Extreme Makeover: Connor's Undercover Report

[TAC]

I was talking to a friend of mine that knows the general contractor for the job. The GC said he would NEVER do another house in Philadelphia ever again. Why you ask? Well, in other parts of the country, it was easy to get the construction permits, and the municipal office realized that time was of the essence.

In Philadelphia, he had to "grease palms" to get anything done in a timely manner.

 

[Uponastar]

I was talking to a friend of mine that knows the general contractor for the job. The GC said he would NEVER do another house in Philadelphia ever again. Why you ask? Well, in other parts of the country, it was easy to get the construction permits, and the municipal office realized that time was of the essence.

In Philadelphia, he had to "grease palms" to get anything done in a timely manner.

The permit mess is a huge problem for anyone trying to do any work in the city.
However, just this past week, someone I know who needed a permit said that they have revised the system and it is now a much easier affair.
If this is indeed true, perhaps the revisions are a result of the EMHE business.
Don't know.

On a side note, I went by to see the finished house yesterday.
Pretty nice!
I was amazed at the amount of equipment and trailers still on the block.
Took a lot of organization to pull this off!

 

[Uponastar]

Great Job Connor!

Thanks for sharing Rainfully! I wanted to see the finished product! I missed it on the news tonight. IT looks great! (but from what I gather, totally out of place! ha ha) oh well! :wave:

Not as out of place as I would have expected.
It is different, of course, from the rest of the block itself, but not shockingly so. And the area as a whole has various styles of homes. It's not a bad fit.

 

[TAC]

It is a shame what honest citizens have to (or had to?) go through in order to get a construction permit in the city. I don't know if it is the same in other cities, but from what the GC said, it is not.

Add to the city corruption that has been going on for umteen years, it's no wonder that a) people are moving out of the city b) conventions are not returning to the Convention Center.

Could you tell us where the house is?

The permit mess is a huge problem for anyone trying to do any work in the city.
However, just this past week, someone I know who needed a permit said that they have revised the system and it is now a much easier affair.
If this is indeed true, perhaps the revisions are a result of the EMHE business.
Don't know.

On a side note, I went by to see the finished house yesterday.
Pretty nice!
I was amazed at the amount of equipment and trailers still on the block.
Took a lot of organization to pull this off!

 

[Uponastar]

It is a shame what honest citizens have to (or had to?) go through in order to get a construction permit in the city. I don't know if it is the same in other cities, but from what the GC said, it is not.

Add to the city corruption that has been going on for umteen years, it's no wonder that a) people are moving out of the city b) conventions are not returning to the Convention Center.

Could you tell us where the house is?

The house is on Haldeman between President and Red Lion.
As of yesterday, you still couldn't drive down that block of Haldeman.
We parked on Red Lion and walked over.

 

[TiggerBW]

Not as out of place as I would have expected.
It is different, of course, from the rest of the block itself, but not shockingly so. And the area as a whole has various styles of homes. It's not a bad fit.

That's good! I heard wrong then! I can't wait to watch the episode!

TAC - interesting info!

 

[Uponastar]

That's good! I heard wrong then! I can't wait to watch the episode!

TAC - interesting info!

The only thing I'd like to add is I think the house would fit in better on the block if they used a lighter colored siding. The darker color does cause it to stand out more than necessary. Especially since it's a dark siding with a bright white trim.

 

[Connor002]

I was talking to a friend of mine that knows the general contractor for the job. The GC said he would NEVER do another house in Philadelphia ever again. Why you ask? Well, in other parts of the country, it was easy to get the construction permits, and the municipal office realized that time was of the essence.

In Philadelphia, he had to "grease palms" to get anything done in a timely manner.

Why am I not surprised...

 

[DMC-12]

so where is fancy pants Ty at ? :veryconfu

 

[Connor002]

Just a few last photos from the night before the unveiling...

Some of the leftover materials and some odds and ends:


With the backside of the house in view...


A photo of the backside, taking just moments before my tripping due to not watching where I was going...


The mysterious tent of mystery, at night!


These two shots are as different as night and day!

:lookaroun

Darn you, fence, darn you!


Is that guy trying to moon me?


Hey look, it's... oh, wait, it's just some guy. Forget it. Nothing to see here, folks.

 

[Connor002]

And a few last things, "borrowed" from 6ABC.com: (regrettably, a bit small)

(Taken from Chopper 6 before)

(Demolition)

(I think this was actually just a stock photo)

 

[DMC-12]

This man (with the mic in his face) looks drunk and confused. :lol: :lookaroun

I say we play the caption game with this pic.

I'll go first:

"That them there house sprouted up over night. Its the devils work, I tell you what!"

 

[Safari Giraffe]

This man (with the mic in his face) looks drunk and confused. :lol: :lookaroun

I say we play the caption game with this pic.

I'll go first:

"That them there house sprouted up over night. Its the devils work, I tell you what!"

That is really funny and seems to fit just right.:lol:

 

[Uponastar]

Thanks for the rest of the pics, Connor.
You did an amazing job on this thread.

 

[TiggerBW]

Great photos!!!!!!!!!!

That man with the Mike is Mr. Py!!!!!!!!!! (assuming)

 

[Connor002]

At the unveiling and thorough the day, they were giving out "autograph cards" to the crowd...

Front:



Back:

 

[Connor002]

The Py family officially moved in Thursday, and after some last filming work, most of the equipment was removed. Streets are now open, and life is back to normal. The episode should are soon, given a about month for editing and production. I hope you enjoyed my little update, and thanks for listening.





Th-th-th-th-th-th-that's all folks!

:lookaroun

 

[Connor002]

 

[Uponastar]

One final thank you Connor.
I know this wasn't always easy for you, but you did an excellent job!

 

[dandaman]

And through all this, you didn't manage to get caught.


Must've been hard. :lol:

Thanks. :wave: