Onlookers peek at the production crews that have moved into the neighborhood around Yucatan Drive in Warwick.

The Providence Journal / Kris Craig

Yesterday, a man with a bullhorn ordered the Silva family out of their Warwick home. Leave. Go away for a week, he said. See Disney World.

When you’re gone, a few hundred people will demolish your house. Have a nice trip.

Not to worry, the throng will build the Silvas a new house, and do it all before they return with their tans and their Mickey Mouse hats.

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition has come to Rhode Island. It’s the first visit to the state in the four-year history of the ABC show.

About 200 volunteers on the project — contractors, subcontractors, neighbors, strangers and city officials — watched from a distance yesterday morning as Doreen, 33, and Kenny Silva, 35, their two biological children, 14 and 11, both with autism, their three adopted children, 6, 5 and 2, all with disabilities, and their two foster children, 6 and 19 months, were whisked away by limousine to the airport.

“You saw a group of people watching who are very serious about the work they do,” said Mayor Scott Avedisian. “They had big smiles on their faces. Some had tears in their eyes.”

The Silvas’ one-story Cape-style house of about 1,000 square feet was too small, and unhealthy. Inspectors found dangerous levels of lead paint.

Doreen Silva is an at-home mother. Kenny Silva drives a garbage truck for the city.

“It’s a pretty compelling story of a family that has opened its heart to a lot of kids who have been tossed aside,” Avedisian said.

In the last six years, the Silvas have been foster parents to 16 children. This is their first vacation, ever.

While the Silvas now relax, Eric Johnson works. He’s president of Oldport Homes in Portsmouth, the primary builder of the house, designed by Blount Bennett Architects of East Providence.

In November, when the show’s producers called Johnson, he had never heard of it.

“They said, ‘We want you to build a house and we want you to build it at no charge.’ I didn’t hang up, but I was tempted.”

Someone in the office told Johnson the show was legit, and “cool.” All the services, labor and materials are donated. On this project, 122 companies are contributing.

“It’s giving back,” Johnson said. “It’s exciting and it’s challenging.”

One house is demolished and another is built in 106 straight hours. Normally, Johnson said, the two-story, 2,900-square-foot New England shingle-style house that will be built for the Silvas on Yucatan Drive would take six to eight months to complete.

“It will be hectic,” he said.

The Silvas’ belongings will be removed from the house today. Demolition is set for tomorrow. Construction begins promptly thereafter.

For expediency, the house will feature a foundation of recast concrete panels bolted together. Crews of about 35 workers will work one shift after another around the clock.

“The neighbors have graciously agreed to put up with the noise and the lights to help their neighbor,” said Paul Fleming of Fleming & Company in Newport, the project’s publicist.

Actually, for a few weeks now, the building has already been going up, in a warehouse.

“We had workers build wall panels in advance so when we get there, we don’t have to build them on the site,” Johnson said. “We just stand them up.”

Stud holes have been pre-drilled for wiring, and electric boxes have been attached.

“Work that would normally take four or five days will take four to five hours,” Johnson said. “It’s logistics and getting a lot of people to show up, one after another.”

Fortunately, the workers won’t have to go far to find a building inspector. Warwick has designated one for the project.

“The house will be built to the same standard as any custom house,” Johnson said. “But it will be easier because we’ll have a building inspector on call.”

The Extreme Makeover story of the Silvas, who aren’t allowed to speak with the media until the project is completed, began late last summer. Members of their church, the Warwick Assembly of God Church, where Doreen is the superintendent of the Sunday school as well as a teacher, as is Kenny, suggested they apply, according to Avedisian.

In November, the Silvas were informed they were finalists for the show. And in December the show asked the Silvas to leave their house for a day in order to conduct an on-site assessment, which involved a suspicious number of people: fire officials; building inspectors; electricity, water and gas providers, you name it.

By early last month, the Silvas had been selected, although not informed; everyone else was, though.

“We had to keep it quiet, which wasn’t easy since Kenny works for the city and everyone knows him,” Avedisian said. “I know he thinks there are a lot of rude city employees — they’d be talking and he’d walk up and everyone would shut up.”

Johnson wouldn’t estimate the market value of the Silvas’ new home, but said “it will be the most expensive house on the street.”

The Silvas will continue to pay their old mortgage, but not have a new one. They will have to pay the taxes on the increased value of their property, which they’ll see again on Monday, when they’re introduced to their new house between noon and 2 p.m. The show featuring the Silvas will air in the spring.

brourke@projo.com