HGTV has likely paid over $2 million for the production cost of Renovation Island, given what the channel has paid for other similar shows.
The Baeumlers tackle renovating an entire island resort on Renovation Island which is a much larger scale of project than that of any other renovation show.
If HGTV paid close to what they spent on other shows like House Hunters for Renovation Island, the production budget is likely well over $2 million by now.
Why is Renovation Island so popular?
Renovation Island, or as it was originally known in Canada, “Island of Bryan” has been an instant hit since it started airing.
In fact, the show was so popular in Canada that it was picked up by HGTV in the United States just a year later and subsequently became one of the channel’s most popular shows.
The reason for the show’s popularity lies in the fact that unlike most other renovation shows in which the hosts focus on one project or family home at a time, Renovation Island follows Bryan and Sarah Baeumler (along with their entire team and family) as they renovate an entire island resort. The show also includes snippets of the drama that unfolds as they go.
How much did HGTV pay for Renovation Island?
The main focus on Renovation Island for Bryan and Sarah is usually how they are going to stay in their renovation budget with every new project that they decide to take on.
But some fans have wondered what the entire production has cost from HGTV’s side.
HGTV did not pay for the actual renovations on Renovation Island, but the channel likely did need to cover the production costs of the show.
HGTV has not officially disclosed how much the channel paid to produce the show or how much it paid the hosts in appearance fees.
But based on what HGTV has reportedly paid for other similar shows in the past, one can make a fair estimation as to what the channel would have paid for Renovation Island.
HGTV reportedly paid between $45,000 and $50,000 to produce a single episode of House Hunters (another popular show on the channel) and although production costs and contracts can vary vastly from one show to the next, this does provide a ballpark estimate for what the channel may have paid for Renovation Island.
If this is true, it would mean that HGTV probably paid over $2 million in total for the five seasons of Renovation Island that have already aired, which are:
| Season | Total number of episodes | Low estimate ($45,000 per episode) |
High estimate ($50,000 per episode) |
| Season 1 | 13 | $585,000 | $650,000 |
| Season 2 | 8 | $360,000 | $400,000 |
| Season 3 | 10 | $450,000 | $500,000 |
| Season 4 | 8 | $360,000 | $400,000 |
| Season 5 | 8 | $360,000 | $400,000 |
| Total | 47 | $2,115,000 | $2,350,000 |
Does HGTV pay Bryan Baeumler directly?
Channels like HGTV usually rely on the production companies behind the renovation shows to pay the hosts their appearance fees.
However, in Renovation Island’s case, the production company behind the show is Bryland Entertainment, which is owned and operated by Bryan. This means that HGTV likely pays Bryan through his production company.
It is also important to consider that this setup probably also allows Bryan to have much more control over the remuneration and other stipulations when his production company negotiates contracts with channels like HGTV for all of his shows.
How does Renovation Island keep costs low?
One of the biggest aspects which influences the production cost of shows is the location in which the show needs to be filmed.
However, while it may seem like Renovation Island will cost HGTV more to produce because the show is filmed in such a remote location, the fact that the Baeumlers own the property and it is a stationary project probably means that the production costs for the show are fairly low.
How much did Bryan and Sarah Baeumler pay for the renovations on Renovation Island?
Fans who have tuned in regularly to watch the Baeumlers will already know that the couple notably invested everything that they had to purchase 100 percent of the property.
While this has given the Baeumlers the freedom to do exactly as they please with the property, it also means that the renovations at the resort have had to come out of their own pockets.
They initially purchased the resort for $2 million and planned on spending about $4 million extra to get it up and running.
However, after a slew of natural disasters hit and the COVID-19 pandemic halted most of the renovations on Caerula Mar Club, Bryan confirmed that they are closer to spending about $10 million on the project.
