All the fresh coats of paint and new landscaping brought plenty of smiles.

But it was the new playground installed Saturday that brought widespread rounds of praise from kids, parents and teachers at Seattle's Northgate Elementary School.

"I'm so thankful for the playground being built," said 5-year-old Wesley Wong.

There wasn't much for young Wesley to do except watch more than 300 volunteers do their version of an extreme makeover at the 53-year-old school, which has about 250 students from kindergarten to fifth grade.

A group of real estate developers, builders, architects and brokers who belong to the Washington state chapter of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) organized the massive work party.