Big Day Serendipity - Response to TV Show Viewers: Post 34

(Response to TV Show Viewers: Post 1 - January 23, 2026)

(Response to TV Show Viewers: Post 33 - April 6, 2026)

At the end of 2013, glorious things were popping off in my head. And I should take time to share them. Otherwise, this story will read as if I’m just being overly hard on myself, wallowing too much in hindsight self-pity.

Quickly, and by most accounts suddenly in those days, there was a lot to think through and knock out. Beyond feelings of overwhelm or hesitation, I was grateful, excited about the unknown possibilities ahead. I was full of hope and positivity. And who wouldn’t be? In the matter of a few short months, I’d been contacted by HGTV/DIY, filmed a test reel, and done enough to have a programmer call me up and tell me they were going to put me on TV.    

The idea of renovating the Summerville, South Carolina house in three months was outrageous. And yet, the production company was behind Rehab Addict, and I felt obliged to lower my guard and hand over the benefit of any doubt I held. I wanted to do whatever I could to help clear a path toward this ambitious objective.   

The Old Berchador Coliseum

Berchador is an underused term for the triad of counties where I’ve lived and worked since 1999. I like using the archaic name because it says what I need it to in nine letters, rather than typing out all three counties—Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester. Plus, it just seems to flow better and make more sense than me saying “the greater Charleston area.” 

If a designated capital existed for this tri-county region, it should be Summerville, the community where my next project was, since this small city’s residents are spread out and into all of these counties. And if this undesignated region had one day, that was singled out above and beyond the other 364, it would be the last-of-March/first-of-April Saturday each year. On this weekend, the area’s azaleas are in full bloom, the town of Summerville is in the midst of its annual Flowertown Festival, and Mt. Pleasant and Charleston team up to host the Cooper River Bridge Run. Berchador Day is not a real thing, but if it was, it would be this day each spring.

Flowertown Festival

I couldn’t imagine better timing, on this major weekend, with HGTV producers imbedded for my project house with nowhere to go but up. At the Flower Town in the Pines, vendors, crafty people, and tourists from all over the southeast have made this event the state’s top festival each year. And on that Saturday morning is the annual 10K race, one of the largest in the country.

Cooper River Bridge Run

Would producers want me to run amongst the thousands crossing under and through the diamond arches of the Ravenel Bridge? I’d done it before and would enjoy jogging along again, this time for the cameras. I also wondered if they might film me walking the historic streets of Summerville with bright colorful flowers dotting each scene. And the blocked off main streets of the town, amongst the sea of white vendor tents clogged with locals and visitors, would be a tasty nugget to drop into the story of the project.

The Ravenel Bridge during the race

There wouldn’t be much time for these extras, but I imagined a few moments within the electric environments would be worthy of consideration, experiences the film crews would appreciate and enjoy, and worth the added effort needed by the production team. 

Summerville's Azalea Park

Along with all the other good news, his providential timing was another thing to be thankful for. And the glare created by this gratefulness blinded me to things I should have been seeing and doing. 

(Response to TV Show Viewers: Post 35 - Coming Soon)

Nicole Curtis on Rehab Addict Grabs my Wife’s Attention - Response to TV Show Viewers: Post 9

Response to TV Show Viewers: Post 8 - (February 9, 2026)

In 2011, I began hearing about HGTV/DIY’s series Rehab Addict. For people visiting my jobsites in the West Ashley part of Charleston, it was as if I was an up-close real-life example of the type of hands-on renovator they were seeing on the popular TV show. I wasn’t exactly the same, but they saw me as more similar than teams flipping houses at high speed.  

The first time I saw Rehab Addict, I liked it. And even if I didn’t have time to stop and sit and watch, it was one of those shows that I could have on and listen to as I did things around the house or took care of our kiddos. It was fun—jazzy music, positive vibe, and a fast pace—and I liked the moments where I’d be nodding along as I thought that’s how I do this or that if I was Nicole Curtis. The show just made sense to me.

The host took a cost-effective approach to the tasks with a find-a-way, make it happen sort of attitude I felt sure would help aspiring renovators. And rather than tossing good stuff in the dumpster and then spending time and money bringing in new, the enthusiastic rehabber was salvaging the savable. This was a biggie for me. And along with that she seemed quick enough without hurrying while commanding an out-of-the-box problem solving style that I appreciated.

By 2012, Rehab Addict had become insanely popular, and it was running in hourly marathon form at all hours and days. We had it on around our house a lot there for a while and one night, the Minneapolis based renovator said something that grabbed my wife’s attention, with Diann responding, "She sounds like you. That sounds like something you'd say!"

Diann and I have teamed up on our own home, painting hallways or furniture, staining a fence, and certainly plenty of yardwork. I'm sure that if we'd been able to take on an entire house together, from scouring the market for a prospect and then the steps in between leading up to closing day, we could have had wonderful results as co-rehabbers.

Although she watched some of the videos I recorded of the Hurricane House, my wife didn’t really understand what I was doing each day. But watching or listening to Rehab Addict, helped her get a taste of the enjoyment I tried to describe, what I felt in bringing my own unwanted properties back to life. And that was more significant than strangers seeing the similarities.

(Response to TV Show Viewers: Post 9a - February 13, 2026)

American Rehab House Front Before/Afters

The American Rehab House in Summerville, SC was started in 1906.  It was originally 550 square feet and is now 1,950 sf.  

Our ownership of this home began in November 2013.  In February and March of 2014, we started the exterior work of this renovation which took two weeks and was filmed for the premiere episode of the DIY Network's American Rehab shows.  

Following our episode in August 2014 were AR Detroit, AR Buffalo, AR Virginia, AR Restoring Victoria, AR Utah (aka Old Home Love), AR Motor City (aka Site Unseen), and five additional episodes of American Rehab Charleston that we filmed in Dec. '14 - Feb. '15, airing on the DIY network Fall 2015. 

   

American Rehab Charleston also made it on HGTV here in the United States as well as internationally.  This project is an on-going effort.  I'm enjoying each phase, grateful I had the opportunity to share some of the project through ARC, and thankful to have been in the middle of this special project since 2013. 

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