Toledo is a city that most people drive through on their way to catch a plane in Detroit or on their way to Cedar Point. Nobody comes here on purpose.
Well this week Toledo got it's 15 minutes of fame big style. The ABC TV show Extreme Makeover Home Edition picked a Toledo fire fighter's family. This family of 11 boys and the parents have lived in a 3 bedroom, 1 bath home in the northwest part of Toledo.
With the Extreme Makeover family — Aaron and Jackie Frisch and their 11 sons — sent off to Disney World for a week, big-hearted strangers with bags and boxes and measuring tapes and heavy equipment swarmed through their house and yard.
The Pedee Toledo homestead is less than 2 miles from build. The Friches will be coming home to a 4-5 bedroom, 4000 sq. ft., 2 story home on Sunday.
With something this big going on practically under my nose I had to be part of it. Here goes my report.
Sunday Sept. 7, 2008
The Frisch family is picked out of a number of Toledo families that were nominated. I think the reason they were chosen was because a number of their sons were adopted from Haiti. I heard that ABC has a "Hope for Haiti" campaign. The Frisches connection to Haiti helped their chances of being picked as the build family. In usual style the family was taken by limo to Detroit for their flight to Disney World and weeks vacation.
Monday Sept 8, 2008
Monday was a day of transition. ABC turned 6044 Edgedale into a TV production site. The whole neighborhood volunteered their yards and driveways for trailers, tents and vehicles needed to pull off this production. Thousands of volunteers, some skilled craftsmen, some crowd control, some feeding the workers. All this had to be put together in one day. The build was to take 104 hours from demolition of their old home to the Frisches coming home on the following Sunday Sept. 14th. This was a 24/7 build. The builders, roofers, plumbers, electricians and heating people worked on a 6 hour shifts.
Tuesday Sept. 9, 2008
This was the day all the visual action started. I walked from home to the site, about 1 1/2 miles. When I got there at noon the fire department where Mr. Frisch works had used the empty house as practice area. The roof had a big hole in it where the fire saws did there job. I was told that the inside was also demolished by the practicing firemen.
Barriers were set up to keep the curious spectators away from the working site. 
Two large end loaders with what looked liked a set of movable fangs set to work ripping apart the roof and walls of the old house. The dry wood snapped and crackled as it gave up its life to the shiny metallic fangs of the end loader. Within 20 minutes the the 3 bedroom home was rubble. The fire dept. was there to spray the site to keep the dust level down.
Ty Pennington made a quick appearance to wave to the crowd.
A number of the designers were walking around signing autographs. I caught a couple. The hunk is Rib Hillis. He posed for pictures with his female fans.
For the guys there was some eye candy. Didiayer Snyder, I think it her was seen talking to the firemen.
Wednesday Sept. 10, 2008
By the time I got there today work had progress to a point that the basement had been dug, the walls had been poured with a 3 hour fast drying concrete and the first floor joists were ready to be laid. All this in one night. Remember no stopping for a break, they work round the clock.
I watched them lay the joists and start to erect the walls when I left. Standing on your feet watching for 3 hours is a killer. Some of the people came at 8am and stayed all day.
Thursday Sept. 11, 2008
The basic shell and roof were completed overnight. I saw them completing the roof and windows. I was glad to see the roof on because I knew that rain was predicted for the rest of the week and weekend. After today most of the action will be going on inside. The drywall, painting and flooring. I didn't go on Friday because I didn't think there would be much to see
.
The local TV stations said the "Move that bus" reveal will be very crowded on Sunday. If it continues to rain like it is this Saturday morning, that will be a place to stay away from.
I got a number of souvenirs as you can see. The piece of wood is from the floor joists on the main floor of the new house. As the volunteer was hauling it to the dumpster, I asked him to bring piece over to the spectator area for me. He was kind enough to give me one. A unique souvenirs to say the least. The hat was signed by Rib Stillis, one of the designers.
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