On Monday night, Oct. 16, WPXT TV aired an episode at 7:30 p.m. called “Whole House,” featuring the McCarthy family of North Windham.
The family made it onto the television show after entering a contest to have their home renovated for energy efficiency by the television station. Based on income, uniqueness of the house and personal character, the McCarthys were chosen from a pool of 500 families who entered the contest.
“The whole thing happened so fast,” said Rick McCarthy, a web designer for Visa. “My wife and I were wrapped up in our own little comforters, watching television. This 30-second commercial comes on, advertising the contest. My laptop was right there, so I logged on and entered us.”
Two days later, John Marshall, producer of the show and creative director for WPXT Channel 51 in Portland contacted the McCarthy family.
“We were contacted by Mr. Marshall, saying we were one of five finalists for the contest,” Rick McCarthy. “They wanted a five-minute video application to be done as soon as possible. My computer crashed, so I ended up editing the whole thing with the video camera and a VCR. We got the tape in an hour before the deadline.”
After seeing the video, Marshall called Rick McCarthy, asking to see the home in person. After that, the station made the decision to award the family with the contest winnings, a complete renovation for energy efficiency on their 200-year-old home.
“The whole thing happened in about five to six weeks… so fast! And I learned so much. I was doing it all wrong,” McCarthy said. “They showed me how to properly insulate, and they really have an attention to detail. They used caulking around the corners, which they say is where most of the airflow occurs. They did everything.”
One of the groups McCarthy refers to is WarmTech Solutions, of Yarmouth. According to Ashley Richards, the general manager of the company, WarmTech provided the insulation for the project.
“There was over $40,000 just in supplies,” McCarthy said. “That doesn’t even count all the labor and expertise that was involved.”
McCarthy said he is very happy his family won the contest. They purchased the home a little more than a year ago, knowing it was a “fixer upper.” Rick McCarthy said he is no stranger to cold winters, since he’s originally from Minnesota. But he admits that last winter was a little too cold for comfort.
“I had no idea what I was getting into,” McCarthy said. “The second-floor bedrooms were unheated. My son slept with a winter cap on, and wrapped in a sleeping bag under the covers. I’m very pleased to have had this opportunity.”
Among their new home amenities are 20 energy-efficient replacement windows; new insulation, and a five-zone heating system.
“You should have seen the old windows,” McCarthy said. “In the winter, they wouldn’t even fit right in the frames. We had little bits of rubber foam stuck in all the cracks.”
The family sat down with family and friends to watch the airing of the show on Monday night.
“It was awesome,” McCarthy said. “Very tastefully done. My kids had a lot of fun doing it, staying in a hotel for a week and everything. But they’re happy to be back at home now.”
The show will re-air several times this season. Listing times can be found on the station’s Web site, www.maineswb.com.
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