Poison paint, leaky lavatories, unlicensed additions, and half-finished houses.
What gets left behind when home renovation shows don't follow through?
Appearing on an HGTV renovation show and seeing the home of your dreams revealed in the finale
isn't always the fairytale it seems to be.
"Not everything goes as planned.
So, it's just a huge, huge letdown."
Anna and James Morissey were sold a $1.36 million home in Illinois as part of their
appearance on the first season of Windy City Rehab in 2019.
Hosts Alison Victoria and Donovan Eckhardt renovated the home and all seemed well, until
the cameras stopped rolling.
The Morisseys filed suit at the end of 2019 for fraud, claiming the home suffered leaks
from the windows, walls, and ceilings, including an upstairs shower that leaked into the kitchen.
The couple also claimed there were issues with the front door, garage, and exterior
masonry.
Both parties have remained fairly quiet about it, but a statement issued by Alison Victoria
read,
"From the beginning, it was my intention to design a great house in a great neighborhood.
Fortunately all issues involved in the litigation are settled."
It wouldn't be the last time the stars of the show ran into trouble.
Another lawsuit was filed against the couple in 2020, this time by former friends of Eckhardt.
The Ward family had invested $3 million in Alovanward LLC, which funded seven of the
HGTV show's renovations.
The suit claims the Windy City Rehab stars showed,
"[...] sheer ineptitude [and] gross mismanagement [...] including the absence of workmanlike
standards and adherence to building codes, that marred nearly every Alovanward project
they were associated with."
The Wards say they only discovered the HGTV stars' lack of skills after watching the show.
Alison Victoria has attempted to shift the blame to her co-host, stating she was only
the designer and had little to do with Eckhardt's contracting standards.
The claim also mentioned that many of the properties the Wards had invested in were
left with serious construction issues, resulting in thousands of dollars in repairs.
The HGTV home renovation show Fixer to Fabulous follows Dave and Jenny Marrs as they fix up
historic properties in Bentonville, Arkansas.
One such property belonged to Dana and Tyler Craddock, who were approached by Marrs Developing
and Marrs Construction back in 2018 to appear on the show, with the offer to renovate their
home.
The couple agreed, but as it turned out, neither the hosts nor the Marrs' companies had obtained
the proper Arkansas licenses or permits before they began work on the home.
Not only were several unauthorized changes made, but the home wasn't up to code by the
end of the renovation, as official inspectors hadn't been brought in to ensure work had
been done safely.
The Craddocks reached out to the Marrs' companies, informing them of their concerns, but they
were left waiting for two years in hopes that the situation would be remedied.
Eventually, in 2021, they filed suit against the HGTV stars and have requested at least
$75,000 in compensation.
John Colaneri and Anthony Carrino were the stars of the short-lived HGTV renovation show,
Kitchen Cousins, in which the duo constructed dream kitchens with their family construction
company, Brunelleschi Construction.
When they began a kitchen remodel for Robert and Peng Avery in 2013, the cousins had no
clue it would be their ultimate downfall.
The Averys paid $211,000 to have the construction company renovate their New Jersey property,
but what they were left with was far from a dream home.
From delays in ordering parts, unjust charges, and false claims that the project had been
completed and passed inspections, the entire renovation was a complete hassle for the couple.
They filed a lawsuit against the HGTV stars' company for fraud, breach of contract, negligence,
as well as other claims, once the renovation was completely abandoned and left in a disastrous
state.
The Averys weren't able to occupy the home following the shoddy job, which left their
plumbing, doors, and ductwork improperly installed.
The Averys were awarded $857,894 in the suit, leading the Kitchen Cousins hosts to file
for bankruptcy.
Although it's unclear what led the HGTV stars' company to provide such a botched renovation,
what is clear is that the Kitchen Cousins should probably keep their work to the room
of the house they know best.
Two Chicks and a Hammer was founded by Karen E. Laine and Mina Starsiak Hawk, who you might
know as the stars of HGTV's Good Bones.
The mother-daughter duo co-host the show and have shown their skills in renovating and
flipping Indianapolis properties for a profit.
But, like many HGTV renovation stars, they were bound to make a few mistakes here and
there.
Two Chicks and a Hammer was sued in 2017 by the Environmental Protection Agency for the
renovations they did on three homes that had been built before lead paint use had been
discontinued in 1978.
Due to the health dangers of lead, there are specific laws and regulations required when
handling it, and unfortunately for Laine and Hawk, their company wasn't certified to do
the work, and they had failed to transport and dispose of the waste properly.
This isn't a rare case; Chip and Joanna Gaines of Fixer Upper were slapped with the same
thing after dealing with a lead paint-riddled home in 2018.
The suit between the Good Bones stars and the EPA has since been settled, resulting
in the duo having to pay a $40,000 fine and producing a video that demonstrates the proper
procedure when renovating a lead paint-based home, and another that focuses on protecting
children from lead paint.
"That's a situation."
That wasn't it for them, though.
The co-hosts were hired to build a garage, fencing, and driveway for a home, but were
sued in 2016 by a neighbor of the client for damage and trespassing.
While the specific charges have remained relatively private, it's known that the plaintiff claims
the work resulted in Two Chicks and a Hammer "damaging and destructing" during their process,
according to Radar.
The homeowner who ordered the construction countersued the neighbor, stating that the
HGTV stars were required to defend him in all related legal disputes as part of his
contract.
After the difficult lawsuits Laine and Hawk have faced, it seems that their money is drying
up.
In 2022, Hawk took to her Instagram story, revealing that she's now broke, requesting
support from her fans as she prepared to battle yet another lawsuit, saying,
"Just got served by the GC from Risky Business, suing us for payment.
Any attorney fans out there licensed in Indiana willing to fight this for us?
Cuz we broke."