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photo by Brie Cohen
The DeVries family yells in excitement the moment the bus moves away from the house and they were able to see their new home for the first time Tuesday.
Welcome home!
DeVries family reacts with joy upon seeing house
Published Wednesday, October 8, 2008
HAYWARD — The wait is over.
Seven days after they were told they would be receiving a home makeover as part of the ABC TV show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” the DeVries family of rural Hayward returned home Tuesday to a large crowd of enthusiastic supporters and a brand new house.
As the crowd, family, designers and host Ty Pennington yelled, “Move that bus,” the bus rolled away, unveiling the house to the DeVries family of five.
A few of the DeVrieses gasped, and son, Derik, jumped with joy into the air. They then hugged each other tightly, a few times as a family, and then with individual members of the family.
“There’s not one adjective to describe what I saw,” said Grace DeVries, sister of Dirk DeVries, the father of the family receiving the makeover. “It was emotional, and there were tears of joy. I was just bawling.”
Photo by Brie Cohen
Ty Pennington shows the DeVries the butteryfly stone that Susan DeVries made. They put it in the ground near the front door of the new home.
Grace was standing in the crowd right behind where the DeVrieses stood in the driveway after they stepped out of the limousine that brought them in. She saw the family’s faces as they stepped out of the limo, waited for the bus to move and then hugged the designers and builders.
Just last Tuesday, Pennington and his TV crew knocked on the door of the DeVries family — which consists of parents, Dirk and Susan, and their three children, April, Derik and Hanna — to tell them about the makeover.
Dirk, 50, works as a mechanic at Royal Sports in Clarks Grove. He used to be a farmer, but a farming accident from his younger years left him without one arm. His family lives on a rural acreage three miles east of Hayward.
Susan, 42, is a music and reading teacher at Hollandale Christian School, and she is known for her artistic talents. She has a heart condition that causes her heart to beat more than 100 times per minute.
April is 17, Derik is 15 and Hanna is 12.
The family’s old house, which Hanna had described as “falling apart at the seams,” was demolished last Thursday, and then skilled volunteers worked around the clock to build the new house in less than 106 hours.
Photo by Brie Cohen
From left: Dirk, Susan, April, Derik and Hanna stand outside their home and look out into the crowd after seeing their new home Tuesday.
On Monday the keys of the house were turned over from Al Larson — owner of Larson Contracting, the company that was in charge of building the new home — to the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” crew. From then until just before the DeVries arrived back home, designers and volunteers were busy decorating the rooms of the house and making some finishing touches on it.
Larson, who stood in a bright orange jacket with several other Larson Contracting employees on one side of the family, described the scene of when the DeVries pulled up to the house.
He said when the family got out of the limo they stared first at the bus and then at the crowd. With all sorts of welcome home signs, “they had almost the same expression on their faces as they did with the door knock.”
“They were ecstatic,” he said.
Then, when the producers moved the bus, he added, there were similar expressions.
“There were faces of astonishment,” he said.
The family came to see the contractors, and “all five of them couldn’t hug you enough,” Larson said. “It gave a warm, fuzzy feeling that brought tears to your eyes.”
Thinking back over the week with the announcement, the demolition and the construction, he said, the experience has passed like “the blink of an eye.”
After hours of planning and organizing hundreds of volunteers, everything went smoothly and the house was finished around the company’s goal of 100 hours.
“It’s like a really, really good vacation,” Larson said. “Plan and plan for it, and the next thing you know you’re back home.”
Once the DeVries saw the outside of their new home, they were guided inside the home for several more hours of filming.
“It’s unbelievable,” said spectator Dawn Hansen. “It’s unbelievable how they can do this in seven days. If I was the family, the anticipation would be killing me.”
Hansen said she watches the show frequently, and everytime she does she cries.
Despite cold, rainy weather, spectators were eager to welcome the family home and to take part in what many called “a once-in-a-lifetime” event. Many were also excited to see the designers and, of course, Pennington.
Look to AlbertLeaTribune.com Wednesday for more on the family’s reaction. The media is scheduled to meet with the DeVries at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.
The episode is slated to air in December.
Comments
Posted by leonci (anonymous) on October 7, 2008 at 8:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Gotta love it !!! I had the priveledge of being asked to work on the home. I immediately said yes as all my employees did. 13 of us worked on installing wood flooring Sunday night and when we got there, Larson Contracting said the project was on schedule, but the goal was to do it in under 100 hours. We started an hour early and finished 4 hours ahead of our alotted time. The 10 volunteers who helped us that night, were largely responsible as they cleared the areas, hauled in wood flooring, hauled out garbage, swept floors, and covered the finished floors to protect the floor. I did not know any of you, but I want to thank you for coming on board and to let you know that you were an important part of the team, and meeting the 100 hour goal was achieved. Thank you-JOB WELL DONE !!!
Posted by dolphin (anonymous) on October 8, 2008 at 12:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)
it was so fun to be out there and wait for the family, and to see there faces when they seen there new home was amazing. I dont know them but i am very happy for them.
Posted by katet (anonymous) on October 8, 2008 at 6:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Kudos to anyone and everyone who worked on this wonderful project!! It just goes to show what can be done when people work together for a cause.....especially a good one!! I wish I could have been a part of it, but it was fun just to be supportive and to keep up with how everything was coming together!!
Congratulations to the DeVries family!! God Bless you!!
Posted by Wildbill (anonymous) on October 8, 2008 at 9:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It was a fun week! Good job everyone! It's not over, we still have a show to watch! Airing between Thanksgiving and Christmas!!!
Posted by tamilynne (anonymous) on October 8, 2008 at 9:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Great picture to show the look on their faces! I just wish she had a better angle so that the whole family was in the shot. All you can see is an arm of Susan!
