One of the hundreds of volunteers, an electrician wiring part of a dream into the reality Photo courtesy of the Puget Sound Washington chapter of the Independent Electrical Contractors Association, Inc.

Fans who watch the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” show on television are familiar with the drama, the emotions and the gratitude that come along with each house the show builds for a family going through trying circumstances. They watch the “design team” of stars talk about challenges, work on the house, and in the end, pull off an incredible undertaking - and get a great number of hugs.

Building a home in less than a week is an extreme challenge indeed, and the homeowners return to their new or remodeled homes with tears and gratitude. It's definitely a feel-good show. But what television fans are not likely to realize is the reason the extreme challenge is solved is due not so much to the show's stars as it is to the local business community. Without businesses who give thousands of dollars in time and materials, there would be no house.

For one Kitsap family, there was a new house indeed. The Kirkwood family of seven in November came to their property to find a beautiful new home, after having struggled with mold issues at their old one. To make this happen - and on time - it took several hundred businesses from Kitsap and King counties, and hundreds of volunteers, sometime working at the same time.

Like a chaotic, yet well orchestrated bee hive production, the site of the Burley home in South Kitsap was swarming with tradesmen and volunteer workers in blue T-shirts for nearly five days. Trucks moved back and forth, hauling tons of materials. Vans and mini-buses shuttled sponsors, spectators and workers around the clock, thanks to professional drivers who came from as far as Edmonds to volunteer their time. People worked on the house in the mud and drizzle - or in one case, a brutal downpour (just when the concrete needed to cure for the foundation).

Everything was done as if in fast-forward motion. Wiring went in, inspectors who were on site the entire time immediately followed, and as soon as they said “yes” the insulation started going in. Jobs that normally would weeks or even months took a few hours or a couple of days. And the motion didn't stop until the last minute - the flower beds were still going in two hours before the family showed up.

Tradesmen that usually steer clear of each other worked on site in huge groups at the same time. More than 100 plumbers and electricians, for example, shared the space - and these are trades that usually don't mingle. But no one stepped on each other's toes while plumbing and wiring was being done simultaneously, said Roger Penner, president of Howland Homes, the Seattle-based builder for the project.

“The builder needs to be extremely organized, very coordinated because you can't approach the project like everything else,” said Natasha Valach, marketing manager with Weyerhaeuser, which is one of the major show sponsors.

The production had as many glitches as people who stepped up to the plate. Despite several delays, the multiple crews did it on time, which for a while seemed impossible.

“We were still in the house fine-tuning things up to the point when they moved the bus,” said Ken Alyea, residential coordinator with Ahearn Electric, referring to the famous “Move that bus moment” when a bus parked in front of the home is finally moved so the homeowners can see their house. Alyea, who coordinated a crew of about 25 people from the company, tells the same story that many other contractors went through - being up for 24 hours straight or more, some of that time waiting for their delayed turns, then leaving the site for a few hours and coming back.

Ahearn Electric became involved in the project through the Olalla-based Puget Sound Washington Chapter Independent Electrical Contractors Association Inc., which also contributed time and money, according to Executive Director Meredith Lambert. When the main electrician, McMullen Electric of Puyallup, contacted the chapter, Lambert said Bremerton-based Ahearn Electric was the association's obvious choice.

Other companies got involved in similar fashion, through word of mouth or after being approached by companies that on any other day may have been their competitors.

Ken Morrison, owner of Port Orchard's Morrison Gravel, initially showed up to volunteer, but ended up coordinating the donation and delivery of about 5,000 tons of materials with 15 different trucking companies. The contractor on the site had apparently underestimated the amount of materials needed for infill and landscaping, and when Morrison heard about it, he went to work, calling everyone he knew and practically begging for help. He ended up lining up trucks and materials on a few hours' notice.

“I was just the local guy who could help,” Morrison said. “It was a challenge for me and I took it on.”

The challenge entailed lining up 60-70 truckloads a day, with several Port Orchard area companies jumping in to help among others. “I'm glad I had the chance to get involved in it,” he said. “To me, it was a once in a lifetime challenge to pull it off… I had to prove it could be done.”

Ken Perry, owner of Team Innovative of Poulsbo that provided all the landscaping coordination and design, called Morrison a hero. “That man saved the day,” he said. “The house would not have happened without Kenny Morrison…. He called in all his IOUs when the builder didn't have anyone lined up.”

Perry recruited 17 vendors and nine landscaping companies to achieve his massive part of the job, with two weeks' notice. He witnessed many people jumping in for different parts of construction as challenges inevitably occurred.

“A lot of people in this community came out of the woodwork in the middle of the night,” he said. “You'd be amazed when you're doing it for the right reason, how much easier it is to do.” In his case, he said the right reason was doing something for a good cause - a reason that brought most people to the site.

“I always said, 'I wish I could help one of those families,'” said Dan Sullivan, owner of Bremerton-based Sullivan Heating and Cooling Inc., who is a fan of the show. “This was my opportunity to do it and I stepped up.”

Sullivan described the experience itself as “a bit of hell,” being on site for hours on end on little sleep, then repeating it again the next day, but he said it was an amazing feat. Sullivan Heating was responsible for all the furnace, gas piping and cooling work, and Sullivan was the one who suggested using a HEPA and UV filter to make sure mold is never a problem for the family again. The upgrade cost more, but Sullivan said, “If I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it right.”

That seemed to be the prevalent attitude of the people who were part of the enormous effort - which in the end will be told Hollywood style, with the stars getting all the credit and the thank-yous. But the true heroes in what has been called the Superbowl of home building didn't show up so they can be on TV.

“I think a lot of people take it one because they want to be part of a challenge, like climbing Mount Everest or something - be part of something incredible and pull it off,” Morrison said.

And pull it off they did.