Monday, February 11, 2008
Nate was inspired to do this home makeover after hearing the story of the Hale-Jo family. Kari and Dave Hale bought their 1960s tract house in 2004 and one year later welcomed their son Ty to their family. The couple had plans to renovate their house, but their plan was changed when Kari's brother called and she realized he was really struggling to support his family. The Hale's decided to take in their 3 nieces: Lily 8, Izzy 10, and Jade 11. When the Hale's took the girls in they were not bathing, eating or attending school regularly - they really wanted to change the lives of their nieces.
Oprah's team played a trick on the family when they called and told them that they were not chosen for the makeover - but that they were to head to Pottery Barn to pick out a few items for their house as a gift instead. While at the store, Nate surprised them and told them that they were getting a complete home makeover! When Nate walked through the house, he noticed that the 1400 sq.ft. were just not enough for a family of 6.
While Nate and his team from Lowe's worked on the Hale-Jo house, the family was moved to a furnished apartment and told to stay away from their home to keep it a surprise.
Nate had just 15 days to complete the home renovation. The house was taken down to the studs and basically built from scratch. The team added a second floor and almost doubled the living space the family previously had. Nate took the kids out to dinner to discuss their taste and style so that he could get an idea of how to design their rooms.
Needing help to complete the outdoor space, Nate called on his friend Jamie Durie from Australia to fly to the states and help landscape the front and back yard.
When Nate dropped the curtain and revealed the transformation, the family was stunned. Kari even said that all she had wanted was a towel rack and a bookshelf - the house was beyond her dreams.
On the main floor of the house, Oprah noticed a large picture in the dining room of the 4 children in black and white. Nate said that it was his favorite picture in the house and he had it transferred onto canvas which made it into a piece of art.
Walking through the home, each girl was given her own room - and Lily and Izzy even had a message from Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron from High School Musical.
When the girls toured their rooms, both Lily and Izzy had a costume piece and photo from their favorite movie, and Jade had her own bathroom! Continuing through the house, Nate headed upstairs to show Kari and Dave their master suite which took up the entire second floor of the house.
The family ventured outside to find a covered outdoor area and a separate room/building in the back which housed the children's playroom - all which was visible from the kitchen for Kari to watch over the kids. Jamie also completely transformed the entire outside area with amazing landscaping.
Oprah welcomed the entire building and design crew as well as the Hale-Jo's neighbors so that the family could have the opportunity to thank them. Dave expressed that he didn't have the words to thank them enough, and Oprah shared that them living a wonderful life and taking care of the children in the house is the thank you.
