Candis and Andy Meredith's show was pulled from Magnolia Network's lineup last week.
" Home Work" hosts Andy and Candis denied claims against them.
The show was pulled by Magnolia Network after some homeowners said the couple ruined their homes.
The issues that arose were typical of construction projects and reality television.
The "Home Work" controversy is being shared by Andy and Candis.
The couple's show, "Home Work," was pulled from the lineup of the Magnolia Network on Friday after some homeowners on the show alleged that the couple had gone over budget and damaged their homes.
On Wednesday, the Merediths addressed claims made by homeowners about their " Home Work" experience in a statement to Insider.
Some of the 'Home Work' renovations didn't go according to plan.
The "Home Work" renovations took longer than anticipated, according to Andy and Candis. The issues that arose were typical construction issues that were compounded by the nature of reality television, according to the Merediths.
Andy told Insider that the Merediths worked as consultants on renovation projects on "Home Work" while local, licensed general contractors did the actual work on the homes featured on the series. He said they were the go-between for clients and contractors, which meant they took the brunt of people's frustration when issues came up.
Andy said that a lot of the anger and hurt was focused on them because they were the ones trying to make everyone happy.
The Merediths began filming "Home Work" in 2019.
Andy acknowledged that there was a lot of truth to Bennion's allegation that they did not manage the day-to-day operations of the renovation well because of their lack of experience. Bennion told Insider that the experience she had working with the Merediths led to a number of issues that she said lowered the value of her home and cost thousands to repair.
Candis said that the timelines they set for the homeowners were unrealistic.
Andy knows that renovation is hard and that people are hurt. We know how difficult it can be to deal with contractors in your house. We will never minimize the pain.
He said that the story about Home Work has been one-sided. Candis said that they wanted to make a statement now because of the controversy and the people who worked on "Home Work" and their children who are being bullied at school.
Candis and Andy said they had no idea that Bennion felt her renovation ruined her home.
Bennion said she had issues with her kitchen renovation throughout the project.
She had some problems with the renovation, but the Merediths didn't understand her concerns.
Bennion told Insider that her kitchen renovation was supposed to take three weeks and cost $25,000.
The project cost between $45,000 and $50,000 and took five months instead of weeks, but Bennion only paid them $13,000. They paid $32,000 out of their own pockets to complete the renovation of Bennion's kitchen.
Bennion said the renovation cost her $39,000, with a large chunk spent on fixing issues created during the renovation.
Bennion wrote in a post that the Merediths added a deck to the back of her kitchen but built it over a sprinkler system and caused a drainage issue. Bennion wrote that her home almost flooded because of the deck and that it lowered the value of her home. She said she had to pay $18,000 to fix it.
Candis and Andy went to Paris in the middle of her renovation, according to Bennion. In their statement, the Merediths said they went to France for a work trip for their show and that "production" paid for it. Magnolia Network was not aware the Merediths took a trip to Paris until nearly a year after it happened, according to a source.
Candis and Andy said they were surprised by Bennion's public statements about her negative experience with them because she seemed excited about her new kitchen when they revealed it to her.
Bennion said she would never show photos of her renovated kitchen on the internet because it cleans up nice and, with the right filter, is worthy of every praise and praise for everyone who doesn't have to live in it or have to live through what it is.
Bennion said in her statement that she "feigned excitement" at the filmed reveal, though the Merediths think that she was unaware that cameras were still filming.
"We were under the impression that we had resolved the issues with Bennion, despite the fact that there were hard conversations and misunderstandings about this project and budget," the Merediths said.
The Merediths did not know about the problems with the renovation until Candis sent them a message about it. Bennion shared a picture of that conversation on her own. They haven't heard from her since. When asked about the claims, Bennion did not reply.
The Hawleys were dissatisfied with their renovation, but the Merediths didn't know about it.
They said their experience with the Hawleys was similar to that of Bennion.
The Merediths received $45,000 from Teisha and her husband, Jeff, for renovations to their home. Teisha said in a follow-up post that the Merediths told the Hawleys they would need an additional $40,000 to complete the project. The couple pulled out of the renovation.
"We had been living in our basement for months at this point, including Thanksgiving, Christmas and birthdays," he wrote. We were exhausted and our home was torn apart with bubbling floors after we were told all of our funds were used.
Candis said that the project was almost done when they told her not to come back.
She said that the first part takes the bulk of your money.
Candis said she should have told the Hawleys that the materials they were able to use for the project wouldn't be of the highest quality given their budget.
Candis said that Teisha raised her budget to $64,698 after they had a difficult conversation about the project. She shared some of her conversations with Teisha and Jeff with Insider.
There is a conversation between Candis and Andy.
A conversation between Teisha and Jeff Hawley and Candis and Andy.
"We didn't think they were as dissatisfied as they claim," the Merediths said. When Jeff asked for a phone call, we completed the project within a week.
According to Candis, Jeff Hawley threatened her and Andy with a lawsuit if their countertops couldn't be delivered by Friday. Candis said he pulled out of the renovation when she wouldn't agree.
They haven't heard from the Hawleys since February 20, 2020.
The "Home Work" homeowners had contracts with them that stated that mediation was supposed to be the first step if issues arose between the clients and the Merediths, but none of their clients turned to mediation.
The contract for review was declined by the Merediths. The Hawleys didn't reply to Insider's request for comment.
The Merediths said they have not made any money off these clients.
Vienna and Robert Goates told Insider that they gave the Merediths $50,000 from a loan for a renovation that never happened.
Candis and Andy have only paid back a small portion of the money.
The Merediths told Insider that they gave the money to their contractor.
They decided to pay the Goateses back themselves because the contractor didn't give them back the money. The contractors' details were not shared with Insider for privacy reasons.
Andy and Candis told Insider that they agreed to pay back the loan, as well as the Goateses' interest and legal fees.
At the time of writing, they said they were still paying back the loan. Candis and the Goateses' lawyer had correspondence about the payments. The Merediths said that they have sometimes been late on their payments, but they are making them as they can.
The Goateses refused to comment when contacted by Insider.
The homeowners don't feel like they want to resolve their issues.
Candis and Andy told Insider that they are frustrated that the homeowners who have issues with them have not spoken to them directly.
Candis said that they would have been more than willing to hear how homeowners were feeling if they had the chance. We were always willing to try to make something better for them. We wanted them to love their homes.
Andy said that the statements made against them were designed to hurt them the most and not in a way to fix or address the actual issues.
Candis said that the homeowners' experience was difficult, especially for a television show, and that the timelines were too crazy.
Candis said it was hard for them to see the narrative being written on one side. We're trying to say that we did everything we could.
Candis said they wish they would have come to them before the network was launched. We wish we could have worked it out.
If you would like to get in touch with Insider about Andy and Candis, please email sgrindell@insider.com.
The original article is on Insider.
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