HOLT IS Famous!! Extreme Makeover is HERE! Oh Ty Pennington

Holt family to get 'Extreme Makeover'
Jeremy W. Steele • jwsteele@lsj.com • September 26, 2008 • From Lansing State Journal

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UPDATED 10:40 A.M. - HOLT - The Holt family of Tim Nickless will receive a new home from the ABC television program, 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.'

The Nickless family lives in an 1860s farmhouse on Eifert Road. Tim Nickless, an intensive care nurse at Ingham Regional Medical Center, died earlier this year of Hepatitis. He is survived by his wife Arlene and three sons.

Police and Extreme Makeover private security closed Eifert Road between Holt and Willoughby this morning as a caravan of production vehicles and a motor coach went to the home to notify the family of the news.

Authorities on the scene include the Ingham County Sheriff’s Department and private security wearing Extreme Makeover identification.

A crowd of about 30 people gathered earlier this morning at the corner of Holt and Eifert but dispersed after the caravan went by.

“Tim Nickless was a true Renaissance man,” according to an ‘Extreme Makeover’ press release. “This loving husband and father to three young boys was not only a respected nurse devoted to his patients but also a gifted craftsman, mentor and environmentalist. As president of the Lansing Area Flying Aces model airplane club, and a member of the Arbor Day Society, Tim had a lust for life and a love for all things living. However after a painful 7-year battle with Hepatitis C, Tim died on January 19, 2008. Arlene and her three boys are now on their own in a 148-year-old farmhouse that is in dire need of repairs. Its walls, floors, and foundation are deteriorating, and the old wiring is a fire hazard. Had he survived, Tim would have and could have turned this dilapidated house into their dream home. It is now up to Ty and his designers to do just that, for with Tim’s untimely passing, Arlene and the boys are desperate for help.”

Ingham Regional spokeswoman Emily Davis said the hospital has been rounding up volunteers at the hospital for this project.

Donna Schultz, a neighbor and friend of the Nicklesses, said she helped Arlene pack some things Wednesday night. Their children have gone to school together.

"They definitely need this, the house is in really tough repair," Schultz said.

She said there are uneven floors and the windows are in bad shape.

In the crowd was Ruth Laramie who is 85 today. The Clio woman has a daughter who lives in Holt. She said she came because she wanted a chance to see Ty Pennington, the show’s host, on her birthday.

"I just want to see him and give him a big kiss on the cheek," she said.

Lansing-based Mayberry Homes is donating its services as general contractor.

“We are deeply touched by the Nickless family story, and Mayberry Homes has recruited a tremendous local volunteer support to help build them a new home,” said Karen Schroeder, Director of Sales and Marketing for Mayberry Homes in a released statement.


Work will start Sunday and should be complete by Thursday.

Here are a few things you might want to know:

How can I help?
Builder Mayberry Homes, which is donating its services as general contractor, says it has most of the volunteers it needs. The biggest need is cash, said Karen Schroeder, co-owner of the Lansing-based company. The family has an underlying mortgage on the existing house and will have other expenses. Donate at www.mayberryhomesextreme.com.

May I visit the site?

Yes. Starting Monday, spectators are encouraged. That's when the new house should start to go up.

Streets around the house are likely to be closed to traffic. Visitors will have to park at an off-site location and be shuttled to the project. Details should be announced today.

Do they really build a house in a week?

In 106 hours, hopefully. The old house will be demolished Sunday, and the new house should be framed in by Tuesday. The family will get to see the finished product on Oct. 3.

Sometimes the build runs behind schedule, but "we've never not built a family's home in time," Executive Producer Conrad Rickets said. "And you're not going to be the first ones."

While the Lansing build happens, the show will be erecting another house in Albert Lea, Minn. Host Ty Pennington will fly between the two sites next week.

Check www.lsj.com for updates