Lambie Landscapes ‘Extreme Makeover’ Home
By Jill Bailie, The News (Waverly)1/11/2006
It all began when Marvin Lambie, owner of Creative Landscaping in rural Lincoln, answered his phone about three weeks ago. Hartland Homes, a construction company in Lincoln, was on the other line.
Lambie said, “They asked me if I wanted to do the landscaping for ‘Extreme Makeover.’ I told them, absolutely.”
ABC’s Emmy Award winning reality show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” decided to build a new house for two Lincoln residents, Kenneth Machacek and Teresa Fullerton. The couple and their five children will become the stars of the weekly hit show that should air early sometime next year. Machacek and Fullerton were planning to get married, but didn’t have enough space in either of their homes for all their children. They applied for the show, and were chosen by producers.
Twelve million viewers tuned in to watch the six bedroom, six-bathroom house go up at 6825 Platte Ave. in Havelock.
Once the families were chosen, Hartland Homes was asked to build the home. Lambie found out a couple months ago that “Extreme Makeover” was scouting out a Nebraska family for their show. “I knew someone at Hartland Homes, and told them that I wanted to be a part of it if the show decided to come to Lincoln,” Lambie said.
Three weeks ago Lambie got the call from Hartland Homes, and he didn’t have to think twice about accepting their offer. “My family has watched the show since the beginning,” Lambie said. “It’s a great opportunity to give back.”
Construction of the house began on Sunday, Oct. 29 and was finished last Friday. Lambie was on call with the show’s producers throughout the week. “They said they’d call me when they were ready for me, and it could be at anytime, even two or three in the morning,” Lambie said.
Lambie and his crew of 12 joined a couple other landscaping crews last Wednesday morning, and got right to work. “It’s going to be really nice for the family, something they can use,” Lambie said. “We’re planning to put in a fire pit, a wood burning stove, and a pondless waterfall in the backyard.” Other landscaping features include a patio, benches, and greenery to act as a partition between neighbors as there was no fence being put up. Creative Landscaping donated all their time and materials to the cause. By Wednesday afternoon, Lambie said he had meet most of the people from the show, except for the host Ty Pennington who was working at a Chicago location last Wednesday.
“I’ve been talking to Paul (DiMeo) and Preston (Sharp) about the landscaping. They’ve given us some ideas, and they’ve been really helpful,” Lambie said. Lambie and his crew finished the landscaping last Thursday, and the house was finished the following day. “It’s a great experience to be a part of,” Lambie said.