Fans of HGTV's "Rehab Addict" know Nicole Curtis as a passionate preservationist who is often donning a dust mask and using power tools to rescue a neglected historical home.
The show's executive producer, a mom to a teenage son and an upcycler before most knew the word, Curtis will be in Phoenix for the Maricopa County Home and Landscape Show on Sept. 26-28.
Before her visit, Curtis shared tales of driving a backhoe while growing up north of Detroit, running a lucrative cleaning business in college and how her life has changed since "Rehab Addict" hit HGTV's primetime schedule. Season 5 debuts Thursday, Oct. 2.
Curtis also talked about hanging out with NBA star LeBron James and why historical homes and recycling are her passion.
Nicole Curtis Q&A
Question: In a recent episode of "Rehab Addict," you brought your grandparents to see a dilapidated Detroit house and remarked they wouldn't think rescuing it was a good use of your college education. Had you planned a different career path?
Answer:I went to school in Georgia, Florida and Michigan — started out (intending to study) law and ended up in education, which seemed a natural fit, as I had Ethan before I graduated. However, I started a cleaning business to put myself through school. There was not a chance I could switch to working for someone and not be in charge of my income.
The cleaning business did very well. Did I care that people treated me like I didn't exist because I was the "housecleaner?" No, because I saw myself as CEO of a lucrative corporation, and it paid off.
I am still a teacher at heart. My favorite saying is: "I love kids; adults, not so much." The favorite part of my day is having the kids in my neighborhoods run excitedly down the sidewalk to hang with me. Kids don't judge. They don't care if I'm on TV. They just know that I'm their friend, and they trust that. That's the best part.
Q: I read you bought a house at 18 and did a lot of work on it. Did you flip it for a profit or just feel that you had saved it?
A: I got interested in rehabbing because I was poor. Nothing motivates you to learn how to do something like not having the money to pay to have it done. I've never bought anything turnkey and never will. I've never "flipped" a house in my life. I really don't feel that I fit in that category. I rehab houses out of necessity. It never really started as a way to turn a quick profit — in fact, it still isn't. I've learned ways to make money on investments, but it's not by slapping cosmetic fixes together. It's by building homes that people don't even know they want until they see them.
My homes aren't the majority or trendy, and that's why they sell. They are unique and different. Every single one has deed restrictions, because I'm serious about neighborhood stabilization — they must always be owner-occupied, and they can never be torn down. Oh, and you can't change the original floor plan, which means none of my beautiful formal dining rooms will be gutted for open kitchens. If a buyer doesn't like any of that, that's OK. There are plenty of cookie-cutter houses out there, but every day there are (fewer) historic ones.
Q: A lot of home-improvement shows start with a big demo scene, where people are taking a sledgehammer to perfectly good sinks and cabinetry. Does that drive you crazy?
A:Of course it does. Disposable is a hot trend that is wasteful and a pet peeve of mine.
Q: Are you into reusing/rescuing even, say, bad 1980s cabinetry, or only items of a certain vintage or value?
A:Midcentury back is old to me. After the 1960s, building materials were mass-produced, and quality went down. However, even 1980s cabinetry can be reused — no sledgehammers or Dumpsters necessary.
Q: You worked with NBA star LeBron James recently. What did you do?
A: It was pretty cool to get a call from his team asking if I would consider working with him to help with his foundation's first renovation. Ten years ago, I was a struggling single mom working for people to take my design/construction work seriously, and here I was working alongside a man whose name appears in almost every news feed all day long. It was a great experience. I look forward to doing many more projects, and I must add it earned me some much-appreciated street cred with my 16-year-old son and his friends.
I just got a text from the mom (of the rehabbed home) — her daughter was a foundation member whose school efforts won them the renovation — telling me how she can't help but pause every day and be amazed at what was done for her family. Pretty awesome. And the best part for me was giving her two autistic sons their own specially designed rooms. The smiles on their faces were priceless.
Q: Are you going to do more rehabs in Detroit or stay mostly in Minneapolis?
A:My home will always be in Detroit, and the bulk of my business is switching to there starting in October. Minneapolis has been a great experience, and I think I have definitely left my mark as we are seeing great strides in historic preservation.
