HGTV is an excellent source of remodeling inspiration. Their displays are jam-packed with inventive design concepts and inventive uses for reused things. What they don't do well is represent the full costs of a remodel. Their "budgets" exclude significant costs that cannot be avoided while tackling a remodeling project in the real world.

If you watch HGTV's "Farmhouse Fixer," you'll recognize Jonathan Knight — best known as a member of the New Kids on the Block — and his designer, Kristina Crestin, who turn decrepit farmhouses into gorgeous homes. However, you may be unaware that the homeowners must have a remodeling budget of at least $150,000.

Plans and Permitting

The expense of the design and the fact that permissions are required for most of the projects featured on television are rarely highlighted on any HGTV program. Yet there are charges involved with those necessary processes in the real world. 

When you have a redesign created, you can pay a design fee, an hourly rate, or they wrap the costs into your building contract. Permissions might be rather expensive depending on the project you are working on. 

The minimum charge for a house remodeling permit in Montgomery County, MD is $265. Extensive projects are billed by square footage, with modifications costing $0.63 per square foot and additions costing $0.71 per square foot. Those pennies rapidly mount up, and someone has to pull the permit and meet with many inspectors throughout the length of your renovation.

Demolition and Labor

On TV, the homeowner is frequently active in the demo process, and they sometimes bring in a large team of relatives and friends. That is known as free labor, and it is not included in the budget of a reality TV show. It is also exceedingly unsafe for the average homeowner to begin tearing down their own walls. 

In the actual world, demolition will be included in your remodeling costs, along with all work to complete your project. Yes, HGTV does not include labor in its budgets either. The show and its commercial sponsors pay for the labor of all those handsome builders you see on TV. 

So the overtime you'd pay in real life for all those late nights of work isn't factored into those HGVT budgets.

Products

In the real world, choosing the correct cabinet, counter, and faucet takes a long time. Homeowners go to display rooms and collaborate with designers to narrow down all the options available. In the major reveal of a reality show, owners have usually presented their products. 

Or perhaps you see them selecting from a few options presented by the designer. This is because items on tv programs are pre-selected. They are advertisements placed by well-known manufacturers to promote their products... and they are... you got it right, FREE!

The Trades

Depending upon the age and quality of your house, the cost of electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems might consume a significant amount of budget. A concealed concern, such as knob and tube wiring, is not uncommon in a reality TV remodel. 

Then an electrician is brought in, and a budget is established for the change order to fix the issue. That change in order does not include any markup. Everything in a real-world makeover is marked up, and this isn't due to greedy contractors and designers. 

It's because they have overhead costs and must turn a profit. Reality shows are big business on television. The network is concerned with overhead and profit, not the real designer who is hosting the show.

Furniture

Furniture is never included in the budget of a reality TV show and it’s rarely part of the costs associated with a real remodel either. That is because they don’t get to keep the furniture! That’s right the furniture is just a prop for the show. 

Once the cameras are off it all gets taken away. In the real world unless your contractor is partnering with an interior designer they are not helping you pick out love seats and throw pillows.