Extreme makeover:
Bucks edition

By Diane Villano-Prokop
Times Staff Writer

It was just over a year ago that the big brown bus pulled out from in front of the Py family’s new home on Haldeman Avenue, courtesy of the folks at ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Dewey Homes and hundreds of volunteers.
The Pys have been raising their three grandchildren, William, Samantha and Joey Rosario, since the deaths of the children’s parents. The grandparents were concerned that asbestos and lead paint in their old house might lead to cancer or neurological effects in their grandchildren. Hence, the need for a makeover.
In March, Ty Pennington and crew were back in nearby Middletown Township, Bucks County, to give Marynoel Kilgallon and her children a home they could actually live in. The hard-working single mom hadn’t realized when she purchased her Cobalt Ridge Jubilee (an original Levittown model) that it was infested with termites. The damage was so bad the home was condemned.
When Extreme designers were looking for someone to reupholster two of Kilgallon’s favorite chairs, Frankford’s Gil Pons, owner of Gilbert’s Antique Gallery, agreed to do the job — and pronto.
Mark Brenfleck of Superior Movers, 6701 State Road, who had volunteered his services for the makeover, contacted Pons at about 10 a.m. on a Monday and paid a premium for Pons to restore the woman’s armless chairs in 24 hours.
"We heard about it that morning from Mark. They called us up and said they really needed them back right away. Everybody had to stay a couple of (extra) hours [to finish the chairs]," Pons said.
According to Pons, the chairs are kind of interesting, with a really funky-looking fabric.
"The way we centered the fabric, it makes it look like the buttons are the eyes. It’s really out there," he said.
According to Brenfleck, volunteering for the Kilgallon family’s home makeover was a pleasure.
"I didn’t do it for the notoriety. This isn’t business, it’s personal. You do what you do to try to help out," said Brenfleck, who, in addition to picking up and delivering furniture, helped get things cleaned up for the family’s return home and contributed to the children’s college fund.
You can see the chairs that Pons re-did this Sunday, when the Kilgallons’ installment of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition airs at 8 p.m. on ABC’s Channel 6. ••
Reporter Diane Villano-Prokop can be reached at 215-354-3036 or dvillano@phillynews.com