ABC TV Extreme Makeover Home Edition

Doug Goodale, a longtime lobsterman, had lost his right arm in an accident at sea, and had learned to fish again with just one hand in order to support his wife and two daughters. The Goodales' double-wide home in Wells, Maine, was in poor repair and the show's producers asked us to replace it with something better.

Katahdin was the first log home manufacturer ever asked to participate in the show, and we were proud to be able to help.

In the end, we were able to surprise the Goodales with a luxury log home that surpassed their wildest dream: a custom-designed 4,000 square foot, three level cedar log home with some extraordinary features and state-of-the-art energy efficiency.

We had just four weeks to design a log home to fit the Goodales' existing foundation, coordinate the donation of materials and labor, and transport everything to the site.

Even more remarkably, we had just four days to put everything together. The story aired as Extreme-Makeover-Home Edition's dramatic hour-long season finale.

More than 200 Katahdin dealers, carpenters and designers from all over the country joined with hundreds more from the surrounding communities. We all worked in around-the-clock shifts and in torrential rains to finish the job in time and make the Goodales' new home a reality.

One of the most rewarding moments was seeing the astonished faces of the Goodale family as they arrived and saw their new home for the first time.