During his four-year stint on Trading Spaces, Ty became well-known as the cute and playful carpenter who would sometimes work shirtless. So it is not surprising that dozens of women desperately hope to catch a glimpse of Ty in action. Beyond cracking jokes, though, Ty enjoys designing, building and working with contractors and his fellow designers to help create magical homes for deserving families.

A self-proclaimed "Jack of all Trades, Master of None," Ty can add bestselling author to his vast list of skills. His first book, Ty's Tricks, published by Hyperion in 2003, was a New York Times bestseller.

In addition to being an author, Pennington has just signed an exclusive multi-year agreement with Sears. He will be partnering with Sears in a broad range of activities, including product design and development, merchandising and advertising, and is the ambassador for the Sears American Dream Campaign.

Ty spent most of his childhood in Atlanta. Following high school, he attended Kennesaw College, focusing on art and history. After one year his art professor suggested a career in graphic design, so Ty started working as a carpenter by day and attending classes at the Atlanta Art Institute by night. After graduation he continued his education at the Atlanta College of Art, studying painting and sculpture while honing his carpentry skills to pay for his education.

During his final semester, Ty was approached by a modeling scout and soon began an exciting and lucrative career. He traveled the world and modeled for various clothing companies and appeared in television commercials. He recently moved to Los Angeles to pursue his acting career, and appeared in the independent film, The Adventures of Ociee Nash, playing aviation pioneer Wilbur Wright.

Ty, who sings and plays the guitar in his spare time, still enjoys his boyhood passions of surfing, skateboarding and playing soccer. He currently lives in Los Angeles.

Paul DiMeo
Designer (Carpenter/Attitude)
At age 5, Paul DiMeo began his affair with home renovation after his home burned to the ground. He and his father embarked upon their own extreme makeover to reconstruct the family home. Paul's deep understanding of family hardship shines through as the rugged carpenter with a heart of gold on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

Paul is originally from Media, Pennsylvania, the youngest son of five children. While attending Point Park College in Pittsburgh, Paul was able to perfect his skill by building sets for the Pittsburgh Playhouse, and he also served as stage manager for the American Dance Ensemble. In the summer of 1980, he moved to New York City. While living in the East Village, he was befriended by Harry Baum and Lynne Michaels, the owners of The Open Space Theatre on St. Marks Place. There he built sets and learned the art of dumpster diving. He also freelanced for the Dance Theatre of Harlem, the Yiddish Theater, Carnegie Hall and numerous off-Broadway and Broadway houses.

As he was settling in New York City, Paul realized his true talent was helping others. He continually renovated lofts and brownstones in Greenwich Village, Harlem, Tribeca and the East Village. He was the master carpenter on the restoration of the Landmark Brownstone of Aaron Burr and also renovated various celebrities' homes, such as Madonna and the Roe family. He was instrumental in recruiting a young group of people that helped pioneer "Loft Living" in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

After 17 years in New York, Paul decided to move to Los Angeles. Once again he pioneered the "Loft Living" movement by moving into an old firehouse in downtown L.A. He excelled in his field, renovating the homes and businesses of Hollywood's movers and shakers. His client list includes the Beverly Hills Ralph Lauren Polo store, the William Morris Agency, Glenn Close, Joan and Marty Ransholff, Arnold Rifkin, David Niven Jr., Ann Archer, Marjorie Lord, Angelo DeSapio and — his most memorable client — George Hamilton.

In addition to his work on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, he continues to run the day-to-day operations of High Meadows Production, Inc., his event marketing/labor company. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Kelly, working on an extreme makeover of their very own.

Paige Hemmis
Designer (Carpentry/Nuts & Bolts)
Paige Hemmis may be an unlikely vision on a construction site, however the statuesque beauty is an accomplished carpenter and skilled homebuilder. Paige is self-taught, with no formal carpentry training, and is rarely to be found without a tool of some kind in her purse. This dynamic and confident Wisconsin-born entrepreneur honed her skills as co-founder of Rent to Own Investments. The private company buys houses, renovates them and develops innovative rent-to-own solutions for tenants who cannot afford the steep down payment usually required to purchase.

Paige grew up in Chatsworth, California, with aspirations ranging from teacher to doctor to world traveler to wedding planner to building her dream house. She's had the good fortune to experience many of the careers of her childhood dreams. During college, Paige fulfilled her teaching penchant by teaching first aid and CPR to the University of California Santa Barbara student population. She became a licensed Emergency Medical Technician and pursued a medical internship in Virginia for a year after graduating with her Theology and Psychology degrees from UCSB. And when she accepted an International Sales Manager position for Iwerks Entertainment, she satiated her travel curiosity by serving territories throughout Asia, Australia and the U.S.

