The Hosts Of Renovation Impossible Explain How To Ensure Your Renovation Is A Success

A home renovation can be an expensive, long, and grueling project, so it's important to get it right the first time. According to Nationwide Mutual Insurance, common renovation mistakes made by homeowners include creating an impractical budget, being too focused on trends, failing to order enough materials, and taking incorrect measurements. Mistakes like these can cost homeowners thousands of dollars and even stall the completion of their renovation for months.

If you're hoping to transform your home in the near future, we advise jotting down a few notes from renovation expert Russell Holmes and interior designer Paige Poupart, co-hosts of HGTV's popular show "Renovation Impossible." Holmes, a New York native and contractor, teams up with Poupart to figure out how homeowners can best complete their paused renovations with budget-friendly upgrades and effective solutions, according to HGTV. Their groundbreaking professional advice can also help get your stalled renovation project back off the ground. To solve one of the most aggravating yet common home improvement problems, take a look at what Holmes and Poupart believe are the best solutions.

Make it a team project

For couples, one of the biggest obstacles Russell Holmes and Paige Poupart see when it comes to home renovations is usually working together. "People think the problem is the supply chain and the design, and more often than not, it's actually themselves," Russell Holmes told Realtor.com. Oftentimes, couples are afraid the other won't like what they like, or it'll be either too expensive, too time consuming, or too disruptive. "So I think fear would probably be the most common reason." Luckily, Holmes wholeheartedly believes there's a way for couples to get through it together. 

"You need to go into it with a common goal," he continues. "Understand that you're going to have to be at your best when your significant other is at their worst and vice versa. Know that this isn't just a weekend DIY [project]; this is going to be a major undertaking. The team attitude is huge." Design blogger Sarah at Room for Tuesday concurs, suggesting that couples can maintain a healthy relationship during a renovation by splitting tasks, learning how to compromise, and figuring out a design aesthetic both parties appreciate.

How Russell Holmes and Paige Poupart get couples to work together

In the first episode of Season 1, Russell Holmes and Paige Poupart had to come up with solutions for an indecisive couple on "Renovation Impossible," per Discovery Plus. The wife and husband had completely opposite ideas for almost every part of the house, which ended up stalling their renovation for months. For example, the wife preferred to update the mid-century fireplace, while the husband believed its design was perfectly fine. It wasn't easy, but Holmes and Poupart had to create a plan to satisfy them. In the end, the design duo presented an affordable solution that pleased both; keep the fireplace as it was, update the flooring and lighting, and apply a fresh coat of paint to modernize the living room.

"The fireplace, to us, is amazing," Holmes told the couple. "It fits in this house, it really does. It is a focal point, like you said. And if you come in and you design around that, it actually makes it look better." During this episode, renovation tasks were also given to both the husband and wife individually, which helped them develop an appreciation for each other as they watched their significant other work hard to get the job done.