John Laing Homes Unwraps the Tom Family's New Home for ''Extreme Makeover: Home Edition''; Sacramento Division of Nation's Second Largest Private Homebuilder Builds the New Home in One Week

Business Wire, August 2, 2005

FAIRFIELD, Calif. -- After a week of around-the-clock building, homebuilder John Laing Homes today unveiled a new home and a new future for Susan Tom and her seven adopted children in partnership with "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" and ABC Television Network.

Ensuring a bright future for the entire family, John Laing Homes also placed approximately $300,000 in a Tom foundation to support the children's education, and Countrywide Mortgage paid off the family's mortgage.

"People with Susan Tom's courage, character, and compassion are rare in life, and we are proud to help her and her family," said Larry Webb, John Laing Homes Chairman and CEO. "Reaching out and giving back to your community can be a fundamental value in everyone's lives and we hope this helps spread that message."

It was exactly a week ago when Newport Beach, California-based John Laing Homes, the second largest privately held homebuilder in the United States, walked into Susan Tom's house and let her know they would build a new home for the family within the week.

While John Laing Homes and the "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" team went to work on the home, Susan Tom and her children were sent on a vacation to DisneyWorld. Over the course of the week, hundreds of John Laing Homes' employees, trade partners and sub-contractors pitched in to build the new home in a single week.

The old house was demolished and the new foundation was laid within the first few days. Then the framing went up and the drywall was installed, followed by the installation of cabinets and various plumbing and electrical fixtures. Finally, the family's yard was landscaped.

When the Tom family members first set their eyes on the new house, they could hardly recognize it. The entire structure of the house had changed, and it was hard to believe a different house stood in the same spot barely seven days ago.

"Seeing Susan Tom and her family walk into their new home for the first time was an incredible moment that is difficult to describe in words," said Larry Webb. "It made all the hard work worthwhile just to see their faces when the children looked up and saw their new home."

The Tom family consists of single mom Susan and seven adopted children who face physical challenges on a daily basis. The Tom family has dealt with several misfortunes over the years, including the deaths of three children whom Susan had adopted, the most recent being Anthony, who passed away just before Christmas.

Xenia and Hannah were born without legs, and Libby's spinal bifida confines her to a wheelchair. Chloe was born unable to bend her elbows and knees, making it a nightmare for her to use the stairs. Katie, who was born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is mentally challenged, and Faith, who was badly burned as a baby and battles stares from strangers every day of her life. Finally, there's Margaret who was not expected to live because of brain damage; she's now a thriving 21-year-old who works full-time and helps her siblings as she pursues her dream of becoming a pediatric nurse.

John Laing Homes became involved because the people who work at the company feel so strongly about giving back to their communities - they believe communities are built by the people who live in them, not homebuilders.

"To see our employees, trade partners, and sub-contractors all come together along with the support of officials from the City of Fairfield, has been a humbling experience for all of us," said Kevin Carson, John Laing Homes Sacramento Division President. "We've seen an entire community reach out and help the Tom family. It's been a week that none of us will ever forget."

Building a new home for the Tom family is another example of the work John Laing Homes does in the communities in which it builds. In Sacramento, the company's Civic Pride Ambassadors oversee community programs that have raised money for cancer research and are planning to build a shelter for victims of domestic violence. Overall, they have provided support for more than 35 other local charities and civic organizations.

Across all of the John Laing Homes' divisions in California and Colorado the company supports more than 100 different charities through both financial contributions and employee volunteers. In fact, Webb was recently honored with the 2005 Hearthstone Builder Lifetime Public Service Award, the most prestigious philanthropic award in the homebuilding industry.

"It is a big challenge to build a home within a week and John Laing Homes stepped up and fulfilled its promise, delivering a new home and a new life to an inspirational family," said Extreme Makeover: Home Edition senior producer Conrad Ricketts.

About John Laing Homes

With a tradition of quality dating back more than 150 years, John Laing Homes is among the top privately held homebuilders in the nation. John Laing Homes was named Professional Builder magazine's "2004 Builder of the Year" for excellence in innovative designs, marketing, and customer service, and "Builder of the Decade" in 2000 by independent research firm Eliant. The company finished 2004 with revenues of more than $1 billion on 2,045 residential closings. Based in Newport Beach, California, John Laing Homes concentrates its homebuilding efforts in California and Colorado. Visit www.johnlainghomes.com or www.johnlaing-extremehomemakeover.com for more information.