News & Press

Altamonte Springs, Fla. (April 2, 2006) — Mercedes Homes and ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” worked around the clock from February 17-February 25 to provide Sadie Holmes and her five children with an “extreme-ly” wonderful home.  On April 2, that home was revealed to millions of viewers during a two-hour television special on ABC, and viewers were able to see the amazing details of the home for the first time.

Every detail of the Holmes’ home was selected with the family in mind in order to complement the interests of each family member. The design team was careful to research each family member’s interests and designed rooms that reflected their individual styles. 

“Families helping families” was the theme of the week-long home makeover for the Holmes’ family, which began with the show’s signature “door-knock” on February 17, 2006. The Holmes’ family was chosen from thousands of applicants to receive a brand new home and operations building for their non-profit assistance center, Sadie Holmes Help Service, Inc.

For years, Sadie Holmes, a single mother of five children from nine to 16 years of age, battled addiction but eventually won and turned her life around. The generosity shown to Sadie and her family by their community nearly a decade ago during their time of need led Sadie to establish her own non-profit organization, Sadie Holmes Help Service, Inc. The Help Service collects clothing, food and furniture to distribute to people in need of help in South Seminole County in Florida. 

In typical “Extreme” fashion, the new home was constructed in only one week.  Despite the limitations brought on by the compressed build time, the home includes Mercedes Homes’ innovative hurricane-resistant features and building methods, ensuring that the next hurricane to make its way into Central Florida will not interrupt the lives of the Holmes’ family or the lives of those in the community served by Sadie’s non-profit. 

In addition to the hurricane-resistant features of the home, the design team created rooms for each family member with unique design elements including:

Basketball Room — Jonathan has always been a huge NBA basketball fan and his favorite team is fittingly the Orlando Magic. The design team created an amazing Orlando Magic-themed room, complete with autographed memorabilia from Dwight Howard, the team’s young star and Jonathan’s favorite player.  Dwight even stopped by the set to add his own special touches to the Orlando Magic basketball court in the backyard. 

Motocross Room — Jacob loves motocross.  The design team worked for most of the week on an airbrushed custom paint scheme, and they outfitted the room with such motorcycle goodies as an actual motorcycle suspended from the ceiling and a motocross video console.  Even the desk check is made from an actual motorcycle.

Rock Room — Jeremiah has always had an interest in rock climbing, and the design team took on the arduous task of creating a two-story rock room.  This bedroom features wall-to-wall faux stone and is adorned with rock climbing gear throughout. Jeremiah must climb the stairs to his loft and cross the bridge to get to his bedroom, which is situated in his very own cave.

Fish Room — Emmanuel enjoys fish, and the design team did a great job making his room “fishy.”  When he walks into his room, Emmanuel sees a fish that begins as a painting on his wall and culminates in a large fish mouth that protrudes from the wall and holds his television.  This room also features a catfish-themed bed and his desktop is actually a working fish tank.

News Room —Ephesian dreams of becoming a news broadcaster and the design team created her very own working news studio in her bedroom. Featuring a vibrant color scheme, Ephesian’s room includes camera equipment and four televisions to allow her to keep up with the latest news across the globe.

Master Bedroom —Sadie’s master bedroom is the epitome of spirituality and tranquility.  Sadie, a deeply spiritual woman, has been through a lot and works very hard to support her family and her community through her non-profit organization.  It is because of her commitment to others that Extreme “Host” Ty Pennington wanted to provide her with a luxurious haven to come home to every night.  The master bedroom features dark mahogany furniture, and Sadie’s bathroom includes a whirlpool bath and a large custom-tiled shower.

Office — Before the door-knock on February 17, Sadie and her family had operated the Sadie Holmes Help Service, Inc. out of a small, salvageable section of her hurricane and fire-damaged home. Mercedes Homes and ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” have provided her with a brand-new office and warehouse space so that she can continue to provide her wonderful services to the needy members of her community.  The new Sadie Holmes Help Service headquarters features a large clothing and food storage area, an executive office, a walk-in freezer and more. 

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Photography Available: Log on to www.mercedes-extreme.com for artwork.  If you need high-resolution images, please contact Lauren Furey at LFurey@mpbc.cc or Erika Spence at ESpence@mpbc.cc.  New photos will also be available on www.mercedes-extreme.com of the completed home after 9 p.m. EST on April 2nd.

How the Community Can Help
Log on to www.mercedes-extreme.com to learn how you can continue to help support the family.  Special utility, non-profit and educational funds have been established through Bank of America.

About Mercedes Homes
Mercedes Homes is the nation’s largest 100 percent employee-owned home builder with 120 locations in Florida, Texas, North and South Carolina.  Mercedes Homes actively participates in many programs that give back to the community.  The company focuses their donations primarily on organizations helping individuals with special needs, whether medical, physical or developmental, academic programs and scholarship funds, youth programs, construction-related charitable organizations and community service. To find out more about Mercedes Homes’ community efforts, log on to their web site at www.mercedeshomes.com.  

About "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"
"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" is produced by Endemol USA, a division of Endemol Holding. David Goldberg is the president of Endemol USA. The series is executive-produced by Tom Forman and co-executive produced by Denise Cramsey. The show airs Sundays (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET), on the ABC Television Network.