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An Extreme Outdoor Kitchen with
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Beach Family in Kemah, Texas
KIVA Team - (Letter From James Gaylord)
KIVA Kitchen and Bath teamed up with Kitchenaid and WoodCrafters to contribute to the Kemah Texas edition of Extreme Makeover Home Edition. Tune in to ABC this Easter Sunday at 7:00 Central to watch the special season finale.
Along with the parents, the Beach family consists of thirteen biological and foster kids who had been living in a travel trailer since Hurricane Ike destroyed their home in September 2008. As you might imagine, things were a little cramped for them. Their new 6500 square foot home is quite amazing and has special amenities to assist with their special needs children, including a therapy room, outdoor play equipment and a funky playhouse.
The event was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for those of us involved, and quite incredible to witness and participate in. The previous home was demolished and crews worked round-the-clock for seven days to construct the new home (yes, they really build them in only a week!).
KIVA Kitchen and Bath received a frantic phone call from one of the show designer/producers four days before the production began, looking for assistance in providing an outdoor kitchen for the family, who loves to cook outside. The television design team had been so busy with the home itself that they neglected to plan for the outdoor kitchen. We teamed with Kitchenaid to provide a built-in BBQ, an outdoor refrigerator, SS trash drawer and access doors, and a stainless accessory cart for serving on the patio.
Bill Bunch and WoodCrafters, a gifted trade partner who also contributed to KIVA’s Houston showroom, responded to a short-notice call from KIVA and really stepped up and “wowed” all of us with their outdoor kitchen, designed to compliment the design and materials used on the house, and seat as many as eight at one time around its radiused Silestone countertop. Bill’s team designed, constructed and stained the freestanding outdoor kitchen at their Houston shop, then delivered and installed the piece on the patio (we had some delivery assistance from Jessica Alba, the celebrity guest; not too bad a perk if I may say so).
Many thanks to Kitchenaid and Bill and his WoodCrafters team, for partnering with KIVA to provide a truly extra-ordinary finishing touch to this incredible project. Without their help, the Beach family would have missed out on the magic that an outdoor kitchen brings to the Texas summers. The craftsmanship of the work is impeccable, and teamed with Kitchenaid appliances, it should provide many years of satisfaction to this young, deserving family.
James Gaylord
Operations Manager
KIVA Kitchen and Bath
7071 Southwest Frwy
Houston, TX 77074