

Unlike many HGTV shows where different designers and personalities build things with a signature aesthetic in mind, there simply couldn’t be a singular design template applied to all the projects on Extreme Makeover. So a lot of the things that I built were at their specific request,” he says. We really made sure that whatever we were building or designing, really fit the family. “Everything I designed was specific to the family. We always say what is your story? What are your needs, and how do we attack that?”Īs an expert in customizing furniture, Keefe’s skills were crucial. We don't want anything in the home to become a burden for them. Because we want these homes to be something that the families can grow with. “So we always start every design with practicality, organization, and functionality. “We go in and we learn the story of the family, we see the family, we see their stories, we pinpoint what it is they need, and we move from there,” says Locklyn. Every family had specific needs and challenges that had to be prioritized over aesthetics, at least at the beginning of the project.

While many HGTV shows emphasize the glamour of design, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is a bit different. “We want the families to continue to thrive in the homes after the cameras leave, so we ensure that the home is sized to meet their needs and we emphasize the function as well as the design of the home. We also identify ways to offset increased expenses from taxes and utility costs. For example, in several episodes we create homes that use the latest energy-saving technology. In some cases, our partners provide financial assistance to help the family with costs of homeownership or assist with another major financial need in their lives. This, in turn, frees up funds for the family to maintain the new or renovated home.” HGTV knew this issue needed to be addressed for the reboot and shared the following statement. Many of the homes ended up being too expensive for the families to keep. While the original series changed lives, there were some cases where it wasn’t for the better.
