'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition': Washington family's termite-infested house turns into a modern masterpiece

Thom Washington was on his knees when he first saw the renovated house
UPDATED MAR 19, 2020
The Washington family (HGTV)
The Washington family (HGTV)

HGTV's 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition' aired yet another emotional episode in which the design team — Darren Keefe, Breegan Jane, and Carrie Locklyn — along with the original host, skilled carpenter and designer Ty Pennington ensured that the Washington family got their well-deserved mid-century modern masterpiece. 

Thom Washington and his family — wife Stephanie, daughter Kennedi and sister-in-law Terri — went through a rough patch recently. Thom recently collapsed at a supermarket and the next thing he knew, he was battling stage 4 colon cancer. Even though he had undergone surgery, the health professionals had informed him that there was only so much they could do.

With his condition and Terri's recurrence of cancer, it had become difficult for the family to make any fixes to the house. Holes in the roof, termites and leaking pipes were just tip of the iceberg. They couldn't do better simply because they didn't have the resources to do anything. But good things come to good people.

Team 'Extreme Makeover' made it a point that he didn't have to complain about any of it going forward. The first step towards doing so was to keep the structure and layout of the house as close to the original as possible. Even though the garden was overhauled and the driveway was tweaked, the fresh paint and natural wood accents on the exterior was what did the trick.

Before and after pictures of the entrance (HGTV)

When a house isn't worked on for a decade, one can only imagine what would happen to its landscaping. Sure, the area didn't need any major fixing but it was unimaginably unkempt. The tall bushes obstructed natural light from entering the house and the grass had dried out. To fix this, the team replaced the dead grass with fresh batches of sod.

The living and sitting areas too received amazing facelifts but the best of the lot was the kitchen. Before the makeover, it was dark and outdated but now, it's a whole new space with bright interiors that have been strategically embedded with modern-day appliances. The bedrooms too were a delight post the overhauling, especially Kennedi's. It finally looked like it belonged to a tween. 

Before and after pictures of the kitchen (HGTV)

But the final reveal was the highlight of the day. Thom went down on his knees in disbelief while Stephanie was in shock. Clearly, the couple didn't believe their house could be renovated the way it had been. 

Catch all the new episodes of 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition' on HGTV every Monday, 8/7 c.

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