ABC's Extreme Home Makeover

The Story of our Extreme Build

When parents Michael and Dawne Kirkwood decided to expand their tight living situation by finishing their basement, they thought it would be a step up for their family. Instead they became the victim of a rogue contractor who took their money and left a torn up basement. To make matters worse, their home began to be consumed by toxic black mold. Unsure of what to do, the entire family moved into a part of the house that was not yet affected by the black mold, but eventually, the mold took over creating a living environment so noxious it became difficult to breathe. The family had no choice but to move out. The Kirkwood's then nine-year-old daughter, Jael, turned to ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition for help. ABC realized that Jael was not going to give up on her dream of a better home for her family and asked Howland Homes to make that dream home a reality.

The Knock

On November 8th, 2005, the Kirkwood family learned their lives would be changed forever when host Ty Pennington, bullhorn in hand, and the design team announced they were there to help with Seattle homebuilder Howland Homes. "When Extreme Makeover: Home Edition approached us about doing the show, we just couldn't say no," Matt Howland said. "Giving back is a core value of mine and Jael has so much passion and determination that I was glad to be able to help her and her family." Howland Homes led a team of subcontractors and volunteers to completely rebuild the Kirkwood's home in one week. All of the time, materials, and labor were donated by hundreds of subcontractors and suppliers. There was an unbelievable outpouring of support from the community to help this very deserving family.

View the timeline of exciting events that lead to the creation of the Kirkwood Family's dream home.

The Reveal A new level of emotion arrived with the stretch Hummer carrying the Kirkwood family. Anxious anticipation on volunteers' faces became beaming smiles along with cheers and shouts of joy as the Kirkwood's exited their vehicle led by daughter Jael and her dad Michael. He simply raised his sweatshirt with the words emblazoned "Thank You! Thank You!" and began pointing at the overwhelming numbers of people who had come to give. You could not help but be moved and feel you were in the middle of something amazing, something good. It was awesome to watch the crowds, Ty, and the Kirkwood's yell in unison "Move that bus!" bringing their new home into sparkling view. The volunteers joined the Kirkwood's with tears of joy and celebration. There was a lingering sense of hope left as the day ended. Hope for a family who had once lost their home, hope a for community coming together, hope for the future. Thank you again everyone who came together to create the Extreme Team Port Orchard. We could not have completed such an amazing project without the help of each and every one of you who gave so much of your time and effort.