And the Walls Came Tumblin’ Down!

This morning, Ty was not just the team leader, but the band leader as well! Ty and the team from Building Specialists, followed by Virginia Tech's band - the Marching Virginians - led the parade of volunteers to the house bright and early this morning for the contractor introduction. Volunteers (mostly students dressed in maroon and orange) and workers started lining up at 6:30 this morning to participate in the parade for the now-famous scene at the start of each episode's demolition.

The band played the Hokie Pokie (a long-standing tradition at big events here in Blacksburg) in front of the house and the crowd danced along! Then, Bob Fetzer, president and founder of Building Specialists, welcomed the crowd with a brief speech during which he expressed his gratitude for being asked to lead the project and shared his team's excitement about getting demolition and rebuilding underway!

Immediately following his speech, the walls came tumbling down -- literally! At about 11:00 a.m., two larger-than-life excavators took huge bites, one out of the front right corner and one out of the back left corner. After a few chomps, the structure, including the brick walls and chimney, tumbled to the ground!

The afternoon was spent clearing the debris (25 dump truck loads) from the demolition and prepping the now-bare site. During late afternoon and early evening they filled in the basement and newly excavated areas with stone (500 tons worth). Throughout the night, the crew is expected to finish the foundation and in the early morning, start framing the walls. "Right now, we are hoping to have this thing under roof by noon tomorrow," said Chad Back, Project Manager for Building Specialists. Stay tuned for progress!

Crews had worked through the night to make sure the house was ready for demolition today! And, true to the extreme theme, crews will work through each night tonight and the rest of the week to make sure the Crawford-Smith home is ready for them on Sunday!