Sun Gazette March 22, 2007
By Jared Hoffmann

Makeover show provides unique experiences for neighbors

While the demolition and swift rebuilding of the Jacobo family home created an exciting spectacle for thousands of observers, the weeklong event provided a somewhat different experience for residents of the neighborhood.
Domenico Saviano, whose house is across the street from the Jacobos’, said having the driveway blocked by barricades made it difficult to get in and out of his home. He said he had to notify the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” staff members well in advance to find an opportune moment to leave for work each day.

“We had to move around them and instead of them moving around us,” Saviano said. “We had to pretty much get their permission kinda.”

Saviano said the most difficult adjustment he and his family had to make was dealing with around-the-clock construction, which was aided by massive flood lights. He described the experience as being “extremely loud and bright.”

Saviano added that the inconveniences were still mostly minor and that the show’s staff members had agreed to re-sod the lawn after it was repeatedly trampled under the feet of spectators.

Marc Saviano, a cousin who also lives in the home, said the show paid to have his 1997 Honda Civic towed to a garage where minor repairs were made at no cost.

Frank Cihak, the Savianos’ next-door neighbor, was also affected by the makeover project. Large white media tents were pitched across his front lawn, and his entire driveway was ripped out for the creation of a VIP area. But Cihak, who spent time watching the process from his rooftop, said the inconveniences created during the week were well justified. He said seeing the Jacobos receive a brand-new home was worth it.

“I had to park down the street but it’s no problem,” Cihak said “For the work they’re doing, I can put up with it.”

Cihak said producers agreed to re-sod his lawn, give him an improved driveway and build a fence around his front yard as a token of appreciation. As for dealing with the noise generated by 24-hour construction, Cihak said it didn’t bother him.

“I was raised in Chicago,” Cihak said. “This is nothing.”

While some of the Jacobos’ neighbors were directly affected by the ongoing construction, some residents were touched in other ways.

Christina Paoletti, who lives just a few house up the street, said some of the youngest Jacobo children spent time in her home March 11 while the rest of family was being filmed for the show. She said the experience provided an opportunity for her family to get to know the Jacobos on a deeper level.

“We’ve lived on the same street as them for years,” Paoletti said. “Now we’ve had a chance to actually get to know them.”