'George to the Rescue,' Renovation after Wish for Waukegan Resident

By: Jonathan Jones 04/21/2015

Drew Davis, a Waukegan resident and artist has had a rough couple of years. Besides the idea of jumping between multiple jobs, Davis has fought alcoholism.

[caption id="attachment_4536" align="alignleft" width="300"] George Oliphant, host of George to the Rescue[/caption]

However the Lake County artist has remained 33-years sober for his children, nine-year-old twins Hope and Finn, his bullmastiff Hendrix and himself.

Davis’ home, located just north of downtown Waukegan, is trying to rejuvenate his home with the idea of revamping his workspace for his wonderful art projects.

Amy Davis Fahey, the Waukegan resident’s sister, made a wish for him  on the Meredith Vieira Show on Fox as a part of her Wish Booth Tour.

That wish came true when you enter George Oliphant, TV star of George to the Rescue, Susan Brunstrum of Sweet Peas in Libertyville and Bryan Davis of North Shore Home Improvement & Renovation also in Libertyville.

George to the Rescue that is known for renovating homes across the county. Oliphant and his crew had their second trip to Illinois with Davis’s project as the first one he rescued was in Lisle.

The three and a slew of local contractors carried out a remodeling of two rooms in the 1920s Sears Roebuck catalog house. The repairs to the home cost nearly $70,000.

[caption id="attachment_4537" align="alignright" width="300"] Susan Brunstrum of Sweet Peas in Libertyville, Bryan Davis of North Shore Home Improvement & Renovation in Libertyville and Oliphant preparing to hang Davis' picture of Hope and Finn[/caption]

The restructure of the almost century-old house is to release Davis from his work taken place in the basement of the house and move his art studio to the first floor of the home. To add to the equation, the home had suffered a branch falling through the roof. However, Waukegan Roofing had the room fixed.

The three-week project by George and company was a success. The home is very well-lit and perfect for him to work in this open area. The two new rooms featured brand new furniture, television, flooring, fireplace, landscaping and most importantly an ideal working area for not only him, but for the two children.

We took a walk through the house and took pictures and have video of the grand remodel. Oliphant, Brunstrum and Davis still weren’t finished with the rooms, but we got a lot of behind the scenes shots of how the show works.

Upon walking through the threshold you get a real feel for the paintings; especially a large portrait of his children as angels sketched with acrylics on his main wall.

Drew Davis’ episode of ‘George to the Rescue’  airs on NBC at 11:30 p.m. CST on Sunday May 3. Check back to our blog and get an extensive blog filled with pictures and video of the Davis house before the unveiling.