'Extreme' update: Giunta completes long voyage home
Paul, Renee, Dylan, Cameron and Brianna Giunta stepped out of the limo at around 3 p.m. Friday afternoon. A massive bus stood in front of their home on 13 Elm Court, blocking their view.
The crowd around them chanted, "Move that bus!" and "Bring Paul home!" as the Giunta family waved to the local residents, the contractors and all the volunteers who had been waiting since early that morning on this brisk, chilly Friday.
The bus pulled away, and Renee's jaw dropped. The crowd went wild as she burst into tears, jumping up and down in excitement.
"Thank you!" she yelled. "I love you all! Thank you so much!"
About 10 minutes later, Paul was wheeled up the ramped driveway to his front door. He stood up from his wheelchair and walked through the front door into his new home. After almost two years of being away, Paul Giunta was finally home.
Pre- "Move that bus"
Reporters, family and friends, volunteers and spectators parked at 129 Parker St. - the old MetroWest Technology campus - all week and were shuttled over to the work site daily. On Friday morning, rumors swirled around on the bus that at least 5,000 people were expected to show up.
The site was busy with a few last-minute sweeps and checks. The front lawn looked immaculate, with landscaping of blooming shrubs and open flowers atop green grass.
The excitement around the house was palpable. More and more spectators arrived, packing in the surrounding area to the hilt.
Aaron Jeanson, of Jeanson Homes Inc. & Son, one of the contractors in charge of the whole project, said he'd been awake about 21 out of 24 hours every day of the last week. But he didn't care - the adrenaline and the excitement of the whole project was keeping him going.
Jeanson said he was impressed by all the volunteers who showed up, day after day, despite the rain, snow and cold temperatures of the whole week.
He said he kept them motivated by reminding them what the end result was going to be: "Just think what it's going to be like when the family comes home," he said.
The Giuntas' new home is just under 3,000 square feet, said Jeanson. He couldn't reveal any more about the dimensions of the house, but said it usually takes about three months to build a house of similar size.