# Any home improvement/interior design/gardening shows to recommend? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 21, 2014, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-home-improvement-interior-design-gardening-shows-to-recommend/699116 "2014-09-21T23:19:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2014, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-home-improvement-interior-design-gardening-shows-to-recommend/699116/1 "2014-09-21T23:19:28Z")
Can anyone recommend good US or British shows about DIY home improvement, interior design, gardening, etc.? I’m not interested in anything with reality-style “drama” (though shows based on competition, makeovers, etc. are welcome if done well - I enjoyed The Great British Interior Design Challenge) - really I’m just interested in shows I can learn and draw inspiration from. Thanks in advance! ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-home-improvement-interior-design-gardening-shows-to-recommend/699116/2 "2014-09-22T00:29:55Z")
Hometime on PBS is good. It’s been around almost 30 years. It’s new construction and renovation of houses. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-home-improvement-interior-design-gardening-shows-to-recommend/699116/3 "2014-09-22T04:19:21Z")
Hometime and This Old House are about massive renovations (or new builds sometimes on Hometime). Ask This Old House has useful information on smaller jobs, like installing a door or changing out your water heater. I’d stay away from all the “Crasher” type shows, in that they are massively irresponsible (permit? what’s that?) and personality-driven. There aren’t as many interior decoration shows, but Color Splash can be interesting (although I find it too constricting) and Design On a Dime can have some interesting ideas. There are quite a few gardening shows around, but I don’t watch them so I can’t recommend one over another. Again, however, I would stay away from the gimmicky ones (like Yard Crasher) where they tear out and re-do the whole yard in one day. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-home-improvement-interior-design-gardening-shows-to-recommend/699116/4 "2014-09-22T05:12:29Z")
I agree that Hometime and This Old House are fun, but they’re home renovation porn. This Old House will show a home being renovated and have things like a custom-made front door, or (from the last season) an enormous teak kitchen island top. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-home-improvement-interior-design-gardening-shows-to-recommend/699116/5 "2014-09-22T05:20:00Z")
Curb Appeal is pretty good for outdoor stuff. Knock It Off on the Live Well Network is pretty good for design. The premise is creating magazine style for way less money. I thought it would be cheesy but the hosts really do have some talent and good ideas. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-home-improvement-interior-design-gardening-shows-to-recommend/699116/6 "2014-09-22T05:23:09Z")
The [best local show is Gardening Australia](http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/), with a complete maniac in charge. But huge fun, and full of quite genuine enthusiasm. Downside might be that it’s very locally focused. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-home-improvement-interior-design-gardening-shows-to-recommend/699116/7 "2014-09-22T06:20:59Z")
_Ask This Old House_ is the best show in this category, and all their episodes [are on YouTube now](https://www.youtube.com/user/thisoldhouse/playlists). Note that _ **Ask** This Old House_ is a separate series from _This Old House_, which follows long-running renovation projects (typically two big projects per season.) ATOH provides instruction for small DIY projects, typically two projects per episode. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-home-improvement-interior-design-gardening-shows-to-recommend/699116/8 "2014-09-22T10:31:10Z")
I’ve learned quite a lot by watching **Holmes Makes It Right**. The [website](http://www.diynetwork.com/holmes-makes-it-right/show/index.html), in fact, has a lot of good info. mmm ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-home-improvement-interior-design-gardening-shows-to-recommend/699116/9 "2014-09-22T10:50:38Z")
It may catch some flak, but I quite like[_Grand Designs_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Designs). I also like the shows [Mike Holmes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Holmes) does (_Holmes on Homes_, _Holmes Inspection_, _Holmes Makes It Right_) as they often go into what is and isn’t good building practice, and there’s a lot of respect for real artisans there as well. Plus, he’s the second most trusted Canadian! ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-home-improvement-interior-design-gardening-shows-to-recommend/699116/10 "2014-09-22T16:54:18Z")
I like Mike Holmes, but I dislike that his shows tend to focus more on Mike Holmes than the actual construction process, with a lot of the details skipped over in montages. What I really appreciate about ATOH is how they skip all of the bullshit and actually teach something in every episode, while still managing to occasionally be funny. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Woo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7c8e57/32.png) [@Dr.Woo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Woo)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-home-improvement-interior-design-gardening-shows-to-recommend/699116/11 "2014-09-24T23:02:53Z")
And even Mike Holmes’ shows, while showing real-life scenarios, often involve some drama about how terrible the Bad Contractor was to the unsuspecting homeowner. I’m with the OP: I just want to watch other people work on a home improvement project, not a bunch of made up (or real) drama about the project. I do IT projects for a living and I get all the drama I could ever need from real life. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-home-improvement-interior-design-gardening-shows-to-recommend/699116/12 "2014-09-24T23:15:56Z")
Hometime is in Minnesota, so they spend a lot of time on heating and insulation. Not as much time on the AC system. 🙂 The Woodright’s Shop is filmed here in NC and it’s on PBS. The guy does not use any power tools. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-home-improvement-interior-design-gardening-shows-to-recommend/699116/13 "2014-09-24T23:57:10Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > The Woodright’s Shop is filmed here in NC and it’s on PBS. The guy does not use any power tools. I can’t stand that guy. He just rubs me the wrong way somehow. He’s pretentious. ---
**Author:** ![urban1a](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47c2d/32.png) [@urban1a](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/urban1a)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-home-improvement-interior-design-gardening-shows-to-recommend/699116/14 "2014-09-25T02:26:01Z")
I prefer Hometime because often they will have smaller projects. This Old House projects always take months to complete and often the homeowners must move out while also providing part of the labor force. I also like Dean and Miriam Johnson more than the crew on This Old House and Norm Abram has been boring for a long time now. Bob