Posted by gegal (anonymous) on October 8, 2008 at 9:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)
leonci-I was one of the 10 volunteers who helped you haul in wood flooring, haul garbage, sweep, and cover the floors. Thank you for letting me participate in this process and you're veryl welcome! It was a great experience participating in the project and helping to accomplish a great task for a family in need of a healthy home.
Posted by garden01 (anonymous) on October 8, 2008 at 7:32 p.m.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Posted by wakemaker (anonymous) on October 9, 2008 at 12:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't live in Albert Lea any more but what a great thing for the area. Kudos to all the volunteers who gave time and money to this noble project. If garden01 is right about the future owner of Larson that's a shame. It appears they do about 80% of the commercial contracting work around the City. Maybe having little to no competition has gotten to them! That type of attitude is how the mighty fall.
Posted by garden01 (anonymous) on October 9, 2008 at 10:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It's sad that Larson Contracting can pay the tribune off enough to remove any truthful comment off this website. It sure doen't show Americans Freedom of Speech if the only things that can be posted needs to agree with what the story has to say. If you read any other article on the tribune's website they have both negative and positive comments under the post a comment section, but if you look at all of the Extreme Makevoer stories all of the comments are positive and anything negatvie has been removed by the staff at the tribune.
Posted by Chevy (anonymous) on October 9, 2008 at 10:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
garden01...I read your comment before it got so rudely removed and I hope many others had too, it's nice to hear the truth. It gets covered up and buried all too often. Not only does the way he carry himself in the company a downfall, but the way he treats his employees is also not acceptable. I thought Al had kids....wouldn't the better decision be to turn his company over to them verses somebody who bad mouths the company like that????
Posted by MsLinda (anonymous) on October 9, 2008 at 11:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I think it is a wonderful and most rewarding experience to be involved in. I only have one suggestion, to scale down the cost of the homes so more than one family could benefit, possibly two for the price of one. The De Vries family is very deserving as maybe another family could have been also. Because everything was donated, I'm sure the recipients would still have felt very honored to have received a home of lesser value, done with "extreme" taste and skill.
Posted by littlemiss (anonymous) on October 9, 2008 at 11:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I am sadden to see that a company that did such a good thing for the DeVries family is now controlled by a man that would act like his female workers owe him something and im sure that if they checked into it they would find more than one employee that has had to keep there mouth shut so they too wouldnt lose there job. It is too bad that that this action was taken during a time when so many people were comming together to help a wonderful family in need so boo to you lynn DeVries on this action. But thank you to all the wonderful people that put your time and effort into doing something for someone else to all the volunteers lets give a wonderful thank you may god bless you all
Posted by Chevy (anonymous) on October 9, 2008 at 1:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)
littlemiss....wonderfuly said, but I believe your comment wont last on this website any longer than garden01's did. But atleast freedom of speech is heard for a little bit until they put a stop to it.
Posted by Chevy (anonymous) on October 9, 2008 at 1:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Once the Tribune announced who the family was that got choosen they were quick to add that Dirk & Susan DeVries was in no way related to the president of Larson Contracting Lynn Devries...so if that is the case than why was the president's wife & Dirk Devries' mom always seen on the jobsite together like they had known one another before this build???? Interesting. I think there was more to how this family was maybe choosen. And i agree with MsLinda, the house was lovely (a medioaker house considering the show's past homes), but I feel that with all the donations, money and effort that was given more families could have benefited. And I've only seen pictures of the home, but from what I have heard is there was no basement or storage room in that house for any of their belongings, is that correct? Why would they build a house for a family of 5 with just the essential rooms and no room for actual 'living'??
Posted by Momma23 (anonymous) on October 10, 2008 at 10:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Do you suppose the Albert Lea Tribune has been deleting these negative comments because they do not want the DeVries family to have to see such negativity directed towards their home project and the people responsible for such a generous gift??? Al Larson gave a HUGE amount of money to this project and that is a GREAT thing! This cost him and his businesses A LOT of money and he deserves a lot of credit for his generosity. Before you start bashing him, give him and his family some credit for all of the work they put into this project for this wonderful family!
Why do people have to be so negative in everything?? The Extreme Home Makeover TV show is named EXTREME because that is what they do-they make it an EXTREME HOME MAKEOVER! If you don't like it, don't watch it! Or direct your comments to ABC themselves instead of complaining on here, which is doing NO good! All this complaining does is make you look jealous! I don't see the family complaining about their home, so neither should you! The show gives the families financial counseling to help them deal with the added expenses, etc. and it is up to the family to be responsible with the gift they are given. I believe this family will do that and be responsible.
And to those of you who are criticizing the people who have been so generous to this family, what have you done lately to help others in your community? It is easy to look out the window and not in the mirror!
Posted by Chevy (anonymous) on October 10, 2008 at 2:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)
momma23, i haven't been looking out the window, i was there, i volunteered my time and that is how I got so informed about this business that I thought was so wonderful and also heard that al only agreed to do this project because he had profits from his business he had to get rid of before the end of the year so he once again didn't have to pay taxes for another year.
Posted by Momma23 (anonymous) on October 10, 2008 at 3:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Rumors should not be spread if you don't KNOW FOR SURE ALL OF THE FACTS! You could be damaging someone's valuable reputation when they do not deserve it!
And it is MUCH more than just money that Al and his family put into this project! I know for a fact that they worked night and day (taking time off from their regular jobs) on this massive project for a lot longer than any other volunteers!
GREAT job to all of Larson Contracting and the other workers! You should be proud of all that you got accomplished in such a short amount of time!
Posted by Chevy (anonymous) on October 11, 2008 at 12:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)
hope so
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