What HGTV Doesn't Want You To Know About 100 Day Dream Home

Time is of the essence during home renovation shows. Each day that the construction drags on unfinished is another big bill paid to contractors. Plus, the actual production comes with its own operating costs and budgetary restraints. "100 Day Dream Home" — hosted by husband and wife duo Brian Kleinschmidt and Mika Kleinschmidt — crunches time even further by promising to build people their dream homes in 100 days. Brian himself has admitted it's no easy feat. "To build a new home in 100 days takes a lot of coordination," Brian told HGTV. "Like with 'Rock the Block,' we have to have a game plan for every home we build." Brian also noted that the scheduling process has to be "impeccable."

Despite the time constraints, Brian and Mika have successfully completed every home they've started in under 100 days. "It's really preplanning and having the homeowners ready to make decisions in regard to those interior finishes, flooring, and cabinets," Mika revealed during a joint interview with Brian for Realtor. "We are really side by side with them during those selections. So they feel confident, and we don't drag it out two months to make countertop decisions." Brian also stressed the importance of streamlining the material-ordering process. "Sometimes that can take so long," he said. Regardless, it's clear that Brian and Mika have become a well-oiled machine. 

Still, there are a few things HGTV would rather keep quiet about "100 Day Dream Home."

Most HGTV shows contain fake elements, including "100 Day Dream Home." While this show hasn't dealt with some of the more extreme controversies that have come across the network's desk, it certainly contains some mock-ups. For example, HGTV's Senior Vice President of Production, Betsy Ayala, admitted that most of the shows used staged furniture when showing off the final product. "Most if not all of our flipping shows are staged," Ayala told HGTV about the networks' furnishing practices. Fortunately, homeowners can purchase any specific pieces they can't bear to part with.

With that said, Brian Kleinschmidt and Mika Kleinschmidt advise homeowners against going overboard. "Moving into a new house can get very expensive if you have to buy all new furniture for every single room," Mika told Realtor. "So I think it's great to kind of salvage some of the things you have. Maybe you want to change the paint color or change the finish, but some of the stuff you probably already have, you can reuse and make it fit into the new home." Brian agreed with his wife's frugal stance, stressing that a new home doesn't necessarily require new furniture — at least not from top to bottom. "Even with our show, we like bringing in some used pieces, because it makes it feel lived in," Brian added.

Brian Kleinschmidt and Mika Kleinschmidt pack the entire home-building process into roughly three months. However, they take a lot of shortcuts to get there. Speaking with the Los Angeles Times, the home-reno couple revealed how they managed to shave time off their construction deadline. "We schedule the inspections early in the morning and just assume they're going to pass," revealed Brian. "As soon as they're inspected, our next [trade crew] is ready to come in." Brian explained that waiting for the inspectors' go-ahead increases renovation time by up to 33 days, so they line things up from the jump.

Mika revealed that taking the homeowners on "inspiration tours" helped cut down on the home design process, which usually overwhelmed their clients, who weren't used to making every single decision. However, as Mika shared with Distractify, this phase didn't always run smoothly, as the homeowners sometimes changed their minds mid-way through. "[It's] nerve-racking because of course, at the end of the day, we are not making final decisions on the designs of these homes," Mika shared. "These are legitimate decisions of our homeowners. So it's frustrating because, you know, you have a deadline, but you also have to give them what they want."