Q: Has your life changed a lot since HGTV put your show on prime time?
A: Has my life changed? No. I just flew in from our house in Detroit. But I already threw a load of laundry in, walked the dogs and cooked some dinner. In all seriousness, it's a little difficult to buy groceries in peace, and there is not a chance I can shop at a flea market without being asked to take a selfie. I hate selfies. It's very cool that everyone loves the show and is getting into treasuring their communities and everything old, but some days, it's a bit much for my son. I'm not sure if I would involve him on the show if I had to do it again.
Q: Was it fun to be a guest judge on HGTV's "Flipping the Block"?
A:"Flipping the Block" was very fun, and it was 100 percent real. I was amazed what these couples went through. I wouldn't do it. I made the mistake of watching in the trailer as some were asked to speak about my critique of their work. Wow! I thought I had thick skin, but it was a lot — lots of emotions. And I was tough, because reality is tough. Flipping involves real money, and if you screw up, you lose your house. It's no joke. Josh Temple (contractor and host of "Flipping the Block" and "House Crashers") pulled me aside one time and said, "Curtis, you go with your gut, and don't you sweat it one minute." He quickly became one of my favorite people. Also, because he walked my dog while I was working!
Q: What are you currently filming?
A:We never stop. I am executive producer of "Rehab Addict," and this show is about my life as a mom, a designer, Realtor, investor. So every day we work, we roll cameras. I am splitting my time between seven projects and producing Seasons 5 and 6 at the same time.
Q: What new episode is airing in October?
A: The first of my mansions — yes, mansion — a 1904, 8,000-square-foot masterpiece. To say I'm stepping it up a notch is an understatement. Since Season 4, there are lots of changes: My son is now 16 and towering over me. We've added a new dog to our family. I'm not days from being broke. However, I still recycle everything, and the scrap wood pile keeps growing.
Q: I read your family had a garbage business in Michigan, and that's where you learned the value of recycling/upcycling.
A:My Gramps was a self-made businessman, and my Gram was right there by his side. It meant huge sacrifices and true commitment, but they did it. My Gramps still has a shed with "spare parts," and my Gram still says, "Oh, that's too expensive; I can make that." I would not be who I am today without growing up in such an environment. Opportunity comes to those who value what they have. Besides, who else grew up with bulldozers and tractors in the backyard?
My Gramps always said, "She can do it," when my dad would object to me being "one of the boys." I could've done without all the trips to the ER, but I never knew there was "girl" work and "guy" work. Driving a backhoe? No problem! But I'm still waiting to master my Gram's art of pie making. Oh, and you had to drive a stick shift — my first driving experience was a five speed. No automatic.
Q: What's your current home like, and what do you like best about it?
A: It's a 1904 home. I practice what I preach. I love the fact that it houses my son and our two rescue pups, Max and Lucy. We have a home, not a house. It's comfy, welcoming and stuffed with all sorts of old-house greatness: hardwood floors, quartersawn-oak paneled walls, hand-painted century-old murals and, of course, original kitchen cabinets. My home was a foreclosure that had been stripped clean. I spent three years restoring it, which included hand-staining (more than) 1,500 square feet of flooring, stripping paint off woodwork and — the worst of the worst — stripping wallpaper.
Q: A lot of home-improvement shows focus on the latest and greatest vs. salvaging and reusing. Will you have any message about that at the Maricopa County Home and Landscape Show?
A:Don't believe the hype. Unless you have money to burn, don't follow trends. I think a lot of people would lose their mind if they actually watched garbage trucks lined up at a dump. Their garbage doesn't magically disappear; it's piled up, and most will be there long after we are gone.
House materials are some of the easiest things to reuse and usually last about three minutes on Craigslist when offered for free. Trust me, I still pick things up off of there every day: sinks, counters, cabinets. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it's trash. I love showing people possibilities and teaching them to think out of the box — or in this case, out of the trash can. But most of all, when I speak, my message is: Take pride in yourself, your home, your communities. It all goes hand in hand. Oh, and I make strangers talk to each other — that one puts everyone on edge.
Reach the reporter at kara.morrison@arizonarepublic.com.
