Huber Home, Extreme Makeover - Home Edition Superior, Wisconsin

Project Description: Krech Ojard was invited by Builder's Commonwealth as one of the team members involved in the building of an extremem home in Wisconsin for the television show, ABC's Extreme Makeover - Home Edition. This amazing project was started and completed in a week's time and involved the help of numerous businesses and volunteers. Krech Ojard was proud to offer engineering and surveying services on such a unique, fast paced project for a great cause and a deserving family in northern Wisconsin.



Krech Ojard Engineers, Technicians and Surveyors volunteered their time for a few weeks on the design and drawings before construction started on this home to help make this project successful.

Structural Engineer Sara Ojard said, “It was a unique experience of a very large group of people with a single focus to create a home for a family that needed one. The construction site was unlike any other - more of a carnival atmosphere than a job site. I don’t think that I’ll be able to get ‘Whole Foods’ granola and ‘Red Mug’ coffee at my next structural observation.“

Civil Engineer Pete Marthaler added: “It was very exciting being involved with a project with such an ambitious schedule, which resulted in nearly all work involving the project to take on an ‘URGENT’ status because we didn’t want to cause the project to fall behind schedule.”

Our initial task was to conduct a survey of the property to map out site features and property boundaries. Because the family was unaware of their selection for the show, we were only allowed three hours to survey the property while the family was away one evening. The survey of the property served as the basis for the developing the site plan and placement of the new house. After the house plan was developed, the structural group met with Builder’s Commonwealth to design the structural foundation plan and framing details for the home. We also helped create a complete set of panelized wall shop drawings for all the walls, which were built in the shop before ground-breaking on the home. We specified the rebar and mix design for Ty’s “special project.” And we designed the foundation for the wind turbine.

During construction, Krech Ojard provided construction surveying and staking for the new house foundation, driveways, and septic system. We were part of the meetings with the Extreme House team when discussing the atypical concrete mix design. The concrete mix needed to have an extremely fast setting time - construction workers were setting wall panels on the slab within 4 hours of pouring it. And after 18 hours, the roof of the house was already in place.

Construction that usually takes months for a home of this size was completed in a week thanks to all involved; from Builders Commonwealth and the Extreme Makeover crew to all the businesses and individuals that volunteered their time, energy and materials.

More information about this Extreme Project and a large gallery of photos can be found at Builders Commonwealth's Extreme site here: www.extremebuilderscommonwealth.com