These Are the Best Home Renovation Shows of the Past 25 Years
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There's something about good home improvement television that turns all of into expert interior renovators and designers. Watching the best home renovation shows can easily make us think that a gut kitchen renovation is an easy weekend job. However, while the electrical and plumbing are best left to the experts, home renovation shows also offer buckets of inspiration and ideas to spark our next projects.
The shows can be a bit misleading when it comes to costs, labor demands, and overall project expectations, but that's exactly what makes it good television. Sometimes the clients' budgets are totally arbitrary. But it's important to remember that these guys are professionals and are often dealing with product placements and trade discounts along the way.
Whether you're looking for farmhouse-fresh ideas from queen of shiplap Joanna Gaines or landscaping designs to put your neighbors' yards to shame, the best home renovation shows are a great resource for budding DIYers and home improvement junkies alike. Even if you're just watching for fun, the beautiful homes and places these television stars visit can give you ideas for your next vacation or Airbnb booking.
No matter the reason you watch, we love spending time seeing a home go from dated disaster to Pinterest-worthy in a mere 30 to 45 minutes. Plus, it's much less stressful than managing your own renovation. In a television rut? We're here to help with the 12 best home renovation shows to watch, stream, and binge whenever you want.
Celebrity IOU
Hosted by everyone's favorite dynamic duo, the Property Brothers, Celebrity IOU features celebrities like Melissa McCarthy, Heidi Klum, and Octavia Spencer giving back to those who have helped them in their careers, from family members to housekeepers, with the renovation and design experts at their side.
Where to watch: HGTV, Max
Van Go
Tiny home living has only increased in popularity over the past decade, and Van Go puts a design spin on the nomadic lifestyle. Host Brett Lewis renovates sprinter vans to bring all the comforts of home along, no matter where you're parked.
Where to watch: Max
Restored by the Fords
Celebrity interior designer Leanne Ford is joined by her husband, Erik Allen Ford, in this show that brings Leanne's signature effortless style to historic homes in rural Pennsylvania.
Where to watch: HGTV, Max
Christina on the Coast
Following her success as the cohost of Flip or Flop, Christina Hall is back and bringing her signature SoCal style to the homes she renovates and designs as part of her personal docuseries. Binge the current season to prepare for 2024's new episodes.
Where to watch: HGTV, Max
Home Town
Hosted by Erin and Ben Napier, Home Town follows the couple as they spread their shared love of Southern culture and revitalizing historic properties in their actual hometown of Laurel, Mississippi.
Where to watch: HGTV, Max
Dream Home Makeover
Already on season four, this show that launched in fall 2020 follows the projects of Studio McGee's Shea and Sid McGee. Expect cozy textures, chic color palettes, and Shea's signature, timeless styling.
Where to watch: Netflix
Fixer Upper
It's a familiar trope—the wife runs the designing, the husband manages the construction—but no one does it better than Chip and Joanna Gaines. The couple helps families choose a fixer-upper home, then fix it up in Joanna's signature farmhouse style. Would we even know the term shiplap if Jo hadn't taught us?
Where to watch: HGTV, Max
Property Brothers
Twin brothers Drew (the real estate expert) and Jonathan (the contractor) Scott help families find and renovate homes that are need in of a little TLC on this massively successful show. Part of the success lies in watching their 3D visions come to life; the other part is all in the rapport of these siblings.
Where to watch: HGTV, Max
Love It or List It
This show has been on the air in Canada and the U.S. for more than a decade, and it's easy to see why. Hosted by Hilary Farr and David Visentin, it consists of every single one of the features that make other renovation shows great: couples with unrealistic expectations, plenty of torn-down walls, and questions about whether homeowners should stay in their flipped homes. With, of course, a pair of gently bickering experts at the core.
Where to watch: HGTV, Max
Tidying Up With Marie Kondo
Marie Kondo is not tearing down walls with a sledgehammer on this show—unless you count emotional walls. The best-selling author's smash Netflix hit series follows her as she helps people organize and pare down their possessions, a surprisingly poignant experience for everyone involved (including viewers).
Where to watch: Netflix
Rehab Addict
Unlike many other shows on this list, where the goal is to rip apart old houses to make them look modern, Rehab Addict is all about restoring old homes to preserve their special architecture. Host Nicole Curtis sticks with just a few houses in the midwest per season so viewers can really appreciate the journey and effort that go into each project.
Where to watch: Netflix
This Old House
If your memory of this iconic home improvement show is of host Bob Vila, get with the program. Since he signed off in 1989 (!), there have been two other hosts, tons of contractors, a magazine, and three spinoff shows.
Where to watch: PBS, This Old House app
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