'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition' family lets nation inside

ALLSBROOK COMMUNITY -- The Suggs family gathered on the couches in the open living room of their new house Sunday to watch the episode of the reality television show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" that featured their family and to reflect on the experience so far.

The ABC show, which travels the country building houses in a week for needy families, built a house in January for the Suggs family: Amanda, her husband, Derrick; their children, Mason, 1, and Walker, 5 and Amanda's siblings, Jordan, 10, and Jacob, 17.

The family was chosen for the show because Amanda and Derrick Suggs were struggling after they took in her siblings when the Department of Social Services threatened to put them in foster care, and they didn't have enough space in their aging, roughly 1,000-square-foot house.

"It was different than I expected," Amanda Suggs said of the experience, and of watching it on TV. "I thought it would be a little more real after we saw it, but I don't know if it is or not."

At times through the hour-long show, family members had tears in their eyes or broke into fits of laughter. The hardest part for Derrick Suggs was rewatching crews destroy the old house, which belonged to his grandparents.

"It kind of rehashed a little bit of the emotion with the house," he said. "It was bittersweet. I had so many memories growing up there."

There are lots of little ways that pieces of the old house that have sentimental value have been incorporated into the new house. The bricks from the fireplace are part of an outdoor oven on the back porch and iron from a bed used in the family for several generations was incorporated into the ceiling of one of the rooms. The family is gradually blending their old belongings into the new house, including the kids' toys, which have made their way to the living room.

The open living room, kitchen and dining area makes it easier to keep track of the kids, Amanda Suggs said.

But getting used to all the space after living in about 1,000 square feet before isn't exactly easy. She said the pantry has so much space that even after buying in bulk she hasn't filled it.

The garage is about half the size of the old house and the extra storage space is great, too, she said. She's got built in cabinets throughout the house and a walk-in closet in the bedroom that is about half the size of their old bedroom. Each child has his own room now, and they don't have to squeeze into one bathroom. But Walker and Jordan still sleep in the same room.

"I think the hardest adjustment has just been the space overall ... we were so close before... and now we've got so much space," said Amanda Suggs.

"Living in cramped close quarters like we did I mean it really draws you closer and makes you a closer family ... and we don't want to lose that," said Derrick Suggs.

The family began talking with the show's producers in August, and had a lot of paperwork to fill out, about 15 pages per family member about their likes and dislikes.

"They obviously took all that into consideration," she said.

Walker's room has half a simulator race car coming out of the wall, with his bed above it, and Jordan's room is wallpapered with bicycle wheels that spin.

"It's cool because blue and green are my favorite colors and I like bicycles," he said.

The oldest, Jacob, enjoys mixed martial arts and has a "Fight Club" themed room with a special hallway to his own workout room, which is decorated to look like a boxing ring.

"I was pretty shocked," Jacob said. "It was just something I didn't imagine."

A picture of the old shed where he used to work out hangs in the workout room, and before entering, Jacob and others will kiss the photo to remember where they came from, he said.

Jacob said that while he's not used to being so far from the rest of the family, he is enjoying being able to work out at any time of night and listening to whatever music he would like.

Mason, the youngest, still sleeps in his parents' bedroom but plays in his apple-themed room. As he grows older he will start using it and sleeping in the creative crib with drawers built into it.

The space they use most is the back yard, where they grill out and the kids can play or ride bikes around the BMX track, Amanda Suggs said.

The Suggs haven't made many changes to the house, in part because they weren't supposed to before the show aired. But they have moved a few things around to keep Mason, who likes to climb, safe.

"I think some of the pressure will be taken off after tonight because we've been working up until this point," she said. Amanda Suggs is also looking forward to taking off the plastic that has lined the windows to prevent people from seeing into the house.

"There isn't a lot I want to change; they did such a good job," Amanda Suggs said. "[But] it's taken some getting used to, it's starting to feel a little more settled, a little more routine, a little more homey."

Amanda and Derrick Suggs agreed their bedroom is their favorite part of the house.

"We have a space for the two of us to spend time together," said Derrick Suggs.

In the old house, their bedroom was just off the living room and it served as a congregating place for all the kids.

The family is still getting used to the layout and a few family members have collided with a post in the dining room and are contending with some typical problems like getting the kids not to eat in the living room.

But the biggest challenge has come from outside the house.

"I think one of the main challenges is the attention. We're humble people," said Derrick Suggs "We're not used to that much attention. Everybody's wanting to come by and look at the house and we understand because a lot of people have given a lot of themselves."

It worries him when people drive into the yard or try to get a look inside, he said.

"We try to be patient with them because this is a wonderful thing and a lot of people want to look at it and we try to understand that," Derrick Suggs said.

They are also always thinking about all of the people that worked hard to make a high-quality, beautiful home and he wishes he could thank them all personally, he said.

"We do appreciate it and thank you. I'm just sorry that we didn't get to meet you personally and we couldn't be here at night when you were here working and the cameras weren't here," he said.