Costa Mesa house getting ‘Extreme Makeover’

Deirdre Newman

Wednesday morning started out ordinarily for members of one Costa

Mesa family.

But at 7:45 a.m., their breakfast was interrupted by a visit from

the design team of the new KABC-TV show “Extreme Makeover, Home

Edition.”

The family found out it had been chosen for a home remodel -- to

be completed at a feverish pace within one week.

The family, whose name has not been disclosed, will soon be

outgrowing their space, given that there are already two toddlers and

triplets are on the way. The remodel will test the skills of the

makeover team since it requires adding space in addition to

renovating the home, executive producer Tom Forman said.

“As anyone who’s ever tried to do that in a week, it’s difficult,”

Forman said. “New construction in one week is sort of terrifying for

everyone.”

The family lives in a salmon-colored, three-bedroom house on

Rosemary Place. The children’s grandmother, who came to help out once

the triplets are born, is living in the garage, Forman said.

Family members were whisked away to a vacation in Arizona in a

limo Wednesday morning and won’t be returning until next Wednesday

for the unveiling of their new home. Demolition will start this

evening, with the bulk of it done on Friday, Forman said.

The cul-de-sac has been blocked off to nonresident traffic, and

some parking has been restricted on 20th Street. Part of qualifying

for the show is getting the consent of all the neighbors on the

block, since construction takes place round-the-clock.

Neighbor Harriet Lewin said she completely supports the makeover,

despite her street being taken over by a slew of trailers, equipment

and a very large bus, in which the design team essentially lives for

the week.

“It’s lovely,” Lewin said. “I think it’s great. More power to

them.”

On other projects the home makeover team has worked on, neighbors

have even pitched in to help with painting and other tasks, Forman

said. The amount of construction on a project of this magnitude would

normally take five months, Forman added.

After the family vacated the premises, the design team spent the

rest of the day crafting a plan for the interior of the house. The

family gets to provide their general likes and dislikes, but the rest

they have to take on faith, Forman said.

“They don’t decide much of anything,” Forman said. “They really do

hand over the keys.”

Some of the crew whiled away the time on Wednesday afternoon

playing catch in the street. On the corner, project manager Randy

Pine chatted with city building inspector Gary Hook. Hook said he

will be at the site almost 24 hours a day to make sure things run

smoothly.

Mayor Gary Monahan said the makeover is a double blessing for the

city -- a deserving family gains a new home, and the city gets

national attention. He said he is impressed with the positive

attitude everyone involved has displayed.

“It sure hasn’t been like a City Council meeting,” Monahan said.

“Everyone’s been friendly and helpful, and the film crew and

construction and city staff and neighborhood have all coalesced to

get this thing done. It’s phenomenal.”

When the family returns Wednesday, their friends and neighbors

will be there to celebrate with them at a huge block party, Forman

said. ABC staff members have not announced yet when this episode will

air.

* DEIRDRE NEWMAN covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at deirdre.newman@latimes.com.