Kicking the tires was a series where the young lady casually dressed would demonstrate how to do simple household repairs and maintenance. Repair work as simple as changing a wall outlet or more complicated pieces using power equipment.
Nothing so complicated though as could not be done by the home owner itself.
During the housing collapse she did a series on looking for homes in a down market and how to use sweat equity to put the no so grand homes back into good shape again. As the housing market fell further to the point that so many were losing houses it no longer made any sense to continue on with her show.
While it was on, and as I have heard she is getting ready to reboot it as it was originally, it had many ideas that could be used to get people back into homes that are crowding the market like dead fish in the water. Sweat equity was the commodity used most by all the original home improvement shows.
They would talk to someone that needed some work done on their homes and just assist them in doing the work. Unfortunately this evolved into shows where the owners simply paid for crews to come in and do the work for them.
They totally got away from the original premise of home owners doing most of the work for what they could afford to get done. I would see shows done where hundreds of thousands of dollars were invested into the projects and the only time you would ever see the owner was at the opening of the series, the middle and the wrap party at the end.
Realistically how many people out there do you know in your neighborhood that can or could afford to fork over several hundred thousand to remodel their homes. There were even green shows on where money was thrown at making the homes green with no realistic plan to ever make back the cost of green conversions.
What made “Kicking The Tires,” so good was not that Notaspringchick, wore cute little outfits to do her work in while wearing her pink too belt but that she did the work herself. This was what built Home Depot and Lowes, the work being done by the people that owned the homes.
If people were to simply hang onto their homes instead of trying to dump them because they were underwater and do simple improvements to their home they might end up with the home they actually always wanted rather than to look elsewhere for it.
The grass is never greener down the road no matter how many time your told it is. It would help to put people back to work in the process at the home improvement centers and the suppliers.
Sweat equity is still the best way to make your home your true dream home and it’s also the way that “Kicking the Tires,” according to the trades is going to be done next to show people how some banks are working to get people into homes and to keep others in their homes by trading sweat equity.
Sweat equity was what all the original home improvement shows were all about and maybe it’s time for those few shows that are still on the air to get back to their roots. People just don’t have the money to do any other way.
I did enjoy the shows the most when they were just there to advise and assist where the work was beyond the talent of the home owners and I think people would like to see it done again.
It’s the if they can do it so can I sprit that actually has set our country apart from so many other countries in this world
“Kicking the Tires,” was an internet trend setter and I honestly hope it’s not hot air that the show will be back on later this fall. It was a fun show to watch.