Curb Appeal

Designer John Gidding was driving by and fell in love with the style of the O'Neill's home, but clearly they are a perfect example of a house that just needs Curb Appeal. He approached them to see if they would be interested in receiving a Curb Appeal makeover and they were ecstatic! It turns out it was the uniqueness and modern aesthetic that drew them to this house, and they had big ideas for the outside when they bought it, but the reality of living in San Francisco with twin girls has left them with little funds to fix the place up. They love the neighborhood, love their neighbors, and want to make the neighborhood proud of this could-be architectural gem of the block... they just need John's vision to make it happen!

Jeff and Simone are first-time home buyers who purchased a run-down craftsman bungalow - at first, were excited to get to work on the fixer-upper. Simone is a self-described DIY addict but to Jeff's dismay, she has yet to finish one of these projects. Their house is littered with displays of good intentions gone bad. Their front stoop stairs are partly sanded, a refurbished front door sits on their porch waiting to be installed, the yard is torn up and ready for landscaping, the kitchen cabinets are half painted with mismatched and missing knobs...the list goes on. Jeff knows the front yard is one project where they are in over their head. John and his team are here to help and who knows, maybe they can assist with those DIY disasters!

Being a local sports talk radio host doesn't leave Dan Dibley much free time to address the sad state of his family's front yard. The large tree in the front is dying while the lawn takes too much water to maintain in the summer and even at it's best, is little more than a lingering ground for neighborhood dogs. It's too small to use as an athletic venue but too big to ignore. They love this block, they love their neighbors, and wish they loved the outside of their home. The kids are getting old enough to where they are bringing friends over, and they really care about what friends think of the appearance of their home. Right now it's an embarrassment. Dan and Chanda want it to be a point of pride. It's never going to happen without the jumpstart of the Curb Appeal team!

Charmin and Ibrahim Baaqee have called the Curb Appeal team to help with their 1929 Spanish Colonial. When they purchased the home they immediately went to work updating the inside and tearing out old landscaping to start anew, but once their twins were born, work was halted. Now the front looks more like a deserted wasteland. They haven't quite figured out how to push a rototiller and two tricycles at the same time so they know without the curb appeal team, it will stay this way until the kiddoes are well off to college! They would love for their babes to have a safe place to play and would love to give their historical home the front entry is deserves. John and his team step in to give them a Spanish courtyard that would be suitable for sipping wine with neighbors or sippy cups with their kids.

Jamaal Brown and Shawnte Robinson are engaged and recently moved into Jamaal's bachelor pad. Shawnte has been decorating the inside, but the outside has both of them stumped. Located on the corner, at the entrance to the neighborhood, this property carries a big responsibility and this couple needs Curb Appeal's help to make the neighborhood proud. John and his team have a challenge ahead of them to turn this place into the showcase of the block and pressure's on to get it done before the nuptials.

Sumit and Lilliana live in the Oakland hills where, abut 10 years ago, fires destroyed most of the homes. This house survived, but is now surrounded by beautiful large newly constructed homes. The outside hasn't been touched since the 60's and the Jain family really wants to make improvements that will live up to the now pristine neighborhood. They are also concerned with safety. With kids and elderly parents all living under one roof, the rusted and rickety railings are an issue, as is the uninhabitable yard. With a young daughter and a newborn baby, they have very little time, energy, or resources to fix up their home, fortunately, the Curb Appeal team is stepping in to give them the home of their dreams and help them fit in better with the rest of the home on their block!

Amy and Ken Miles live with their two young daughters in a tucked away Bay Area neighborhood called the Richmond Annex, a neighborhood that they describe as a hidden and underrated gem. There exists is a true sense of community circa 1950's...which was around the time when their house was built, and it shows. The facade is two toned, though not on purpose, the last owner just didn't properly match the paint color on the bottom portion of the siding. The porch is dated and dangerous, and the yard has been taken over by juniper. The far-reaching juniper is the first (and maybe the only) thing anyone sees when approaching the busy corner. Their house is the entrance to their street at a four-way stop and they would like to represent their block better than they do now. They would love for visitors and neighbors to see the actual house, for one, and some garden interest--something that captures their love for the neighborhood.

Hodaka and Emily are newlyweds. After paying for their own wedding last year, they spent what little savings they had left to purchase their first home. The house was built in the 1950's and has since seen very little updates, inside and out. As dated and sad as it may look, these two both come from humble backgrounds and are so proud to have even been able to buy a home of their own. When they step outside though, they feel like their home is not fitting in with the rest of the neighborhood. Moreover, since moving in, Hodaka was laid off from his job in operations at a small private investment firm and is currently in between jobs leaving them with no disposable income to fix up the front. They live on a block of 8 homes, in which all of them except ours theirs is well-groomed and maintained. They literally live on the block where the city line between Richmond and El Cerrito is so their block is the welcome to all visitors entering El Cerrito, a diverse and tight-knit community. Their house sets the tone for the entire community and it's not setting a good one! They want their house to be the center of attention rather than the house every feels embarrassed for, but between their wedding debt, mortgage, Emily's full-time job, and Hodaka's job search, they simply do not have the time or resources to work on their home's exterior. They are desperate for Curb Appeal's help!

Dana and Jen are high school sweethearts and have recently inherited Dana's childhood home from his parents. They both have fond memories of this house. Jen used to climb up to the little balcony in front of the house to sneak into Dana's room when they were teenagers. Now that balcony is a decrepit drop off. The house needed new foundation, stucco repair, plumbing work, a new roof, and the indoor was a plethora of bad 70s design; the green on the outside matched the inside from the shag carpet to the wallpaper! What they inherited was a money pit. They are desperately in need of Curb Appeal's help in fixing up the front now that are tapped out and left with the eyesore of the block.

Jason and David purchased this dilapidated Victorian home a few years ago and have been remodeling the inside on their own ever since. There has been real blood, real sweat, arguing, sleepless nights, and lots of tears in fixing the home up and now they are emotionally, creatively, and financially tapped. The outside has them stumped. It's a shame because their quaint town of Alameda, California is known for their historic and preserved Victorian homes and this one is definitely bringing this tree-lined street down. They've made it through the interior, now they need HGTVs help to finish it off!

Everyone in the neighborhood knows George Hurtado's home. It sits front and center on the main corner and it's blindingly blue! Ask anyone which house needs a makeover and they'll point to George's house. He's saved up all his life to buy a home and this is what he could afford. It's been a labor of love fixing this place up, but the facade and yard are beyond his scope. Designer John Gidding arrives to find that giving this place some curb appeal is going to take a lot more than a coat of paint. The team is building from the ground up to give George the home of his dreams and give the neighborhood a view that's a lot more easy on the eyes!

It's triple trouble when John Gidding and his team take on three houses in a row. These three homeowners are not only neighbors but friends and they own the only tract houses on the block, They've come together to ask for the team's help to give their homes some individual style. Designer John Gidding has his work cut out for him to create three different designs for three nearly identical homes.

First-time homebuyers Tom and Vida Mia Garcia were hoping to spend what money they had leftover to revitalize their new Spanish style home. Unforeseen needed repairs drained their bank account and has left their home looking just as run down as it did when they bought it. They are embarrassed and are calling on the curb appeal team to help them show their new neighbors they care and they're here to stay! Designer John Gidding is utilizing traditional Spanish elements in new ways to update this young couples home.