Four months ago, Oregon-based home designer Mark Stewart got a last-minute call from the producers of ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." The show normally uses in-house designers for its projects but sought Stewart out because of his expertise with Frank Lloyd Wright-style designs.

Stewart was already a fan of the show and agreed to do the project enthusiastically, despite learning he had just two days to create a design, from scratch, for the project, which took place in Oklahoma. He said he sat down alone with a pencil and set to work.

He survived that project and was proud of the way it turned out. So when he received another call from the show, he was ready to take on a new assignment, especially one in his home state. But this time the schedule was even tighter - he had to start ordering materials for the interior three days after he got the call. So he adapted a Northwest contemporary house he'd already designed to meet the needs of Lewisburg's Byers family.

"We made the great room larger and more open," he said. "We brought more light in."

Stewart, who was on site at the project Tuesday afternoon, said he was actually contacted by a friend of the Byers family months ago after they'd applied to be on the program. The friend, who was really hoping the Byerses would be chosen for a home makeover, asked Stewart if he had any pull with the show.

"I told them, 'I have no influence, but I'll keep you in my prayers,'" he said.

The family friend continued to e-mail Stewart, sending more information about the Byerses and what sort of things they needed in a new home, so by the time Stewart was contacted by ABC for the show, he already felt as if he knew exactly what the family wanted.

About 10 minutes after he received the assignment, Stewart was on the phone with Jim Chapman, president of Legend Homes, the builder chosen for the project. He said the relationship with Legend was immediately a positive one.

"They are first-class to deal with," he said. "I don't think I've ever had a better builder."

Stewart said he was blown away with how fast the project was going and said the construction team already seemed half a day ahead of where the Oklahoma project had been in the same amount of time. He learned several lessons on the Oklahoma shoot, including not to have any decisions still up in the air at the time of shooting.

One of the most special rooms is 8-year-old Boey's room, which will be at the back of the house, overlooking a serene garden that includes a koi pond. The room will contain special projects designed by "Extreme Makeover" host Ty Pennington that have been adapted into the house plan.

Stewart wants to continue his relationship with "Extreme Makeover" and said he's already set to design another project in a few months.

"The show is the greatest goodwill ambassador this country has," Stewart said.

Stewart believes the program, aired around the world, depicts a much more positive side of the United States than many others.

"It shows Americans doing something for nothing," he said. "Americans have a bad image overseas. I like to do positive things."