Like millions of homeowners, they tune in every week to home design television shows hoping to find ideas and inspiration. Most programs show amazing results with just a little elbow grease and a few supplies. While some viewers can successfully transform their homes following such advice and instructions, others end up wishing they had left the job to a professional. Not the Lotes.
The Lotes chose a three-bedroom floor plan offered by their townhome's builder and relied on what they learned from TV shows to select their colour palette, finishes and furniture to complete the interior decor.
"We have watched TV home improvement programs ever since they first came out," says Pat, who works with her husband, a custom saddler whose work is shipped worldwide. "Before the advent of TV shows, we would have to wait for the local annual home improvement show to catch up on new styles and designs."
While they watch a number of shows, they don't have a favourite personality or show. "We pick various ideas from different shows," Kevin says.
Not only do they credit TV designers with inspiring the decor of their townhouse, the Lotes say lessons learned from television also helped them sell their last home. "One episode made us understand what buyer and seller were looking for. Later, we learned how to stage our house to increase its appeal to buyers," Kevin says.
The couple finds 'before and after' shows particularly helpful because they give them an image from which to work.
"It helps us visualize (what) the results will look like," Kevin says.
But viewers should not take TV programs at face value, says Bryan Baeumler, host of Disaster DYI.
"A half-hour show, after commercials and other details, really shows only 15 minutes of actual work content," says Baeumler, who is set to start filming his third season. "It does not show the nine-hour days put in by four to six people for three weeks that is needed to get the job done behind the scenes."
He says the Internet, big-box home improvement stores and television shows give homeowners a false sense of simplicity and cause many do-it-yourselfers to underestimate the time and skill it takes to complete a project.
"Underestimating the time it takes to do a project is the No. 1 mistake most people make."
The popularity of home improvement programs has helped make specialty television channel HGTV one of the top five broadcasters in a 500-channel TV universe.
Canadians are dedicated viewers of home improvement programs, says Anna Gecan, vice-president of content at HGTV, responsible for programs such as Holmes on Homes, Sarah's House, Property Virgin, Disaster DIY and The Big Flip.
"We have seen a 40 per cent increase in viewership in the last two years," she says.
She attributes the success of home improvement shows to an audience that wants to explore strategies to protect and enhance their largest investment while creating an environment that makes them happy.
"We give viewers programs that address their financial and emotional needs."
While interior designer Lana Lounsbury is happy for the awareness of home design created by television shows, she also cringes when she gets calls to fix a homeowner's mistakes.
"You can't copy and paste design," says Lounsbury, 29.
She admits to watching some of the home design shows for ideas and inspiration on occasion, but she warns against blindly relying on their advice.
"The shows don't -- and can't -- take into account the home's layout or the owner's individual set of circumstances," she says. "They don't take into account the existing lighting or location of walls and the type of flooring, all of which can make a big difference to the end result."
She says even if homeowners use the exact materials and colours, it is almost impossible to duplicate the results shown on television.
"It can be very expensive to do things wrong," says Lounsbury, who has been working as an interior designer for five years. "I get calls from people who have removed walls -- because that is what some designer (on TV) had recommended -- and now they have a bowling alley house where phone conversations are not private anymore. The show did not take into account how removing walls would affect a home's acoustics."
Most homeowners don't save time or money by taking on their own household projects, Lounsbury says. "By leaving it to the professionals, clients can spend the time playing with their kids instead of spending half the day working with tradespeople."
But some homeowners are happy with the result of their new-found skills, confidently choosing colours, furniture and accessories on their own.
"Years ago, we would not have thought of mixing old and new furniture styles," Pat Lote says. "If we hadn't seen how the end results looked on one show, we would have dismissed the idea."
-- Canwest News Service
