Extreme Makeover
Well, this will conclude my blog for the "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" project my family was able to participate in. In this entry, I would like to share my thoughts from the final day of this weeklong endeavor.
As I walked up to the site Thursday morning, there were already people hanging onto the barricade fencing on the other side of the street so they could have a great view of the reveal. They ended up waiting there for a good portion of the day -- just goes to show the amount of dedication our community has.
Things were kind of hectic inside the house as the time ticked away. There was Ed scrambling to finish his San Francisco-themed bedroom upstairs, DiDi running around with bamboo in her hands, Ty in the master bedroom with the door shut, and Michael putting the finishing touches in the dining room, living room and kitchen. Then the time came to kick everyone out and start getting ready for the Riojas family to return from their vacation in Colorado.
Continue reading "Thursday's big payoff, and a big thanks" »
Well, this will be my second to last blog entry for this build. It has been one quick and strenuous week, but now the end is almost here. I'm getting chills just thinking about what the moment will be like when thousands of people from our community will be screaming "move that bus!" right behind me. It will be a monumental event in my life.
"Extreme Makeover" could not have picked a better time to ask us to do this, as I have just returned with my master's degree in September. What a perfect way to start my career in homebuilding.
Also, not only were we able to build a home for a deserving family here in Fresno, but we were able to build one on the same street on which my grandfather, John Bonadelle, built homes 60 years ago. It is an exciting feeling knowing I have the opportunity to continue the tradition of building homes for families so that they can live a comfortable life in a home of their own.
Today is all about the Riojas family, though. It's time to get the crowd pumped up and put the finishing touches in this house. Hope to see you all out there cheering those three words!!
 Brandon De Young is the vice president of operations for De Young Properties. He is a project manager for the Valley's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" project.
It's been another really long day. Today was mostly just putting a lot of finishing touches in the house, and then we shot the scene of us, the builder, handing over the keys to the designers! This was very exciting to do because there were so many people outside of the house cheering. I still really can't believe my family and I were able to participate in this amazing project. It's very humbling, but also a good sign that my family's company is right up there with the best of 'em.
I sat in the house about an hour ago just watching the madness unfold as tons of people walked in and out of rooms with furniture, TVs and other household accessories. It looked like an ant farm, but all the ants were wearing blue shirts, of course! It was crazy, but at the same time it was calming because I realized my job is pretty much done. It's all up to the designers now!
I was told the Riojas family flew back in town tonight, and I can't wait to watch them see their beautiful new home for the first time tomorrow. The designers have really put a lot of time and effort into each room they do. I am sure the kids will be very, very excited to see what the designers have in store for them.
I need to get up early again tomorrow morning, so I'm off to bed now. Hopefully the rest of my team is able to get more sleep than I! Good night, all!
Brandon De Young is the vice president of operations for De Young Properties. He is a project manager for the Valley's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" project.
The family of Mary Ann Riojas is soon to move into their new home courtesy of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." Now comes the next challenge: determing the value of the house.
The new home, which is more than twice the size of the old one, obviously will be worth more, but Fresno County Assessor Bob Werner says it will require a site visit to determine a figure.
The task is made more complicated because the new house is an "overimprovement" for the neighborhood, he said. In fact, the "Makeover" home did not comply with zoning requirements for a 5-foot setback on side yards. But, as a certified green project, city officials were able to legally sign the permits, and grant a 20% deviation to allow for a 4-foot clearance.
Cost is often a good indicator of value, but that also is harder in this case because everything was donated.
"From a wholly fiscally economic point of view, it would be better to sell the house where it is and build in a more homogenous area, but that's not the way they do it in the show," Werner said, calling it an "extreme overimprovement."
So, today is the day that we hand over the keys to the house to Ty and the design team to get going on their rooms. This means we must make sure that by about 2 p.m. today we have our flooring laid down throughout the house, tile set wherever it needs to go, the exterior of the house painted, landscaping all set, closets built inside each room, and appliances and plumbing fixtures installed.
