Two churches bookended the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” Bunker Hill build. Oakbrook Community Church and First Church of the Nazarene are both located in Kokomo, Ind.
Oakbrook Community Church, which seats 1,100 people in its auditorium, hosted the kickoff rally prior to the beginning of the week-long build. The church was selected because of its size and location, according to Oakbrook’s First Impressions Coordinator Dea Mygrant.
Hundreds of fans and volunteers gathered in Kokomo’s First Church of the Nazarene Jan. 10 to greet the Cowan-Brown family and one another. They enjoyed 1,500 donated Blondie’s cookies and soft drinks provided by Coca-Cola and the church’s Holy Grounds coffee bar. Groups such as the American Cancer Society and the Be the Match national marrow donor program had information booths and volunteers available.
At 7 p.m., the crowd moved into the church auditorium where Dennis Ashley from D. Ashley Design + Events moderated a program that included: opening remarks, Hallmark Homes highlights, volunteer highlights and testimony, Cowan-Brown family highlights, viewing of the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” Bunker Hill episode, Hallmark Homes and Cowan-Brown family responses, an IROK Foundation presentation and closing remarks.
The Cowan-Browns will have another reason to love their new home because of the energy efficient assets included with the house. The home uses a closed loop geothermal system for heating and cooling, a wind spire turbine for electric costs and various energy efficient appliances and options inside the home. Cris Dorman, coordinator for Public Outreach and Education for the Indiana Office of Energy, said the construction was set up so the house would be fairly energy efficient.
The geothermal system, which was installed by Earth Link Geothermal Systems from Ossian, includes six pipes that make up the closed loop system. The 400-foot pipes, which were buried six feet underground, are filled with liquid that absorbs heat from the ground so it can be transferred to the house for heating during the winter. In the summer, the pipes carry heat from the home and transfer it back into the ground. Doorman said the system should have a noticeable impact on heating and cooling costs.
“That closed loop should help offset the heating and cooling cost anywhere between 50 and 75 percent, “ Doorman said. “It looks like [the home] will have a gas fireplace, which will also help offset some of the heating costs.”
Many have asked what will happen in the long-term for the family who has ongoing medical bills, and now a bigger home to maintain. Though the new home came at no cost to the family, utilities and home maintenance were not included.
Fortunately, the community, sponsors and builder planned ahead to help the family.
A charity auction during build week raised more than $18,000 for the family to use toward home and medical expenses. Dr. Tavel Optical Group donated 15 years of eye care to the family. This is a significant contribution, valued at more than $30,000. And Ball State University awarded four-year, full-tuition scholarships to each of the four Cowan-Brown children. At today’s tuition rate, these scholarships have a total value near $120,000.
As for the home, Hallmark Homes home has included its standard warranty on the Cowan-Brown home. This includes a 2-year workmanship warranty and a 10-year structural warranty covering anything normally covered under the RWC National Warranty Guidelines. Hallmark will perform a 30-day, 11-month and 23-month walk-through with the family.
After a week-long build that truly can be defined as one of the most unique “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” efforts ever, the family is back in their new house.
Hallmark Homes would like to thank everyone who made this possible. There is no way that it could’ve been done without you.
It’s Day Seven and everything on the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” build is coming together. All the hours that the builders, sponsors and volunteers have put into the Cowan-Brown family’s new home has come down to “Move that bus!” time. Hallmark Homes is almost done with its part of the build and ready to hand the keys off to the Extreme Makeover team.
Derek Wilder, CEO of Hallmark Homes, has been thanking volunteers, sponsors and everyone else involved with the build all morning. The build has been full of challenges, most of which came with the rain late last week, but so far all of them have been overcome. Wilder said the turnaround from being behind to getting back on track was the biggest accomplishment.
“I’ve heard people saying that they’ve never seen anything like that turnaround,” he said. “From that perspective, I’m really proud of the guys for it. Basically, that first morning was one that was very difficult. At 3 a.m. [Friday], I get a phone call and we have a foot of water and the foundation is totally flooded so I had to get on the phone and make a plan for how we’re going to get out of this.”
The plan is working. Volunteers are putting the finishing touches on the inside of the home while others lay sod in the front yard. Eventually, the keys will be handed off to the ABC Extreme Makeover team and Hallmark Homes will be finished with its part of the job. Wilder said most of the work is already out of his hands.
Good morning everyone from the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” build site in Bunker Hill, Ind.! There’s definitely a buzz in the air as we build up to the Reveal and prepare to “Move That Bus.”
A couple notes on the activities for today. Buses have begun to shuttle spectators from the Grissom Air Force Base to the build site. We will have as many buses running from the base to the site, lines have already started forming at the base, so plan accordingly.
The field site is still a little muddy, so plan your footwear accordingly. The weather should stay in the 50-60 degree range today, so don’t forget to dress comfortably and warm.
Currently, the official scheduled time for the Reveal is 3 p.m. We hope to see you out here as we share this gift with the Cowan-Brown family.
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