OCEANSIDE -- On Monday the spot where MacDonald and Hoover streets come together was quiet, unassuming. But at 5 p.m. Tuesday, the intersection turned into a busy construction site and outdoor TV studio. The neighborhood found itself under the steady gaze of television cameras from the Fox network reality TV show "Renovate My Family."

The constant comings and goings are expected to continue for six days in this quiet suburban neighborhood of small, ranch-style homes near Buddy Todd Park in central Oceanside. Streets are blocked and construction materials, from pallets of concrete cinder block to large bundles of lumber, line sidewalks.

This is the second home make-over show to come to North County this year. The ABC network taped "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" in Encinitas earlier this year.

Edna and Edward Cordner, who have lived in the neighborhood for 35 years, said they were amazed that a TV show was being filmed right in their back yard.

"It's just really exciting; I just love it," Edna Cordner said, watching workers cut through steel re-bar.

Construction crews arrived at 2731 MacDonald St., the home of Pat and Marianne Senteno and their seven children at 5 p.m. Tuesday. As is generally the case in home remodel shows, the family was quickly whisked away in a limousine for a week-long vacation.

According to Josh Governale, a Fox spokesman, Pat Senteno's late wife died six years ago during childbirth. He married Marianne Senteno, who had three children of her own, in July.

"They merged families into one tiny household," Governale wrote in an e-mail. "Living space for them is so limited, the parents sleep in the living room."

Greg Anderson, director of Oceanside's building department, said construction plans submitted to the city show that a 3,100-square-foot home will soon stand on the site of the demolished 1,950-square-foot house

By noon Wednesday crews had leveled the old house, even tearing up its foundation, leaving only a 13-foot section of wall joists.

Anderson explained that the wall section was left in order to call the project a remodel instead of new construction. If that final section had been removed, Anderson said, the project would have fallen under new building codes. Its outside walls would have had to be built 20 feet from the property line instead of only 18 feet and 11 inches.

The city has cooperated with the Fox's ambitious building schedule, Anderson said, expediting permits and making three building inspectors available for round-the-clock inspections. He said inspectors were ready to watch builders pour a new slab for the home late Tuesday night, but crews were not ready to let the concrete flow.

"There were some hold-ups, I guess they're about a half day behind schedule," Anderson said.

The general contractor on the project is Youngren Construction from Fallbrook. A Youngren employee on the job Wednesday retracted statements about the construction effort, citing a confidentiality agreement with Fox. Many neighbors also refused to make comments on the record.

The episode is expected to air in early November.

Contact staff writer Paul Sisson at (760) 901-4087 or psisson@nctimes.com.