Original Airdate: Sept. 29, 2004

Host:
Evan Farmer

Designer:
John Bruce

Carpenters:
Andrew Dan-Jumbo
Leslie Segrete

When Beverly McManus' application to WYWO landed on our desks, it took about 10 seconds to decide to go to Franklin, Tenn., and get to work! But what made us start to pack up the truck and head south?

Beverly explained that her sister Shawn and husband Barry had been through an incredibly traumatic time. Their 6-year-old son, Myles, had been diagnosed with a rare and life-threatening illness. Against all odds, the family found a doctor brave enough to treat Myles and he's made a phenomenal recovery. Priceless though this little boy's life is, the medical bills forced the family to make some life-altering decisions; so they downsized and rented a basement space until they could get back on their feet.

Beverly, all too aware of the sacrifices her loved ones have made, decided that the WYWO team could make a big difference to the large and stuffy basement. Yes, the WHOLE basement! For a start, little Myles didn't even have a room of his own — presenting a huge challenge for Andrew. And then there was the sheer size of the space … it was probably five times bigger than anything the team had tackled before. That's when TLC decided to double John Bruce's design budget to $3,000, and on top of that, a whole army of volunteers — friends and family — pledged to donate their time and skills to make this basement feel like home.

With John, Evan, Andrew, Leslie and the entire WYWO crew working to pull off this project in no more than the usual allotted time of two days, and to pull off a surprise not just for one person, but for a whole family, you can bet on a lot of drama — and a huge amount of work.

Just be warned: it would be unwise to watch this episode without a large box of Kleenex at hand.