Atlanta gets a new TV show and it should make the city look better — one block at a time.
HGTV has spun off “Curb Appeal” by expanding it to an entire city block. Well, not exactly. But rather than just improve the “curb appeal” of one home’s front yard, the show will work on multiple homes in the same vicinity.
The debut 13 episodes were all shot in the metro area. Each episode takes about two weeks to tape, said host John Gidding, who has also participated in the show "Designed to Sell."
The focal point is one home that is deemed an “eyesore.” The typical suspects: an unkempt, weed-filled yard, ugly porch fixtures, peeling paint. Often, neighbors nominate said home. The guilty party, once confronted, is usually okay with the idea of a free renovation and is well aware of the “eyesore” problem, Gidding said. Usually, the family has neglected their front yard area due to lack of funds or a focus on other priorities.
The show will spend up to $20,000, most on the eyesore but a few bucks for other homes, too.
One interesting offshoot: when they start fixing up the homes, other neighbors start fixing up their homes, too. Neighbors realize a beautiful block helps the property values for everyone.
In the first episode, the team arrives at the home of Larry and Hillary Tate, a newlywed couple in Buckhead whose driveway and front yard sustained major damage from a wayward car. In addition to mending the broken fences and pouring a new driveway, John creates a new design plan for the outdoor area that includes new landscaping and an alteration to the exterior to help it fit with the neighborhood.
Host Gidding, a 32-year-old Yale and Harvard grad, is a landscape architect who moved to Atlanta from New York City for the show. His company Gidding Design Inc. is in the Fourth Ward at 669 Auburn Ave. You can reach him there at 404-228-7007. Here's a stock quote from the press release:
"John shows us that there are a variety of large and small outdoor projects that can dramatically improve the look of a home's exterior," said Freddy James, senior vice president, program development and production, HGTV. "Viewers will find tremendous value in John's ideas for updating façades and creating cohesive landscapes that will boost the beauty and increase property value of any home on the block."
HGTV already has used Atlanta before as home for Vern Yip's now cancelled show "Deserving Design."
“Curb Appeal: The Block” debuts on New Year’s Day at 2 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. It will air regularly on Saturdays at 9:30 p.m. starting January 2.
The show is seeking more homes for the next season:
You can email Giddings’ producer at apombo@edelmanproductions.com with the following info:
1) Photo of the outside of home from street/curb
2) Photo of just the house (close up, medium shot)
3) photo of homeowners showing personality
4) name of homeowners
5) cell phone numbers
6) neighborhood & city you live in; including address (metro Atlanta area)
7) why your home is the eye sore of the block. They are looking for homes and great stories. They want to know why and how they became the eyesore on the block.
8- please submit 2 or 3 neighbors you think that would also benefit from a “mini” makeover.
About the Author
