Renovation Island - General Discussion

[deirdra]

11 hours ago, ByaNose said:

Their Canada home was pretty nice. Too bad they gave it up. Maybe, they’ll stay in the area and build a mega home which no doubt will be the basis of their inevitable new show. LOL!!!!! 

They also have a huge vacation home in Canada, built on a previous series (and the sold house on another series that lasted a couple of years).  Sarah was annoying throughout both of those series.

Edited August 11, 2021 by deirdra

[Chit Chat]

6 hours ago, RoxiP said:

Secondly, I think it is interesting to see them dealing with a somewhat remote location, having to have everything flown in, etc.  If i had some marketable skill i would love to live and work there.

I really liked the art work that they had made for the restaurant.  They did a great job in placing the pieces on the wall too.   The shipping container turned into the dive shop looked good too.  That was a great way to save money and save time on a build!   

I know a husband and wife who have a vacation home in the Bahamas, and it was hit by that hurricane just a few years ago that stalled out on top of the Bahamas for several days.  Their home is in need of major repairs.  She was telling me not too long ago that she has seen this show and wondered how Bryan is getting his materials so fast, and how lucky he is to have so many people to work on their project.  She said that they can't find people to work on their home.   I'm not sure how far Andros Island is from the part of the Bahamas that got hit so hard, but it might not be so easy for people in the construction trade to travel to that area in order to help out.  I really don't know how that works.   I guess Bryan was lucky to have people that he could fly down from Canada to help them out.   

I'm enjoying this show and would watch any other shows they might want to do!

[CrazyInAlabama]

They've been bringing crews in from Canada, and some U.S.     The counter top people, solar panels, and some others came in to do their project, and then go home.    I bet with the quantities that they buy, and get shipped in, they get them right from the distributor, so they get better prices, and service. 

With the roof or HVAC installation, the contractor used some local workers, and taught them how to install whatever it was.    The tile work was all local craftsmen.   I know the plumbers, electricians, and tile workers were local.   

I think they got around the restrictions on local companies when they bought directly from the company, and paid for installation done by the company.     I remember the counter top people flew in and only stayed a few days to do all of the installations.     I think the roofing company was the same, brought their own people, and taught the locals exactly how to install their roof system (metal roofs, but they don't all install the same way). 

I think the first season covered an 18 month period (or that's what I think they said), so that gave them more time to order, and install items.  

Edited August 14, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[janey99]

On 8/11/2021 at 6:23 PM, ChitChat said:

I really liked the art work that they had made for the restaurant.  They did a great job in placing the pieces on the wall too.   The shipping container turned into the dive shop looked good too.  That was a great way to save money and save time on a build!   

I know a husband and wife who have a vacation home in the Bahamas, and it was hit by that hurricane just a few years ago that stalled out on top of the Bahamas for several days.  Their home is in need of major repairs.  She was telling me not too long ago that she has seen this show and wondered how Bryan is getting his materials so fast, and how lucky he is to have so many people to work on their project.  She said that they can't find people to work on their home.   I'm not sure how far Andros Island is from the part of the Bahamas that got hit so hard, but it might not be so easy for people in the construction trade to travel to that area in order to help out.  I really don't know how that works.   I guess Bryan was lucky to have people that he could fly down from Canada to help them out.   

I'm enjoying this show and would watch any other shows they might want to do!

I also have been wondering about all the foreign crews that have been on the show.  I used to live on another "Caribbean adjacent" island and they were verrrrrry strict about having to use local labor and only allowed expats and foreign workers if you could prove there was no suitable expertise/talent on the island.  While I applaud them for the local workers they do seem to have, it's hard for me to believe there were no local construction trades that could have handled a lot of that work.

[Chit Chat]

2 minutes ago, janey99 said:

While I applaud them for the local workers they do seem to have, it's hard for me to believe there were no local construction trades that could have handled a lot of that work.

