So Many Questions: Amy Matthews ready for DIY chaos on HGTV
Amy Matthews
Doesn't everybody wish that they could just go out for an evening and return home to find the job done?
That sweet dream is now a reality thanks to HGTV's new series, “Renovation Raiders.” Led by licensed contractor Amy Matthews, ho-hum spaces undergo jaw-dropping transformations within a matter of just a few hours — all while the unsuspecting homeowners are out for the evening.
Here's the setup: After meeting with the “accomplice,” usually a fellow member of the household who is in on the plan, Amy and her team wait for the owners to leave the house so that they can immediately get to work. In order to keep the makeover on track, a “spy” reports back to the team to keep them aware of the homeowner's movements, and more importantly, come up with creative “stalls” to keep the couple from returning home too early. Hiding keys, blocking their car; all's fair to ensure that the remodel is 100 percent complete before the owner returns home.
Even for Matthews, star of DIY Network's “Sweat Equity,” the concept of doing a complete room remodel in five hours or less seemed pretty crazy. The challenge, however, proved too hard to resist.
Renovation Raiders premieres at 9 p.m. May 30 on HGTV.
Question: How long have you been a licensed contractor?
Answer: I got my license in 2006 or 2007, so it's going on 6 to 7 years now.
Q: When they first approached you about the concept of “Renovation Raiders,” did you think they were nuts?
A: I did! Having done these projects for years, when they first approached me I said, “Um, OK?” and I knew right away it was going to be a lot of planning and project managing, which are all the things that come beforehand. But obviously, you usually have a longer timeline. But when I looked at how we were going to get this done, I knew it was crucial to have the right team. One of my lead guys, we call him “The Fixer,” I had worked with him and another on the show “Sweat Equity” and so I knew him, I knew his work ethic.
So really, it came down to having a great team and, also, if you put 10 contractors in a room, they're going to give you 10 ways to do something. So we needed to be sure that everyone would be on board. And we have those arguments on the warehouse days, but we have a great crew, and I really can't say that enough. We were laughing when we started because we were like, “We are actually going to change the face of construction.”
It's not realistic to do this. Most people are not going to be able to do this, but in our mind, it has to be done. We want the gas running, the water running, everything in place — it's done. And we thought the biggest challenge of this was people actually believing it's done — especially people in the industry. But I like to say we're putting the reality back into reality TV.
Q: How many people are on your team?
A: The core is seven of us, but there are always a few floaters. For example, we had to pull in a mason on one because we were doing some stonework. Sometimes we're running gas lines and have this great plumber to come in. Once in awhile the electrician, knowing it's going to be a larger job, will bring on an assistant. So we can go from a core of six to seven to maybe 10 people at the most. And of course, we have a great designer that we work with, and she's got about six people on her team that are doing the painting and whatnot. It's like organized chaos!
Q: How long do you officially have to complete the renovation?
A: In general, we start at 5 p.m. Now, the crew meets earlier, and we pack everything on the truck. It's a comedy how we pack the truck! So, we meet earlier in the day, get the truck packed, and finish the last minute details. Then, we convene at a location where the production team comes about an hour before the people arrive, and you see us on the show getting our caravan ready to go. So, when the homeowner drives away, our spy, who follows them throughout the night, tells us it's OK to descend. And I get goosebumps just thinking of it. It's such an adrenaline rush, because it's going to be six hours of sheer insanity. We set it for five hours, but we have contingency plans with the spy in case the flooring isn't ready or something like that. We'll pull out the stops to get an extra hour if we can.
Q: Homeowners see shows depicting renovations done in a month, week, few days, and now a few hours. Any words of advice for staying patient when it comes to your own home?
A: We should be inspiring people instead of bursting their bubble, that's for sure! When I joined DIY, it was all about the step-by-step process — how you screw in cabinets in the wall. Since I've been with the networks, I have directly seen, and my personal work has changed from a personal step-by-step how-to to a combination of entertainment and information. And I feel like that keeps people excited and coming back, but we're also using products that are DIY friendly We talk about these pieces and how they go down — so as viewers see these things, hopefully if they're not insane like we are, (they'll) understand that it's not going to take just a few hours at your own house. We would never want someone to be discouraged by what we do — home renovations take time. A homeowner is going to take three times the amount of time to do it themselves. I hope that people can look at things and be inspired, be entertained and take away info about products that we use that they can use in their own homes.
Q: When it comes to your own home renovations, do you find yourself sometimes losing patience that it's taking longer than just a few hours?
A: In the middle of the night, at two o'clock in the morning, my compressor is on and my nail gun is going off! There are certain things I'm such a perfectionist on — tiling, for example. But it's more fun when you're working on a team. So I usually pick part of the projects that I'll have people help me with. For the average person, I would say, bring over a friend and (get) people to help you. There's a definite balance.
Kate Benz is the social columnist for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at kbenz@tribweb.com or 412-380-8515.
