HGTV star Bryan Baeumler preaches importance of substance over style for home renovations

Renovation guru and HGTV star Bryan Baeumler is in town this weekend for the Calgary Fall Home Show, which runs from Thursday, Sept. 19 to Sunday, Sept. 22 at the BMO Centre.

Baeumler will be offering tips for home renovation projects big and small, while zeroing in on the real value in a home. He'll also be sharing insights from his latest HGTV adventure, Island of Bryan, where he and his wife Sarah, an interior designer, transform an abandoned resort in the Bahamas into a chic boutique hotel. If all goes according to plan, season two, which airs this fall, will see the hotel open its doors, welcoming its first guests in early November.

Baeumler, who runs his own home renovation and building company in Burlington, Ont., says that when homeowners focus on glitz and glamour when it comes to home renovations and design, they might not be maximizing their long-term return on investment.

"If you reduce the utility costs, your home will pay you back forever, and then down the road, you can pump those savings back into the cosmetics." - Bryan Baeumler

"I see so many people who are buying homes that are big and shiny, and then five years down the road, they have to spend $100,000 to fix the roof, to insulate," he said, noting a beautiful home is wonderful, but it can also be a distraction.

He uses the analogy of Disneyland, where everything looks great on the surface, "but if you go behind the scenes, that's where the garbage bins are, and the foam and the plastic," he said.

To avoid a similar case of style over substance, Baeumler says homeowners must make renovation decisions that unlock the real value in their home.

"It's really important to look at things that reduce operating costs, because at the end of the day, that is where the biggest value is. If you reduce the utility costs, your home will pay you back forever, and then down the road, you can pump those savings back into the cosmetics," he said.

Since 1983, the Calgary Fall Home Show has been southern Alberta's meeting point for those looking for tips, tricks and cool new products related to all things design and lifestyle for the home. It brings together more than 230 exhibitors, 70 of which are new this year, and nearly 25,000 visitors.

Baeumler will be chatting with audiences from the show's main stage on Friday, Sept. 20 at 6 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 21 at 1 p.m.

For more information, and to purchase tickets online at a $2 savings, visit
calgaryfallhomeshow.com.