I may not be remembering this correctly, but didn't they bring in some local guys and taught them how to lay tiles and such?  I remember there being a conversation about it.  Bryan wanted to help those guys learn the trade.  

[CruiseDiva]

On 8/11/2021 at 6:23 PM, ChitChat said:

I know a husband and wife who have a vacation home in the Bahamas, and it was hit by that hurricane just a few years ago that stalled out on top of the Bahamas for several days.  Their home is in need of major repairs.  She was telling me not too long ago that she has seen this show and wondered how Bryan is getting his materials so fast, and how lucky he is to have so many people to work on their project.  She said that they can't find people to work on their home.   I'm not sure how far Andros Island is from the part of the Bahamas that got hit so hard, but it might not be so easy for people in the construction trade to travel to that area in order to help out.  I really don't know how that works.   I guess Bryan was lucky to have people that he could fly down from Canada to help them out. 

My husband used to travel to St Croix for business a couple times a year and after a major hurricane the island had a lot of damage. Workers were brought down from the US to rebuild and not only did they do shoddy work, they caused a lot of problems. Apparently some of the workers went on a crime spree as well. Not all of them were criminals, but there were enough problems that the residents and business owners were up in arms.

[RoxiP]

It seems to me that they use a lot of local workers both in the construction and the running of the hotel.  The only full crews that I have seen were more for specialty builds (the solar panels for instance).  There usually is one of his Canadian crew doing a lot of the finish work and mostly are seen on tv but there has to be a lot more work going on behind the scenes.  and of course there is Lowrence (sp?) who seems to be the on-site supervisor.

[LittleIggy]

Awful about the boat sinking. Wonder what happened? Of course the insurance company is low-balling its payout. 
Poor Charlotte has to keep rooming with the brats. Cute puppy! 
The Adam and Lawrence reunion was great. 🍻

[ByaNose]

41 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

Awful about the boat sinking. Wonder what happened? Of course the insurance company is low-balling its payout. 
Poor Charlotte has to keep rooming with the brats. Cute puppy! 
The Adam and Lawrence reunion was great. 🍻

At least, she got a nicer bed & mirror.

[Peanut6711]

19 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Poor Charlotte has to keep rooming with the brats. 

As the youngest and only girl in my family and thus I never had to share a room growing up, I can only imagine how annoying it has to be for Charlotte to be stuck not just in the same room, but directly under her two fairly younger siblings.  Either Charlotte is a saint or Sarah & Brian are completely out of touch with being a teen cause I don't care how cute that little nook is, no way are JoJo and Linc leaving that poor girl alone when she's trying to talk to her friends.  And is the school teacher sleeping in the school villa too or is Charlotte also responsible for her younger siblings now, whether that be something that goes bump in the night or a tummy ache?

Remind me again why they just don't build a modest house on the resort property.

Edited August 16, 2021 by Peanut6711

[janey99]

1 hour ago, Peanut6711 said:

As the youngest and only girl in my family and thus I never had to share a room growing up, I can only imagine how annoying it has to be for Charlotte to be stuck not just in the same room, but directly under her two fairly younger siblings.  Either Charlotte is a saint or Sarah & Brian are completely out of touch with being a teen cause I don't care how cute that little nook is, no way are JoJo and Linc leaving that poor girl alone when she's trying to talk to her friends.  And is the school teacher sleeping in the school villa too or is Charlotte also responsible for her younger siblings now, whether that be something that goes bump in the night or a tummy ache?

Remind me again why they just don't build a modest house on the resort property.

I have the same questions about who is supervising the kids, both during the day and at night!  Are they sleeping in there alone?  Do they have an alarm system in their private villas, or is there security in the resort generally during the night?

