Extreme Makeover: Day 3

Wednesday, 09 December 2009 19:00

Hundreds of volunteers, subcontractors and spectators came to help and watch the laying of the foundation and the framing of a new home being built for locals Tobin and Jill Wagstaff as part of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” on Wednesday.

By Sarah Hsu

Following Tuesday’s demolition of the old home, this was an exciting day for both the builders and subcontractors and the locals who came by on and off all day to watch the new home go up in front of their eyes.

Tony Osteen of Florida Pest Control helped with the pre-treat of the property.

“The entire process is amazing,” he said of the construction. “The amount of people coming together to help the community – plumbers, builders, contractors, everyone – volunteering their time. It’s just amazing.”

Dump trucks of fill dirt were brought on site, trees were cut down and taken away, water lines and pipes were installed for plumbing, the area was pre-treated by Florida Pest Control, concrete was poured, the foundation was laid, materials were brought in on large bed trucks and finally – after a long day of working around the clock – the first walls of the new home were raised and put in place around 9 p.m. amid a crowd of spectators and volunteers.

Spectator Chan Williams, who works at Lake Forest Elementary School, said she watches “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” all the time and never believed the show would come to Gainesville.

“Now I can tell my kids one day – when I decide to have kids – that I got to see the show in person,” she said.

She said her favorite part of watching the show is the family’s reaction when they return from vacation to see their new home for the first time.

“It’s always above and beyond what you could imagine,” she said. “So I’m really looking forward to seeing the finished home and [the Wagstaff’s] reaction when they see it.”

Florida School of Massage employees and students were also at the site for part of the day, offering free massages to volunteers and builders.

Brittany Walker, a recent School of Massage graduate, said by the time she went to sign up to give massages, all the time slots were full. But she showed up anyway to offer free massages to volunteers.

She said she watches the show often and that it’s a miracle what they do.

“I cry every time I watch it,” she said. “It’s such a blessing to know that communities come together to do this.”

And like Williams, Walker said she is most looking forward to the family’s facial expressions when they get back, their “reaction to this miracle.”

Mike Dumas, Jill Wagstaff’s father, was also at the site to watch the formation of the new home.

He said he could not believe it when he found out his daughter and son-in-law and their family were chosen to receive a new home.

“You always think these things happen to everyone else, but not you,” he said.

He is really excited for the family and said he thinks it will be nice for the kids to have their own rooms for the first time.

“It’ll be good for Jill and Tobin, too, because they like to entertain people,” he said, mentioning too that Jill also does a lot of work with the Gainesville Women’s Club and Big Sisters.

Willie Davis, who mows the Wagstaff’s lawn, said he just found out Wednesday morning that the Wagstaffs had been chosen to get a new home.

“They’re good people,” he said of the family. “Tobin’s a real nice guy, real down to earth. He gives my sons drum lessons.”

Davis said he and his wife watch the show a lot and that they are happy for the Wagstaffs.

“We live down the road and never thought [the show] would come this close to home,” he said. “This is cool, and my wife and I want to do all we can to help.”

Mark Cruz, assistant locations manager for “Extreme Makeover,” has been working for the show for three years.

“I’m the guy that asks if we can put a port-a-potty in your yard,” he said.

The most rewarding thing for him, and what he likes most about working on the show he said, is the community coming together.

“Neighbors on one end of the street have never met the neighbors on the other end of the street, yet they come together for this,” he said. “It brings the community together and I just thrive off of that.”

The LifeSouth blood drive also kicked off Wednesday with a press conference in the morning where former Gainesville mayor Perry McGriff donated his 55th gallon of blood.

Debbie Labud, donor recruiter for LifeSouth, said there will be blood drives every day until 8 p.m. through Monday.

Tom Silva said he and his wife were at the site volunteering with the LifeSouth blood bus.

“It’s just a fun thing to do for the community,” he said.

Also there as a spectator, he said he and his wife are fans of the show.

“It’s amazing that they can build a house in one week, and it’s exciting to be a part of it,” he said.

A food drive is also going on at the same time as the blood drive, so spectators are encouraged to bring a can of food to donate if they come to watch.

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