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EXTREME MAKEOVER HOME EDITION:
BEHIND-THE-SCENES: THE JACKSON FAMILY



Fortunate to be taken in by a loving family as foster kids, Felicia Jackson and her younger sister Cassandra made a pact that if anything ever happened to either of them, the other would take care of her kids. When Cassandra died unexpectedly of cervical cancer, Felicia made good on her promise, and in addition to her four kids, she became mom to her 10 nieces and nephews.

After Felicia lost her job as a security guard, the Poolsville, Maryland, community rallied and donated a house for the family to live in. But with no kitchen, electricity, heat or plumbing, the family had to relocate to a nearby hotel, where they camped out in several rooms.

That’s when the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition team came to the rescue, tearing down the old house and replacing it with a traditional-style brick residence. My special project for this episode was an elegant master bedroom I designed to celebrate the devoted single mother of 14.

Check out the photo gallery below to see how their bedroom came together.

BEHIND-THE-SCENES: THE RAY-SMITH FAMILY



Haunted houses may be fun to read about, but living in one is another story. Just ask the Ray-Smith family of Milbridge, Maine. Ron Smith and Brittany Ray lived with their three kids in a 100-year-old house in which they say Brittany’s ancestors – particularly great-great-granddad Augustus – still rumbled around.
 
But, the place was also falling apart. Besides sliding off its foundation, it had a leaky roof, no insulation, and faulty wiring. There was little money for repairs due to medical bills because Ron and kids Bayley and JoJo all have hyperlipidemia, a dangerous high-cholesterol condition that can lead to heart disease.
 
Before the EMHE team could get started on a new place, however, I had to make friends with the ghosts. We brought in a medium and Augustus OK’d the job as long as we used some of the wood from the old house! The master bedroom for parents Ron and Brittany was my special project for this show and the ghost story actually helped inspire my design. Check out the photo gallery below to see how their bedroom came together.

BEHIND-THE-SCENES: THE LATIF FAMILY



Ju-Juanna Latif knows the importance of home. As a high school dropout and single mom, she wound up living in a shelter. While there, Ju-Juanna got the training that paved the way for her GED, college degree and career as a social worker. When I met her, she was living with adopted grandmother, Rose Chapman, and her children Antonio, Aarron, Ju-Juanna and James.

Their house in Wilmington, Delaware, was in bad shape with a leaky roof, missing windows and no accessibility for 10-year-old son James who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. Between work and taking care of her children – including carrying James up and down the stairs - I felt like Ju-Juanna literally had the weight of her family on her shoulders.

Ju-Juanna’s bedroom was my special project for this show and I wanted to give her a space that was elegant yet totally personal. I chose to make a poem Ju-Juanna had written about her kids called "Prized Possessions" the centerpiece of my design. Check out the photo gallery below to see how this cool bedroom came together.

BEHIND-THE-SCENES: THE MARERRO FAMILY



Victor Marerro was a single father trying to keep his five sons away from the drugs and crime in their New Jersey neighborhood. To keep them safe, he’d keep them inside, renting movies and playing games.

That was the inspiration for my special project on this show. I designed a lounge where the family can hang out, relax, and have fun. I called it the lion’s den and it was part of the new home we built for the family in the town of Pensauken, New Jersey. Check out the photo gallery below to see how this colorful entertainment room came together. It’s like a boys club because that’s what Victor was trying to create.

BEHIND-THE-SCENES: THE ANDERS FAMILY



One of our most memorable shows involved the Anders family from Richland Center, Wisconsin. Shelley Anders was a fantastic and devoted first grade teacher whose husband died suddenly. She was left to care for her four kids and her crumbling 80-year old house.

The house, which Shelley and her husband were trying to fix up before he died, was in terrible shape: a faulty furnace, leaky roof, peeling siding, animals nested in water-damaged walls. The EMHE crew replaced it with a beautiful farmhouse-style home. Shelley’s master bedroom was my special project for that week. See some great photos in the gallery below of how we transformed Shelley’s bedroom!