I also thought it was odd in the morning when Sara made Bryan breakfast and then the kids showed up and wanted some - her response was "oh, I didn't know we'd have <unexpected guests> for breakfast."  The kids are 13, 10-ish and 8-ish - are they just doing their own thing for meals?  Is the teacher (who I suspect is actually a nanny) feeding them?  Was Sara really surprised that her elementary aged children might expect that their MOM would make them food?

I am made of questions right now!

[CruiseDiva]

20 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Poor Charlotte has to keep rooming with the brats. Cute puppy! 

Charlotte's puppy is adorable. I felt bad for her having no privacy and being tasked as the "older, responsible sibling" and basically a full-time babysitter. The younger sister doesn't seem too bad, but that brother is very bratty.

When Lincoln arrived with a haircut I think that was the first time I ever actually saw his face. In earlier episodes I didn't know his name and I thought he was a girl.

[LittleIggy]

I thought Sarah and Bryan basically said that Charlotte would be riding herd on the younger kids at night. Poor girl.

[RowdyCam]

I certainly wouldn't want three children, ages 13, 10 & 8, in an entirely separate building from their parents at night! Could they not have added a 2nd bedroom or combined a couple hotel rooms instead of a separate villa?  I'd want to be under the same roof where I'd hear if my kids were sick, scared or sneaking out to the beach or the pool. 

 

[LittleIggy]

8 hours ago, RowdyCam said:

I certainly wouldn't want three children, ages 13, 10 & 8, in an entirely separate building from their parents at night! Could they not have added a 2nd bedroom or combined a couple hotel rooms instead of a separate villa?  I'd want to be under the same roof where I'd hear if my kids were sick, scared or sneaking out to the beach or the pool. 

 

I don’t know why they couldn’t have added an addition to the original family villa.

[CrazyInAlabama]

11 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

I don’t know why they couldn’t have added an addition to the original family villa.

Or build a separate house with three or more bedrooms on the edge of the resort, for family living, and another one for the on-site managers.     Then you can rent the original villa out. 

[Bunnyette]

On 8/18/2021 at 12:24 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

Or build a separate house with three or more bedrooms on the edge of the resort, for family living, and another one for the on-site managers.     Then you can rent the original villa out. 

Maybe Bryan was worried Sarah would turn it into a 60 room mansion 

[deirdra]

11 hours ago, Bunnyette said:

Maybe Bryan was worried Sarah would turn it into a 60 room mansion 

and wanted him to work on it ahead of getting the resort ready for the tourists needed to pay for it

[LittleIggy]

Sarah got on my last nerve with her “tee hee, I bought flooring (or plants or wall paper) without telling Bryan” shtick. 🙄 I know the bit with the kids running in and grabbing Bryan’s breakfast was staged, but is that really how you want your children to appear on TV, like rude brats? 
Do Yellow a real favor and get his dog spayed for him, Miss Sarah.

Edited August 24, 2021 by LittleIggy

[RoxiP]

9 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Sarah got on my last nerve with her “tee hee, I bought flooring (or plants or wall paper) without telling Bryan” shtick. 🙄 I know the bit with the kids running in and grabbing Bryan’s breakfast was staged, but is that really how you want your children to appear on TV, like rude brats? 
Do Yellow a real favor and get his dog spayed for him Miss Sarah.

I don't think there is a vet on the island, but that would be nice wouldn't it?

[oakville]

On 8/19/2021 at 10:40 PM, Bunnyette said:

Maybe Bryan was worried Sarah would turn it into a 60 room mansion 

Ha!, Sarah would probably demand custom moldings in each room.

[ByaNose]

The place does look beautiful. I don’t know if I’ll ever get there but it looks like a beautiful and relaxing place. Hopefully, it will be there for many years to come. One dumb question. When they show the drone shots of the place it looks massive. Does anyone know what the exact room count is? Also, Sarah still drives me nuts and this show doesn’t do anything to dissuade me on that assessment. I can’t imagine she likes her portrayal and/or real self on it, right? Of course, she might not even care. LOL!!!!!

