There seems to be a major disconnect between the prices quoted on HGTV shows, and those paid by myself and people I know that have done remodeling work.
Can it really just be attributed to price fluctuation by location? I get that Texas is cheaper than California, but I watch them finish projects like an entirely new kitchen for under $5000. Ignoring labor costs, I can’t even find just the materials at those rates.
I don’t believe they take into account all the actual hard costs of doing business in their project costs. in the real world there is overhead, profit, as well as taxes and insurance. The numbers they use are laughable and should need to have a caveat or footnote at the end of the show to set the record straight on what the project actually costs. Also, geography plays a role in actual project costs. I would think we could all agree the cost of doing business in New York City is different than in Yacolt Washington and that should also be a consideration.
It is TV. You won’t find their pricing reflects actual market rate. They also get many things donated for air time.
A great question that I hear a lot.
HGTV and other similar shows typically get all of the materials donated by the suppliers/manufacturers in lieu of free advertising for those companies … also the main hosts typically are paid by others, such as the production company or other affiliated companies. Those 2 savings are typically over 50% of the project costs so the TV viewer gets only part of the “story.” My rule of thumb is simply double what you see on TV and add a bit more … you will be close to reality TV then. Oh yes, double the time it takes to complete as well!!
Apparently many of these shows get sponsorships; products are donated and then they are mentioned on the show. It really jumps out at me now, and you will notice as well when either a homeowner or a designer highlights a certain feature of a fridge for example.
This helps keeps the costs down. I also think they sometimes only include the costs of things purchased, not the labor. Finally, remember that some of the shows are filmed in Canada, such as “Love It or List It” and the “Property Brothers”. It’s never been clear to me whether they are talking about US or Canadian dollars.
They get their material at a fraction of the cost. Plus they are on T.V., so they get products given to them for free as advertisement. Labor is 1/3 of price in Texas than it is in California.
