‘Farmhouse Fixer’: Does New Kid Jonathan Knight Pay For the Renovations Himself?
The new HGTV series Farmhouse Fixer stars New Kids on the Block singer Jonathan Knight and his friend, Kristina Crestin. Over the course of six episodes, the duo will renovate old farmhouses.
This has become a passion for the singer, who has already renovated and redesigned more than 200 historic homes. But on Farmhouse Fixer, will Knight pay for the renovations himself?
Where is ‘Farmhouse Fixer’ filmed?
Knight grew up in Boston with his brother and fellow NKOTB singer, Jordan. After the height of the band’s fame in the late 1980s and early 90s, Knight turned to real estate investing and home renovation as a second career.
Growing up, Knight recalls how his mom’s love of history and his dad’s career as a contractor influenced his love for real estate. He says his mom used to drive him around the Boston area to look at old homes.
The new HGTV series is filmed in New England
Since Knight is from Boston and he has experience in New England real estate, Farmhouse Fixer is filmed entirely in the northeast. New England – a region of six states that includes Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Maine – is a prominent filming location for both TV series and movies.
The HGTV series was filmed mostly in Massachusetts. But, Knight and Crestin did venture out into New Hampshire. They had some rules when it came to the homes they were interested in renovating. In early 2020, they put out a casting call that detailed what they were looking for.
‘Farmhouse Fixer’ was looking for North Shore homes
According to The Cinemaholic, the Farmhouse Fixer team was looking for homes in the North Shore area of Massachusetts. They specifically wanted homes built before 1940 that were located within 50 miles of Ipswich.
They ended up filming the series on location in Ipswich, Gloucester, Boston, and Essex. This is the same area of the country where movies like Good Will Hunting and Shutter Island were filmed.
The renovation series was also filmed in New Hampshire, and that is where the first episode took place. Knight and Crestin renovated a 1700’s farmhouse in the series premiere.
Jonathan Knight did not pay for the renovations himself
When Farmhouse Fixer was looking for homes for the series, they also required that the homeowners had a renovation budget of at least $150,000. This was an indication that Farmhouse Fixer used the same method as Chip and Joanna Gaines’ Fixer Upper.
On that popular series, the homeowners were required to pay for their own renovations. HGTV would also chip in on occasion for a large piece. There was, however, one aspect that was absolutely priceless.
‘Farmhouse Fixer’ also offers a priceless service
It’s true that a $150,000 budget is pricey. But just like with Fixer Upper, the families on Farmhouse Fixer receive something that’s absolutely priceless. Homeowners on Fixer Upper received Gaines’ design services free of charge.
According to Yahoo, HGTV paid the design fees so the homeowners could get all that expertise without spending a dime. Anyone who has renovated a home knows just how big of a deal that is.
With Knight’s experience in renovating New England farmhouses, it’s clear that the families who participated in Farmhouse Fixer definitely got a lot more than they paid for. Ahead of the series premiere, Knight thanked all of the homeowners who “turned their homes over” to him and Crestin.
“So excited to finally announce an air date for Farmhouse Fixer on HGTV. See what me and @kristinacrestindesign did this past year,” Knight wrote on Instagram. “So many people to thank for this show. Our amazing team and more importantly the amazing homeowners who turned their homes over to us!”
Farmhouse Fixer airs Wednesday nights on HGTV.
