Karen E. Laine and her daughter, Mina Starsiak-Hawk, form the team behind HGTV's "Good Bones", which highlights their efforts to revitalize a community in Southeast Indianapolis, one home at a time . (Photo: provided by two chicks and a hammer)

On television, the other series of senior fixers feature husband and wife teams, siblings or solo re-dressing. But at the heart of HGTV Good bones is a mother-daughter couple, Karen E. Laine, 57, and her daughter Mina Starsiak-Hawk, 32 years old. The duo brings an honest and realistic approach to home renovation. And they take real rough diamonds. As Laine says, Good bones is one of the few shows "that starts with the damage we cause, makes a complete gut and rebuilds the whole house."

The women's mission of revitalizing the southeast of their hometown of Indianapolis, one property at a time, is a turning point in the history of the series. "Our goal is to buy the worst home in the neighborhood, demonstrate it and rehabilitate it in the best house possible," says Laine. To date, they have renovated 73 dilapidated houses and transformed them into beautiful renovations.

The path of renovation

After graduating from the University of Indianapolis in 2007, Starsiak-Hawk was working as a waitress and was looking for a way to mark her passage into adulthood. "She did not want to be confined to a job from 9 am to 5 pm, but she wanted to feel adult, so she decided to buy a house," said Laine, who co-signed the loan of 37 $ 500 and agreed to help. Fix it. "We did not have money, but we had time. So we did most of the renovation ourselves, "explains Laine.

Mina Starsiak-Hawk is a half of the mother-daughter duo working on home remodeling in a South-East Indianapolis community on HGTV's "Good Bones". (Photo: provided by two chicks and a hammer)

Both were fully self-taught, learning through books, YouTube tutorials and their own renovation experiences. They also had full confidence in their ability to do the job. "I grew up in a family where we did everything ourselves," says Laine, a former defense lawyer. "So being autonomous was part of my nature. We never realized that we could not do it. "

When came home time # 2, Laine suggested looking into the historic Fountain Square district in Indianapolis, where her law firm was based.

"I loved the neighborhood so much that we decided to buy another house there."

In 2009, after House # 4, Starsiak-Hawk realized that it was not just a hobby, it was a business. "I came with the name of two chicks and a hammer and went to my mother and said," We can do it. "

HGTV loves two chicks

Wool and Starsiak-Hawk kept their schedule and renovated 22 homes by the time they were noticed by HGTV in 2014. A talent scout from production company High Noon Entertainment – the development company behind Fixer- Upper and House Hunters – spotted their Facebook page and sent them a message.

At first, Starsiak-Hawk thought it was a scam. "They asked a lot of questions about our company and we had already been burned to share our knowledge. I was therefore doubtful, "she says. "But then I went to the company's website."

High Noon filmed a pilot but told them that it was unlikely that the HGTV series illuminated a green light. "None of us was really excited about the low expectations of producers," says Starsiak-Hawk. But the show debuted in 2016, attracting 14 million viewers in its first season. Today, after four seasons, the couple remains imperturbable. "We like what we do, but we never dreamed of making a TV show," says Laine. "Now we can do it in front of a camera."

Make a house a house

Since the beginning, Starsiak-Hawk has taken the lead in property research in rehabilitation. She even got her real estate agent's license so she would not have to pay any fees to other realtors. "We do not have deep pockets," she says. "So, we usually end up with properties that are so bad that nobody wants them." Every renovation project requires an average of $ 220,000 to $ 250,000, an investment and profit margin are meager. Families often contact them before putting their home on the market.

"It's good because they know we will respect the property," says Starsiak-Hawk.

Once they own them, the couple evaluates the house and decides on the work to be done. "Often, I can browse the space and I only know what will work," says Starsiak-Hawk. Each design is ultimately dictated by the bones.

"A house looks a lot like a haiku; it comes with a structure, "says Laine. "Most of the time, we have to work with that footprint, and that explains how the space is used. We can not change it because of zoning laws and other parameters. People often want an open life, but it's not always possible. "The two elements that influence our design are the structure and the way people live," says Laine.

The structure also dictates the interior design of the house. "We have very different styles," says Starsiak-Hawk. "I'm more about clean lines and she's more eclectic. But the atmosphere – whether comfortable or cool and open – really depends on the house. "

Rehab without drama

Rehabilitating a house is hard work and unlike some shows, Good bonesit is not necessary to make problems.

"One of the things that frustrates me from watching other shows about renovation, is that they always act surprises when something goes wrong," says Laine. "We know there will be a problem. We do not know exactly what it will be until the end of the demonstration. Challenges include decaying foundations, garbage dumpsters, termites, mummified spiders, cockroaches, a python, bats, and more. Wool, an animal lover, is at your disposal to help you. "Recently, I saved a tarantula and I found her a house," she says.

The two also learned to navigate the dynamic mother-daughter. "We respect each other's talents," said Laine. "It works well for us." Starsiak-Hawk is more practical, looks at the bigger picture and helps keep the renovation on track. Laine, who left her law firm but continues to act as a lawyer for the Two Chicks and Hammer brands, is a free spirit and self-proclaimed as a "treasure virus" that catches interesting discoveries and who has many original projects to consider. "My brain is a jumble of ridiculous ideas, but Mina says from time to time," It's good. We should do that.

In August, Starsiak-Hawk became a mother when she and her husband, Steve Hawk, welcomed Baby Jack. The couple is met through Facebook's common friends and is married in 2016. As for Laine, she loves being grandma for the eleventh time. "They call me BeGe, which means Best Granny of All Time," says Laine.

Neighborhood Revitalization On & Off Screen

Both are so talented in their craft that after five years they set their price in the Fountain Square neighborhood and moved to nearby Bates-Hendricks.

Property values ​​increased in both neighborhoods. "It's amazing what the houses are selling for now, the ones we could buy at $ 5,000 are now at $ 100,000," says Laine. "But there are still many homes that still need to be spared." The couple's work not only attracted other fixers in the area, but also sparked renewed interest in the over 12km area. Indianapolis Cultural Trail, which connects Fountain Square to other neighborhoods.

Fountain Square has a strong community of retailers with restaurants, antique shops, vintage clothing stores and more. Wool and Starsiak-Hawk hope the same thing will happen in the Bates-Hendricks area, where their Two Chicks store and a Hammer District Co. store, scheduled to open next summer, will offer their range of furniture and accessories. non-technical products. "Hopefully our store will encourage other retail businesses to open," says Laine, who plans "Craft with Karen" parties at the store.

The women also run two Airbnb zones: the farmhouse, a one-bedroom house, and the two-person house built by Two Chicks, which can accommodate eight people and is pet-friendly.

"Community members love and care about their neighborhoods," says Laine. "This allows rehabilitated people like us to try to make it even better."

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