 A family that has faced hardship has their dilapidated house completely rebuilt while they are away on vacation for a week. While early episodes renovated houses, the usual approach is to tear down the house on the first day and build a brand new, usually much larger, one, fully furnished. The houses are customized to the families, with rooms reflecting the interests of, especially, the children, and special technology for any unusual medical conditions. Host Ty Pennington usually has a "secret" project which is only revealed when the family sees it. The construction is accomplished with the help of a large army of blue-shirted volunteers and a wide array of sponsor-donated products and services.