Imbued with an entrepreneurial spirit, Paige pursued substitute teaching while developing contacts in the wedding industry. She launched Simply Elegant Weddings in 2001 and continues to assist couples with planning the most important day of their lives. The natural progression of helping couples led to helping families secure their first homes. Without deep pockets, Paige used her tenacity and resourcefulness to learn all aspects of construction, including drywall, cabinetry, electrical and plumbing. She quickly became a fan of home remodeling shows and began to pursue opportunities to participate as a guest carpenter. She appeared on Monster House, where she was discovered by the producers of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

Paige considers her role on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition a blessing and feels extremely fortunate to make her living helping others. In between extreme makeovers, she has been working with Hollywood For Habitat For Humanity, leading all-women crews and making personal appearances to bring attention to the organization. In 2005 Paige will launch Tuff Chix — a collection of clothing and accessories for girls and women who believe in being strong, capable and feminine. Among the first Tuff Chix items available will be her now famous pink tool belt. When she does find rare free moments, she enjoys dining out, hiking and rock climbing, and curling up with a good mystery book.

Tracy Hutson
Designer (Shopping/Style)
With ten years' experience in the fashion and entertainment industry, Tracy Hutson took her life-long passion for creative interior design and flair for decorating and started her company, Tracy Hutson Designs, in 1999. Tracy caters to each of her clients' individual lifestyles and unique tastes to help create the home of their dreams, whether that be totally remodeling the whole house or creating a spectacular new look for one special room.

Tracy grew up in Dallas, Texas, and starting doing fashion print work for a major modeling agency when she was fourteen, which landed her major international contracts in Tokyo, Milan, Monte Carlo and Geneva. She moved to Los Angeles in 1997 to broaden her career in the entertainment industry and to pursue her fascination with design concepts. Tracy has appeared in numerous national television commercials and sitcoms, as well as in leading roles in two theatre productions.

She has always loved to have a design project in progress — she can often be found shopping the area antique and specialty stores, or tapping into her extensive network of experts to find that "just perfect" piece of furniture, fabric or accessory, much to her clients' and friends' delight! Her there-are-no-rules style and attitude have made her one of the most sought-after designers in the Los Angeles area for clients who seek creative and individual decorating style.

She continues to expand her successful design company with current projects in Dallas, as well as California.

Michael Moloney
Designer (Interiors/Glamour)
After ten years in the fashion industry, Michael Moloney turned his design concepts to homes in 1993. Blending the new and the practical with the timeworn charm of things "not exactly perfect" has been Michael's look from the beginning of his design career.

Twelve years ago, the Palos Verdes, California native set out to combine his love of shopping and knowledge of design to open a "new" type of antique store in Redondo Beach. Le Garage was born. He combined vintage treasures found at flea markets all over the country, new accessories and gift ware. His eclectic, fresh approach to decorating took off and, a few years later, Michael opened Maison Luxe in Manhattan Beach, California, taking the original look to the next level, with all things luxurious from France and Italy, where he travels several times a year.

Michael's television credits include Christopher Lowell, Next Door with Katie Brown, Kitty Bartholomew's You're Home, Designers' Challenge, and he is currently starring in Clean House.

Constance Ramos
Designer (Building/Planning)
Constance Ramos is a designer with over 15 years' experience. The scope of her work includes commercial, retail and residential projects in 12 states, as well as Venezuela. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Kansas State University. Through her company, Constance Ramos Design, she has worked for a variety of corporations, including Walt Disney Imagineering, Mattel, Inc., Sony Corporation of America, I.M. Pei & Partners and her family's firm, Ramos Design Corporation. Her projects consist of the design of commercial structures, multi-family complexes, regional shopping centers, cinemas, themed retail centers, hotels, resorts and educational institutions.

Her work also includes designs for interiors and graphics, and she has lent her entertainment production design talents to recording artists Todd Rundgren and Erykah Badu, as well as to television commercials for Wal-Mart, Hallmark Cards, Inc., Kodak and H & R Block. Ramos has appeared on HGTV's Designers' Challenge as the winning Designer, and will be featured in a book of the show, available in 2004, by Better Homes and Gardens' Meredith Publications.

Many regional theatres rely on her effective and memorable designs to enhance the story, as she has worked as a production designer, technical director, master of properties, wardrobe designer, set carpenter and set painter. In addition to her design talents, Ramos appeared as Rose Medema in the television movie Gone in the Night, with Shannon Doherty, and actively pursues roles in theatrical productions.

Preston Sharp
Designer (Exteriors/Big Ideas)
Preston Sharp's background as a furniture historian and designer is often on display in Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. His own furniture was first displayed in the Museum of Contemporary Art in the early 1990s, and his knowledge is often drawn upon when the design team needs clarification on dating a certain piece or helping ensure that a room reflects the right design theme.

Preston got his start doing set designs for television comedies and awards shows. His credits include being the production designer on such shows as The Bachelor and Simple Life, and he designed the thatched huts in Costa Rica for Temptation Island 2 — to blend in with the indigenous surroundings.

Preston has designed everything from homes to table wear. In addition, he has made furniture for such celebrities as Ellen DeGeneres and Jack Nicholson.

Preston, who is single and lives in the Los Angeles area, can often be found playing music or sports on the set of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.