At home on camera

Couple’s remodel to be on HGTV series

By Marinell Scott Thornburg, Journal staff | Sunday, January 04, 2009

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For homeowners and do-it-yourselfers Gavin and Crystal Williams, the excitement of having their home appear on Home & Garden Television’s “My House Is Worth What?” was worth all the effort it took to get the renovated home ready for a Los Angeles film crew.

“It went really well,” Crystal Williams said after the videotaping was done and the family could finally relax. “It was a long day, but it was really fun. I have a lot more appreciation for what people in the TV business do. They were so professional, so upbeat with us, even when we kept messing up.”

That “messing up” might have meant a word that wasn’t said quite clearly, Gavin nervously clicking his wedding band against a chair or the fact that the house number was visible in the background as they were filming. Producer Holly Schwartz interrupted taping to direct Crystal to take one step to cover up the number so viewers would not be able to determine the home’s exact location.

The Pie Town Productions crew was here for three days to film three homes in the Rapid City area for the program, which will air in about six months. After finishing with the Williams home on Tuesday, the crew planned to videotape a segment featuring the homes of Sheila and Larry Hernandez of Black Hawk on Wednesday and Nick and Megan Davis of Rapid City today.

During Tuesday’s filming, the crew painstakingly shot take after take, as the Williamses delivered their lines again and again. All involved were patient with one another, despite standing outside the home in cold temperatures. After probably five takes, in which Crystal spoke about the exterior updates and windows, Schwartz called out, “That was perfect! Let’s do it once more just as a safety!”

According to Pie Town Productions’ Web site, the program “gives you the lowdown on the high stakes of home ownership. Go behind closed doors each week as three homeowners in three different parts of the country strategize on maximizing their homes’ value.”

The program also includes a “professional assessment and evaluation from local market experts.” In Rapid City, it came from Daneen Jacquot, broker associate with First Choice Realty in Rapid City.

Jacquot’s part of the program was to talk through the various updates the Williamses completed on their home, and discuss the value of the remodeling against comparable homes in the area.  Her role was to talk about both the pros and cons of the residence, ultimately climaxing with a fair market value estimate given to the homeowners as part of a reality-show “big reveal.” The results of Jacquot’s evaluation and estimate are a closely held secret until the airing of the program.

Updates to the Williams home included replacing all the windows, adding a privacy fence, replacing the kitchen cabinets and countertops, remodeling an oddly placed bedroom into a more useable sunroom and finishing what was a cellar-type basement level into a comfortable living space. All the updates were completed with a nod to keeping with the historical guidelines that apply to homes in the historic West Boulevard area.

Gavin Williams works as an estimator for a Rapid City building materials company, which brings him into contact daily with countless building products and the people who have the know-how to get the project done. That knowledge base, plus the family’s approach to working on the home as a group project, has resulted in their 1928 Craftsman-style home being very comfortable and appealing, despite its 80 years of age.

Much of the remodeling was done by Gavin with help from his father.

“The bulk of the work was done before our 2-year-old was born,” Crystal said. “I have done a lot of painting, our teenager did a lot painting and was a go-fer. Now, any projects that come along, I watch the toddler. We all did play a part in fixing the house up.

“We really love antiques so this is really our style. We love old houses,” she said.

What’s it like to have a television crew filming your entire home two weeks before Christmas?  Exhausting.

“Our garage looks like Santa’s toy shop today, because all our kids’ stuff is piled in there,” Crystal said. No Christmas decorations or seasonal accents were allowed in the home, as the program will be aired in reruns on HGTV for up to four years, she said. Last-minute tidying of the home Tuesday morning meant that some things were stashed here and there, causing a few essentials to be misplaced.

“I don’t know where my watch is,” Gavin said, rubbing his wrist. “I think it’s in the hamper!” Crystal said, adding that the alarm clock, too, had gone missing.

Getting the house clean enough for filming wasn’t all that difficult, Crystal said, but it was more difficult to keep it clean with a busy toddler. The Williams family did all the cleaning and prep work, with no help from a cleaning service.

Gavin didn’t expect that his application for the TV show would actually be accepted.

“I was reading the Journal online and saw the link (calling for applications), and I had 15 minutes, so I filled it out on a whim,” he said. “I wasn’t thinking they would pick us. I was really surprised.”

The first application included the story of their remodel and some pictures; after that, Gavin said, the applicants were narrowed down and the producers wanted a video of the home and the family.

Jacquot also had to apply to be considered for the show, including sending in an audition tape.

 “The three people that came from Pie Town Productions – Holly, Mike and Stuart – by the time we were done after spending just a day with them, they didn’t want to leave with just a handshake,” Gavin said, noting how the couple received hugs and compliments from the Los Angeles crew. 

“It was a complicated process. We had to take several takes and say the same thing over and they made it as fun as possible and as easy as possible.

“I can rattle on about our house forever,” Gavin said, “but in front of the camera, I clammed up.  But they were really nice to deal with.”

When the program airs on HGTV, the Williams family will be watching the show at a friend’s house, likely celebrating with a little party.

“We don’t have cable, so we have friends who have volunteered for us to watch it there,” Crystal said. “The best part about the party is we won’t have to clean OUR house.”

Contact Marinell Scott Thornburg at marinell.thornburg@rapidcityjournal.com or 394-8280.