'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition' is back, and it's building in Polk. Here's the scoop

A beloved home improvement reality show is preparing for its return to cable TV, and two Polk County families will be among its lucky beneficiaries.

"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" crews have set up in Auburndale to build two homes for Polk County families. There are hundreds of volunteers working around the clock to construct houses from the ground up in Brookland Park, a new development off Old Lake Alfred Road by national builder Taylor Morrison.

"We have two houses going on the same time, started two days apart," Doug Miller, president of Taylor Morrison's Tampa Division said. "Each one will take about five days to build."

Miller said crews began their work Sunday, right as the wind and heavy rain from Hurricane Debby began impacting Polk. There were only two weather-related breaks: 30 minutes when heavy winds and rain required roofers to stop, and when a tornado alert was issued for Auburndale on Monday morning, sending crews scrambling for cover.

"This is a first," he said. "We learn as we are getting further into the process it's not a five-day magic of TV. It's really a five-day build."

'Dreams' under construction

One of the homes will be a six-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath, two-story house with a garage. The other will have five bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms and a garage. The houses do not follow the builder's standard floor plans, according to Miller, and have been customized with features to fit each family's needs. He estimated the value of each was roughly $450,000.

"On Sunday and Monday, it was a different scene," Miller said. "As you were putting up walls, you could see just how many people you have working together to make it happen."

Construction workers and volunteers have been banned from taking any photos or videos inside of the house to avoid spoiling any surprises. Despite the weather, construction remains ahead of schedule for the "Move that bus!" reveals scheduled for Saturday and Monday. Extreme Makeover's new hosts, Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin, co-founders of the global lifestyle brand The Home Edit, are expected to be in town for the move-in and reveals.

The two families' identities have not been released by Extreme Homes or Taylor Morrison.

Miller said he participated in the "Braveheart Walk" on Wednesday morning, where he personally delivered the message to a second family that they were selected from thousands of entries for "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." "We talk as builders about building the American Dream and being involved in an effort like this epitomizes that," he said.

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Volunteer manpower making it happen

Gayle Coutant, the site's volunteer coordinator, said there are between 35 and 40 general volunteers for each eight-hour shift, 24 hours a day. These individuals have been checking in contractors, ensuring they have all needed safety equipment, setting up tables and chairs to rest, cleaning up trash and more. Some have traveled more than two hours to lend a hand.

The trades workers on site are also volunteers, Miller said, donating their time and expertise to help build the homes. There are up to 150 crew members working on a house at any given time.

Some of the Extreme Makeover's volunteers are working in art and design, helping create and build custom pieces for the selected families. Others have begun assembling furniture to help make the move-in process go smoother.

Silent auction to help families defray costs

Taylor Morrison has launched an online campaign to help the selected families defray preliminary costs of moving, Miller said. The builder recognizes families can face costs such as homeowners association fees, utility turn-on fees and other one-time expenses.

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Individuals looking to contribute can make a donation to the Legacy Fund that will be split to help benefit the selected families in Arizona, Florida and Texas.

There is also a silent online auction that features an array of kitchen appliances, household items and several vacation packages. It can be found online at airauctioneer.com/legacy-fund. Bids will be accepted through 3 p.m. Sept. 20.

Sara-Megan Walsh can be reached at swalsh@theledger.com or 863-802-7545.