concrete quickly was primarily used in very cold climates. But because the temperature was mild on our job at the time of the pour, the concrete hardened at an alarming rate. The crew, however, was ready and worked quickly.
Still, the men floating and finishing the concrete barely had enough time. The slab literally hardened under their feet as they worked.
The Job Had Its Own Woodshop
A white tent about 35 feet in diameter was set up on the site to house the job’s woodshop. Woodworkers, cabinetmakers and artists who created all the neat furniture and unusual décor that you see being made on the show worked inside.
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The show's woodshop out in the open and under canvas.
| On TV, the stars of the show seem to be highly involved in the woodworking. On site, though, to me it looked like most of the work was done by the craftsmen in the makeshift woodshop.
Interestingly, all of the furniture and wood-constructed décor items were made using MDF (medium density fiberboard), since it is easy to work with and remains stable. There was some impressive creativity going on under the tent. It was fun to see the finished products later on the TV program several weeks later.
The Show’s Stars, Volunteers — and — Dust Were Everywhere
The show’s stars were fairly accessible and available to all the volunteers. They looked for opportunities to be cheerleaders, act silly and make the process fun.
As for the volunteers, well, they were everywhere, too. While we tried to screw down the stair treads, there was so much up and down traffic trudging past that we had to be really careful not to screw people’s feet to the stairs.
With so many people working at once, the progress was amazing ― and so was the dust.
As the drywall taping was completed in each room, kerosene room heaters were brought in to speed the drying of the mud so that the next float could be applied. Quick-Set was used to accelerate the joint compound drying.
Then the rooms were painted and the cabinets and wood flooring were installed ― all seemingly at the same time.
A Human Sawhorse
During these steps other trades had to do be weaved into the process, as well. One plumber told me how he was lying on the floor connecting the supply line to a toilet in one of the bathrooms and became a makeshift sawhorse for a trim carpenter hustling to finish his trimwork assignment.
The carpenter had laid a piece of baseboard across the plumber’s legs to cut his base and quarter round to length. The startled plumber looked up to see who was laying his trim across his legs and, satisfied that the guy was sawing a safe distance from his body, calmly went back to his wrenches.
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Lights. Camera. Post-tensioned concrete slab action.
| My episode of “Extreme Makeover” is filled with many such stories of people cooperating in difficult, close quarters while trying to get their work done. Amazingly, it all worked and the mood was upbeat.
The work took place with amazing speed and, just as amazingly, no one was injured. I watched as the Hardie siding was applied on the second story of the home — with painters spraying the finish coat of the siding right behind the installers.
Through all the hustle and hammering, the inspectors watched and requested corrections to minor infractions as they occurred so that the finished product would be up to snuff ― and up without delays.
One preconceived misconception I had about the show was that the houses must surely be built poorly because they are built so quickly. I found out that this was not the case at all. In fact, the materials that are donated, in every category from lumber to paint, are of the highest quality.
So, how does the magic happen?
It takes great coordination, managed by a skilled home builder and lots and lots of people to do the work.
Someone estimated that there were nearly 1,000 workers on the job during the week. I don’t doubt it.
Hard work by skilled laborers for 24 hours a day for seven days is how the job gets done.
If you ever get the opportunity to participate in a project like this, jump on it. Bring the special skills you have and put them to their best and highest use. I guarantee you will get back way more than you put into it.
To read part 1 of this series: "The Magic — and Truth — Behind ‘Extreme Makeover," click here.
Dan Bawden, CAPS, CGR, GMB , is president of Legal Eagle Contractors in Houston, and the winner of the "Texas Remodeler of the Year" three times, the Houston Remodeler of the Year twice, Big 50 winner and National Remodeler of the Month, among others. Bawden teaches other builders and remodelers Certified Graduate Remodeler/Graduate Builder Institute classes at the "CGR College" he began in Houston while he was the Remodelors™ Council president. For more information, contact Bawden via e-mail or through his company’s Web site.
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