A urinal in the house? Graffiti in the family room? Could this be the result when hesitating wives leave the all-important renovation work and design decisions completely to their husbands? Six couples will take the brave step to find out just how synchronised (or not) their visions of a dream home really are in Spouse vs. House. For three weeks, man and wife are separated – wives are exiled from their homes and husbands are entrusted to manage the budget of US$25,000 for the renovation of three rooms. Part design drama, part couples therapy, trust, compromise, and other relationship-related issues will surface throughout each of the six hour-long episodes in the series. Spouse vs. House premieres on July 10 at 8:00 p.m. with new episodes airing every Thursday. Encores every Friday at 2:00 p.m. and Sunday at 7:00 p.m.
Spouse vs. House is a renovation show with a twist: each couple is given US$25,000 dollars and three weeks to remodel three rooms of their home. They think they will be doing this renovation together, but they find out on Day 1, that's not going to happen. The rules are the wife must move out by herself and the husband is left behind to be in charge of the entire renovation without her. To make the stakes even higher, they can have no contact at all over the three-week period.
The husbands are put in charge of the US$25,000 budget and must make all the design decisions themselves. They are allowed to have friends to come help, but any "professional" help must be paid for out of their budgets. While they struggle to choose the correct cabinets, cupboards, tiles, and wall color, one thing is for sure: all of them are overwhelmed by the work, especially since many still must manage the renovation around their full-time jobs.
Meanwhile the wives feel as though they've been left out in the design cold… or have they? They will soon realise they have their own renovating work to do in their very own "doll house" – an all-white, life-size replica of one of the rooms in their house that they can redesign in any way they wish. With the help of professional interior designer, Ryan Brown, they are given the task to transform their dollhouse room into their ultimate fantasy version of the room. And money is no object! 48 hours before the husband completes his renovation he will get a chance to see his wife's finished dollhouse – and it will be the one chance for the wife to express to her husband what she wanted done in that room. Our husbands can buy anything they like off the dollhouse floor to bring home, if they have the money and the desire to do so. Will they like what their wives have done? Or will they be too far down the road in their own renovation to incorporate anything their wife has chosen to do? And in the end of the entire process, will the wives be happy with their spouse or disappointed with their house?
Tune in to the following episodes of Spouse vs. House to find out if this design story ends with happy house, happy spouse or both!
The Rhodes
Chris and Susan Rhodes think they are remodeling three rooms in their home together, but when this responsible wife learns her less focused husband is in charge of the US$25,000 budget and she has to move out, she's nervous and for good reason. She describes her husband as "her third child" and when he contemplates spending US$4,000 on speakers for his DJ tables rather than putting it into their remodel, she might be right to question his ability to handle so much money on his own. When, she sees what local graffiti "artists" have painted in her playroom, tensions explode in this highly emotional episode. Was this remodel about what was best for them or just for him?
The Andersons
Justin, an in-between-jobs chef and his ever-efficient wife Erin, are given three weeks and US$25,000 to remodel their kitchen, bar room, and three-year-old son's bedroom. But when the couple learns that she has to move out for the entire renovation leaving every design and decorating decision to her husband, it's a recipe for disaster. Will this laid-back husband spend too much time hanging out with his buddies rather than working on turning his former bachelor pad into a sophisticated family home? What will the wife do when she learns her husband has spent US$3,000 on a bunk bed he knew she didn’t want for their young son?
The Swentys
This domestic partnership is not all bliss when Maija Merchant finds out her live-in boyfriend Jeff Swenty is in charge of their entire remodel and she'll have no say in his design plans. Worse, she would like her bedroom remodeled while he wants a new man cave in the garage. With US$25,000, Maija hopes that at the very least he'll incorporate some of her ideas she's created in her "dollhouse," a life-size version of her living room she's remodeled with designer, Ryan Brown. But when Jeff sees the dollhouse and hates it, will Maija like anything about the remodel when she gets home?
The Hinds
Colin and Ali Hinds can't wait to remodel their kitchen, living room and son Preston's room with their US$25,000 budget. But when this in-control wife finds out her CEO-type husband is in charge of everything and she gets no say in the remodel, she's none too pleased: especially about her son's room, which she had special plans for. Worse, this CEO finds himself quickly over his head: it's hard to manage a renovation when you don't understand what's involved, and Colin has never renovated a single thing. Will Ali be able to let go of her controlling ways and like anything Colin's done? Will Colin deliver on a remodel that will make his wife and son happy, or will he run out of time, money, and people to delegate the work to?
The Tommasis
Marriage therapist wife Kristin has good reason to worry when she hears she'll be moving out of their four-bedroom home leaving her bartender husband Ed in charge of their three room renovation. Ed has trouble focusing on one project at a time, so how will he ever handle the remodeling of three rooms on his own and without her constant reminders of what needs to get done? What is worse is that they want two completely different things for their cluttered office: Kristin dreams of a cozy, well-organized space where she can work while Ed wants a movie theatre complete with red carpet and multi-level seating. Ed's grandmother Nana who lives with them fulltime is quick to share her own ideas about the renovation whether Ed wants to hear them or not! But as time runs out and his remodel unfinished, Ed wonders if he's bit off more than he can chew.
The Braches
In the Brache home, opinionated wife Andrea calls the shots and football coach and husband "Nacho," a self-proclaimed meathead, follows her lead. So it's no surprise that design-obsessed Andrea is devastated when she hears her husband is in charge of their US$25,000 kitchen, living room, and master bath renovation, and she'll have no say in anything he does. Nacho knows he's in over his head: he knows nothing about design, construction, or remodeling and that his wife has a very clear vision of what she'd like to see in the home and he better deliver… Will Andrea like anything Nacho does? Or will Nacho be in the doghouse forever?
