How home improvement shows idealize home design projects

Home improvement shows can give viewers an often-picturesque look into the world of home renovation and design, but reality is usually a different story, according to Nashville-area experts.

Contractors may show up late or not at all, project delays lurk around every corner and the idea of a partial or total takeover of a family’s home can be stressful.

So, is anything depicted in these shows realistic?

According to Nashville-based Interior Designer Justin Orton, the answer isn’t a simple yes or no. From costs to time and availability, here’s how home improvement shows idealize home design projects:

Can we stick to the budget?

Orton, a luxury, residential interior designer, has been working with homeowners and businesses in the Greater Nashville area for seven years.

“There’s so much that varies in budget, like the cost of building in Nashville is going to be different than the cost of building in a smaller town, just with the amount of work that’s happening here, that drives cost up,” he said, noting the city’s exaggerated growth in recent years.

And as people found themselves stuck inside, seeking functional and aesthetic entertainment and work-from-home spaces, interest in home renovation projects continually rose throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

And so did renovation budgets.

According to the Joint Center for Housing Centers of Harvard University, home improvement project spending rose by more than $140 billion between 2019 and 2022 and an estimated $485 billion in spending was expected in 2023.

Data from the 2022 U.S. Houzz and Home Study showed homeowners’ median spending rose 20% from 2020 to 2021.

New homeowners spent up to $30,000 on renovations in 2021, twice the national average, according to Houzz.

Interior room renovations also saw increased spending in 2021, particularly for the kitchen, which jumped from a $12,000 investment in 2020 to $15,000 in 2021, Houzz reported.

Guest bathrooms showed the most dramatic increased spending, about 38%, among other interior rooms like guest bedrooms, laundry rooms and living rooms that year.

Don’t delay, because these things will

While project delays don’t seem to be a common issue homeowners face on renovation shows, they are a common occurrence with everyday home remodel and design projects.

From contractors who are slow to perform plumbing and electrical inspections to backordered and out of stock appliances, project timelines are frequently pushed back for the average homeowner.

“But we usually try and plan that out in a way that the project isn’t at a standstill while you’re waiting for another trade to come on board,” Orton said.

“We’ve done this long enough and have it dialed in that if we follow the steps of the design process, then the project goes smoothly. It’s usually whenever you deviate from that process… then it ends up being a reactive design process.”

Timelines are unique to each project’s scope and vary even among design and construction companies.

A whole house remodel is estimated to take 4-6 months, according to Hogan Design + Construction, 6 months-1 year, according to Zenith Design + Build, and 7-15 months, according to Lamont Bros. Design + Construction.

With so much variation between projects and contractors, it’s amazing home renovation shows are able to deliver a final product within the 3-8 months it typically takes to film an HGTV renovation show.

So, what do home improvement shows get right?

You know that moment when the designers approach the frazzled, maxed-out couple, explaining they’ve run into an issue and need to increase the budget to give them their dream home?

Sometimes, these couples choose to stick with their original budgets, but many of them fork over the extra funds, often thousands of dollars, to get it right.

Apparently, this happens a lot off screen as well.

“What I always tell clients is it’s better to do the legwork on that and figure out what all the pricing is on different things and approach it from an educated standpoint,” Orton said. “When you’ve got the builder and you’ve got the design and the team that’s already in place and they’re onsite, it’s going to cost you less to do it all at once than it is to start it as another project later.”

When padding the budget with additional funds isn’t an option, modifying a client’s wish list may be the way to go.

Wish list items that may not be realistic for a design can be dumbed down, Orton said, allowing clients to have a version of that idea.

All the feels

Another way the home renovation shows get it right is by showing the range of emotions families go through during home remodels, though they can be dramatized for entertainment.

There might be sentimental attachment tied to certain objects or spaces or a sense of freedom that comes with decluttering, Orton said, noting that his team always tries to keep a client’s emotions front of mind during the design process.

As for the shows’ big reveals?

That’s actually something Orton looks forward to, he said.

“As far as our process goes, it’s very much like the design shows where we ask the homeowner – like if we’re going to do an installation of their furniture and artwork – we ask them, ‘hey, give us the house for a day or two, don’t come in, take a vacation and then we go in and we get it all set up and then plan on the day when they come in and then we do the whole reveal,” he said, noting that it’s his favorite part of the job.

Katie Nixon can be reached at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why your kitchen remodel won’t be as easy as one from HGTV