How Many Reality Stars Does It Take To Renovate an Entire Town? A Whole Lot on ‘Home Town Takeover’ – Realtor.com News
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Erin and Ben Napier may be the OGs of “Home Town” and their spinoff show “Home Town Takeover,” but a whole lot of HGTV royalty has piled on since then.
That makes total sense: Renovating an entire town sounds impossible unless there are many hands on deck!
For this show’s second season, Dave and Jenny Marrs have been around from the get-go, helping revive homes and public spaces in Fort Morgan, CO. And in the latest episode, “Bridge to the Future,” yet another HGTV regular swoops in: Page Turner from “Fix My Flip.”
This trio tackles Fort Morgan’s oldest bar, called the Queen Lounge, turning it into an events space, as well as the residence of volunteer firefighter Auden Rey and his mother, Juanita Diaz-Rey, who regularly prepares food for the volunteer staff. When they’re not all at the firehouse, they’re gathering in her small home.
It’s up to Dave and Jenny to help make this family’s petite domicile feel less cramped and even more welcoming. The results are so emotional, there isn’t a dry eye in the house by the end. Check out what the HGTV stars do, and some heartwarming lessons you might be inspired to try around your own abode or neighborhood, too.
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“We’re completely changing the exterior of the Reys’ house, and we’re starting with the front door,” Turner says. “We went with a nice, neutral olive green on the front door, which will really pop out the house against the peach exterior color. A simple thing like a fresh coat of paint on the front door immediately freshens up a home and can create a domino effect in a neighborhood that makes other people want to do the same.”
Jenny agrees.
“I feel like now it’s just really happy,” she says when seeing the finished home.
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The kitchen is so small and inconveniently designed that Dave decides to rip everything out and take the room back to the studs. That gives him more freedom to reconfigure as he deems best.
“Juanita is going to love that we moved the kitchen sink under the window, which will give her four times the counter space,” he claims.
And he’s right: They put an island with a counter and eating space in the middle and replace the free-standing table and chairs under the window with additional counter space. That alone more than doubles what they had previously.
“Things like more counter space for cooking and a bigger room for entertaining—they will allow them to continue their generosity to the community that means so much to them,” says Dave.
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“We chose a herringbone pattern on the new wood floors, which is a great space enhancer that works well in any room,” says Jenny, “especially if it’s narrow.”
A herringbone’s zigzag shape draws the eye back and forth, giving the illusion of wider square footage. Plus, as Jenny points out when she shows it off to the homeowners, herringbone “feels really elevated and beautiful.”
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Over at the Queen Lounge, Dave, Jenny, and Turner agree that the dingy dropped ceiling with fluorescent lighting in the bar’s event space definitely could use some work.
“There was a really ugly dropped ceiling in there, so we got rid of all that,” says Turner. In its place, she places rows of jute rope woven through a black-painted grid.
“It’s definitely going to add an unexpected element to the events space, and the warm colors will give it that cozy charm we’re going for,” she says.
And is she ever right! What before was an ugly blank slate is now a designer focal point.
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In the end, Diaz-Rey is moved to tears when she sees her newly renovated home.
“Mira mi casa! I love it,” she cries. “I really love my house now.”
The waterworks start for Jenny next.
“As a mom, I want my kids to be those boys that serve their community and help others,” she says.
All in all, there’s enough feel-good vibes going around that we imagine other HGTV stars might want a piece of the warm and fuzzies, too. So who will be the next guest: Ty Pennington? Drew and Jonathan Scott? The El Moussas? Place your bets!
Lisa Johnson Mandell is an award-winning writer who covers lifestyle, entertainment, real estate, design, and travel. Find her on ReallyRather.com