Extreme Makeovers, Round 26: Eagle Scout project before-and-after photos

Note: This is the 26th in an occasional series where I share Eagle Scout project before-and-after photos. See the complete collection here and submit your own here.


To fully understand the impact Eagle Scout projects have on communities, you need to see to believe. That’s why I asked to see Eagle Scout project before-and-after photos — the same photos prospective Eagles are asked to include with their post-project report.

This week’s batch of 18 projects includes a 24-foot bridge over a creek, a tire-climbing tower for rescued dogs and a pair of outdoor sensory stations for students with autism.

What’s great is that you can multiply each individual act of stupendous service by more than 50,000. That’s how many Eagle Scout projects get completed every single year.

TIP: Click or tap and drag the slider below each image to see the change.

Andrew from Georgia

Who: Andrew, Troop 615, Evans, Ga.

What: Andrew and his helpers built a tire-climbing tower for the rescued dogs at the Humane Society of McCormick County. The tower helps dogs build confidence, learn socialization and burn off energy as they wait for their forever home.

Dylan from Florida

Who: Dylan, Troop 488, Titusville, Fla.

What: Dylan and his helpers designed and installed a new walkway for a veteran’s cemetery that had been neglected.

Mason from Oregon

Who: Mason, Troop 530, Tualatin, Ore.

What: Mason and his helpers installed 1,200 square feet of brick pavers at Byrom Elementary School Garden in Tualatin, Ore. He also was able to donate over $2,000 back to Byrom Garden, which will be used to help fund future Eagle projects.

Chase from California

Who: Chase, Troop 1, Mill Valley, Calif.

What: Chase and his helpers worked more than 500 hours to transform an overgrown and unusable space located behind the Tamalpais High School student center into Tam Unity Garden, an outdoor classroom. The garden is a place where students can eat lunch, hold club meetings and study. It also serves as a community park for the neighborhood.

Zachary from Ohio

Who: Zachary, Troop 214, Milan, Ohio

What: Zach and his helpers built a reading garden in front of his local middle school that included a solar fountain, native butterfly-attracting flowers, and benches. It all was done in his great-grandmother’s honor. The garden connects to the flagpole and gives visitors, students, and teachers a place to read, meet and reflect.

Dylan from Indiana

Who: Dylan, Troop 186, Huntingburg, Ind.

What: Dylan and his helpers refurbished restrooms at the Dubois County Four-H Fairgrounds by filling cracks in the concrete, installing new signs, and repainting both the interior and exterior.

Sam from California

Who: Samuel, Troop 144, Orangevale, Calif.

What: Sam and his helpers built 16 6-foot redwood benches in the Oak Grove behind the troop’s chartered organization, Christ the King Lutheran Church. The benches create an outdoor worship and community area, a gathering space, and just a quiet place to meditate and enjoy nature.

Will from Tennessee

Who: Will, Troop 91, Morristown, Tenn.

What: Will and his helpers built a sidewalk leading to the habitat of Teddy the owl at Panther Creek State Park in Morristown. They installed a donation box, rebuilt and restained the bench, and installed a retaining wall for better drainage.

Sam from Georgia

Who: Sam, Troop 175, Peachtree City, Ga.

What: Sam and his helpers built a 24-by-20-foot pavilion with four 10-by-10 dog runs for the county animal shelter. He selected the shelter build for his Eagle Scout project because he wants to become a veterinarian and saw it as a great chance to help out animals in need.

Vincent from New Jersey

Who: Vincent, Troop 213, Saddle Brook, N.J.

What: Vincent and his helpers designed and built a 15-foot walkway leading to a solar fountain sitting in the center of a circular retaining wall at Vincent’s high school in Fair Lawn, N.J. They built and placed four 5-foot benches along side the path so teachers and students have somewhere quiet to sit and relax while enjoying the sound of the fountain.

Ford from Tennessee

Who: Ford, Troop 757, Knoxville, Tenn.

What: Ford, along with 26 adults, Scouts and friends, site-prepped and landscaped a 60-by-60-foot area for the newly constructed outdoor classroom at Green Magnet Academy (a STEM school in Knoxville). Ford and his volunteers removed hundreds of rocks, leveled the ground, sprayed weeds, cleared excess dirt, installed a drainage pipe cover, installed weed barrier, planted a tree and numerous shrubs, mulched around the tree and shrubs, mulched the main area with 25 yards of playground mulch, installed river rock for the barrier between the mulch and playground mulch, installed two concrete paver pathways, and mowed and cleaned outside the perimeter area of the classroom.

Garrett from Ohio

Who: Garrett, Troop 361, Tallmadge, Ohio

What: Garrett and his helpers constructed a picnic pavilion and a nearby flower bed at his church.

James from New Jersey

Who: James, Troop 41, Bound Brook, N.J.

What: James and his helpers constructed a reflection area at St. Joseph Church by building and installing three benches and a platform to hold a statue of Mary.

Jack from Maryland

Who: Jack, Troop 918, Severna Park, Md.

What: Jack and his helpers designed and installed two colorful outdoor sensory stations, a giant abacus and a giant xylophone, for a local elementary school which serves as a regional autism cluster site.

Daniel from Oklahoma

Who: Daniel, Troop 977, Tulsa, Okla.

What: Daniel and his helpers built a half-mile hiking trail and a 6-by-24-foot bridge.

Cal from South Carolina

Who: Cal, Troop 502, Isle of Palms, S.C.

What: Cal and his helpers removed an old playground set, constructed a new swing set and beautified the surrounding area to make it safe for kids to play again.

Andrew from Virginia

Who: Andrew, Troop 314, Exmore, Va.

What: Andrew and his helpers replaced a worn-out wooden dugout with a cast-in-place concrete dugout.

Collin from Texas

Who: Collin, Troop 123, Galveston, Texas

What: Collin and his helpers raised the funds to purchase dog agility equipment for the city of Galveston. Then they installed two courses, one for small dogs and one for medium/large dogs, at Lindale Park.


About the Eagle Before and After series

Like these? See more here.

How to submit your photos

Have before-and-after Eagle photos I can use in future posts? Go here to learn how to send them to me.

About the Adams award for outstanding Eagle projects

The Glenn A. and Melinda W. Adams National Eagle Scout Service Project of the Year Award honors outstanding Eagle projects like those included above.

An Eagle Scout, their parents, or any registered BSA volunteer (with the Eagle Scout’s permission) may submit the Eagle Scout service project for consideration by filling out the nomination form found here.

Visit the Boys’ Life Eagle Project Showcase

For even more great Eagle projects, check out the Boys’ Life Eagle Project Showcase.


About Bryan Wendell 3282 Articles
Bryan Wendell, an Eagle Scout, is the founder of Bryan on Scouting and a contributing writer.