A reality television crew descended on a McLean family for about a month, filming their home renovation for an episode of the HGTV network show "Curb Appeal." "I guess we got our 30 minutes," said Michelle Chapman, a stay-at-home mom whose two-story house was the focus of "Curb Appeal" cameras for the past month.

"Curb Appeal" is a show about making buildings look better on the outside. Chapman and her husband, Craig, felt their two-story brick house looked too much like other homes in their neighborhood. "It was just very traditional," Michelle Chapman said. The couple applied to be on the show on the advice of Alexandria-based designer Yvette Piaggio. Piaggio had been featured before on "Curb Appeal" and was already working on the interior of the Chapmans' home.

For the outside, Piaggio designed a portico, built to invoke the idea of a European castle. To build Piaggio's design for the show, the Chapmans hired contractor Michael Sauri's company, TriVistaUSA, LLC. Sauri, a self-described "rock and roll contractor," made a good fit for TV, coming from a background of touring with rock bands and making music videos. "The creative process of a song is a lot like what it takes to have an idea and build it in construction. It's a very similar process," Sauri said.

Unlike other home improvement reality shows, "Curb Appeal" does not pay for renovations to participants' homes. However, businesses are eager to appear on the show to promote their services, and homeowners often get the work done for a reduced price. "Normally, a job like this would probably cost around $100,000. They got a very competitive price," Sauri said.

While Sauri might have had previous experience in the spotlight, he still found the HGTV experience somewhat strange. "Absolutely, the cameras were a distraction. The whole point of us doing this is so people can see the process, so the cameras were right on top of us while we were working," he said. "It was fun, though."

The Chapmans got their share of camera time as well. When Michelle Chapman found out that her family had been selected for the show, she was excited about the work that was going to be done but a little less so about being on camera. "I get excited about snazzing things up ... but neither one of us wanted to be on TV. It was exciting," she said.

The Chapmans were filmed playing basketball with their three children, and the cameras followed Michelle and Yvette Piaggio on shopping trips for materials. "I don't even see the cameras. I'm not shy," said Piaggio, who in addition to "Curb Appeal" has filmed her own special for HGTV and occasionally shares design tips on local CBS affiliate WUSA 9.

Now that filming is finished, Michelle Chapman said she is happy about her new portico but still nervous about seeing herself on television. "It's going to be our first and last time on TV," she said.

The episode of "Curb Appeal" is expected to air in the spring.

2006 C Times Community Newspapers