It's going to be a little crazy around the site this morning, for sure, but I think we're going to have some fun watching the designers do their thing later.
There's a lot to do still so I need to get out there ... more tonight!!
P.S. - Here's a preview of tomorrow: "Move that bus, move that bus, move that bus!!" Can't believe it's already that close!!
Brandon De Young is the vice president of operations for De Young Properties. He is a project manager for the Valley's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" project.
Hey all! Gator here (see my previous entry). Well, the house is in great shape now. Finished all of the concrete around the house, and got started on the landscaping in the backyard and front. Cabinets have been installed, along with the granite countertops. Tile has been getting installed all day long, and the flooring will be going in sometime tonight. This will probably be the biggest task for the night shift guys. I can't wait to get up in the morning and see all of the landscaping getting done. This house is going to look amazing.
Tomorrow we will still need to paint the exterior. There has been some back-and-forth about what color we are going to stick with will be so it's held us up a little bit on that. BUT, we are still very confident that tomorrow we will be able to give the keys over to Ty and the design team to let them start moving in furniture. It's going to be an exciting day to see each themed room come to life. Just one and a half days until "Move that bus" now!! I really can't believe how fast this week seems to be going. Obviously, being so busy is making it seem like a flash. Hopefully we're getting enough pictures and video so we can remember every moment!
Eyes are shutting on their own now. Good night, citizens!
Brandon De Young is the vice president of operations for De Young Properties. He is a project manager for the Valley's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" project.
We're on the home stretch now! This is where every last bit of energy we can gather will be necessary to get this job done, and to get it done right. This house WILL be completed on time, and we WILL NOT sacrifice quality and energy efficiency for it. They must go hand in hand.
Today, the biggest challenges will probably be cabinet install, paint and flooring install. We have cushiony time blocks set for them, though, so I expect them to be finishing ahead of schedule in their respective trades.
I will probably continue to help by using the Gator, which is a small 4-wheel-drive vehicle, to move equipment around the site. My call sign on our radio system is actually now "Gator" because of this. There are a few other silly call signs for the other guys, as well. We have Viper, Unicorn, T-Bone, Rib eye, Shish kabob, and Wonder Dog. Good times.
Have a great day!
Brandon De Young is the vice president of operations for De Young Properties. He is a project manager for the Valley's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" project.
Tonight will sort of be a short post. I am closing in on an 18-hour day right now, so it's hard to stay awake. We have officially finished applying the coat of stucco and stone accent to the exterior, and finished hanging drywall throughout the interior of the house. When you walk into the front entryway, it is amazing how open the inside feels. With 10-foot ceilings throughout, and a large open area straight through the entry, it would be impossible to feel claustrophobic. Unless you have as many workers in there as there were when it was being framed and drywalled, of course ...
While I was transitioning out of my shift, the cabinet guys were getting ready to load their materials, and some interior painting was about to begin. Some preliminary coats had to be applied to the walls before this could start, though. At some point tomorrow, the exterior will be painted to the color we have specified, and flooring will start to be installed in the house. The finish line is in sight, and my sore feet cannot wait to cross it.
More tomorrow morning! Nighty night, Fresno!!
Brandon De Young is the vice president of operations for De Young Properties. He is a project manager for the Valley's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" project.
By looking at the schedule, the major construction tasks for the day are probably 1) coating the house with stucco, 2) installing drywall, and 3) loading and installing the cabinets. I walked the house earlier this morning, and was able to watch the insulation being blown in with large tubes in between the 2-by-4 studs in the walls. I'm pretty sure they are close to being done, if not already, with insulating the house.
This house is going to be airtight and will translate into a very low energy bill for the family. Typically, houses that are not built with an airtight envelope and sealed duct work for heating and ventilation will have a great deal of air leakage, so the amount of energy to heat or cool the structure goes up considerably. This translates into shelling out extra money to PG&E. Every De Young home is built to the Build It Green standard now, which means this will definitely not be a problem.
Well, it's time for me to get out there and FACILITATE! This will really look like a house by the end of today!!
Brandon De Young is the vice president of operations for De Young Properties. He is a project manager for the Valley's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" project.
