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Hometime
FAQs
How
do I get my house on Hometime?
Help!
Will you give me advice on my project? Here's what you do: talk to your neighbors; log into any of the really good home improvement forums out there; watch a tape and read a book or two; call your local building department; pay a contractor for their advice. Trust us, if you do this you'll figure out how to get the job done. ^ Back ^
Where
can I get more information about that thingamajig I saw on the show? If you are doing a more generalized search, we also have an extensive list of manufacturers listed by category. ^ Back ^
How
do I get my exciting new home-improvement product on your show? Hometime Don't get too excited about the possibilities, though. We receive hundreds of proposals each month for products that people feel should be on Hometime. Only very rarely do these proposals fit in with our construction, schedule, and show concepts. ^ Back ^
What's
up with Dean and all his "wives"? So why did we make it look like Dean and his co-hosts were married? It's a philosophy we called "living the project." When we made it look like Dean and his co-host lived in the houses they worked on, we could delve into the issues of living in a house under construction: cooking in the living room, taking cat baths at the laundry tub, making yet another trip to the home center store, and eating way too much take-out. We even showed them goofing off to remind homeowners to take a break and have a little fun every now and then. Today, we are moving away from the married couple concept, yet taking the "living the project" format even further to include real homeowners pitching in and a unique home improvement crew.^ Back ^
Where
are Robin and all the other past co-hosts these days? Robin Hartl was hired by Hometime in July 1992 to begin production of the 1993 season. She taped her last episode in August of 2004. With twelve seasons and over three hundred episodes, Robin was on Hometime longer than any other female co-host. During her last few years working at Hometime Robin was also back in school, studying interior design. Last we heard, Robin was working in the Twin Cities at the Anoka Design Studio (www.anokadesignstudio.com) as an A.S.I.D designer working with large builders in helping their customers pick out the finish materials for their new homes. In addition, she was assisting the builders design high-end model homes and working with individual clients designing their additions and remodels. Susanne Egli joined Hometime for one season after JoAnne left. She has since appeared in numerous regional theater productions, commercials, and training films. She is presently putting her communications skills to work as a communications coach with Change Masters, a communications consulting firm. JoAnne (JoJo) Liebeler was the second Hometime co-host. She was with the show for four years before moving to Los Angeles to pursue work in the entertainment industry. After several years of freelance work, including a gig as a comedy writer for a syndicated TV show, she returned to her home improvement roots. Currently she can be seen on The Learning Channel's Home Savvy and HGTV's Room for Change. JoJo has started a production company that develops and produces television programs-something that's been a longtime dream of hers. A collection of clips, including an interview and bloopers of JoAnne's years on Hometime is available on the Farewell to JoJo Video. Peggy
Knapp was our first co-host. She joined us in 1986 but left
after the first season. Since then Peggy has produced and/or reported
for a variety of programs, including Newton's Apple, Network
Earth, Earth Matters, and The American Edge. She has
received numerous awards for her work, including two Emmy Awards
and a Cable ACE Award. Peggy is presently on staff at the Center
for Global Environmental Education at Hamline University in St.
Paul, Minnesota, where she produces Rivers of Life, an internet-based
learning program.
Why
don't you give costs for the houses you build? We also use lots of new products and materials that may not yet be common, or even available, in many areas. We often pay for a lot of head scratching while we figure out the best way to install these products. Sometimes a product is so new that it hasn't yet become available in Minnesota, which means there may not be local contractors who know how to install it. We've actually had to bring in installers from other states when this happens. Believe us, providing airfare and lodging for your contractors can really mess up a construction budget. Finally, property, labor, and materials costs vary so widely across the country that it would be impossible for us to give you any idea what the houses we build would cost to build in your area. We do have plans & study plans available for many of the houses we have built on Hometime. Based on these plans, a local contractor/builder can give you an estimate of what it would cost for you to build that particular home in your area. ^ Back ^
Does
Hometime do midrange projects any more? Beyond the entertainment value of building these dream houses, we feel there is value in them for anyone who will be building or remodeling in the next few years—no matter what the cost of the project. That's because new techniques and materials are expensive and show up in high-end homes first. These techniques and materials often become more available—and more affordable—after they've been around a few years. ^ Back ^
Where
are all the new shows?
Can
I visit past Hometime projects?
Where
can I buy a copy of the music you play on Hometime? |
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