One cool makeover

For the thousands of Pikes Peak-area fans waiting to see the latest “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” project unveiled, Sunday’s cold wind was unpleasant But for 10-year-old Kayla Woodhouse, it was perfect.

Kayla has a rare condition that limits her ability to feel pain or to regulate her body temperature, meaning she needs to stay indoors most of the time and in a temperature below 62 degrees. Her medical bills forced her family to sell their house in Colorado Springs this year, but the “Extreme Makeover” crew, and more than a thousand local volunteers, worked around the clock for the past week to build her family a new home near Fountain.

Ironically, as the fans shivered outside, crews were desperately trying to cool the inside of the house so Kayla could see it.

“We had like eight portable AC units trying to cool it down,” said Tony Mariani, who was in charge of the night shift for Premier Homes, the project’s builder.

Tension ratcheted up as a bus pulled into place in front of the house — the final step of every “Extreme Makeover” unveiling requires a bus to block a view of the house until

host Ty Pennington urges the crowd to chant “Move that bus!”

When Pennington stepped out of the house and over to the bus, the crowd screamed for the handsome TV star, who then ducked back inside.

“Everybody wants to see Ty,” said Kristina Spriggs of Widefield. “You know everybody wants to see Ty.”

Finally, Pennington emerged again, hoisting a big thermometer to show the house was finally at the right temperature, and ran down the line of fans, slapping hands.

After another half hour, and a few practice runs for the cameras, a black limousine pulled up and the Woodhouse family got out — parents Kim and Jeremy, Kayla and her brother Josh, who was jumping up and down with excitement.

As a swarm of cameras surrounded the family, the chants of “Move that bus!” began, but nothing happened. The reality show’s producers had the crowd shout three more times as the cameras rolled before the bus actually rolled away.

Kim Woodhouse wiped away tears as she got a hug from Matt Swanson, who led the construction team for Premier Homes. The family then gave a wave to the crowd and at last entered their new house.

In the crowd, Barb Cummings said seeing the Woodhouses’ happiness was a great feeling.

“I spent more time crying and I don’t even know the family,” Cummings said. “I cry every time I watch the show.”

The exhausted volunteers took a moment to exchange hugs themselves after a frenetic week.

Swanson and Mariani stayed at the site all week. Mariani said he worked 25 hours the first “day,” 20 the second and 21 the third.

“It was very fulfilling just to see their faces,” Mariani said. “It’s a special feeling that I will probably never have again in my life.”

The house, he said, is spectacular, with a bowling alley and an ice cream parlor in the basement, a home theater styled after a drive-in, with seats from a 1964 Mustang convertible, and a wall-size aquarium in Kayla’s room.

Pennington and the Woodhouses emerged a short time later, to see one more gift — a 2009 Ford Flex, a car that won’t even go on sale until next summer. Actually, the Woodhouses “received” the car four times, repeating their enthusiasm for the cameras.

This episode of “Extreme Makeover” will air on ABC in January, a spokeswoman for the show said. But for the volunteers and the fans, “Extreme Makeover” has already provided unforgettable memories.

“She’s worth it,” Lonnie Duke, who volunteered at the site earlier in the week, said of Kayla. “I don’t know the family personally, but from what I’ve heard, they deserve a fresh start.”

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0275 or awineke@gazette.com