Are Reality Shows Realistic?

Behind the scenes of an HGTV show

Are reality shows realistic? You are not going to get permits at the same speed that your design team
can illustrate a completed house.
You won’t have product sponsors giving you free supplies to build and fit
out the house.
One builder told me, ‘Never tell me you are trying to meet a party deadline because that’s the surest way to miss the goal.’ Put another way, the house isn’t for a single event but for the rest of your life. Having a goal is great, even helpful to keep progress on track, but let’s be smart about our decision-making.

How do they make it look so easy?

Not all home improvement show personalities fall victim to the siren’s song of fast and superficial practices. My favorite realistic show is “Holmes on Homes” (https://www.hgtv.com/shows/holmes-on-homes), where the message is always “Do it right the first time.” The storylines are often very similar and may sound familiar to you. Most stories begin with well-intentioned homeowners seeking to improve their lot in life. There is a universal temptation to jump into a project with all of the enthusiasm built as they consider their new home. Unfortunately, the result is often the same with this ‘design as you go’ methodology. We fail to recognize the complexities and interactions with the rest of the home’s spaces and features. It is supremely difficult to manage and balance efforts and values when performing work in a piecemeal fashion. It highlights the values of advanced planning and sensible selections.

Rescuing Overly Ambitious Owners

It is typical for homeowners to seek the cheapest services that they can find. Trades operating at these low margins suffer many of the same poor business practices. It is not uncommon for bottom-of-the-barrel service providers to rob Peter to pay Paul as a regular practice. Your deposit may be used for another trade on an entirely different project. This practice becomes a problem because the figures fail to cover the obligations. The show swoops in to save the day with free labor and donated building materials. There is hope that lessons will be learned from this experience, but it seems rare and short-lived.

As I work with my prospects and clients, these lessons impress upon them the value of investing efforts and resources into planning and coordination for a holistic design solution. The greatest challenge is to seek commitment to thoughtful design and planning rather than launching headlong into the more gratifying construction work. We used advanced design tools (Building Information Modeling – BIM) at Mark Eric Benner – Architects to enhance visual communication and ensure clarity among team members.

You may also be interested in reading more about BIM Revolutionizing Home Design

Are reality shows realistic? The short answer is no. They do, however, inspire homeowners to improve their homes. Don’t be fooled by the seemingly easy experiences. There is almost always a great deal of anguish and pain that leads to the fun part of the show.