There are a lot of things I could complain about tonight, but fortunately the good outweighs the bad by a great deal. As I anticipated, there was a rapid visible change in this small piece of property. It went from being just a freshly poured concrete slab at 7 a.m. to a massive two-story structure, with roof tile and windows installed. If there was any thought of being behind schedule at this time last night, that has all been forgotten. Luckily, our framers really came through today and built the structure with ease.
I have to say, seeing the very first wall raised in the middle of the foundation, and hearing the crowd that had assembled on the other side of the street start cheering, I truly felt the overwhelming support of our entire community embrace our construction team. Every person who has contributed to this project, especially the contractors we rely upon day in and day out to provide a quality product/service for our company, really deserves a great deal of recognition. These people are here to get this house built, and their determination shows. There was not one moment during the frame stage of this house that I did not see the owner of our framing company right alongside his crew hammering nails. This really proved to me that these people are here for Mary Ann and her family, and not just to try and get a logo shot on national TV.
I don't have time to get into too much detail, but I want to give you a brief idea of what the inside of this house was like after the walls were put up tonight. Here are some ways of describing it if an average person walked inside: confusing, claustrophobic, dark, LOUD, confusing, constantly in someone's way, and did I mention confusing? I want to show my appreciation to every person working in there tonight because that had to be one of the most strenuous work settings ever. How these workers were able to get their job done ahead of schedule without pulling their hair out or yelling at those working shoulder-to-shoulder with them, I do not know -- but they did. Major props to you all!!
Anyways, I have to do an interview tomorrow morning at 5 a.m. (is anyone seriously even up at that time?) so wish me luck! More tomorrow!
Brandon De Young is the vice president of operations for De Young Properties. He is a project manager for the Valley's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" project.
So I heard concrete trucks driving by my RV a little while ago, that means they are probably finishing up the foundation for the house and are getting ready to start tilting up the pre-framed walls. Once the walls are up, we have electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and roofing contractors working in the house all at once. This is going to be a crazy, but exciting day!! Stay tuned for more updates tonight...
Brandon De Young is the vice president of operations for De Young Properties. He is a project manager for the Valley's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" project.
Hey everyone! I have to say I am very exhausted after today. It has been one of the more exciting, but arduous, days for sure. It's weird because throughout this whole process so far, I haven't really thought much about how crazy it would get once we actually started construction of the home. But after today, I can attest that this build will be one of the most challenging things I have ever done.
There is no doubt the excitement of it all will remain throughout the week, but the long days really get to you. To make it through this, each of us on the build team will need to constantly remind ourselves that the struggles Mary Ann Riojas has gone through in her life don't even compare to these minor things I complain about today. She is a true inspiration, and it will allow myself and everyone else putting in long, difficult days to get to the end of this amazing goal we have set forth for ourselves.
Today was "Demo Day", and it was very cool seeing the behemoth excavator tearing through the roof of the house. It was flattened within 15 minutes! Since then, our site prep teams have been working non-stop to prepare the land for plumbing lines to be buried, and the extremely fast-drying concrete mix to be poured on top as a foundation for the house. I believe the foundation will be dry and ready to have the house's structure built upon by early tomorrow morning (Sunday). Tomorrow you will probably expect to see the most rapid, visible change to occur with the build, as the structure will come to life before your eyes.
Well, I am sort of going cross-eyed right now so I think that is a sign for me to lay down and try to sleep. Hopefully these large trucks idling outside my RV will finish what they're doing pretty soon!! Nighty night everyone!
Brandon De Young is the vice president of operations for De Young Properties. He is a project manager for the Valley's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" project.
Why couldn't Extreme Makeover have asked us to do this in the summer? MAN it's cold!!! Well, anyways, I have been awoken from my cocoon sleeping bag and am ready to go.
This morning is the filming of the "Braveheart March." This is the part of the show when the whole construction team and builder march up the street to the house and circle around for a motivational pep talk. I'm sure they'll have us do it at least 2-3 times, so I better get my walking shoes on!
