EXTREME MAKEOVER DAY 6: Crews Slightly Behind Schedule
By ABC-7 Reporter Veronique Masterson
EL PASO — Crews and volunteers continued working non-stop to meet the strict deadline to build a new dream home for the Ruiz family.
Saturday, hundreds of fans were still lining up along the construction site and they were in for a treat as a scene for the show was filmed right before their eyes.
The dream home is set to be unveiled Monday when the Ruiz family returns home from a vacation to the Bahamas.
Organizers said they are in a race against time. “We’re talking about a project that would have taken 106 days and were are trying to finish it in a 106 hours,” said Randy O’Leary, the owner of Desert View Homes. The local homebuilder was in charge organizing construction on site.
The construction crew has been a well-oiled machine but the hours are slowly counting down to the big day. Most of the exterior of the home is done but O’leary said they have fallen behind when it comes to the interior. “We’re on schedule on the exterior, but have lost a bit of time on the interior,” O’Leary said, “We’re going to have to call in a few extra people to make sure we meet the deadline.
Late Saturday, crews were installing doors, lighting, heating and air conditioning. It may seem like a walk in the park to some of the Sun City’s experienced volunteers, but O’Leary said they were thrown a curve ball. “The design team from Extreme Makeover designed some things that we don’t typically see around here,” he said. “When they reveal it, I think its going to be exciting for everybody.”
Despite the stress to finish the job, O’Leary said he has been touched by the compassion and dedication of the volunteers. “You’ve got people coming out here at Midnight. You’ve got people showing up at 3 o’clock in the morning and they’ve got smiles on their faces. They’re standing here and they’re just ready to go.”
