Who Pays For Repairs & Renovations?

If you think landing a spot on a HGTV home improvement show means free renovations and repairs, think again, as the homeowners are the ones footing most of the bills.

The question came up amid the fourth season of Help! I Wrecked My House, which is currently airing on HGTV. The series follows designer and builder Jasmine Roth and her team of experts as they help rescue homeowners struggling with issues in their homes.

With such major and often expensive renovations, it left many fans wondering just who exactly pays for all the work. Well, the answer was provided in a FAQ on the HGTV website, which revealed it’s the homeowner who has to provide the cash.

“There’s a common assumption that making it on a show comes with a free renovation, or at least discounted goods. On the contrary, homeowners have to come up with the money for the projects,” Betsy Ayala, former senior vice president of production & development for HGTV, explained.

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However, Ayala did state that the network will sometimes “contribute construction funds to help enhance and speed up projects for television.”

This was confirmed in the casting application for Help! I Wrecked My House‘s fourth season, which said, “We are in search of homes in Orange County & Los Angeles County that have 3-4 spaces in need of rescue with a budget of at least $50K for cosmetic or $100K for structural or layout changes, for home renovations.”

“There are benefits for homeowners that are selected to be on the show,” the application added. “Production will contribute a financial portion to the homeowner’s overall renovation budget.”

The application also noted, “Homeowners also may be required to move out of their homes for 7 to 10 weeks at their own expense.”

Another benefit, according to the network’s FAQ, is that homeowners get to work alongside professional HGTV designers.

And what about the furniture seen on these shows? Well, the homeowners don’t get to keep that either.

“More often than not, the homes are staged, meaning the homeowners don’t get to keep the furniture and decor that’s shown on TV,” Ayala noted. “Most, if not all, of our flipping shows are staged.”

That said, Ayala explained that if the homeowners love the end look as much as the viewers, they have the option to purchase the staged pieces, though it goes beyond their initial budget for the show.

Help! I Wrecked My House premiered in 2020 and is in the middle of its fourth season on HGTV. Fans can also catch up with previous episodes on Max.

Help! I Wrecked My House, Season 4, Wednesdays, 9/8c, HGTV