Home Work Guest Claims Magnolia Network Hired Uninsured Workers For Home Renovations

Before being granted the opportunity of a comeback recently, according to House Beautiful, the home renovation show "Home Work" was pulled from Magnolia Network following claims that working with hosts Andy and Candis Meredith was a nightmare. Allegations, however, go way beyond a simple negative experience as guest stars reported unreasonable budgets, unsafe and illegal work conditions, repairs that were never taken care of, among other difficulties.

On January 5, 2022, three months after the show finished airing its first season, three guest stars came forward on Instagram with lengthy posts detailing their negative experiences with the Merediths. The Hawleys, the Goates, and Aubry Bennion are included in those coming forward. The latter went into great detail to expose the wrong-doings of the show and, among other things, claims the hosts hired "unlicensed and uninsured workers to complete tasks like electrical, gas line work, and digging footings for a deck that leveled the drainage." Through 18 different posts, Bennion talked about everything from budget issues to lack of contracts and inconsistent schedules, as well as disastrous communication and fundamental safety hazards.

Aubry Bennion started conversations with Candis and Andy Meredith in August 2019 about a kitchen renovation after she had just redone her bathroom herself. The Utah-based project manager happily offered up a budget of $25,000. However, late in the process, she was told it would cost $40,000 but made it clear to Candis that she was not adding a single dime. Bennion ended up paying $13,000 to the show and $18,000 to have her backyard repaired afterward.

In a conversation with TODAY, Aubry Bennion stated, "I truly don't know if [Candis] understood the concept of her role as a project manager to manage her clients' scope and schedule and budget. I do that for a living. It's like 101." In fact, Bennion recalls the Merediths not paying the flooring company, Lemco Flooring, which was then confirmed by the couple. In her fifth Instagram post on the matter, Bennion also wrote, "The fact the workers did not have the right license [and] insurance was a risk for me, but it was a much greater risk for them. What if they'd gotten hurt on the job? Who was looking out for them?" Not to mention the fact that Bennion confirms it was often challenging to get in contact with the Merediths.

In response to these allegations, the Merediths assert they spent $32,000 out of their own pocket to finish Aubry Bennion's renovation but did not respond to claims about the illegal and unsafe work conditions.