Home renovation shows are among the more popular choices of tv shows to watch. It’s so satisfying to watch a home go from boring or even completely unlivable to a beautiful homeplace in 30 minutes to an hour! It makes for a great watch and often gives viewers plenty of inspiration for their own homes. But how realistic is the process shown on home renovation shows? We’ll cover what they get right and wrong when it comes to home improvement below.
Wrong: The Time Frame
Those 30 minutes to an hour fly by, right? But home renovations themselves often take months. Shows depicting extremely quick turnarounds on even just a single room in a home are more than likely fudging the timeline for viewers. The truth is, there are many steps involved in renovating an entire room, much less an entire home! From meeting with contractors to allowing time for permits to be processed and materials shipped, home renovation is often a waiting game.
If you’re only changing a single element of your home, like your windows, you can expect a relatively speedy timeframe. But when you combine many elements together for your home improvement, it will take time.
Right: Focusing on Potential
Though flipping a house in today’s real estate market isn’t as realistic as tv shows would have you believe, many shows focused on helping families find a home will show them homes that don’t have the best curb appeal. The hosts will talk up the home’s potential, helping them see what it could look like with, for example, new siding and a fresh coat of paint inside.
This is a very realistic element on home renovation shows! Oftentimes, your dream home is hidden inside a home that needs a little bit of elbow grease to match your mental picture. It takes work, time, and patience to get there. Though the road to reaching their dream home isn’t always shown as it happens in real life, taking a home that’s far from perfect and making it exactly right for its new owners is achievable.
Wrong: House Flipping is Easy
Flipping homes, which is the process of buying and renovating a home in under a year to sell for profit, is often shown on home renovation shows. This process is definitely presented as much easier than it is.
No matter how handy you may be, gutting and remaking a home is an expensive investment and a lengthy process. Shows present this as a simple way to make cash quickly, but it isn’t nearly as cut-and-dry as it’s made out to be. For one thing, buying a home itself can take a few months, followed by several more months of work and tens of thousands of dollars you’ll need to fix the home up. It’s best left to the shows to attempt house flipping.
Right: Your Dream Home is Possible
Keep the dream alive! With the help of professionals, you can still have a home that matches what you’re envisioning. Home renovation shows are definitely inspiring, and we encourage you to use that inspiration to improve bits and pieces of your home over time.
If you’re looking to increase your home’s curb appeal, you can’t go wrong with new high-quality doors, windows, and siding. Our quick installation process, lifetime warranty, and beautiful products can help you reach the home of your dreams. Contact us today to learn more and request your free consultation!