Extreme Makeover-style home to be built in six days, given to a military veteran

A military veteran will receive a brand new, LEED- and Zero Step-certified passive energy home next July 4 thanks to a Grand Rapids nonprofit that will construct the house from the ground up in six days. ABC's popular television show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is one inspiration for the project.

Homes of Hope, a nonprofit founded by Grand Rapids builder Rich Bloem, will build the home assisted by area builders, architects, social workers, materials distributors, and interested residents who will donate their time and talents to the project.

Bloem bought a vacant lot at 336 Donald Place in Wealthy Heights, a small neighborhood-within-a-neighborhood undergoing a grassroots effort to rebuild itself while retaining its historical perspective, with the intent of building a for-profit home there.

"I've spent a lot of time visiting a friend at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans and have gotten to know the guys there," Bloem says. "It makes an impact on you and it put a burden on my heart to realize how much they've sacrificed for us. I had this vision to build the house and give it away."

Every Friday, 12 to 20-plus people meet to move the project forward. To date, 25 teams work in areas that range from procuring materials to setting up a support framework to help the home recipient with any mental or physical challenges they have.

Bloem plans to construct the two-story, 1,322-square-foot home of structural insulated panels (SIP) and Forestry Stewardship Council-certified wood. The home will have solar panels and high efficiency HVAC, and will be completely furnished. Pre-construction and materials staging will be in a warehouse. Precise timing will be a key factor for delivery of materials to the building site for the six-day, 24/7 construction blitz at the end of June 2014.

Bloem says he's had a lot of help along the way from groups like the Alliance for Environmental Sustainability, Kenowa Hills High School vocational trades class, and Volunteers of America, a group which is connected with the Wounded Warrior Project and is taking applications from veterans. Volunteers of America will handle the qualifications process and determine who will receive the home.

A website for the build is under construction. If you'd like to participate, contact Rich Bloem at Homes by True North.

Writer: Deborah Johnson Wood, Development News Editor