PHOTO BY DAVID LOWE Robert Sanchez, left, and Scott Carrigan build a truss -- used as part of a roof or floor -- at Lampasas Building Components. Dan Claussen is getting accustomed to working fast. Really fast -- as in helping to build a two-story, 5,000-square-foot home in less than a week.

Claussen and his family, along with Lampasas-area framing crews, recently traveled to Galveston County for the filming of an episode of ABC’s show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” Lampasas Building Components, which Claussen co-owns with Wilson Neely, donated floor and roof trusses for a home given free of charge to a family of 15.

The nine-bedroom house will accommodate the Larry and Melissa Beach family. The couple, who have been married 23 years, have four biological children and nine adopted children. After serving as foster parents to more than 85 youth, the Beaches decided to adopt when they realized many foster children were not being placed in homes, Houston TV station KTRK recently reported.

PHOTO BY DANIELLIA CLAUSSEN Workers at the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” construction site in Galveston County prepare to unload trusses donated by Lampasas Building Components for a free home given to a family of 15. Since Hurricane Ike in September 2008 destroyed their house in the town of Kemah, the entire Beach family had squeezed into two travel trailers provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

After the time limit for living in the FEMA quarters expired, the family crowded into just one travel trailer for about six months, Claussen said.

As in all episodes of “Extreme Makeover,” cast members surprised the family by announcing they would bring in volunteer crews to build a home for free. The Beach family received a one-week trip to Disney World while workers constructed their new house.

Blu Shields Construction, a Galveston County company that specializes in building energy-efficient homes for middle-income buyers, invited Lampasas Building Components to participate in the TV show and called Galveston-area subcontractors and suppliers to volunteer for the Beach family project. Between 100 and 200 skilled laborers volunteered on the work site, Claussen said.

Lampasas Building Components shipped trusses to Kemah two weeks after receiving the invitation to join “Extreme Makeover.” Claussen stayed on site for two days and was interviewed by film crews.

“I think that was probably my kids’ favorite part,” said Claussen, who was accompanied in Kemah by his wife, Daniellia Claussen, 11-year-old son Ty and eight-year-old daughter Dani.

The interview likely will not be included in the show, the businessman said. Although film crews spent most of their time talking with neighbors of the Beach family, cameras did capture some footage of the Lampasas Building Components trusses being set in place.

“Hopefully we’ll get a few minutes on the show where you’ll see us there,” Claussen said.

A longtime fan of the ABC show, Claussen hopes participation in the home building program will generate some positive attention for Lampasas Building Components. The desire to help a deserving family also motivated the company, he added.

“I think what they [the “Extreme Makeover” cast and crews] do is pretty good for the people they do it for,” the business owner said.

Performing rapid construction work for a charitable cause is no new concept for Lampasas Building Components. For eight years, the company has volunteered time and donated trusses as part of a United Pentecostal Church program that builds free church buildings for the denomination.

As with a Burnet church that Lampasas Building Components recently helped build, construction projects in the Pentecostal program typically begin on a Friday morning at 7:00. By Sunday morning, a church building -- often complete with landscaping -- is ready to open for worship services.

“When you think of somebody building something that fast, you think of something that’s not well built,” Claussen said, “but it’s not that way at all. I am really impressed with the quality of work.”

As with the weekend church construction projects, the “Extreme Makeover” work site had a building inspector present 24 hours a day to ensure that work crews complied with building codes.

“It’s a fine-tuned machine,” Claussen said of the church building program. “If you ever get the opportunity to see it done you should.”

The businessman considers his involvement in the Pentecostal program “life changing.” His company’s work for “Extreme Makeover” also altered his perspective.

“You have a new appreciation for the show,” Claussen said. “I watched the show Sunday night, and now it’s a whole different show.”

Claussen said he hopes Lampasas Building Components’ part in the ABC program will encourage other Lampasas County companies to participate in similar volunteer efforts. Kirby Stone, which operates a quarry a few miles west of Lometa, appeared on the show in October.

Claussen added that Lampasas Building Components might participate in another “Extreme Makeover,” hopefully with a full crew of the 32-year-old-company’s approximately 15 employees, if the opportunity arises.

“It went pretty well,” he said of the recent two-day campaign, “but everything can be tweaked a bit.”

The Beach family episode of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” will air in March, Claussen said. The one-hour weekly show begins at 7 p.m. Central time on Sundays.