Extreme Makeover: Gift still has family feeling fulfilled

LONGS — It's been nearly three years since Renee Wilson and her four grandchildren got their new house from "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," and she still sometimes just touches the walls trying to let the life-changing gift sink in.

Wilson and her grandchildren Erica, 8; R.J., 9; Timothy, 11; and Hakeem, 13, used to live in a cramped, 12-by-60 foot mobile home with only one bathroom and a shed for washing and drying clothes outside, but on Jan. 25, 2007, that all changed. Wilson, who hadtaken in her grandchildren when their mother could no longer take care of them, was surprised by the ABC show, which builds a home in seven days for a needy family.

"Really, my life changed tremendously," Wilson said. "It's still a blessing."

On Monday, another Horry County family will get the same surprise, when the show returns to the area.

Wilson and the kids no longer have to use a bucket if the bathroom is occupied - they have four now - and there is enough water pressure to wash clothes and take a bath at the same time.

But one of the things she loves most is having a dining room table where they can all sit and eat together; in the mobile home the small table had just enough room for the kids and she always ate on a fold-out table.

"The kids are more happier now because they have room to move around. It changed them tremendously, too," Wilson said.

Initially, the experience was overwhelming, she said, and sometimes she feels like she's still dreaming.

In addition to each having their own rooms, the kids have a bonus room above the family's garage where they can play. There is a monitoring system throughout the house so Wilson can always hear what they are up to, unless they've put it on mute, which they sometimes do.

There are some things that haven't changed. The kids still have chores to do and Wilson is still careful with her spending.

"I like to preserve. I don't take advantage," she said. "I still don't splurge. I don't sit back and wait on a handout."

Wilson always makes sure the lights are out when she leaves a room to save on electricity and opts to use the fireplace instead of the heater when she can.

Wilson has no mortgage on the 3,400-square-foot house, and all of her utilities and taxes are paid from an account set up by the builders that will last until Erica, the youngest, graduates from high school.

"We set up an account knowing she didn't have a real good income," said Harry Dill, a partner at Sterling Homes, which was formerly Hall Custom Homes, who was one of the builders.

Wilson works in the cafeteria at the North Myrtle Beach Intermediate School, a job which she loves, she said. Dill has kept in touch with Wilson and the family, getting to know her over the years.

"I didn't know Renee when we built for her," he said. "[Now] she's just like my sister."

Wilson and Dill talk every week or so, and she always calls the kids on birthdays and holidays.

"I would do anything in the world for her and feel she would do anything in the world for me," Dill said.

He said he's seen Wilson become a more mature woman since the build, he said.

"She's grown over the years but at heart she's just Renee: a good, down-to-earth, big-hearted, loving woman," Dill said.

He said Wilson has been taking great care of the house. She keeps the house clean by making sure the kids help, and she has added her own touches.

"She could be a poster child for who you want to do this for," Dill said. "One thing impressed me about her from the beginning was she took care of what little she had ... she's grateful for what she has."

Wilson loves decorating, and it's apparent as you look at the red and white flowers that line the doorway to her bedroom, a chicken clock that cockadoodle-doos on the hour hanging from the pantry door, and hundreds of figurines and dolls she set up for Christmas that fill the living room.

She is still amazed at the community support and continues to meet people who worked on her house, she said.

"A lot of people that helped build my house, they're like part of my family too because they have a hand in it," Wilson said. "I love them for the love they put into this house for me and my grandkids."

The kids love the house, especially because they each have their own room and there is more space, said Hakeem, who is the oldest.

"I'm really, really excited that we got the house and we got a loving grandma," he said.

While there is more to clean in the house, he now has a quiet place to read in his bedroom. Hakeem's eyes light up as he talks about books, especially the one he is reading about an evil wizard. He hasn't read all the books the show stocked in the house, but he said he's working on it.

At first it was hard to get used to the new house, he said.

"I didn't feel like myself because I was used to the old one," Hakeem said. "[Now] it feels like I've been here years."

That sense of home and security is what Gail Horton was hoping the kids would have when she nominated the family for the show. Horton, a teacher at North Myrtle Beach Elementary School, has taught all four of the kids.

"Grandma truly needed help, she needed space for the children, she needed safety for the children," Horton said.

She said she is proud of how Wilson and the kids are doing.

"I do see the children growing up," Horton said. "They've learned to trust better. They know they have Grandma as that stable person and they really have a place that's for them."

The kids were also given a scholarship to either Coastal Carolina University or Horry-Georgetown Technical College when they graduate from high school, and to Horton, being a teacher, that is one of the greatest gifts.

"I do think it will give them the opportunity to really make it in this world," she said.

Even though it has been almost three years since Extreme crews build the Wilson house, there are still people who drive by to get a look at the house or stop Wilson in the store.

She's happy to take a picture with someone or give a hug, but at times it has seemed a bit invasive.

"I try not to let it bother me," Wilson said, but she worried when people would watch the kids playing in the backyard.

During the summer, a couple from Wisconsin came by to look at the house and she walked over to say hello. When they asked for her autograph, she declined.

"I say no because it's not about that," Wilson said. "Because I'm just a regular person."

Wilson said she's remained the same person but had some advice for the family that is chosen Monday by the Extreme team.

"I'll tell them to be strong. Get ready for a roller coaster ride," she said.

Knowing that another family is about to be surprised brings back memories, Wilson said.

"I'm still getting butterflies in my stomach because it feels like it's me again," she said. "Whoever the family is, I'm so happy for them."