11 of the Best Home Improvement Shows

Home remodeling projects can be (sort of) great. You work hard and make a massive mess but hopefully create something beautiful and get to bask in the fruits of your labour (after spending a ton of money and exhausting yourself). You know what’s also great and — dare we say — better? Watching someone else do all of that while you lounge around and eat snacks.

Streaming services are full of home reno shows. Here are the best ones for living vicariously through the pros — or maybe even getting some inspo for yourself.

Designing Miami

Netflix’s Designing Miami combines the pleasure of looking at beautiful homes with the guilty pleasure of watching dramatic reality television. The show centres on a married couple, Eilyn and Ray Jimenez, who are both interior designers with very different tastes — and are in a deep competition with one another. It’s a fun watch that will also give you some great ideas for your space.

Farmhouse Fixer

HGTV’s Farmhouse Fixer is especially good news for Millennials: It’s hosted by Jonathan Knight of New Kids on the Block fame. Alongside designer Kristina Crestin, he fixes up an old farmhouse.

Tiny House Nation

Tiny House Nation is all about, well, tiny houses, which have been trendy in recent years. Whether you could actually see yourself living in one or not, you can kick back and watch John Weisbarth and Zack Giffin design the perfect little houses for very happy families. There are five seasons.

Restored by the Fords

If you’re looking for a good, old-fashioned home remodeling show, try Restored by the Fords. A brother-sister duo named Steve and Leanne Ford renovate homes around the Pittsburgh area. He’s a contractor. She’s an interior designer. They make beautiful homes. What more could you want?

Celebrity IOU

If you like a little star power with your home reno, Celebrity IOU is for you. With five seasons available, you can watch Drew and Jonathan Scott work with celebs like Drew Barrymore, Snoop Dogg, Halle Berry, Kris Jenner, and more to design gorgeous homes for people who’ve made a major impact in their lives.

Motel Makeover

If you’re tired of home makeovers, try Motel Makeover instead. The Netflix show follows Sarah Sklash and April Brown as they work to remodel a motel in Canada. The one-season show does a great job of showcasing how the best-friend duo managed their project amid setbacks and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Home Town

For a feel-good binge with major design inspo, try Home Town. Erin and Ben Napier, a married couple, are on a mission to spruce up their hometown of Laurel, Mississippi, one house at a time, and they take viewers on the journey with them.

Marriage or Mortgage

If you tune into Netflix’s Marriage or Mortgage, you’ll get to see beautiful properties and beautiful wedding dresses. That’s because participants on this show have to decide between having the wedding or the home of their dreams — but not both. It’s not exactly fixer-upper stuff, but it’s a fun binge with nice houses, and that counts.

Grand Designs

Grand Designs has been on since 1999. More specifically, it’s been on British television since 1999. Shows about New England farmhouses and southern fixer-uppers are cool and all, but why not hop across the pond for a while to see some stunning architectural feats?

Home

If you want a peek inside some really stunning properties, try Home on Apple TV+. You’ll see architectural marvels around the world and hear from the people who conceptualized and built them. (Spoiler alert: They’re really proud of and passionate about their creations. You’ll be inspired.)

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

Homes aren’t the only thing that can get overhauled on streaming. Whole shows can get a redo. Remember Extreme Makeover: Home Edition? HGTV revived it, made Jesse Tyler Ferguson the host. It has the same tear-jerking effect as its predecessor, so buckle up for an emotional ride.