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 […]