Day 4 - Construction Begins

Construction Day... Today we begin to build a dream for the King family. One has to wonder what it's going to be like for the family to go from a house that was around 1500 sq. feet to a home of @ 5300 sq. feet. Not only that, but the area the family had been using for the daycare was in the garage they had enclosed. Now, the daycare will have it's own separate space, and judging from previous "Extreme" builds I've seen it will be very well equipped.

Well, as pictured below, judging from the foundation size the house is going to be VERY spacious, and keep in mind that if you've ever stood on a foundation before the house goes up you know that the overall feel is that the house is not going to be very big.

So, if this foundation seems large, I can only imagine how huge this place is going to be...

Here (below) the floor joists are being placed.

The amount of work completed on this jobsite would have been difficult if not impossible without the assistance of the crane operator. Having been a crane inspector trainer in the past, I have a real appreciation for what these pieces of equipment (along with the right operator) can accomplish.

Everyone want to get into the "caretaker" spirit (caretaker is the "theme" for this build). Below are some local kids who were going around handing out icicle "bombs" to the crew of the show. Pictured on the left is "GT" the director, and on the right is Monica who is one of the producers. In the background are several other crew members including cameramen and the Assistant Director.

Meanwhile, back at the volunteer sign-up tent (at a mall about a mile away) we have a fresh volunteer signing the required paperwork and receiving his blue shirt and white hard hat.

Next is a partial list of names of VIPs which include sponsors, media, suppliers, etc...

It's never good when you hear conversations like "No, I'm telling you, this is the floor plan for the second floor... not the first..!!". Actually, the best way to describe how things progress throughout the build is more like organized chaos..! Everyone, OK, not everyone... but most on the leaders really seems to know what's going on and what's happening next. The problem is that there's so much going on at one time that folks are tripping over each other. When you think about it, it's truly amazing that they can get all of the major "trade" jobs completed (plumbing, electrical, AC, etc) and inspected throughout all phases of the build even though the whole job is going to take only @ 100 hours to go from flat and clear ground to a completely finished HUGE house.

While I walked past the observation area a nice lady (second from the left in brown) asked me to make sure to tell Ed (the English designer) that "a sweet 81 year old lady wants him to come talk to her". I told her that from what I could tell from talking with her and the people around her that I didn't think "sweet" was the terminology that I should use, and that "troublemaker" might fit better... Of course I was kidding and she is a really nice young lady so...

...obviously I had to tell Ed and he (being the TRULY nice guy that he is) made a b-line straight to her and gave her a big huge. It was really sweet. I got a hug too for getting him to come talk to her.

Have I mentioned the security guys yet? These guys are great..!!!

As Ed walked the line and these two boys were just giddy to have him autograph their shirts.

After Ed signed the first boy's shirt, the little fella in the green shirt wanted his signed too. Ed, told him he had to ask his "Mum" and she said yes. Then Ed told the little guy to stick his chest out and this is the result. Ed asked the boy if he had been working out and he nodded yes. It was really cute.

As a result, Ed rewarded him with the desired autograph.

For more photos (not many more, this was a long blog), click here.