KEMAH, Texas Larry and Melissa Beach and their 13 children, recipients of a new house from ABC s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, were greeted by thousands of enthusiastic local volunteers for the show s reveal day of the family s new home Thursday.
The Beaches house was wrecked by Hurricane Ike and the family lived in mobile homes on their property until the popular reality series showed up last week to build them a house that would meet their large family s needs. For years, the Beaches have been foster parents to several special needs children.
Even though Thursday s reveal day was hampered by cold, wind, rain and muddy conditions, volunteers, spectators and the Beaches extended family were out in full force.
Larry Beach s nephew, Chad Toppass, who drove in from Fort Worth, did not want to miss the reveal.
I think it s amazing, he said. It s something they needed for a long time.
The project drew people from all walks of life and from all across the state.
Jake Ruesink, 18, a Texas A&M freshman from Austin, showed up with friends from school last Thursday to volunteer.
We thought it was a good way to spend Christmas break, and it s for a good cause, he said.
Valerie Schulze, 52, a wellness instructor from Pearland, also helped paint the house and haul everything from PVC pipes to furniture. Schulze said she volunteered to help out because of the inspiration the show provided her when she was struggling to rebuild her house in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike.
Actress Jessica Alba also was there to lend a helping hand. Alba donated eight solar panels for the roof of the 6,340-square-foot, two-story house.
Blu Shields and Patrick Henderson, who were the lead builders for the project, said the solar panels could reduce the family s annual electric bill by as much as $1,200. Shields and Henderson, who put about $90,000 of their own money into the Beaches new home, emphasized the new house would be energy efficient.
The family also will get a year of free power courtesy of CenterPoint Energy.
Larry Beach is a lineman for CenterPoint.
While the volunteers and local businesses built their new home, the Beaches enjoyed a vacation at Disney World in Orlando, Fla., courtesy of the show. The episode featuring their new house is scheduled to air in March.