[scenicbyway]

It looks like half the villas are front of house and half are back of house, including their two?  I thought the placement of the pickleball court was bizarre in the middle of the villas, who wants to listen to their neighbors playing at all hours of the day?  Especially when villas go for over $1000 a night.

I really feel badly for Charlotte, taken away from her friends at a pivotal age (and being online with them for 3 years, isn't the same).  Then she's left to room with them in the other villa?  Couldn't they have carved out a little room for her or even put a bed/loft in her schoolroom area?  I'd never have kids on their own in a foreign country at a resort.

I thought it was interesting that they counted out Florida and quickly put in a kitchenette.  I wonder if the idea is to have future hotel managers live in that villa.

Reading the reviews of the resort, it's always windy and has biting sand flies, so it's hard to enjoy the beach, which explains the lack of beach chairs. People also think the pool could use a solar heater.  Apparently the beach bar closes at sunset, so if you want a drink you need to go to the clubhouse.  Initially their food offerings at dinner only offered a choice of two entrees, meat or fish.

There doesn't seem to be a lot to do on the island itself, which they probably should've noticed there were no other resorts and the one they bought went out of business several times.

[oakville]

5 hours ago, ByaNose said:

The place does look beautiful. I don’t know if I’ll ever get there but it looks like a beautiful and relaxing place. Hopefully, it will be there for many years to come. One dumb question. When they show the drone shots of the place it looks massive. Does anyone know what the exact room count is? Also, Sarah still drives me nuts and this show doesn’t do anything to dissuade me on that assessment. I can’t imagine she likes her portrayal and/or real self on it, right? Of course, she might not even care. LOL!!!!!

I think there are 18 hotel rooms and at least 4 villas.

https://www.caerulamar.com/resort/

Sarah & Bryan are very popular in Canada. They appear in many commercials for Royal Bank of Canada &  windows companies. Sarah designs homes for a hospital charity .

Edited August 23, 2021 by oakville

[ByaNose]

5 hours ago, scenicbyway said:

It looks like half the villas are front of house and half are back of house, including their two?  I thought the placement of the pickleball court was bizarre in the middle of the villas, who wants to listen to their neighbors playing at all hours of the day?  Especially when villas go for over $1000 a night.

I really feel badly for Charlotte, taken away from her friends at a pivotal age (and being online with them for 3 years, isn't the same).  Then she's left to room with them in the other villa?  Couldn't they have carved out a little room for her or even put a bed/loft in her schoolroom area?  I'd never have kids on their own in a foreign country at a resort.

I thought it was interesting that they counted out Florida and quickly put in a kitchenette.  I wonder if the idea is to have future hotel managers live in that villa.

Reading the reviews of the resort, it's always windy and has biting sand flies, so it's hard to enjoy the beach, which explains the lack of beach chairs. People also think the pool could use a solar heater.  Apparently the beach bar closes at sunset, so if you want a drink you need to go to the clubhouse.  Initially their food offerings at dinner only offered a choice of two entrees, meat or fish.

There doesn't seem to be a lot to do on the island itself, which they probably should've noticed there were no other resorts and the one they bought went out of business several times.

I never thought of off the island stuff to do. I know the idea of a all inclusive is to stay there but other night life might be nice.

[CruiseDiva]

11 hours ago, ByaNose said:

I never thought of off the island stuff to do. I know the idea of a all inclusive is to stay there but other night life might be nice.

Is it all inclusive? Their website is terrible--it's impossible to navigate and there are no interior photos of rooms and villas.

[ByaNose]

28 minutes ago, CruiseDiva said:

Is it all inclusive? Their website is terrible--it's impossible to navigate and there are no interior photos of rooms and villas.

I just assumed it was. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

The last time I looked, the prices were not inclusive, that's why they have so many options for snacks, food, and they're open such long hours.    I swear they said there were a lot more hotel rooms than they list now, but the hotel rooms are listed as suites, so maybe they turned some of the single rooms into two room suites?      They only list four villas now too, so maybe only the ocean facing ones are used for right now?     

