Team members from ACME Home Elevator, Inc. appeared in the November 6th episode of ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” The show’s producers invited the company to participate in a makeover for the Tom family of Fairfield, California.
ACME sells, installs, and services custom residential elevators. The company, which has offices in Las Vegas and Benecia, California, worked closely with numerous interior designers, architects, and builders from design through installation.
“Since our company is growing and our volume of business is rapidly increasing, we were unsure whether we could help out,” said Terry Pope, president and CEO of ACME. “But ABC sent us a copy of the submission tape that Susan Tom had made.” Tom, a single mother, is raising seven adopted children, all with serious physical challenges. The video shows two of Tom’s daughters, who were born without legs, going up the stairs on their hands in the family’s small two-story home.
“It was heartbreaking,” said Pope. “After watching, we knew we had to get involved. So we called Custom Elevator, which agreed to donate an elevator for project. Through our Northern California office we agreed to donate our services so the elevator could be properly coordinated and installed in the home.”
While the Tom family was sent away on vacation, courtesy of ABC, builder John Laing Homes began tearing down much of the family’s existing home and rebuilding a newer, more functional one. Due to the small lot size and the number of bedrooms needed, a 3-story home was designed.
A member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the national association that writes all of the nation’s elevator and escalator codes, and past chairman of ASME’s Accessibility and Residential Committee, Pope was able to work closely with the architect and engineer to ensure the elevator’s hoistway structure would meet earthquake and building code requirements. Several meetings were also held with John Laing Homes to coordinate the installation with other trades.
ACME technicians arrived to fit the brackets, rails, piston and sling for the elevator. Less than 12 hours after arriving on scene, it was running and installation was 90 percent complete. Once the builder finished the exterior doors, ACME completed its installation.
“It was an honor for us to be involved in a project that changed the lives of these deserving people,” said Pope. “It’s gratifying to see how people and products in our industry can positively impact people’s lives.”
The 2-hour episode aired on ABC at 7 p.m. on Nov. 6.
Founded by Terry Pope in 1987, ACME Home Elevator, Inc. is a leading provider of custom residential elevators, stair lifts and access lifts in Nevada and Northern California. The company also works closely with interior designers, architects and builders from design through installation.
“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” is produced by Endemol USA, a division of Endemol Holding. David Goldberg is the president of Endemol USA. The series is executive-produced by Tom Forman. The show airs Sundays (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET), on the ABC Television Network.