Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Blog, August 21, 2008
And…Action!
Arriving on site today, the feeling was a little different. I felt I was at an actual build site rather than on a film set. Go figure! Media, while still present, was much more subdued. TP had long left the scene for another build location (don’t worry—he’ll be back on Sunday), and the other celebrity designers were, for the most part, sequestered away to begin their assignments.
Lucky timing on my part, Todd Coleman of C&S’s construction management group greeted me and zoomed me up William St. on his golf cart, updating me on progress from the previous night. Great to see that the new gymnasium facility was fully erected, with only the roofing and exterior finishes to be completed. The new house foundation was also in place.
Todd has only been with C&S seven months, but it seems like much longer in the most positive sense. He has been a central figure in this unfolding drama, with both the builders and production crew visibly relying on him to help keep things on track. So many other C&S staff members are contributing their 
time and talents, and we’ll make sure to acknowledge them all.
The front-and-center stars today were the Mahoney build team and the blue shirts, as the volunteers have come to be known. Another star was C&S’s very own 35-ton, rough-terrain crane, which carefully put piece after piece of pre-framed lumber into place. After all the rain we’ve had in the area, knock on wood that the weather, which has been perfect thus far, will hold out a few more days.
Tidbits from Thursday:
- Big topic among the blue shirts—a visit from Mrs. New York State, complete with tiara and sash. This Mrs. couldn’t have more than 25 years old.
- I can honestly say I’ve never been to an event of any kind that offered themed porta-potties…until now! Step inside, folks, and experience such thrills as Mardi Gras, Hawaiian luau, Disneyworld, and, as the Olympics near their close, Go USA!
- From the “Did you know?” files: EMHE has its own, dedicated security team that travels with the crew from shoot to shoot across the country. There has to be at least a half dozen of them. I had a nice chat with Nick from New Orleans; we complimented each other’s parents on name choice for their sons.
- An advance delegation from the next location’s build team visited the site to preview what they can expect a couple weeks from now. All we can say is that it’s somewhere in Ohio.
