I’m Jasmine Roth, founder of Built Custom Homes, curator of my online retail store The Shop by Jasmine Roth, and host of HGTV’s hit shows Hidden Potential and HELP! I Wrecked My House. I was also on HGTV’s Season 1 of Rock the Block, but I won’t spoil the winner for you 😉 Building custom homes is my bread and butter and I love finding ways to make homes as personal, functional and beautiful as possible. Whether I’m exploring my TV projects, or sharing secret pro tips for everything from design to entertaining and cooking, I’m here to help you build Your Happy Home. Let’s build something together!
It’s that time – when I answer your burning questions with (gasp!) THE TRUTH! It’s time for another HGTV secret revealed!
Okay, this is a good one because before I had a TV show, when I was an HGTV fan just like you (unless you’re reading this and you have an HGTV show in which case, HI FRIEND!! #myhgtvfamily) I wondered this exact thing on every episode. ARE THE BUDGETS REAL!?!
I’d like to give you some dirt – so here it is – you aren’t going to believe it, but THEY’RE REAL! That’s right, believe it or not, the number you see on the screen is the actual number. So for example, on HELP! I Wrecked My House you might see a grimy old kitchen and in what feels like the snap of a finger it transforms into a beautiful new, crisp, clean, Pinterest-worthy masterpiece and you think to yourself – NO WAY DID THAT COST WHAT THEY SAID IT DID. But I’m here to tell you, what you see is what you get.
Now, that said, I guess I can only speak for my own shows, but I’ve never heard of a show that doesn’t use the real numbers. There’s one thing to keep in mind though – we build a LOT of houses. That’s what we do – all day everyday. So just like you might not be able to fully renovate your house in 6 weeks (no offense but if you can, I’m impressed!), we do that day in and day out, and our cost structures are definitely a little different. Economies of scale, people!
Also, I love calling in favors on behalf of my clients and my trades love to have their work showcased on TV. And if you did your project on your own, you wouldn’t have me or my team running around all day making things go perfectly and working our butts off to make sure the renovation looks amazing. So while the budgets are real, just remember that the perks of being on TV aren’t fully reflected. That’s why SO MANY PEOPLE try to get on my shows – trust me, I get it!
Oh, and if you’re thinking of doing a renovation or buying a house, this is a reminder to default to the pros (your general contractor or real estate agent) and they should be able to help you set a budget. Fair enough? I think so!
I like not having any secrets from you guys! What else have you been wondering lately? Let me know in the comments…
What was the source/company of the awesome turquoise kitchen tiles?
Why are the shower rooms with bathtub inside so popular? I would not want to squeegee the entire room after every shower?
Labor included??
Do the budgets include YOUR fee as well?
Do your clients on the show keep all of furnishings and accessories?
But the only thing of hiring a contractor ,some of them would cheat on people for their money rather handle the job to yourself.And I been wanting to ask you this question,will you come back to rock the block in the next season
Do they keep all of the furniture and decorations or is it just staging?
Please Will you come make over my home .. or some one you trust
Is all the furniture and decorations included in your home?
This may not apply to your show but for those shows that buy a house and renovate how is that budget figured out? Because that has to be a loan for the renovation and a mortgage/purchase price for the house, right? Like two separate payments.
What’s up with putting books on all the shelves backwards?
Jasmine, I love your renovation style, your interior design, out door living design, exterior reno! They are all refreshing, liviable accessable and comfortable spaces, as well as inviting recreational spaces! Your energetic, joyful personality tops it off. I am looking forward to tuning into your future HGTV shows!
Where did you get the floats