Click here to see a list of the organizations who volunteer with us on the EHM house
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
In 2008 Wieland Builders was building 2 homes for Habitat for Humanity. The homes were part of the "Home Builders Blitz" program. The Blitz required us to build both of the homes in 7 days. On the second day of that build we received a call from Conrad Ricketts, who is the Executive Producer of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Conrad had explained to Jeff Wieland that the show was coming to town to help a family and wanted to schedule a meeting to discuss Wieland Builders to be the Builder for the project. After meeting with Conrad Ricketts and David Bohler of Extreme Makeover, Wieland Builders thoroughly thought about the project. We were desperate to help the family however we had worked six months on getting the two Habitat houses donated and scheduled. Our concern was that we would not be able to get support from our vendors and suppliers to donate a third house for the year. In another conversation with Conrad a few days later he had told Jeff that Extreme was meeting with Scott Dallis of Dallis homes. Jeff immediately hung up the phone and called his long time friend Scott Dallis to discuss a partnership in Building the Extreme House. Scott and Jeff agreed to build the home together and that very next day, the work began.
As a fan of the show, Jeff Wieland and his family watch every week religiously. Every week you watch the film that the people send in requesting the help of Extreme Makeover. Every week we get a little choked up watching the film at the beginning of the show. Somehow, when the film was brought to us for the Akers Family and we had a chance to be the ones to make a difference in these peoples lives, it was a very defining moment in the lives of Wieland Builders.
The Akers Family is a family of 5 with Greg and Ginger Akers and their three kids Christian, Brooke, and Faith. Christian is a young man that was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. Brooke and Faith both were diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy. All of these are life long diseases and can be fatal. Brooke and Faith both are in wheelchairs and cannot move without assistance from someone. Ginger has suffered many hernia conditions due to carrying the girls from one place to another. The Akers lived in a small tri-level home when they got married and started their family, which did not fit well with 2 wheelchairs. Once the girls were at home, they would be bed-ridden for the majority of the time. With the insurmountable amount of medical bills the Akers could not afford to renovate or buy a new home. Amazing enough, the spirit of all members of the Akers family is overwhelming. To see the strength in the spirit of all the Akers family, it brings us to a different view on life.
The amount of work that goes on before we start building the home, while keeping it all quiet so the family doesn't find out, is incredible. Building the home in 106 hours was the easy part. Our philosophy that we made clear to all of our sub contractors and suppliers was that "If you are here for anything more than helping this family, then you are probably in the wrong place." It was amazing to see how many people didn't hesitate to jump right in and donate their skill, their time, and their material. It was amazing to see individuals that were inside painting for 18 hours and then look outside to see one of them pushing a wheelbarrow full of mulch helping the Landscaper. Wieland Builders is proud of all of the Sub Contractors and Employees that we have who stepped up to the plate even after donating their time and efforts on our Habitat for Humanity projects. Anybody can do things like this when times are good but the Home building business has obviously been in a slump for quite a few years and most all of our people were more than happy to donate. It goes without saying that Wieland Builders along with our Sub Contractors and Suppliers were the unsung heroes but that is what it was about, helping people who you don't know and not expecting anything in return. We have been thankful to be able to help as odd as it sounds, we are very thankful to have helped three families in 2008 live in a home and live better.
Click here to see photos from the Extreme Home Makeover build
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
In 2008 Wieland Builders was building 2 homes for Habitat for Humanity. The homes were part of the "Home Builders Blitz" program. The Blitz required us to build both of the homes in 7 days. On the second day of that build we received a call from Conrad Ricketts, who is the Executive Producer of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Conrad had explained to Jeff Wieland that the show was coming to town to help a family and wanted to schedule a meeting to discuss Wieland Builders to be the Builder for the project. After meeting with Conrad Ricketts and David Bohler of Extreme Makeover, Wieland Builders thoroughly thought about the project. We were desperate to help the family however we had worked six months on getting the two Habitat houses donated and scheduled. Our concern was that we would not be able to get support from our vendors and suppliers to donate a third house for the year. In another conversation with Conrad a few days later he had told Jeff that Extreme was meeting with Scott Dallis of Dallis homes. Jeff immediately hung up the phone and called his long time friend Scott Dallis to discuss a partnership in Building the Extreme House. Scott and Jeff agreed to build the home together and that very next day, the work began. As a fan of the show, Jeff Wieland and his family watch every week religiously. Every week you watch the film that the people send in requesting the help of Extreme Makeover. Every week we get a little choked up watching the film at the beginning of the show. Somehow, when the film was brought to us for the Akers Family and we had a chance to be the ones to make a difference in these peoples lives, it was a very defining moment in the lives of Wieland Builders.
The Akers Family is a family of 5 with Greg and Ginger Akers and their three kids Christian, Brooke, and Faith. Christian is a young man that was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. Brooke and Faith both were diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy. All of these are life long diseases and can be fatal. Brooke and Faith both are in wheelchairs and cannot move without assistance from someone. Ginger has suffered many hernia conditions due to carrying the girls from one place to another. The Akers lived in a small tri-level home when they got married and started their family, which did not fit well with 2 wheelchairs. Once the girls were at home, they would be bed-ridden for the majority of the time. With the insurmountable amount of medical bills the Akers could not afford to renovate or buy a new home. Amazing enough, the spirit of all members of the Akers family is overwhelming. To see the strength in the spirit of all the Akers family, it brings us to a different view on life. The amount of work that goes on before we start building the home, while keeping it all quiet so the family doesn't find out, is incredible. Building the home in 106 hours was the easy part. Our philosophy that we made clear to all of our sub contractors and suppliers was that "If you are here for anything more than helping this family, then you are probably in the wrong place." It was amazing to see how many people didn't hesitate to jump right in and donate their skill, their time, and their material. It was amazing to see individuals that were inside painting for 18 hours and then look outside to see one of them pushing a wheelbarrow full of mulch helping the Landscaper. Wieland Builders is proud of all of the Sub Contractors and Employees that we have who stepped up to the plate even after donating their time and efforts on our Habitat for Humanity projects. Anybody can do things like this when times are good but the Home building business has obviously been in a slump for quite a few years and most all of our people were more than happy to donate. It goes without saying that Wieland Builders along with our Sub Contractors and Suppliers were the unsung heroes but that is what it was about, helping people who you don't know and not expecting anything in return. We have been thankful to be able to help as odd as it sounds, we are very thankful to have helped three families in 2008 live in a home and live better. Click here to see photos from the Extreme Home Makeover build
