HGTV Chris and Calvin LaMont on "Buy It or Build It."
Chris and Calvin LaMont are HGTV’s latest sibling duo, hosting “Buy It or Build It.” The six-episode season premiered on May 18, 2022.
Chris is the “Buy It” brother, loving “old homes with great bones and potential,” and Calvin is the “Build It” brother who “would rather get the whole wish list with new construction,” according to the series description. “Once their clients decide to buy or build, these brothers work together to deliver on the home of their dreams.”
The Dallas-based twins spoke with Heavy about their new series. Here is what they had to say:
On Getting ‘Buy It or Build It’ to Air
“Buy It or Build It” has been years in the making, Chris and Calvin told Heavy.
“Chris and I started a few years ago doing sizzle reels for the network, HGTV and then a few other networks,” Calvin explained. “And the concept of the show was a little different back then. It was like ‘LaMont Brothers,’ ‘LaMont Bros,’ and it’s more about us and about us flipping houses because that’s what we were doing mainly at that time.”
Having gained the experience, the twins were given another opportunity in 2020 that led to “Buy It or Build It.”
“It was by the building,” Calvin continued. He added, “Chris and I, at this time we’re doing more individual houses and we’re building communities back. So this made sense to incorporate everything that we did in our real company.”
The pair explained that while they are pushing for different homes, “both those options are what the family’s looking for, based off of all the conversations and everything that we met and talked to them with.”
While each house may not fit all their needs, with limitations based on the existing housing market or available lots, Calvin explained, “you got to make it work.”
The brothers would not reveal if the season features more builds or buys, but they did tease that viewers will get to see both this season.
On How to Decide Between a New Build or Buying an Old House
The clients on “Buy It or Build It” are deciding between remodeling an existing house or building a new one. The LaMonts share their tips with Heavy on what factors to consider when choosing between the two.
The two biggest considerations, according to Chris, are “Time, how much time do have to buy it or remodel or build it? And then secondly, how important is where I want to live compared to a lot or a house I want to buy?”
“There’s ways to cut down on time and we don’t have a whole lot of ways to cut down on that by depending on what kind of house you want. A full custom? Plans already set? That has to be a determination. How custom do you want your house and same thing for the remodel,” Chris explained to Heavy. “Where you want to live compared to the house market. Are lots available?”
They also emphasized the importance of flexibility, because buyers may be living outside of their preferred area for long periods.
Calvin added, “Make sure you have somewhere to stay and understand that if there’s delays, anything like that, you might have a situation where you’re putting yourself out or, you know, making yourself in a detrimental situation where it’s going to cause you to lose a loan or something like that for the house.”
“So give yourself ample time to go and do big projects, in terms of remodels or builds to be able to live somewhere else and still have a life when you’re doing that,” Chris concluded.
On Working With a Sibling
The LaMonts called working with their twin “fun.”
“If there’s one person I’m trying not to impress anybody, it’s my twin brother,” Chris explained. He explained, “If I’m doing something wrong, he’s going to tell me. And if he’s doing so wrong, I’m not going to bite my tongue or what I think is not right. You know how we are as brothers. We are very critical. I’m gonna to say something too. So we keep each other in check.”
He added, “It makes it fun and hopefully it comes up on the TV that we love each other. But at the same time, we’re going to make sure that if we have an opinion. We gonna voice it.”
While the two admit they are competitive, it is all for the benefit of their clients.
“You’re going to be competing with somebody to make sure we’re doing the right thing because we all want the same thing, which is to make money and make an impact on our community for the same time,” Calvin added. “So having that kind of dichotomy between my brother and I, of competing but not wanting to impress really motivates and drives us and keeps us on the path to success.”
On the Dallas Market
Chris and Calvin are helping Dallas-based homeowners.
Speaking to Heavy about what makes the area unique, Chris said, “The Dallas market is unique because it’s big but small. You know, Dallas is actually like, kind of like Dallas Fort Worth.”
He added that there are areas with older homes, modern coffee shops and really anything a buyer would want.
On their show, “You’re not going to just the one type of home. You’re not going to see one type of remodel, one type of build, one type of what type of person. Everybody’s going to be different.”
On Other HGTV Shows They Love
The LaMonts showcase their sibling competitiveness on “Buy It or Build It,” but they told Heavy that want to join forces for “Rock the Block.”
“That’s like a team effort,” Chris explained to Heavy. “And once again, we’re competitors right. ‘Rock the Block.’ I really like this. My wife and I like to sit down. … They’re building homes and like remodeling, doing those things, you just don’t know what’s going to happen. And now we can talk about who’s going to win. And if they think your person didn’t win.”
Their other favorite series include “Home Town Kickstart” and “Battle on the Beach.”
New episodes of “Buy It or Build It” air Wednesdays at 9 p.m. Eastern and Pacific times on HGTV.
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