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10/19/2006: "Extreme Update"
Yeah, I know they do it every week on TV, but I didn't really think they could pull off squeezing a 3200 sq ft home where an 850 was, on a tight dead end street, all in one week.
Shows what I know. Yesterday around 6PM, with the familiar shout of "Move That Bus", an LAPD bomb squad van rolled aside to reveal a brand new house for stricken officer Kristina Ripatti and her family.
Renderings show three bedrooms, including one for Jean Pearce, who has been helping the family since Ripatti was injured.
A breezeway connects the kitchen and great room to the bedrooms, and the plans show a "therapy room" outside the master suite.
Michael Moloney, the show's interior designer, said the inside is painted in blues, teals, oranges and other natural colors.
"There's a picture in the house that (Ripatti) made, and I took that as my inspiration," Moloney said.
...
"Everybody really pitched in wherever possible," she said. "They were passing out Red Bull like crazy."
Despite the short timetable for such a dramatic overhaul, Redondo Beach City Engineer Steve Huang said the home was about "98 percent finished" when he walked through Wednesday morning, and crews were working through a list of minor details.
"They have beautiful skylights. And when I was there, the sun just shined through," he said. "I'm really impressed by the fine workmanship and the decor. A lot of people put in a lot of effort and a lot of detail."
My hardhat's off to everyone who pitched in, and particularly to the residents of Freeman Blvd, who got an up-close-and-personal view of the magic of television over the last seven days.
The amazing thing is that when I drove through the neighborhood, you'd never known the crew had been their - they'd completely pulled out. Off to the next surprise, I guess ... 
The Ripatti episode will air, appropriately enough, on Thanksgiving Weekend.