Edited August 24, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[LittleIggy]

8 hours ago, CruiseDiva said:

Is it all inclusive? Their website is terrible--it's impossible to navigate and there are no interior photos of rooms and villas.

I remember Sarah working on the website...

[Chit Chat]

On 8/17/2021 at 2:45 PM, RowdyCam said:

I'd want to be under the same roof where I'd hear if my kids were sick, scared or sneaking out to the beach or the pool. 

 

Kids will be kids, and they wouldn't be normal if they didn't sneak out one night to go to the pool!  I think it's wrong to put the responsibility of the 2 younger ones onto the teenager. 

They could've added on to their existing home/villa, or have divided it up into proper bedrooms (albeit small) and renovate the villa next door where they have a bigger kitchen, dining area,  and family room.  Kind of like homes way back in the day that had 'dog runs.'  One side was for the kitchen & family gatherings, and the other side was for the sleeping quarters.   They may have been able to add a nice covered walkway between the 2 villas.  Just a thought. 

[RoxiP]

Their family - not going to judge their parenting choices. Their children seem happy and are thriving. If the oldest daughter has a problem with rooming and overseeing her younger siblings I suspect she will let them know. They appear very attuned to meeting their children’s needs judging by the fact that their oldest son is being allowed to follow his dreams. I suspect the same will happen with each child. 

[Chit Chat]

13 minutes ago, RoxiP said:

Their family - not going to judge their parenting choices. Their children seem happy and are thriving. If the oldest daughter has a problem with rooming and overseeing her younger siblings I suspect she will let them know.

I'm mainly looking at it from a safety standpoint.  Worst case scenario would be a fire.  I wouldn't put the responsibility of getting the 2 younger ones to safety on another child.  Or, heaven forbid, there was a break-in.  I can't imagine how horrible the child in charge would feel if he/she couldn't keep the younger ones safe.  I just think it's a bad idea.  YMMV.  

The older one might not mind, but I'd never put that responsibility on them.  

[RoxiP]

5 hours ago, ChitChat said:

I'm mainly looking at it from a safety standpoint.  Worst case scenario would be a fire.  I wouldn't put the responsibility of getting the 2 younger ones to safety on another child.  Or, heaven forbid, there was a break-in.  I can't imagine how horrible the child in charge would feel if he/she couldn't keep the younger ones safe.  I just think it's a bad idea.  YMMV.  

The older one might not mind, but I'd never put that responsibility on them.  

FWIW my daughter is 24 and just got married and moved about 2 hours away and I still like hearing from her every day...so I'm probably not a person who is going to do what they chose to do with their children!

[Peanut6711]

I agree, safety is a big issue if the 13 year old is the oldest in the new sleeping quarters for the kids. I sincerely hope the teacher/tutor/nanny also has a bed in that villa.  Because otherwise Brian and Sara have announced on national television airing in at least 2 countries that their children are alone at night, potentially making them a target for pedophiles looking to take a tropical vacation.  That puts not just the younger two at risk, but the oldest daughter too.   

[Chit Chat]

40 minutes ago, Peanut6711 said:

Because otherwise Brian and Sara have announced on national television airing in at least 2 countries that their children are alone at night, potentially making them a target for pedophiles looking to take a tropical vacation.  That puts not just the younger two at risk, but the oldest daughter too.   

Exactly!  I know that their villa is just next door, but it's still a risky move, in my humble opinion.  Shit can and will happen, unfortunately. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

They must have a lot more villas, because someone on a review site said their villa patio was next to where the staff ran the big mowers, and tractors right by them while the guests were sitting on the patio.   I bet they only use the front ones, and maybe the second row. 

