Ever wonder what it is like to have a town featured in a reality show? Well, the town where I live, Bergenfield New Jersey, found out recently when Extreme Home Makeover performed their radical miracle for a family of visually impaired people.
If you thought it isn’t possible to really build a good house in two weeks, guess what? You’re wrong. It is beautiful, sturdy, and the local building inspectors (a pretty tough bunch) are very pleased with the quality.
The design and production team works with military precision, round the clock. Day and night. They do not do a makeover without the complete cooperation and approval of local officials and police. In Bergenfield, this was extremely important. The house they knocked down and rebuilt is on a very busy street, with major traffic flowing between highways. Local police set up detours and barricades through residential streets, and were available pretty much round the clock. Everyone in town got a call about how their trash pickup would be affected by the delays. In a town which is less than 4 miles square and has approximately 27,000 people, the cooperation was amazingly smooth.
Local contractors were used where possible, and they appreciated the opportunity to show their work. The plans for the new home were drawn up within just three weeks, while the owners were still at the finalist stage. Throughout the two weeks, a large encampment of workers, corporate sponsors, and television crew was spread along a neighboring street. The construction was done mostly by volunteers.
Most of the family is affected by congenital blindness, one member is recovering from cancer, and a son was born deaf. They found that their existing split level was too small and too boxy to accommodate their changing needs. Communication with each other and safety were major issues. While the location was good for them to access busses, shopping, and school, the noise from the street sometimes interfered with their ability to use their hearing to compensate for what they could not see. Actress Marlee Matlin who is making a guest appearance on the show commented that the house itself was disabled.
The new house is much larger, with bigger rooms, and a more flowing design. It is now a showplace for every type of gadget, every technology which helps those who live with disabilities. For example, the family is now able to speak into a microphone to tell the house to turn off the lights or lower the thermostat. Three dimensional origami wallpaper was used so that a daughter could feel the design.
When the family returned for the dramatic moment when the bus pulls away, thousands of well wishers were on hand to share their happiness. Some privately wondered if the politicians on hand would assist the family with the mammoth increase in property taxes that ordinarily result from such a large renovation. Property taxes in that section of Bergenfield have more than doubled in the past year, and are a sore subject for many residents, who have organized appeals. Nevertheless, everyone was delighted to see this family benefit from the renovation. Of all the welcome home signs, my favorite is the one spelled out in American Sign Language.
The episode will air in July – look for it on ABC. I am really very intrigued by the solar heating and the integrated Hvac, security, and lighting system. The concept is not just about making a home accessible for a particular disability – it is about making the home livable for people of all ages and abilities as a routine matter.