CONSTRUCTION HAS BEGUN ON FANTASY PLAYHOUSES FOR
18TH ANNUAL PROJECT PLAYHOUSE®

HomeAid Orange County will première playhouses at Irvine Spectrum Center®
Aug. 1 – Sept. 12

Contact:  Carolyn Baker - HomeAid Orange County
(949) 553-9510 – carolyn@homeaidoc.org

Jane Gillespie - Irvine Spectrum Center
949.733.2198 - janegillespie@cox.net

Opportunity Drawing Playhouse Choco's Fantasy Farmhouse

IRVINE, Calif. (July 8, 2009) –Throughout Orange County nine prestigious builders have begun construction on fantasy playhouses for HomeAid Orange County’s 18th Annual Project Playhouse® premièring for the first time at Irvine Spectrum Center®. They are hard at work to ensure their whimsical creations are ready for visitors on Open House day, Saturday, Aug. 1. Village tours will continue on weekends through Sept. 12 at Giant Wheel in Irvine Spectrum Center.

First time playhouse builders McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. in partnership with CHOC Children’s, Rodeo Homes and Black Diamond Builders have joined a group of veteran award winning playhouse builders: K. Hovnanian Homes, Pridemark Contractors, University of California (UCI) Facilities Management Team, W Custom Homes in partnership with Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM), William Lyon Homes and Shea Homes. Shea Homes received the 2008 Project Playhouse Grand Award – Best in Show for TradePartners® Mystic Lodge.

“McCarthy’s employee volunteer group, the McCarthy Heart Hats are excited to have the opportunity to partner with CHOC Children’s to create a one of a kind playhouse that will bring years of enjoyment to a special family in addition to raising funds for families in need in our community,” said McCarthy Assistant Project Manager JD Dethrow. “McCarthy is known across the nation for building family oriented facilities such as children’s hospitals and schools, and there is nothing we enjoy more than serving the children and families in the communities where we work and live.”

The 2009 playhouses will ignite curiosity, inspire imagination and allow a child’s dreams to soar. The ranges of designs are culturally and educationally broad. Architect Richard Krantz’s “Sitting Pretty in Provence” will be an exquisite miniature French cottage and David A. Keath & Associates’ “Serendib Boathouse” will evoke the feeling of being on a Sri Lankan shore. Jim Lind’s design for “Lyon’s Bistro Ameci” (restaurant of Friends) will awaken the creativity in little future chefs and architect Philip Hove with Ransom Group, LTD’s “Forever Fashionable Beach House” will arouse the vision in young interior designers.

Award winning playhouse designer Ed Woerth has again created a child’s play fantasy with TradePartners® Farmhouse. For video game fans, Edinger Architects has drawn plans for “Rock the House” a sanctuary for gamers to play for hours. EBTA Architects’ “Little Bali House and UCI Facilities Management Team’s 12 Cliffside are enchanting beach cottages where any boy or girl can create their own adventures. Choco’s Fantasy Farmhouse, designed by WBSA Architects, is a ranch style playhouse which encourages healthy and imaginative play.

Eight of the playhouses will be up for auction at the live public auction party on Saturday, Sept. 12. In addition, for only $1 anyone can enter the opportunity drawing to win Choco’s Fantasy Farmhouse. Tickets will be on sale at Irvine Spectrum Center guest services and at HomeAid Orange County’s Irvine office.
Project Playhouse debuted in 1992 and for 17 years, dedicated homebuilders, trades, architects and designers have donated their talents and resources to create these fantasy playhouses. The unique event has raised more than $5 million to help the 20 year old non-profit organization build or renovate 44 housing developments for homeless men, women and children.

For more information, please call HomeAid Orange County at 949.553.9510 or visit www.projectplayhouse.org