Last week I was looking for an easy viewing home makeover type of show to watch while Tom was putting Maisie to bed and stumbled across this one on Netflix.
The title and also concept of the show – the “hacks” – is infuriating, because ultimately it’s just another home makeover show but they’ve had to come up with something quirky and sellable as a tv concept when actually people are mostly just interested in the home makeover and not bothered about the latest fad. The “hacks” are pretty annoying – they’re the most ordinary storage solutions but referred to as hacks constantly and often, what could’ve been done simply was overcomplicated to be a “hack”. But despite these frustrations, it was a fun show to watch.
The presenters are all caricature-type personalities bringing construction, engineering, design, and I’m pretty sure the final one was innovator, as job roles to the table to tackle the pitfalls of people’s homes creatively. Most of them have a redeeming character moment in each episode, but sometimes they’re plain annoying.
The actual content of the show was good – it was about utilising the space you have and rethinking it to make it work better for the inhabitants of the home. They would “hack” solutions to problems like no kitchen counter space, very little pantry storage, and four girls sharing one loft space as a bedroom with things like pull out islands hidden under counters, storage that comes down from the ceiling at the push of a button and creating sleeping and entertainment pods. All very innovative ideas to make the most of the space! Inspiring for thinking about how to better use your own space at home…
My main quibble with the “hacks” is how much they depend on electronics. So many times things were done with a remote control or button and all I could think was: “what happens if there’s a power cut?” People wouldn’t be able to access their office, bed, or maybe they’d be stuck in the kitchen as their ceiling storage won’t raise out of the throughway. Not the most sensible logistics. And it’s that age old adage that the more parts to something there are, the more possibilities for things to go wrong – why have all of these tricky little gadgets when a simple solution would have solved the problem? Because it’s called Hack My Home. Duh.
So if you’re in the market for a fun, quirky home makeover show – this could be it! It’s enjoyable, the families they help are all very nice and grateful for the help, and some of the presenters are very likeable. If a second series pops up, I will watch it. 👍🏻
Ellen Wiggins 