‘Makeover’ home demolished and building is beginning
Demolition of the Pauni home began shortly after 10 a.m. Tuesday and took just over an hour to complete. Construction crews spent the afternoon ripping up the foundation and clearing rubble into large dump trucks. “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” designers and crews were on hand to film, meet with media and spectators and assist in the demolition process. Ty Pennington, Preston Sharp, Eduardo Xol and Tonya McQueen could be seen in all directions, signing autographs and working with local crewmembers. Dust from the house, which completely leveled by noon, filled the air, as did the cheers of community members and volunteers in hard hats. The Pauni home will be rebuilt to 5,600 square feet with a full basement, three-car garage and several yet-to-be-known amenities during the rest of this week, said Troy Kartchner, head of Kartchner Homes, the general contractors for the project. “The designers did a good job working with the family and accommodating them,” Kartchner said when asked about special features of the home. Most of the design will remain a secret until the unveiling this Sunday afternoon. However, design team member Preston Sharp did say, “It might have some Tongan-style theme stuff going on.” Sharp and Xol said that the home will be traditional, tailoring everything to the family, but were reluctant to give details. “It’s big though,” Xol said. ” This family needs size, sheer size.” Sharp added, “And not just in numbers, these dudes are big!” Kartchner said the basement of the home will have 9-foot foundation walls and a walkout in the back, with underground plumbing, heating and other systems being installed tonight. The home is expected to be framed by tomorrow morning, as many walls have been assembled off-site. The whole project is “really exciting,” Kartchner said.Scott Jensen, volunteer coordinator, said that the USU students that are on shifts until 8 a.m. tomorrow will be helping with “odds n’ ends,” passing out water, manning tables, cleaning up, moving lumber and working on the safety team to make sure “no one gets backed over.” Around 200 students will be able to help at the construction site, in addition to several business and public relations students who have been “working around the clock.” “Utah State students pretty much cleaned out the house, ” Jensen said. “When it comes down to it, without Utah State students, this project just couldn’t happen.” “You must believe in it, or you wouldn’t be here, ” Sharp told reporters. ” It’s hard not to believe in something like this.” In addition to events throughout the week, Kartchner asked the community to remember that “The biggest thing is donations. We really need to raise money to pay off this family’s existing mortgage,” since ABC does not cover those expenses. Donations can be made through Wells Fargo or the Web site, www.kartchnerhomes.com.