Once we're all done filming this, it's time for demolition!! I'm really excited for this, too. I said last night the public may not see this until the show airs in March, but I think the local news will probably be around getting footage, too. So I would count on getting a few shots of it on the news tonight.
Anyways, I have to get moving now and I'll check back in later tonight!!
Brandon De Young is the vice president of operations for De Young Properties. He is a project manager for the Valley's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" project.
Hey, everyone! Here's a good story for you...
So I decided to check out the RVs and make sure their water/power was working today. This was unfortunate, because unknown to me the toilet in the restroom was broken. Apparently, a piece was broken off so when I tested the flushing mechanism on the toilet, a nice, solid stream of water shot straight forward, all over my jeans. It was quite a surprise, let me tell you!! And the story gets better ... I went outside and up to the RV next door to tell the other construction guys. I open the door and say, "Hey, what is wrong with that toilet in the other RV?!?" Brent looked at me and replied, "No way! You got hit by it, too?!" I guess Brent had just finished telling my brother the same story I just told you about himself. Anyway, I got to walk around with a nice big wet spot on me for a few hours -- that was fun.
Today was cool, though, because we were finally set up with our radios and earpieces. "Mike, do you copy?" "What's your 20?"
In terms of construction, Ty and his team were in the house all morning and afternoon in full gear with the asbestos abatement team getting some video footage. It was pretty funny hearing Ty screaming inside and making a bunch of noise. By the end of the day, we had unloaded the giant excavator onto the front lawn of the house, which will be used tomorrow afternoon to tear through its roof. This is going to be a sight to see! Unfortunately, I don't think we will have this open to view for the public, but you will definitely see it when the show airs in March. Time for some shut-eye now ... Stay tuned for more tomorrow morning!!
Brandon De Young is the vice president of operations for De Young Properties. He is a project manager for the Valley's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" project.
It's really unfortunate alarm clock makers had to include a "snooze" button - it can really become an addiction ;-). Anyways, I'm finally awake and packed. I will be sleeping on-site for the rest of the build so I would not count on my entries being as well thought out. It may be difficult to think with hammers and forklifts making noise in the background.
Today is mostly site prep for the demolition of the Riojas house, which will take place tomorrow around 1 p.m. It will probably not be the most exciting day of construction (or deconstruction I should say), but it will be necessary to ensure the demolition of the house goes smoothly, safely and in an environmentally friendly manner. Talk with you all tonight!!
Brandon De Young is the vice president of operations for De Young Properties. He is a project manager for the Valley's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" project.
Well, it sure has been a long day, and I cannot believe Door Knock Day is already over. My family and I were all so anxious early this morning when we met up with Ty, the other designers, and the rest of the amazing Extreme Makeover crew before surprising the Riojas family. Finally, we were able to meet them, and there really could not be a more worthy family. It was uplifting to see, and feel, their sense of relief.
There is a lot of hustle and bustle going on around the to-be-demolished home, and you can feel the excitement as families who live nearby are standing outside of their homes in the 40 degree weather all day long to watch. Tomorrow is going to be another early morning and long day so it's bedtime for me - GOOOOOOOOODNIGHT FRESNO!!
Brandon De Young is the vice president of operations for De Young Properties. He is a project manager for the Valley's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" project.
A family in west-central Fresno found out early Thursday that their house will be transformed for an episode of the TV reality show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."
The design crew from the show, along with an battalion of volunteers and contractor De Young Properties, will descend on the home of Mary Ann Riojas, a single mother of four. Riojas was born without legs and only one arm, and works as a counselor at the local housing authority.
Check with fresnobee.com regularly as the makeover progresses. The crew is scheduled to set up Friday, demolish the Riojas home Saturday and start the rebuild Sunday. The entire process is supposed to take less than a week.
Coverage of the event, including stories, photos and video, will be archived at fresnobee.com/makeover.
Also, check back here at fresnobeehive.com/news/extreme_makeover for daily blogging by Brandon De Young, vice president of operations for De Young Properties and a project manager for the makover.
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