Jimmy Jacobs Custom Homes and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition complete weeklong build for Northwest Austin family

Austin, Texas – December 20, 2006
Shortly after 2pm last Sunday, the Patrick and Jeanette O’Donnell and their six children rode slowly down Hawkshead Drive in the back of a black limousine. When the limo stopped in front of their old home’s address, a giant bus blocked their view of what was there. A giant bus, more than 3,000 spectators, and the tired crews from Jimmy Jacobs Custom Homes and ABC-TV’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

When the show’s host, Ty Pennington called for the bus to move, the family couldn’t believe what was behind. The O’Donnell’s 2,200 square foot house—which suffered from leaks, mold and structural damage—had been replaced by a 4,500 square foot, two-story luxury home.

Shortly after the home was unveiled, Jeanette O’Donnell walked over and gave Jimmy Jacobs a giant hug. Through generous donations by more than 300 companies and around-the-clock construction, Jimmy Jacobs Custom Homes, the cast and crew of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and an army of volunteers delivered this stunning new home at no cost to the family.

Of Patrick and Jeanette’s six children, five have varying forms of autism. The endless amount of time and work needed to care for all six children has left the O’Donnell’s struggling for the means to get by. While Patrick O’Donnell works two jobs to support his family, Jeanette works to take care of her children and volunteers at the local school. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition learned of the O’Donnell family through countless letters from neighbors and school officials, praising the family’s spirit and generosity.

In addition to the new home with plenty of space and special features for each member of the family, Jimmy Jacobs and the show’s cast also raised more than $200,000 dollars for the O’Donnell’s. A benefit concert at La Zona Rosa last week as well as a fundraising drive by Jimmy Jacobs Custom Homes helped bring in enough money to pay off the former home’s $140,000 mortgage and to cover household expenses.

The ultimate success of this project is thanks in large part to Jimmy Jacobs and his dedicated team. When the dust finally cleared from four days of around-the-clock construction, more than 300 corporate donations, hundreds of contractors, and thousands of volunteers had come together to complete this build on time and completely free of cost to the family.

“I just want to thank the community for all of their help,” said Jimmy Jacobs. “I’m thrilled that we were able to lead this amazing project, but our success really depended on the generosity of so many area companies and thousands of volunteers. You all helped give this extraordinary family a very special gift.”

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition airs on ABC TV on Sundays at 8/7c. The episode starring the O’Donnell family and Jimmy Jacobs Custom Homes is set to air in late February or early March of 2007.

For all of the daily updates and photos from this special project, check out Jimmy Jacobs’ Extreme Makeover: Home Edition website, www.jacobshomes.com/extreme.

About Jimmy Jacobs
Jimmy Jacobs Custom Homes is a unique collection of skilled professionals with diverse expertise who are committed to maximizing your homebuilding experience. Jacobs founded the company in 1988 with a simple "builder for life" philosophy and with a strong desire to return to his hometown of Georgetown, TX. The operations began with building high quality custom designed homes on individual sites located around the Georgetown area. Today Jimmy Jacobs Custom Homes specializes in community land development, single-family construction, and age-restricted retirement home communities for Active Adults throughout Georgetown and the surrounding areas.

About Extreme Makeover
"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," which has won back-to-back Emmy Awards as Best Reality Program (non-competitive), is in its 4th season on ABC.  The program is produced by Endemol USA, a division of Endemol Holding.  Denise Cramsey is the executive producer; and David Goldberg is the president of Endemol USA.

http://abc.go.com/primetime/xtremehome/index.html

Media Relations Contact:

For more information, contact:
Steve McClain
Vice President of Sales and Marketing
(512) 930-4041
SMcClain@jacobshomes.com