Candis Meredith, a Utah State alum in design and engineering, describes herself as the girl who loved old houses, antiques and floor plans growing up. When her grandmother sold her home, Candis vowed to buy it back when she grew up.
When she was 22, she did exactly that. Her grandmother’s home became Candis’ first home restoration. She continued picking up renovation projects, and the hobby became nearly a full-time job.
Andy was working as an sales consultant, helping his wife with restorations on weeknights and weekends. Then the two decided to turn their passion into a full-time business, now affectionately called Old Home Love. Their mission is to restore 19th century houses in Utah to their original charm and beauty.
“We’ll take on anything built before 1930 because we know the bones are there,” Candis says.
[pullquote]“We’ll take on anything built before 1930 because we know the bones are there.” —Candis Meredith[/pullquote]
Andy loves the history behind old homes.
“Most of the homes we restore are old pioneer houses,” he says.
The Merediths live in American Fork (in a home they restored, naturally) with their six sons and one daughter and are excited to share their passion with television audiences through a new series called “Old Home Love,” which will air at 9:30 p.m. on Oct. 7 on the DIY network — and later on HGTV.
They were initially contacted about the TV opportunities because of their Instagram account (@oldhomelove). The Merediths were asked to do a 10-minute Skype interview — which lasted almost an hour. The president of the production company called them 20 minutes later. One day of filming and one four-minute sizzle reel video later, they were on their way to filming the show.
The new television series will highlight the renovation of a Victorian mansion in Payson, which was filmed in five weeks — setting a new record for the Merediths who usually need three to six months to finish a home restoration.