Piranha Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 Is in my town... Thought this was pretty cool. Local paper Going from ranch to riches Single mom Debbie Oatman no longer worries about her house sinking Friday, March 23, 2007 COLONIE-- "Good morning, Oatman-Gaitan family!" Ty Pennington yelled in a raspy voice through a megaphone pointed at the front porch of Debbie Oatman's house at 23 Fairway Lane. It was 10:05 a.m. Thursday and the big secret that dozens -- perhaps hundreds -- knew around town was a secret no longer. As if on cue, Oatman rushed out of her house with her four sons to embrace Pennington and the rest of the design team from ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," with cameras rolling. Crew members clapped and cheered and Oatman and her boys hopped with excitement. Then, they did it all over again. Four hours later, they re-shot the "surprise" greeting for a fourth and fifth take. Reality TV moves in a surreal slow motion that progresses with the hurry-up-and-wait rhythm of a Hollywood movie set. Debbie Oatman, eyes swollen and red from tears of joy, spoke with a jittery excitement. "It kind of feels surreal to be here," she said. "Our house was sinking. I didn't know what to do. Today, I don't have a worry in the world." Oatman and her sons didn't seem mind the multiple takes of the five of them hopping into a 50-foot super-stretch Ford Expedition limousine with a big plasma TV and acres of plush leather. "I'm overwhelmed. Thank you so much," Oatman said to Pennington and the crew. And then she said it again. The family was packed and ready to fly to an undisclosed vacation destination. It was the start of a luxurious spring break for Oatman, 49, a single parent and student at The College of Saint Rose, and her four sons, ages 10 to 20. For the next week, life on sleepy Fairway Lane will be topsy-turvy. The 1970s-vintage, ranch-style home with light blue siding, situated near the Lisha Kill Creek and bordered by wetlands, is sinking and its foundation is cracked. When Pennington -- the hunky carpenter with spiked hair and a soul patch beard -- and the gang get done, the $123,500 property will be worth much, much more. They'll build a 3,700-square-foot custom home with state-of-the-art construction methods and install top-of-the-line fixtures such as granite counter tops and amenities, including a deluxe in-ground swimming pool. John Hallgren, a vice president of Curtis Lumber, traveled with the owners of Amedore Homes, which is leading the construction, to the show's previous home site outside Philadelphia. "It was pretty exciting and amazing. It gave us a good understanding of how they do it," Hallgren said. George Amedore Jr. said one of the biggest concerns is drainage. "We'll bring in a lot of truckloads of stone, raise up the level of the lot, improve the soil and install proper drainage," Amedore said. Amedore's company builds about 100 Capital Region homes annually. Their record was a 3,000-square-foot home in 54 days. They have 106 hours for this job. Today, and crew move out all the family's things. Saturday, they demolish the home. Construction at the end of the cul-de-sac continues around-the-clock until Wednesday. Thursday is the "reveal," in which the family tours their dream home. They move back in Friday. Powerful floodlights will illuminate the comings and goings of heavy construction equipment, crews of contractors, 2,000 volunteers and an around-the-clock cacophony of generators, power saws, drills and nail guns. Onlookers Thursday included Becca Graef, a Shaker High School sophomore hoping to catch a glimpse of Ty Pennington. "Well, Ty's hot, that's why," Graef said, as if stating the obvious. Her boyfriend, Greg Gallant, a Shaker junior, and his little brother, Zachary, an eighth-grader at Shaker Junior High, came along. "It's like the biggest thing that's ever happened in Colonie," Greg said. "I just want to see 'em knock down the house," Zachary said. During the demolition and construction, Fairway Lane from Consaul Road will be closed to traffic and parking. Residents must display special dashboard passes. More than a dozen neighbors were contacted by the show's producers and sworn to secrecy. Scores of others were in on the secret, including town of Colonie officials, the Chamber of Commerce, Amedore Homes, Curtis Lumber and other suppliers donating labor, supplies and personnel. The nearby Town of Colonie Golf Course parking lot will be the staging area for up to 2,000 volunteers, who will be shuttled by bus. "I hope we can get in and out OK," said neighbor John Swinegar. He said some neighbors have expressed concern about disruptions. On the other hand, they said Oatman is a deserving candidate for the reality show's magic. Saverio Minucci, president and CEO of Sandell Industries, has never seen "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." But his father died recently and when he was asked to help he was feeling emotional -- and generous. He wrote a check for $25,000 and started working with Mark and George Amedore to provide building materials and 80 workers. Minucci's plant in Rotterdam makes metal flashing material for home construction. "I don't know anything about the show, but the girls in my office are already crying," Minucci said. "They told me I'll be crying before it's over, too." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big John Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 Polksalet in another one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliaz Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 They were in my area last year. Lahamn, Maryland. It's funny. Anytime a show or national news comes out of my area they talk about it as if it's DC. same with the EMO - Home addition. They billed it as DC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scourge Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 They were in my hometown 2 weeks ago. It was a disaster around there. They had to close down main roads, cops everywhere. It was a mess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hat Trick Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 They just finished up there second stint here in KC. The show will air May 13th. Didn't know this till the other day but the first time they were here when it aired was either the #1 or #2 rated show in the KC area of all time next to the 1985 I-70 series with the Cardinals. WOW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdrudge Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 I've often wondered with this show the the families are doing after the show has come and gone for a year or two. AFAIK the value of the house has to be claimed as regular income. Now they usually get some cash to help with that (and that too has to be claimed), but the ongoing property tax bill in some cases I'm sure is quite high as well. I know the HGTV Dream Home often gets sold because the initial tax burden on a $2m prize is very significant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piranha Posted March 23, 2007 Author Share Posted March 23, 2007 They were in my hometown 2 weeks ago. It was a disaster around there. They had to close down main roads, cops everywhere. It was a mess. Yep, that's pretty much what's happening here also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piranha Posted May 20, 2007 Author Share Posted May 20, 2007 Episode airs tonight. 2 hour season finale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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