Did Extreme Makeover: Home Edition really build a houses in seven days?

Home Edition didn't build houses, they renovated them. And, if you have all your plans laid out, all your materials on hand, and a crew of burly workmen, yes, a home can be renovated in seven days. I used to flip, and my goal was two weeks or less, but you have to have everything squared away first before that first sledge hammer swings.

As for homes that are built "in a weekend," you'll notice those don't have foundations but rather slabs. A foundation takes way, way, way more than 72 hours to set up, let alone settle.

they basically THROW the house together... my best friend's family builds houses for a living and their houses take about 3-4 months to be built correctly and they are strong sturdy houses that will last a lifetime... the houses on extreme makeover might be glitz, glam and HUGE, but they aren't that sturdy and wouldn't be worthy of a lot... They use HUGE crews to build those houses and have many shifts that run through the night. Hope that answered your question! xoxox

Yes, I saw one go up in our area after a tragic story where a man was down on his luck. On the day he was losing his house, he took his children swimming when he had a heart attack in the water with his daughter. The son on the beach saw what was happening and saved his sister from drowning. He returned to the water to save his father and he, too, lost his life.

The Extreme Makeover was the "Hero" edition after the forclosure company abandoned their efforts to reclaim this family's home. The rest is history and yes, it was built in 7 days with non stop construction when the road was open only to local residents. Flood lights on all night and building nonstop. Finished in 7 days.

Yup, I watched them do one.

They actually reworked an existing house - gutted a lot of the original house, and added on to it from there. You are right about the additional foundation- they did that first, and it had just enough time to cure.

The crews work round the clock in shifts- and on top of each other, which is dicey at best. At one point they realized they had forgotten to install the elevator for the kid in the wheelchair, but got it done in plenty of time. It was wonderful to see such a huge army of guys at work, donating their time, working with other crews they didn't even know - all to help a family in need.

They did things so as to get it done- some of the stuff was basic, and the landscaping barely had time to touch the ground But it was amazing, the atmosphere was just so exciting, they actually DID get it done in the week!

they had several lawsuits for work that was never finished, creative editing made you think everything was done at the end of the show

and ironically a lot of the people they were "helping' ended up losing the home unable to afford how the real estate taxes ballooned due to all the improvements

When you can edit something you can do anything in 7 days