Albuquerque Family Chosen For Extreme Makeover Home Edition

Albuquerque Family Chosen For Extreme Makeover Home Edition 1/17/08

'Good Morning, Martinez Family!' Albuquerque Family Chosen for Upcoming Episode of 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition'

ABC's popular, hit show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" airing Sundays 8/7c, is coming to New Mexico for the first time. The lead builder is a builder local to the Albuquerque area: Atreus Homes and Communities (previously known as HomeLife Communities). The chosen family was announced on the morning of January 15, 2008. Ty Pennington and his team of designers woke the Martinez family up with the news that they had been chosen for the show!

Albuquerque, New Mexico (PRWEB) January 17, 2008 -- Ty Pennington and the design team for ABC's hit TV show, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition made their first official visit to the Martinez family of Albuquerque, NM bright and early this morning. The family has dedicated itself to the revitalization and rebuilding of the Trumbull section of the city, and Gerald Martinez's ministry has helped reduce violent crime in the area during the past four years.

"This is a first for New Mexico," Kyle Fisher, president of Atreus Homes & Communities' New Mexico division, said when asked about the company's third-time involvement as lead builder for the TV show. "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition hasn't yet been to our beautiful state and they've found a great family that we're proud to help out."

Ty and his team of designers - Paul DiMeo, Paige Hemmis, Ed Sanders and Michael Moloney - called the family out of their home to signal the beginning of the week long project during which the home will receive a complete "makeover" in Extreme Makeover style.

"Completing an entire home makeover in one week is a miracle in today's homebuilding industry, but thanks to builders like Atreus Homes, who are willing to really pull out all the stops for the show, we've always been able to meet our own outrageous deadlines. Each show is more fun than the last," Denise Cramsey, executive producer of the TV show, states. "And the show's introduction to New Mexico will be memorable."

Those interested in volunteering for the project should visit www.ExtremeAtreus.com to register, and keep visiting the site for updates on construction progress.

About The Martinez Family:

Five years ago, Gerald Martinez, his wife Liesa and their four children moved into the Trumbull section of Albuquerque, an area at the time rife with social problems, Gerald began transforming his church into a refuge for the needy, which included a café, daycare facility, and working bathroom with showers so the homeless had a place to clean up. The community welcomed the Martinez family and was very grateful for all of their hard work. However, there were some members that did not take a liking to Gerald and even attacked him with a glass bottle in front of his own house.

Still, Gerald managed to work together with the community and quickly transformed an area formerly known as "the War Zone" into a new and better place now called "God's Block." As crime rates decreased and the community began getting media attention, Gerald purchased two other duplexes that would be used to create the "Mission Outpost," a place where broken people could recover from their troubles. With an open door policy, many people were making use of the Outpost. The Martinez family was finally connecting with their neighbors, but they also began to lose their own family privacy.

Soon enough, the family began to undergo financial difficulties as well, considering they do not charge rent. Although the family has made a great impact on the transformed community, they do not have enough space for themselves to live in. They don¹t have a working stove and use hot plates to do their cooking. With little privacy and on the verge of financial ruin, the Martinez family is in severe need of a new and safe home where they can continue their mission to save the town of Trumbull.

About The House:

Atreus Homes & Communities will work with the designers of the home, to demolish two homes too dilapidated to save, build two new structures including a home for the family, and remodel two existing homes. The company is also speaking with officials from the city of Albuquerque about how it can help it with its goal of revitalizing the neighborhood and continuing to create a safe neighborhood.

About the Team:

A team from Atreus Homes & Communities will be filling the lead builder role on site at the Martinez family home makeover in Albuquerque, NM. This is the company's third time partnering up with Ty and his design team from "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."

"At this point it feels like a semi-annual reunion, where we get to do what we do best and help out a family that deserves it," Darren Drevik, Director of Marketing, US for Atreus Homes & Communities said. "Our company doesn't just build neighborhoods, it builds them up. As a relatively new builder to the area, we're looking forward to showing folks in Albuquerque what type of homebuilder we are."

Atreus Homes & Communities has already completed two homes in conjunction with the ABC-TV show: one for the Yazzie family of Pinon, Arizona, and another for the Riggins family of Raleigh, N.C. The new project in New Mexico is another challenge it is excited to take on.

The Build:

The week-long marathon began with Ty's famous line that starts off every show, "Good Morning, Martinez family!" Demolition of the old home is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 16. Specific requirements for this makeover include: framers, carpenters and general help. Hundreds of Atreus Homes & Communities' employees, trade partners, and community volunteers will gather for the initial symbolic "charge" toward the home suggesting a sense of unity that has become a large part of the show.

Immediately following the charge, the remnants of the home are removed to an offsite location and the lot is prepped for the build. The weeklong build will undoubtedly be hectic, but in the end, the Martinez family home will be replaced with one specifically designed by Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Construction is scheduled to be completed by Monday, Jan. 21, with the family returning to see their new home for the first time on Tuesday the 22nd.

Throughout the week of building, the public is welcome to monitor the progress by visiting the build site, or by visiting www.ExtremeAtreus.com.