A Vero couple with a fledgling home renovation show are close to finishing their remake of the Alma Lee Loy house on 35th Avenue.
James and Jennifer Johnson, hosts of “Home Revival” on TV-30, are fixing up the 1,658-square-foot, 3-bedroom, 2-bath frame house where Loy lived most of her life for their friends Lisa and Curt Hastings.
Despite being one of Vero’s most prominent citizens, known as a successful businesswoman, politician, philanthropist and dynamic leader of community causes, Loy, who passed away in 2020, lived modestly in the house her parents built in 1946 when she was 17 years old.
“She was older, and the house had not been kept up,” says James. Renovations have included gut remodels of the kitchen and two bathrooms, repair and refinishing of the gorgeous Miami-Dade pine floors, all new electrical and plumbing systems, installation of central air, new roof, new siding and new impact windows.
Work began in March, when the Hastings, who are laboring alongside the Johnsons and their subcontractors, bought the empty dwelling for $140,000.
Their renovation budget also is $140,000 and they hope to complete the project by the end of the year. Work is far enough along that the Hastings moved in earlier this month, and now wake up at the jobsite each morning.
The transformation of the house, which has a detached garage with a 400-square-foot apartment above it, is being filmed by Tightline Productions, a full-service Melbourne ad agency with a digital focus that includes television production.
The footage will be edited to create Season 2 of “Home Revival,” which will appear on TV-30 next year.
Season 1 features the Johnsons fixing up a 100-year-old cottage on 16th Avenue near downtown and beginning work on a substantial mid-century ranch house west of town where they currently live and work.
The couple moved to Vero in 2015 and, like most people, fell in love with the town. James is a contractor who owns Island Breeze Kitchens; Jennifer is a retired schoolteacher.
They say they are not flippers, who renovate homes on a tight budget with the intent to resell at a profit, but rather domestic artists who look for neglected homes with great stories and throw themselves whole-heartedly into the restoration process.
“We don’t just crunch the numbers,” says James. “We are looking at saving the history and story of these homes and bringing them back to life.”
They purchased the 16th Avenue house for $56,000 in 2016. Built in 1916, the home was abandoned and run down, but the Johnsons saw its potential.
As renovations progressed and began to turn a neighborhood eyesore into a beautiful dwelling that blends historic charm with stylish modern amenities, Tightline ad executive Janie Graves Hoover heard about the project, took a look and offered to help the Johnsons create a TV show.
Hoover says she helped develop TV-30’s business strategy and knew they needed fresh content for their viewing lineup.
Dale Sorensen Real Estate, Sturgis Lumber and Crystal Cabinet Works stepped up as sponsors and filming began, with a $40,000 budget for the 7-episode first season, which began airing in October.
James had previous reality TV experience as a cast member on “Neale Bayly Rides: Peru,” which aired on SPEED, part of the FOX News Sports Media Group, in 2013, and Tightline knew its stuff. The first season of “Home Revival” showed enough promise that a second and third season have been scheduled.
Season 2 will follow the transformation of the Alma Lee Loy house, attempting to tell its unique story while also providing DYI tips to homeowners and renovators.
Season 3 will feature an as-yet-undisclosed property that the Johnsons say has its own fascinating tale to tell.
James says he and Jennifer have been in talks with PBS about re-editing their first season so it can air as a “This Old House” sort of program on Public Television.
“‘Home Revival’ could be repackaged for PBS,” says Hoover. “It’s also possible other local TV stations in Florida might air it.”
James and Jennifer admit they wouldn’t mind becoming the next Ben and Erin Napier, hosts of the wildly popular HGTV show “Home Town,” but say they are happy restoring neglected houses in Vero Beach, deriving satisfaction from the creative process and finished product, regardless of whether it leads to fame and fortune.
“We have always loved fixing up and remodeling homes, ever since we did our first home in Delray Beach over a decade ago,” says Jennifer.
“Do what you love, and the money will follow,” adds James.
Season 1 of “Home Revival” airs on WVWW TV-30-1 Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.. with episodes available on YouTube afterward.
Photos provided