They also talked about the 'back villas' they're not using, for the dive shop or recycling center, so they reused the doors.      I was not impressed when they were building the yoga, dining, whatever deck, and Sarah was yelling about not hammering with guests there (it's next to the spa), and you could hear her yelling over the hammering. 

Edited August 30, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[Chit Chat]

21 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

They must have a lot more villas, because someone on a review site said they villa patio was next to wear the staff ran the big mowers, and tractors right by them while the guests were sitting on the patio. 

Sometimes I pause the overhead view they show, but I haven't counted how many villas there are.   It's a pretty big place though.  They were brave to take on such a project, and I admire them for it!

[Grrarrggh]

23 hours ago, ChitChat said:

 It's a pretty big place though.  They were brave to take on such a project, and I admire them for it!

Eh, depends on how rich they are. For all we know even if the business goes bust in a year they could not loose money. 

[Chit Chat]

6 minutes ago, Grrarrggh said:

For all we know even if the business goes bust in a year they could not loose money. 

Even so, that's a lot of their time and hard work put into the resort - things you can't get back!  Even if they have a lot of money, nobody wants to lose money!  I hope they're successful.  I wish them all the best.

[oakville]

1 hour ago, Grrarrggh said:

Eh, depends on how rich they are. For all we know even if the business goes bust in a year they could not loose money. 

It was a very tough year to open a hotel resort on a remote island in the Bahamas during a pandemic. The 2 biggest resorts in the Bahamas, Atlantis & Baha Mar only reopened this summer.

[Chit Chat]

On 8/28/2021 at 7:02 PM, oakville said:

It was a very tough year to open a hotel resort on a remote island in the Bahamas during a pandemic. The 2 biggest resorts in the Bahamas, Atlantis & Baha Mar only reopened this summer.

I just watched the latest episode (last one of the season??)  They said that they've already gotten repeat guests, so that's a good sign.  I paused it on one of the overhead shots and it looks like there's 20 villas there.  It's a pretty good sized property to maintain.  

It was nice seeing them spruce up the little hide-away area near the beach for the kids. 

I liked the lights that Brian added to the sign in the restaurant/bar area.  I wish them much success!  If I could go see it I would, but alas, it's a little out of my budget!   

[LittleIggy]

I liked the lights around the bar logo sign, too. I don’t know why there was such a big deal about it. Who cares if Sarah might not like it.

[DonnaMae]

I just watched an episode of them building a huge cabin on a lake 200 miles north of Toronto.  They had only three children, one was a baby, so it must have been at least ten years ago.  These people must have unlimited funds to do all these projects. They seem like nice people an very good parents, so I wish them well with their new resort.  I wonder what is next on the menu.

[Peanut6711]

I thought Sara came off much nicer and sweeter in the old Lake Renovation episode. In fact, I couldn't help but think that the architect and interior designer are partially to blame for her overspending and overstepping today.  They basically told her she could make a bunch of big changes and spend more money as if it wouldn't be a big deal. Seems maybe they created a monster. 

[Pingaponga]

As a Canadian who has watched all their shows here, it's interesting reading all the comments and realizing just how much general info gets edited out for the US market.

Bryan had his own show here for years (Bryan Inc, maybe?), and then there was a House of Bryan series, when they just had two kids and tore down their bungalow and built a two-story house. Sarah was a ballet teacher and hired a designer for the house. They then did another series, I want to say House of Bryan on the Rocks, which showed them building their cottage when Lincoln was a toddler. Sarah had the same designer as before, but the designer quit partly through the build. Sarah announced her 4th pregnancy at the end of that.

Then there was another House of Bryan, where they bought a property in the country when she was pregnant with Jojo. They moved in before the build, had the baby, the ice storm that hit Ontario hit, and spent a ton of time renovating/expanding/enlarging the house. Sarah was the designer for that.

Sarah has now done the show house that is the grand prize in a major hospital lottery  for the last couple of years.

