Chip Wade

The star of a popular home renovation show on HGTV will be in central Iowa this week to share some of his tips and talents with do-it-yourselfers. Chip Wade is co-host of the Home and Garden network’s program, “Curb Appeal: The Block,” and he explains the concept of the show which focuses on exterior renovation.

“We have $20,000 and it takes us about a week per episode but we fix up three to five houses on a block, which is that neighborhood concept, that block concept,” Wade says. “We have a bunch of fun with it. A lot of the neighbors get out and get involved. We make a huge impact on streets all over the place.”

He says he follows the same guidelines for every home in every neighborhood in every state they’ve visited, whether the houses are each worth 100-thousand dollars or several million. Wade, who can also be seen on HGTV’s “Designed To Sell,” will be appearing at the Des Moines Home and Garden Show, which opens today.

Wade says, “I’ll be answering questions on interior spaces, exterior spaces, materials, fabrication processes, questions about how to find a good designer, how to find a good contractor, what do you look for and what is super-important that you get in order to make sure your project comes together appropriately.”

He says some people think they can knock out a major home face-lift in a weekend, which just isn’t realistic. Wade, a 28-year-old from Atlanta, says to make a detailed plan with the help of a professional, if possible, before heading off to the home improvement store with your checkbook.

“You have to plan a project before you start,” Wade says. “You have to have a time frame already allocated. You have to have a predetermined budget and you have to have a space to do it in. All of those things need to be completely flushed out with the design plan before you ever go buy the first materials or you’re risking potentially wasting some money.”

Wade has appearances scheduled at noon and 6 PM on Saturday and at 11 AM and 2 PM on Sunday. The Home and Garden Show is underway through Sunday at the Iowa Events Center in downtown Des Moines.

For details, visit www.desmoineshomeandgardenshow.com.