Log Homes : About Katahdin : Extreme Makeover

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About Katahdin : Extreme Makeover

Late in the fall of 2005, David Gordon, president of Katahdin Cedar Log Homes, was contacted by the producers of ABC's Extreme Makeover-Home Edition to construct a new cedar log home for a deserving family in Wells, Maine. The Goodales are a lobstering family whose father suffered the loss of an arm while fishing the Maine waters.

Download the Extreme Log Home Flyer (3MB)

Four Weeks to Plan
When the final go-ahead was given, the Katahdin team had approximately four weeks to design a new home to fit on the family's existing foundation and lot, to coordinate the donation of all the materials and labor associated with construction and to transport these materials and people to the site. The dramatic rise of the new cedar log home over the course of September 30 - October 3, 2005, was captured on film and appeared on the final one-hour special Extreme Makeover-Home Edition broadcast.

Five Days to Build
With a design and materials in hand and an army of volunteers, David and his team set out to replace the existing doublewide home on a foundation with a brand-new three-bedroom Katahdin Cedar Log Home. The team had to overcome numerous obstacles, including weather, timing, and manpower, as well as develop solutions to fit within the tight time frame.

Day One - The first twenty-four hours went smoothly despite the torrential downpour that struck the first night. The existing doublewide home was lifted off the foundation by cranes and trucked away, while a new well and septic were dug. Footings were poured for the new addition to the foundation and the floor beams, trusses and subflooring were installed. The exterior log walls began to rise from the foundation through the night.
Day Two - At sunrise, one of the main walls was nearly complete. Weather-tight caulking was applied as the walls rose at each of the log joints. Inside, radiant heat was installed on the first and second floors, the basement floor was poured, and load-bearing partitions were set into place. By mid-morning the last row of logs was in place and cranes were used to set the pre-sided end trusses. Ten-inch spruce purlins were placed across full log trusses to serve as the framing system for the new roof. As darkness fell, the first tongue-and-groove roof boards were being fitted across the purlins.
Day Three - The beautiful weather held again which enabled the crews to keep on schedule. The three-sided porch was attached to the outside of the house and a gazebo was constructed on the lawn. Roof dormers were mounted on the front, and once in place, the roof was prepped for architectural shingles. Inside, a cultured stone chimney, rough plumbing, electrical wiring and a portion of dry wall was completed. The garage floors were poured using "High-Early," a concrete product that only takes two and a half hours to dry. Outside as the day continued, the foundation was covered by cultured stone and the cupola was topped with a copper roof.
Day Four - Finish work was the order of the day as volunteer carpentry crews descended on the site to complete the interior of the home. Inside, the crews chinked the siding in the upstairs loft, and installed two stairwells, cabinets and countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms. Window trim and flooring were added while other teams hung doors and finalized electrical and plumbing work. The crowning touch of the copper clad cupola was raised into place and attached to the nearly completed front porch.
Day Five - Inside the final touches were put on laying the flooring, installing kitchen appliances and plumbing fixtures in the kitchen and bathrooms. Then the design team took over to finish the decorating and design elements inside the home. Outside, landscaping took precedence. Sod was rolled out over the lawns, trees and shrubbery were arranged in beds around the home. After leftover supplies and equipment were removed, the driveway was prepped and paved. The final task before breaking down was to clean up the large amounts of sawdust and other construction debris remaining on the site. The volunteer construction crews celebrated that evening with the family upon the return to their new home.