Extreme Makeover: Day 2

Wednesday, 09 December 2009 11:03

A home in northeast Gainesville was demolished within seconds Tuesday night during a rock ‘n’ roll-themed demolition for an episode of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”

By Sarah Hsu

The music-themed tear-down seemed appropriate for home owners Tobin and Jill Wagstaff, who run a nonprofit music school out of their home, and who were chosen Monday to receive a home makeover.

This was the first ever rock ‘n’ roll demolition that the show has done and was complete with a 700-pound wooden guitar on the roof, smoke, pyrotechnics and a live mock rock concert in which “Extreme Makeover” host Ty Pennington sang and played guitar with a band on a stage in the front yard. The band played a catchy rock song about a rock ‘n’ roll demo with lyrics that included “Things can get crazy when the family’s out of town/Before it goes up, something’s coming down.”

A crowd of volunteers, neighbors and fans of the show were there to watch the spectacle, but had to be patient throughout the numerous television camera takes of the band performing the rock ‘n’ roll demo song over and over to get the audio and visuals just right.

The end result was worth the wait.

David Harper of Harper’s Wood Shop in Starke, Fla., volunteered his time and materials to build the 18-foot guitar that was placed on the roof, as well as two smaller ones, all made out of yellow pine wood 2-by-4’s. He says this was the first guitar he ever made, and he made it in three days.

Evelyn, co-owner of the shop, says that both she and David are fans of the show and were happy to help.

The original plan was for the large guitar to be dropped through the roof, but it was instead used as a prop during Ty’s rooftop lip syncing performance of the rock song while fireworks went off behind him. Not long after, two large cranes, a guitar strapped to the side of each, crashed into the house as more fireworks went off and Ty and his band finished their final take of the song.

Before watching the event, Renee O’Sullivan, a local volunteer, says she was looking forward to the unique demolition.

“I haven’t seen a demolition in person before,” she says. “So it should be fun.”

She said she will be here on and off all week volunteering and helping out where she can.

Another volunteer, Curt Curtis, said he got to go inside the house earlier that afternoon before it was torn down.

“I got to go inside and do that whole sledgehammer-through-the-walls thing that you see on TV,” he says. “It was fun and helped to get out some frustration.”

Curtis watches the show all the time and says he was happy and excited to help.

“It’s just nice to be able to give back to the community,” he says.

Volunteers will work through the night to complete the demolition and will start building the new home Wednesday, also the first day for spectators who want to watch the process.