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Crews tear down home, prepare to build new one

LINCOLNTON, N.C.,None — "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" took the first step Monday in building a home for a family by tearing down their old one. Hundreds of neighbors and strangers stood around the home of James and Devonda Friday to watch it get demolished.

"It was very, very exciting," one neighbor said.

Following the demolition, construction teams directed by local builder Bellamy Homes will begin construction of a bigger and better home for the Fridays.

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The family can use all the space they can get after adopting five siblings earlier this year. They started by adopting a 15-year-old boy, and they couldn't stop there.

"We were going to help his brothers and sisters stay together," James Friday said. "We made that commitment to him."

When "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" heard the Fridays' story, they decided to come to Lincolnton and build them a new home. After surprising the family with the news on Sunday, the Fridays were sent away on a five-day vacation to Jamaica.

Meanwhile, back in Lincolnton, crews tore down the Fridays' old home. Neighbors marveled as they watched from their porches as strangers gawked from the street. As unfamiliar with major network attention as Moore Street in Lincolnton is, the neighborhood seems to be relishing in it.

"Despite the cold temperatures, we're all here ... catching up, meeting neighbors that I haven't met," said neighbor Sheila Bleeker. "We are just coming together as a neighborhood."

Previous Stories: December 12, 2011: Lincolnton family's home gets extreme makeover December 8, 2011: Company looking for partners, donations as it prepares to build home December 8, 2011: Pep rally welcomes show to Charlotte area December 2, 2011: Pep rally kicks off Extreme Makeover show