Let Baeumler decide your next reno project

By Romana King on January 5, 2012
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Would you allow a successful contractor and TV personality decide where to spend your renovation budget? Bryan Baeumler found brave homeowners willing to put their dreams on the line.

Dreaming of a new kitchen? Excited at the possibility of having a TV personality, and expert renovator, provide tips, options and expertise (not to mention a possible discount on the work)? What if the only way you could get this help is if you handed your renovation plans over to the expert and let him decide where your reno-budget should be spent? This is the premise behind Bryan Baeumler’s new show: Leave it to Bryan. Already a successful general contractor and TV personality—with hit shows Disaster DIY and The House of Bryan airing on HGTV and across the globe—Bauemler’s new show is an attempt to help homeowners learn the importance of behind the scene maintenance and upgrades, rather than focusing on the finishes. “I’m essentially the referee in the boxing match on what a homeowner should do and what they want to do,” explains Bauemler. “And part of my role is to help guide them to make the right choices.” In the first episode, which airs on HGTV Canada tonight (Thursday January 5, 2012) at 10 p.m., Baeumler negotiates with a couple that bought a 100-year-old home, full of character and complete with an outdated kitchen. But when Baeumler pays a visit to the couple’s home—to discuss their dreams of a shiny new kitchen—he notices a leaking roof, a half-renovated bathroom and single-pane windows throughout the abode. “It’s in our nature to avoid the big problems and to concentrate on the shiny new things like a home theatre or custom counter-tops,” says Baeumler. A big reason why homeowners don’t prioritize the behind-the-wall problems is their lack of experience. “Most homeowners are not well informed on the science of building,” says Baeumler. Hey, it’s not like we get a homeowner’s manual when we first purchase a resale home. “My role, then, is to remind them, gently, of the right decision on where to put their money,” says Baeumler. While the show doesn’t provide exact costs for the renovation work—due to regional and international differences in the cost of labour and materials—Baeumler and his crew do try and offer ballpark costs. “We try and provide a cost range; a percentage of how much each project will cost based on the initial budget.” For homeowners this new show is a great chance to see inside what a general contractor deals with on a day-to-day basis: homeowners with a dream and vision, but no idea how internal or hidden components, such as plumbing and electrical, tie into the project and the overall health of a home. To watch episodes of Leave it to Bryan tune into HGTV Canada on Thursday nights at 10pm, or go online to HGTV or visit Bryan’s website.