By MATT SANDERSON

There is certainly one thing more extreme than this Sunday's episode of ABC's “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” set in Warwick, where the lead-infested Silva residence was gutted, torn down and completely transformed into a beautiful home in less than a week.

It is the fact that numerous volunteer laborers from around the state put off whatever they were doing to work as hard and as diligently as they could, through some week nights, to help Ken and Doreen Silva provide a livable home for their five children, three of whom are adopted.
Herrick & White, LTD, a Cumberland architectural woodworking firm, brought in 50-plus staff members who volunteered more than 500 hours of their expertise to create custom cabinetry, trim, design and interior work.
According to the show, Herrick & White had a hand in just about every room of the new Silva house, with the exception of the kitchen. All of the materials used by the company were donated.
"It was secretive," said Gary Russo, partner at Herrick & White. "It was called Project 523. We couldn't refer to where it was."
Russo said they put together the interior doors, trim, baseboards, crown moldings and cabinets.
"When we were there, requests for additional work kept coming," he said.
On a couple of nights during that hectic week, Russo said they had to bring some work back to the home office to get it finished. The TV crew came along for the ride.
One of the show's designers, John Littlefield, was on hand to help Russo one of those nights. Littlefield's wife is a Cumberland native. Russo said Littlefield got a two-hour tour of their facility.
"It was a great experience," said Bill Becker, an H&W employee who did a bit of late-night baseboard making.
Russo said it was a heartfelt moment when Ty Pennington, the host of “Extreme Makeover, came to the Silvas' home on Feb. 18 with his work and television crew, got out with his megaphone, and announced to the Silvas (and the neighborhood) that their house was going to be part of the show's "season five."
"The experience ... was nothing short of incredible," he said. "The show is viewed in 67 countries, with one billion or so viewers."
Russo and his employees did the "brave heart" march, wearing the blue shirts sported by show staffers, then went right to work that Monday. Once the house was gutted and all personal belongings were in storage by Tuesday, they got busy on-site designing the interior. The Silvas were given a family vacation to Disney World while their house was being renovated.
"Because you had that blue shirt on, you got so much respect," he said. "All of the volunteers did something very extraordinary. Challenging people to go out in their communities and act on it, it lasts a lifetime. For me, it's the appreciation of all the people that came to help out. We created this dream."
The show airs Sunday night at 8 p.m. on ABC.
Herrick & White started in 1977 as a two-man woodworking shop in a small garage in Woonsocket, under Steve Herrick and Ken White. They moved to Cumberland in 1982.
Today the company occupies a 55,000-square-foot manufacturing facility, applying state of the art technology to crafting commercial, residential and retail woodwork. Employment has grown to 109 people.
They use mostly maple and cherry wood, much of which comes from Canada, according to Russo. However, they can use just about any wood they can get their hands on for a tailor-made project.
"We're custom," said Russo. "We do everything on site. Our craftsmen have a quality and passion for this."
If the job requires more time, they take the work back to their facility and put in some OT.
The company's clientele is mostly on Martha's Vineyard; in Boston, Brookline, Braintree and Newton; and in Rhode Island, in Washington and Newport counties.
Herrick & White is currently involved in building the new MGM Grand at Foxwoods Casino. H & W portfolio pieces include the curved benches at the Providence train station; they designed the new, state-of-the-art dining hall at the University of Rhode Island; and Russo said they also recently worked on the new Beantown home of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
To contact Herrick & White, call (401) 658-0440, fax (401) 658-1438 or go to www.herrick-white.com.