Sat, Sep 26, 2009
When Howie and Jessica met, they each felt they'd found a true partner, someone who valued hard work and community involvement. They bought a dilapidated farmhouse, figuring that Howie could fix it up within a few years, as he'd formerly worked in construction. Although they were struggling financially, Jessica, a nursing student, encouraged Howie to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a firefighter. Through long hours of hard work, and with as many as five jobs between them, the Hubers were able to both pay off their debt and see Howie established as the most popular and most decorated firefighter in town. In the meantime, both Hubers did everything they could to repair the old house that was the only home they could afford. Unfortunately, they now know that it is far beyond their ability to repair: The two story farmhouse has a chimney separating from house, improperly installed windows, severe water damage throughout, and the electrical, heat and sewage systems are unsafe. Every time Howie goes to work, he fears that the next 911 call he gets might be about his own home. Now it's up to Ty and the gang to allay Howie's fears and fulfill his wish to have a home that's safe for their children.
Sat, Oct 10, 2009
Growing up in the housing projects of Hartford, Connecticut, William and Catherine Hill both dreamed of a safe and happy home brimming with their passion for music and education. Hard work and persistence made their dream come true - until the nightmare of a fire in 1993 damaged their small ranch house well beyond what insurance money could repair. It is now up to "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" to build the Hill family the home they truly deserve.
Sat, Oct 17, 2009
Carlton Marshall lost most of his mobility and all of his hearing after being shot while leading a Dallas Police Department SWAT team. Carlton and his wife, Susan, a homicide detective, learn that their home will be rebuilt in seven days - solving rampant structural and accessibility issues and enabling the Marshalls to continue their long-time volunteer work with horseback riding therapy for children and adults with mental and physical challenges.
Sat, Oct 24, 2009
High school sweethearts Nathan & Jenny Montgomery gave up their careers in order to start a charity called Salt & Light. Last year, their charity served over 10,000 families in their hometown in Illinois. They are also the parents of 4 bright children with big personalities. They live in a house that is over 100 years old and is in need of extensive repairs. After sending the family on a trip to Disney World, the team builds them a great new house that will allow them to raise their children in a safe environment and to focus on their charity work. The childrens' rooms include a robot room, an army fort, and a candy shop. At the home reveal, Ty also surprises the family with the news that they were able to raise $50,000 for Salt & Light. Special guests are professional chefs Rocco DiSpirito and Art Smith.
Sat, Oct 31, 2009
Two years ago, Steve Mattingly was responding to a fire call at a neighborhood home, where he was asked to direct traffic around the site. Steve's wife, Melissa, was driving by the fire when disaster struck: Steve was hit full speed by a car that didn't see him. An EMT herself, Melissa immediately got out of her car and ran to her husband to give him care. Steve suffered multiple injuries, brain damage and amnesia. To date, he has had seven surgeries to try to repair the damage. Most of his problems with pain, balance and memory are irreparable, and he will probably never be able to work a full-time job again. Although Steve, 41, has regained his ability to walk and retains his humorous personality, his family knows his life has changed forever. They live in a small, 700-square-foot crumbling trailer, and Melissa, 38, is now the sole wage earner. They cannot afford to fix the home, which they also share with their growing daughters, Alana, 12, and Madison, 11. Now it's up to Ty and the gang to give this family who have endured such hardship some comfort in a peaceful new home.
Sat, Nov 7, 2009
Celebrity volunteer Kellie Pickler travels to Beavercreek, Ohio, to tell James Terpenning, a wheelchair sports champion and mentor to disabled Iraqi War veterans, that he and his family will have a newly rebuilt home in seven days. James, a computer specialist at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, is known at work and in the community as an inspirational role model who always helps others but never asks for help himself.
Sat, Nov 14, 2009
Thanks to a bone marrow transplant from an anonymous donor, Joey Stott miraculously survived leukemia and made a miraculous recovery. She and her family then pursued their dream of life on a self-sufficient organic farm that they'd fantasized about for years. But just as they'd made their dreams a reality, an electrical fire threatened to destroy them permanently: This past spring, Joey woke in the middle of the night to a series of electrical explosions that looked like a fireworks display. The farmhouse's ancient wiring was sparking and threatened the entire house. The fire department arrived quickly enough to save the structure, but warned that the same thing could happen again if the wiring weren't totally replaced. But the family can't afford to replace the home's wiring. Joey, 33, husband Philip, 45, and their three children, Kaila, 19, Jonathan, 16, and Michael, 15, are terrified that they'll have to leave the farm they love and abandon the dream they've fought so hard to realize. The Stotts are currently living in the house, despite the dangers. Now it's up to Ty and the designers to make the Stott home safe and to get the farm up and running again.
Sat, Nov 28, 2009
Six years ago, Jay and Elena Marshall bought the perfect home, one that they could live in forever because they could easily expand as their family grew. But before they had a chance to build their first addition, an onslaught of problems from carbon monoxide leaks to mold and rotting wood brought their dreams for the home to a halt. Before they could begin tackling the growing list of problems, their nine-year-old son, Cameron, was diagnosed with leukemia. Despite the mounting medical bills and the fear of having to leave their home due to the dangers it presents to Cameron's recovery, the Marshall family came together and rallied their community behind their son's "Be Positive" campaign. The "Be Positive" campaign, named after Cameron's blood type, has already brought in around $40,000 for the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth and leukemia awareness, including $3,500 Cameron raised on his own. Now it's up to Ty and the designers to build the Marshalls a safe and healthy home that will allow their family to continue to grow and the "Be Positive" campaign to flourish.
Sat, Dec 5, 2009
Trina, 44, met her husband Dave while he was serving with U.S. Army Special Forces in Fort Bragg - and it was love at first sight. After his discharge, Dave became a Clarksville police officer. In 2002, he and his partner were on duty when their police car was violently struck by a truck. The car spun out of control, hit a guardrail, caught fire and killed both Dave and his partner almost instantly. Overwhelmed with grief, Trina turned to a group called Concerns of Police Survivors, Inc. (C.O.P.S.), which helps the surviving family members of officers killed in the line of duty. Inspired by the help she received from C.O.P.S., Trina devoted all of her free time to the organization and became its President in 2003. The time that Trina dedicates to C.O.P.S. represents essentially a full-time job, and that's on top of the full time job she works to support her three daughters -- Leyla, 17, Deidie, 13, and Alethea, 11. Trina has spent more than $20,000 on the mounting repairs to her small home, but the structural problems caused by termites and water damage remain.
Sat, Dec 12, 2009
Having experienced a childhood of hardship, Clara vowed to make a difference for the next generation, and neither modest means nor the challenges of Myostenio Gradi, a degenerative muscular disease, have stopped her so far. For decades Clara has put her personal needs second to feeding, clothing and nurturing children in her home, organizing charitable drives, arranging field trips, tutoring, giving cooking lessons and much more. But the rampant disrepair of her crumbling two-story home -- including a cracked foundation, a leaky roof, peeling walls and a faulty sewage line -- increasingly threatens the life-long mission that means so much to her and the people in her neighborhood. Furthermore, the house lacks the wheelchair accessibility she needs, requiring her to stay with her daughter and head back and forth each day.