The Thill family was in for a big surprise when they were told the Heart 2 Home Foundation would be building them a new addition to their home, but they got an even bigger surprise on Saturday.

The foster and adoptive family of 16 expected to find a new dining room that could seat their whole family but returned home from an all-expense-paid vacation to find that the home had been completely refinished and redecorated.

"It's just beautiful," said John Thill. "I don't have adequate words to describe what has happened here."

John and Cayce Thill were to receive the room makeover from Oprah's Big Give-Utah and ABC4, but organizers say the project just spiraled out of control. Deborah Linder, community relations manager for Utah Foster Care, said the Thills left their home Tuesday for vacation while the work was being done. In the meantime, people continued to donate time, money and items that totaled at least $200,000.

"It's been kind of crazy this week, but all good," she said.

Patrick Perrett, a spokesman for Heart 2 Home, said Kohl's and Pottery Barn donated home decor items, Lowe's donated two stackable washers and dryers, and Costco, Overstock.com, Smith's and other companies donated several items as well. Along with donated items, he said Foote Construction and dozens of volunteers donated their time to the project.

"We've had a lot of success with companies stepping up," he said.

Although the companies started out with a small project, Perrett said more and more things came up that they wanted to fix or remodel. Workers brought the electrical systems up to code, installed a new furnace and central air and fixed up all of the bedrooms and bathrooms.

"We've remade the whole house," he said. "We started out doing just a dining room, but we're a little bit of overachievers."

Linder said several nonprofit organizations were contacted by ABC4 to find a recipient for a room makeover, and Utah Foster Care was eager to nominate the Thills. In the eight years the family has taken in foster children, more than 30 children have been through the home, and 12 of them have stayed.

Sue Vandesand, Cayce's mother, said the Thills have always wanted to keep siblings together. Knowing that it is difficult for siblings to be adopted together, the Thills have taken in four sets of siblings.

The Big Give organization was also looking for someone who would "pay it forward," and Linder said John is dedicated to the Utah Foster Care Family Retreat near Sundance. Cayce is also a peer parent to a woman who was recently reunited with her baby. The baby was fostered in the Thills' home.

"They go above and beyond, they really do," Linder said.

John said his family knew about a new dining room and had an idea about the new cabinets after workers came to their home to measure for the replacements.

When the family got close to their home while riding in a limousine with a police escort, John said the lines of cars and people waving clued them in that something big was happening. But even the greeting of a couple hundred neighbors and a new color on the house didn't give away the surprise.

"From the distance we thought they had just painted the house, and I just thought, 'Oh my gosh, they got the right color,' " John said.

When they got closer, he said he realized the home had new siding, and once he got to the middle of the lawn, he found new sod had been laid. The new dining room is a stark contrast from the area where a nine-foot and six-foot table spilled into the living room for the family to eat together. Now, the family can sit in one 20-foot by 12-foot room, which even has a family tree painted on the wall, just like in the old room.

Cayce said even with a couple of hints over their week at the Rockin' R Ranch, the family still had no idea what was to come.

"We kept getting e-mails on our trip that said, 'Wow.' That's all they said," she said through tears.

One of the Thills' children even had a special treat waiting for him in the house. Jacob celebrated his ninth birthday Saturday, and Smith's donated a birthday cake. They jokingly told Jacob the whole remodel was for his birthday, which is his first with the family.

"Just don't expect this for next year," Cayce told Jacob.