Millions of people have been inspired to remodel and improve their homes through shows on networks such as HGTV. When Extreme Makeover: Home Edition premiered on ABC in 2003, it set off a craze of home improvement shows as people discovered their love of watching amazing home transformations. In the years that followed, that show, along with many others from HGTV gained popularity and increased awareness of how different a home can look after a renovation.
Are these shows realistic? The answer is yes and no. When it comes to finding inspiration and understanding what is able to be done with an older home, they are very realistic. With enough budget, a similar home can take shape no matter where you live. But when it comes to understanding how much work is involved in these transformations, let’s just say that 30 minutes to an hour doesn’t exactly convey how much time and effort is involved.
That being said, at Experts In Your Home, we love to see people inspired to improve their homes in Chico and surrounding communities. One of the best sources of inspiration, short of contacting us for a consultation, is to watch these home improvement shows. Here are some great shows to get started with:
Fixer Upper
Chip and Joanna Gaines gained popularity through their hit show Fixer Upper on HGTV. Currently, you can find their new show Fixer Upper: Welcome Home on Discovery+ and their Magnolia Network channel.
The unique thing about the Fixer Upper renovations is that they tend to focus on older homes that are stuck in another era (think 70’s brown tones and shag carpeting) and bring them to life with a simple and brighter style.
Property Brothers
The Property Brothers have been around for many years now and rose to fame on HGTV. One of the brothers is a contractor, and the other is a real estate agent. Together, they work on potential design ideas with clients and complete a remodel with the design the client chooses.
In this show, you will see options for what a space can become, and don’t be surprised when there are surprise expenses that pop up.
Good Bones
According to HGTV, Good Bones is a mother and daughter duo who set out to “revitalize their hometown of Indianapolis one property at a time.” Of course, the location for your own remodel doesn’t have to be Indianapolis, and the home renovations you will see in this show can give you ideas for your home no matter where you live.
One of the unique things about this show is the different neighborhoods around this midwestern city that the homes are uniquely tailored to.
Love It or List It
The premise of Love It or List It is simple: homeowners are given two paths, with two hosts of the show. One host always pulls for the family to move and tries to find their dream home in the real estate market. The other host manages a remodel of their existing home. The competition ends with the homeowners choosing to either move into a new home or keep their newly remodeled home. They love it and stay, or list it and go.
The benefit of this show is that it can give a realistic picture of what it’s like to have to consider moving vs. the option of staying put and creating something new where you already live.
Flip or Flop
Flip or Flop is based on a (formerly) married couple who wanted to start a home renovation business. They go from house to house sizing up the potential and trying to remodel and sell as quickly as possible. The show brings us all in on the numbers side of the equation as they try to make the flips profitable.
The stakes are high and the profits can be good, but the renovations in this show often let viewers see the undesirable side too – budget overruns, construction delays, and more.
Getting Help with Your Home Remodel
As mentioned above, these shows can be a good source of inspiration for your own home remodel. However, there is much more to a remodel than you can see watching a show where progress happens in less than an hour. At Experts In Your Home, we take care of the details so you can still observe the process and end up with a beautiful dream home, without the stress of doing the work yourself. Give us a call or contact us online today to get your Chico home remodeling conversation going!
