Customers usually hire Brandon Parker to do all the work when they need a house rebuilt or a room remodeled.
But Teresa Robinson wanted to help. In 2019 the Norfolk woman had bought a 1912 Craftsman in such bad shape that she had to gut it to the studs. As Parker started on the termite damage and dry rot, she asked how he made repairs and started buying tools. As a first-time homeowner, she said, she needed to know how to take care of her property.
“Normally people say, ‘Can you do this for me?’ They never say, ‘Show me how to do it,’ ” said Parker, of Virginia Beach. “It got to the point that if I were in Home Depot, I was bumping into Teresa at Home Depot.”
The two, now friends, will compete as one of three teams in the fourth season of HGTV’s “Battle on the Beach,” which premieres at 9 p.m. Monday. The show rotates locations and was filmed in Oak Island, North Carolina, this year.
Each team gets a $100,000 budget to turn a dilapidated waterfront property into an enviable gem. The homes are similar four-bedroom, two-bathroom structures, and each team is paired with an HGTV celebrity designer/builder: Taniya Nayak of “Build it Forward”; Ty Pennington of “Rock the Block”; or Alison Victoria of “Windy City Rehab.”
Robinson and Parker were paired with Victoria; they will go nail head to nail head with couples from Richmond and Dallas. The team that adds the most value to their home wins $50,000 and the celebrity partner gets to brag. Each of the seven episodes contains challenges, including a relay race on a historic battleship, that can net a team $3,000. Bryan and Sarah Baeumler from HGTV’s “Renovation Island” are the judges.
Robinson loves building and dreaming up creative projects and considers Parker a mentor; he started learning the trade as a teen. She started an Instagram account a couple of years ago to share photos and updates. She runs her company, Tools and Transformations, whenever she gets a moment; she works for a nonprofit during the day. She offers advice on building furniture, tools and safety gear, and the payoff of teaching yourself new skills. Her account clocked 100,000 followers a year ago, catching the attention of HGTV. A representative sent her a message about the show.
After she verified that the person was legit, Robinson pulled Parker into their next adventure. They can’t say much about the show except that the panic and nailbiting are real. So is Victoria, who has helmed several HGTV programs.
“She’s a tough cookie just like I am,” Parker said. “She’s every bit of what you see on TV.”
Robinson is still working on her home though Parker says she could have finished by now. She knows too much to stay still and is constantly retooling. Robinson laughs at her first attempt at nailing plywood and batting together for a headboard years before she discovered her skills.
“It was so janky,” she said, laughing at the memory. “Compared to what I can do now. Wow!”
Denise M. Watson, 757-446-2504, denise.watson@pilotonline.com
