Paul DiMeo, a homebuilder and the star of ABC’s Emmy-award winning reality show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” says President Obama faces a huge task: trying to make Americans less lazy. During a visit to Washington on Tuesday to accept an award from the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), DiMeo told ITK, “Americans can be very, very lazy, and I think a lot of what [Obama] is trying to do, whether it’s [telling people to] turn off light bulbs or take better care of their health, is that he wants us to be un-lazy.” While the star is admittedly a big Obama fan, he’s not ready to be placed in the […]

You know Paul DiMeo as the caring carpenter and designer from television’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” This week, he’ll be an in-town expert, dispensing advice to those at the Minneapolis Home and Garden Show. We caught up with him by phone for a glimpse of the man behind the makeovers. Q Why do you call Minneapolis-St. Paul one of your favorite places in the world? A We’ve done some wonderful builds there. My best buddy, Gary Brown, is from Minnetonka. We were builders together, starting out — finish carpenters in the Hollywood hills; the rich and famous were our clientele. He used to speak so highly of Minnesota. It’s true […]

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’s Paul DiMeo to Appear at the Indianapolis Home Show Answers questions about Extreme Makeover, Remodeling & Central Indiana ahead of appearance on Saturday, February 6 Indianapolis, Ind. – Best known as the carpenter with attitude on “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” Paul DiMeo is also an established actor, a man’s man and the first to cry on this hit show. With boundless warmth and his genuine nature, DiMeo is particularly renowned for his imaginative work on children’s bedrooms. He also pioneered the Loft Living project, working on the renovation of lofts and brownstones, and as master carpenter, renovated the Landmark Brownstone of Aaron Burr. DiMeo will appear […]

From the ashes of a family tragedy has arisen a human phoenix who combines the imagination and showmanship of an actor with the practicality of a tradesman. As Sam Rayburn, the nation’s most famous Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, once opined, “A jackass can kick a barn down, but it takes a carpenter to build one.” Paul DiMeo is that carpenter, that actor and that human phoenix. He is “the carpenter with attitude on ABC television’s two-time Emmy winning Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” Second only to the show’s host, Ty Pennington, DiMeo’s specialty is creating imaginative children’s bedrooms. Perhaps that stems from his own heart wrenching experience as […]

“Because prom is often one’s first defining fashion moment, our fashion students thought it would be fun to ask today’s style makers to look back and critique their prom look. Surprisingly–or perhaps not–our poll reported many top fashionistas to be self-proclaimed ‘fashion don’ts’ in high school,” said Anthony Miller, chair of the SCAD fashion department. Here’s what they said: Paul DiMeo Designer, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” “I have very fond memories of my prom. Led Zeppelin was the music of choice and “Stairway to Heaven” was our prom song. But it was 1976; you can just imagine the fashions…I wore a tux with tails. The tux was beige with chocolate […]

Paul DiMeo likes to talk about his arteries. Recently, the carpenter and designer from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition was in Houston to talk about his battle with high cholesterol, which can lead to plaque buildup in arteries as well as heart disease or stroke. When not working on television dream houses, DiMeo travels the country speaking on behalf of the drug company AstraZeneca and the American Heart Association. DiMeo, 50, talked with Chronicle reporter Tara Dooley about death, diet, high cholesterol and keeping healthy on the job. Q: What did you think when your doctor said you had a serious problem with high cholesterol? A: The biggest thing that stuck […]