Clearwater construction company details path to partnership with HGTV
By Breanne Williams
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Jul 11, 2024

Clearwater-based Home Love Construction has developed a reputation for confidently managing complex renovations, a skill that attracted the attention of the hosts of HGTV’s series "100 Day Dream Home."

Brad Bachand, CEO of Home Love Construction and Outdoor, told the Business Journal he was first introduced to HGTV stars Brian and Mika Kleinschmidt through the recommendation of an architect who had worked with their group and the Kleinschmidts before.

"Our policy here is that we find a way to say yes to any project, no matter how difficult it is," Bachand said. "The first project we got from the architect who ended up connecting us to Brian and Mika was a very old 1920s South Tampa home. Frankly, those are the worst to renovate because you're dealing with termite damage and old foundations, and many contractors refuse to touch them. We wanted to jump in and say yes."

When the job was completed without issue, another referral came, followed by another. Eventually, the Kleinschmidts wanted to meet Bachand and his team.

During that meeting, they revealed that HGTV was planning something they'd never done before. The fifth season of "100 Day Dream Home" would include renovations and they wanted Home Love Construction to collaborate on two homeowners’ properties in Tampa Bay.

The team had 100 days to complete both renovation projects. The episodes are expected to air on HGTV in August.

The company specializes in bathroom and kitchen remodeling and room additions and has completed projects throughout the greater Tampa Bay area, including Tampa, Westchase, Odessa, Lutz and Palma Ceia.

Teardown market has opportunities

The Tampa Bay market is filled with opportunities, and Bachand said their team is watching two growing trends. In Tampa, the teardown market is rapidly growing, and in Pinellas, they see a need for nontraditional renovations and expansions.

He said the entire market is filled with homes that cannot accommodate the growing trend of multigenerational households, leading their team to receive five to ten weekly requests for additions or accessory dwelling units.

In June, Home Love Construction announced it would soon undergo a significant expansion. Bachand said he plans to consolidate Florida’s residential construction market. As the first step of that plan, it has acquired Clearwater-based Evans Design, a general contracting firm.

Home Love Construction currently has 50 employees, and as it continues to acquire other companies, the firm expects that number to grow rapidly.

"The biggest piece of advice I could offer a company coming up in this industry is you have to be able to take hats off if you want your business to grow," Bachand said. "If I tried to do everything myself, I'd have no time, and we wouldn't be able to grow as effectively as we have. You have to give people pieces at your job and let them fail at it. You have to let them fail and then get back up and keep going."