8 TV Shows You Can Binge-Watch for Remodeling Ideas
If your home could use a little updating in the decor department or needs a complete overhaul, you might need a little design inspiration. Sure, you can always sift through home magazines, but watching a home remodeling job being completed right before your eyes can motivate you enough to actually sit down and come up with a plan to get that project done once and for all.
If you’re on the hunt for some remodeling ideas, you definitely want to catch one of the following shows.
This Old House
This Old House is the original home improvement show that aired on television, now spanning almost four decades. The Emmy-winning show centers on providing expert advice on remodeling, decorating, and landscaping, and proves to viewers that a renovation job doesn’t have to be daunting or overwhelming.
With the right professionals, tools, and a proper plan of attack, any home improvement project can be realistically achieved with success as the pros on This Old House have proved over and over again.
The show features familiar faces on every episode, including the likes of general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and HVAC serviceman Richard Trethewey, and landscape designer Roger Cook.
Rehab Addict
Host Nicole Curtis shows why her particular addiction just happens to be home remodeling. Rehab Addict’s goal is to show viewers how to tackle remodeling projects while sticking to a modest budget. In this home improvement series, humble homes are restored using creative design ideas and a lot of elbow grease.
Curtis tends to focus more on homes that have not been cared for, particularly properties of historic significance. Rather than completely revamping the homes to mimic today’s more modern structure, Curtis tends to focus on rehabbing homes to bring them back to their original luster. For all the DIYers out there, this is one home improvement show you don’t want to miss.
Flip or Flop
Real estate professionals Tarek and Christina El Moussa – who are now in the midst of a divorce – took their careers down a slightly different path and used their licenses to fix distressed homes and flip them for a handsome profit. The duo snatches up run-down properties in all-cash deals without having to waste any time dealing with escrow.
Flip or Flop follows the realtors on their exciting journey to find homes that need a little – or a lot of – TLC, but are sure to buy properties that are located in areas that can command a decent asking price. Tarek certainly has that knack for visualizing the potential in homes, while Christina has that creative flair that serves her well when coming up with design ideas for the properties they work on. The cliff-hanger is waiting until the end of the how to find out what type of profit they make – and if they make one at all.
Fixer Upper
Another real-life couple takes center stage on the show Fixer Upper, which centers on helping homeowners spruce up their spaces and turn them into ones that they can truly be proud to call their own. Chip and Joanna Gaines are design experts who tend to focus on their native Texas to find rehab projects to work on.
The couple owns Magnolia Homes, and the show simply follows them on their day-to-day business. While making a good living doing what they love, the couple is simultaneously helping to revitalize communities they work in. Similar to the El Moussas, Chip handles the construction and real estate aspect of the business while Joanna is in charge of designing. Together, they’re able to help homeowners transform their homes from drab to fab.
House Hunters: Renovation
A spin-off of the original House Hunters, this popular home improvement show brings prospective buyers more insight into the process of remodeling their homes. Every episode follows a home buyer and their agent as they scope out three different houses for them to choose from.
The show takes viewers from the point of house hunting through to the final product of the rehab project. Viewers will have the chance to get the full scope of the process from the very beginning to the final product when it’s revealed at the end.
Property Brothers
This popular show features Canadian twins Drew and Jonathan Scott, the contractor-real estate duo who partner up to help buyers find a home with plenty of potential then guide them through the renovation process. Drew is the realtor side of the team who helps buyers see the possibility of buying a fixer upper then putting their own custom touch on it. In this way, buyers can realistically build equity in the home without having to pay for it up front.
From there, Jonathan takes over with his handyman skills and gives the new homeowners solid ideas of where to take their renovation projects. It’s tough to visualize what the final product will look like in the midst of the mess, but the end results are typically pretty incredible.
Design on a Dime
For homeowners who are a little tight on cash, there’s still plenty of opportunity to make a positive change to their homes with a little creativity and sweat equity. Design on a Dime is catered specifically to this demographic and offers awesome ideas about how to transform a dingy space into a stylish one on a tight budget.
Projects typically involve utilizing recycled goods, cool finds from thrift stores, or hand-made pieces that all come together to create a finished space that would rival a high-budget project.
Dear Genevieve
Genevieve Gorder has climbed the ladder of television popularity, first starting out as an MTV VJ, then making her way to TLC as one of the featured designers on the popular home renovation show Trading Spaces.
The show features one homeowner who has the opportunity to have Genevieve help transform their space. The design genius addresses specific issues with the homeowner’s property and works with their tastes and needs to create a space that’s both stylish and functional.
The Bottom Line
If you’ve got a weekend to kill, there’s certainly no shortage of awesome home improvement shows out there to binge-watch. You’ll not only be thoroughly entertained, you’ll also walk away with an idea or two to spark your imagination about where to take your next home remodeling project.
