"Balancing what you spend": First Home Fix hosts face issues with homeowners' minimal budget in the premiere episode

HGTV's latest renovation show, First Home Fix, recently aired its premiere episode on Saturday, September 3, 2022 at 10:00 pm ET. With a tight budget, the premiere saw first-time homeowners transform their homes with the help of the real-life couple and renovation experts from Blohk Build & Design, Raisa and Austin, both of whom will be helping owners every step of the way with their inputs and suggestions.

In the premiere episode, Raisa and Austin reiterated their quote of "balancing what you spend" to make some major cuts to the budget to fit the two couples' requirements. However, even with a budget of $50,000 for each couple, the co-hosts made sure to provide some interesting transformations.

The official press release of First Home Fix states:

“FIRST-TIME HOMEOWNERS GET BOLD, BUDGET-FRIENDLY RENOS IN NEW HGTV SERIES ‘FIRST HOME FIX.’ Renovation gurus Raisa Kuddus and Austin Coleman will help first-time homeowners transform their starter homes without breaking the bank in the new HGTV series First Home Fix, premiering Saturday, Sept. 3, at 10 p.m. ET/PT.”

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First Home Fix hosts face budget issues in Episode 1

In the premiere episode of First Home Fix, Raisa Kuddus and Austin Coleman helped the two couples (Derek and Juliet as well as Cassie and Glenn) transform their newly purchased homes to make them more accessible and useful. With a tight budget of $50,000, the experts had to find a way to rectify all issues within the budget, balancing expenses throughout the way.

The official synopsis of the premiere episode reads:

"Raisa and Austin tackle two renovations for two couples with growing families. Juliet and Derek have a kitchen and living space stuck in the '70s, while Cassie and Glenn need changes to their '80s home to create a new main suite and office."

Juliet and Derek bought a new house to fit their lifestyle as well as their daughter Nora's. However, there were issues with space and accessibility that needed to be resolved. While they completed a fair number of renovations themselves, the budget was unexpectedly higher than what they had originally set. The couple wanted a separate space for their daughter, the kitchen, and the family room.

Fitting the renovations under the budget, First Home Fix experts Raisa and Austin helped the couple make some renovations themselves. From breaking down the kitchen to remodeling the bathroom, many tasks were undertaken without the help of external home renovation companies to save money.

Some of the problems with the budget included bathroom damage, putting up more cabinet space, and choosing tiles for specific spaces in the house. A major concern for the experts was the post in the middle of the kitchen that would deter the budget if not removed. While Austin feared that the post would damage the structural construction of the house, they could remove it themselves, saving up on the budget once again.

For the other First Home Fix couple, Cassie and Glenn, Raisa and Austin faced issues with wastage of space, water leakages in the bathroom, and unwanted items fixed on the walls and smaller rooms. They decided to first change the house's structure to make space for Glenn's office, Cassie's bedroom, and their soon-to-be-born son's personal room.

The experts broke down the fireplace themselves, saving money while building a closet in its place. For a coastal getaway look, as per the couple's requirements, the experts added coastal designs and colors in their bedroom. Raisa honored the pair's Filipino heritage by putting up geometric patterns in Glenn's office space, which also saved money.

Although they had to compromise on $3000 to fix water damage in the bathroom, the First Home Fix experts decided that it would be better to do it now rather than spending even more money three years down the line. In total, the experts saved $5000 in building the house and managed to keep the budget under $50,000.

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The co-hosts of First Home Fix, Austin Coleman and Raisa Kuddus from Blokh Build & Design, are a real-life couple and have been together since 2017. The new series contains six episodes and will feature even more interesting renovation ideas and transformations in the future.

Tune into an all-new episode of First Home Fix next Saturday, September 10, 2022 on HGTV.