They clearly have money. The kids were all at independent schools before the family moved to the Bahamas, and those are not cheap. The initial home-schooling was the kids finishing off their school years remotely from their Canadian schools. This was before "remote learning" was a thing. When school resumed in the fall, they said that Quintyn was at a boarding school as he was in Grade 9 and they wanted him to have a proper high school experience. The younger 3 appeared to me to be at the local school on the island. Then this past school year, Q was living with grandparents in Canada and the younger 3 were doing remote learning...with a school in Florida? Or Canada?

HGTV Canada has said there will be another series, about the reno of the Florida property.

[DonnaMae]

Thanks for the info, Pingaponga.  So they're quite famous in Canada.  Now they're making a name for themselves in the US.

[izabella]

I'm catching up on episodes.  I find this show hard to follow, for some reason.  It's like the episodes are in some weird order, and they have re-runs mixed in with new episodes mixed in with behind the scenes stuff.  The progression has been hard to get straight. 

They also have this habit of repeating words a million times per episode.  If I never hear "pickle ball court" and "switcha" again, it will be too soon.

Edited August 31, 2021 by izabella

[Mrs. Stanwyck]

Hi - US viewer here.  Bryan has been on HGTV (or DIY) in the US off and on for at least 10 years or so.  The first program I remember was where Bryan was called in by an exasperated family member who was tired of living with an incomplete home renovation project.  Bryan would surprise the DIYer and then help him/her finish the project.  Then there was the program where he and Adam renovated Bryan and Sarah's small house.  Then the lake house build.  Both of those were limited series about that specific project - so one and done.  The second ongoing show that I remember Bryan in was where home owners had two projects they wanted done but only the budget for one.  Bryan would come in and review both options and then decide which project to do.  The homeowners would find out which project he chose once it was finished.  Sarah was not involved in either of the series but she did appear in both specials where their house and the lake property were completed.   But Renovation Island is the first show in the US that featured both of them working together.  I have enjoyed Renovation Island - the island and the water looks absolutely beautiful.  Based on the prices, it is unlikely I will ever get to visit.

 

[Pingaponga]

18 hours ago, DonnaMae said:

So they're quite famous in Canada. 

They have also been involved in a show called Home to Win here in Canada. A bunch of TV designers and contractors renovate an older house, with each team of designer/contractor (usually from different HGTV shows) doing a different room.  At the end of the series, families compete to win the house. (Please don't ask what types of competitions - I have never watched the final episodes as my interest is in the renos, not who will live there.) There have been 2-3 seasons of it, and the Baeumlers have been involved in all of them.

There is also a website of Baeumler approved contractors and trades, so if you are looking for someone to work on your house, you can rely on these people being qualified and reliable.

He's definitely well-respected here, so I believe that while, yes, they discovered a lot of surprises during the reno of the hotel, some of the "surprises" were created for the show. Also - his area of expertise is the Ontario climate. I have to believe there is a huge learning curve going from that to the Bahamas. We may have hot humid summers, but we are not tropical.

[CruiseDiva]

Interestingly, there is now a show on TV here in the US called "Renovation, Inc" about the Baeumlers building their lakefront vacation home. It was obviously filmed some years ago as they only have three children and one of them is a baby. They are using the same designer who appeared in their previous show about building their home. Sarah talks about how she needed the designer because she had didn't know anything about design herself and then goes on to meet with the architect, convinces him to change the drawings for the lake house to include another bedroom--adding hundreds of square feet, major work, and more time and expense to the build. Bless his heart, Bryan went along with her changes. Probably so he wouldn't have to listen to her whining.

Sarah says she learned so much from the designer that she decided to become one herself. I think her lack of experience really shows up in the way she worked on the resort by not communicating well with Bryan and being so pushy when he balked at some of the expenses she wanted to incur. A good example is her insistence on wallpaper when paint would be a less expensive and more practical option in a humid climate.

Edited September 1, 2021 by CruiseDiva
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