Spectators cheer as Lutz family sees their new home

Kathleen Lutz wiped a tear from her eye as she took a first look at her new home, with about 2,000 spectators cheering in the background.

The house, a red-and-gray two-story structure topped with a glass atrium, is more than twice the size of the family's former ranch house, which was demolished last week as part of an episode of the television series "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." And now, unlike in the old home, Lutz and the seven siblings she lives with - six of whom have Down syndrome - will each have a room of their own.

Sunday the family members were given the keys to the new home on Ringneck Lane in East Setauket. The event, which was taped for an "Extreme Makeover" segment set to air in the fall, included the program's signature moment: an audience chant of "Move that bus," after which a large bus parked in front of the home was rolled away to reveal the house to the owners.

Lutz, 39, a cancer survivor who moved back home to care for her siblings after their parents died, stepped out of a limousine to a shout of "Congratulations, Kathy!"

Onlookers marveled at the house or craned for a glimpse of show host Ty Pennington, who gave the crowd a thumbs-up later.

The construction and design of the house were completed earlier Sunday. A crowd had gathered by 7:30 a.m. even though the family wasn't expected to arrive until 2 p.m. and didn't show up until around 4. The hot afternoon wore on some of the crowd: Three people needed medical attention for heat exhaustion.

But no one was seriously hurt, volunteers said.

William Lutz, 25, drew applause when he started the "Move that bus" chant. He and his siblings seemed impressed by the house, but were not available to speak to reporters. The family is scheduled to appear at a news conference Monday at 4:30 p.m. at their home.

The "Extreme Makeover" construction site brought out increasingly larger crowds over the course of the week. The Lutzes learned a week earlier at Yankee Stadium that they had been selected, and spent the week away on vacation.

"We love the way it brings out the community and inspires the crowd," said Seth Selesnow, spokesman for construction manager Alure of Plainview.