HGTV’s ‘Fix My Frankenhouse’ Was ‘Love at First Sight’ for Denese and Mike Butler [Exclusive]
Denese Butler joked that it was “love at first sight” when she learned that her husband Mike had a background in construction and design. While construction isn’t what brought the couple together, she said their new HGTV show Fix My Frankenhouse is definitely a labor of love and a family affair.
Mike and Denese tackle “hodge-podge properties with odd additions and piecemeal redesigns” on Fix My Frankenhouse. The new six-episode series, which premieres on HGTV on Sunday, April 23 follows Mike, Denese and their master carpenter fathers as they make sense of wonky designs and create a beautiful space.
The HGTV ‘Fix My Frankenhouse’ couple both have construction and design backgrounds
Denese said their mutual love of construction and design wasn’t exactly the reason why the couple fell in love. “We actually didn’t know that we came from a background of carpenters and builders when we first met,” she told Showbiz Cheat Sheet. “But, yeah my entire family, they all build, they paint. I mean, that’s not what they do in their day-to-day job, but they have that knack. It’s like a natural thing that they want to do. And Mike, he was born a worker, right?”
Mike recalled how his family worked on famous construction projects in Boston. “Back generations, in the construction industry, my grandfather has done a lot of work in the Boston area. Some iconic buildings, like the Prudential Center, my uncle was part of the Big Dig,” he recalled.
“Denese’s father was also part of the big dig,” Mike said. “And I kind of just took a pivot and said, I don’t want to use my body as much and went into architectural design. And then have kind of navigated more into construction management now. So I guess I was always a part of it. I grew up building with my father. There are pictures of me in boots and a diaper on job sites with him. So I guess I was bred for it.”
Mike and Denese’s dads also get in the action
Mike and Denese’s fathers are both featured on the HGTV show, Fix My Frankenhouse. “We are fortunate that our families gel so well,” Denese said. “Because let’s be real here, some in-laws just don’t get along.”
“We’re definitely very fortunate because we have a really good bond on both sides of the family,” she continued. “So they’re able to give us a hand in the projects we’re working on.”
Mike joked with Boston.com, “They helped us out a lot — but they’d also give us opinions we didn’t necessarily ask for.”
What can HGTV viewers expect from ‘Fix My Frankenhouse’?
What can viewers expect from this season of HGTV’s Fix My Frankenhouse? “You’re going to see us overcome choppy rooms and wasted square footage from our client’s homes. You’ll see us working with our dads, who are master carpenters. John is Mike’s dad and Peter is my dad. And they also deliver one-of-a-kind projects for each family,” Denese said.
Set in Massachusetts, the couple balances bringing homes up to date, while often preserving historic design. “We did some minor additions in one house, but besides that, it’s mostly fixing flow and re-orientating homes so that it works to modern-day living and then just keeping that charm that’s always been there, in some cases for over 100 years,” Mike said.
HGTV series Fix My Frankenhouse, premiering Sunday, April 23, at 9 p.m. ET/PT and available to stream the same day on discovery+.
