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You are here: Home / Local Love / An Interview with HGTV’s Bryan Baeumler

An Interview with HGTV’s Bryan Baeumler

October 17, 2019 By Kari 8 Comments

What life is really like renovating a resort in the Bahamas! I chat with HGTV Canada star Bryan Baeumler ahead of his appearance at The Edmonton Fall Home Show. Plus, details on how you can meet him this weekend!

Island of Bryan-1

When life gets overwhelming and crazy busy my husband Ryan and I often joke about just packing everything up and moving to a tropical island in the middle of nowhere! 🙂 Well, that’s exactly what HGTV Canada star Bryan Baeumler and his wife Sarah actually did two years ago.

However, it’s not all sipping cocktails poolside. The couple bought an abandoned boutique resort on the Bahamian island of South Andros and moved themselves and their four kids there. Island of Bryan (on HGTV Canada) chronicles their life on the island and a massive renovation of this rundown resort.

Baeumler will be in Edmonton this weekend for The Edmonton Fall Home Show where he’ll be sharing all sorts of stories from their adventure. I had a chance to connect with him ahead of his Edmonton appearance to chat about life on the island!

Island of Bryan-2

How did you come to the decision to move your family to the Bahamas to take on this mega project?

We love spending time in the Bahamas on the boat, and found the hotel during our travels. It was a 5 minute decision really…I think it was just the right time in our lives, the resort was in the right state of disrepair, and at the right price. We love adventure…and this was definitely an adventure!

Island of Bryan-3

BeforeIsland of Bryan-4

AfterIsland of Bryan-5

Describe your typical day as a family on the island. How do your kids keep up with school? How do you access resources for the reno and for daily life?

We all live in a 550 sq’ villa together, so it’s a little different than being home and everyone having their own space. We get up and have breakfast with the camera and construction crew in the hotel restaurant, then get to work! The kids keep up with school either by attending local school and supplementing with tutors to keep them on track back home, and of course we help out with homework and projects in the evenings. Our days are filled with filming, building, tracking down material shipments…and of course we sneak away for a swim or island adventure whenever we get the chance!

Island of Bryan-6

What has been the biggest surprise in taking on this project?

I think all of our perspectives have changed a lot. When you live on an island in a small community, you really start to learn what things we ‘want’ and what things we really ‘need’. The people here are the happiest and warmest people we’ve ever met, and they survive, and thrive with very little. It really has surprised us how little you need to be happy and fulfilled.

 

BeforeIsland of Bryan-7

AfterIsland of Bryan-8Island of Bryan-9

Is the adventure what you expected it would be?

It’s probably much more of an adventure than we anticipated! There have been lots of unexpected issues and problems that we’ve had to solve. We’ve made great friends, had so many new experiences, and living so closely together with the kids and Family has been amazing.

BeforeIsland of Bryan-10

AfterIsland of Bryan-11

Is this a one-time thing or could you see yourself seeking out other resorts and vacation properties to revamp?

We do have some future plans for expansion and development…that being said, we’re not quite open yet, so we’re going to see how it goes for a year or two. Or maybe not! 😉

The Caerula Mar Club resort has 22 hotel rooms and 22 villas and is set to open November 28, 2019. Check out the hotel’s website here and Instagram page here. Season two of Island of Bryan will premiere in 2020, while season one episodes are available on hgtv.ca.

Resort and Show Photos: HGTV Canada

Edmonton Fall Home Show Giveaway!

Island of Bryan-12Bryan will be live on stage at The Edmonton Fall Home Show this Friday, October 18 at 6pm and Saturday, October 19 at 1pm sharing tales from the island, lessons learned and the REAL value hiding inside your home. I’m giving away a VIP meet and greet package for two to Bryan’s show on Saturday where you will get to hang out and chat with Bryan!

How to Enter:

#1: Follow me @kariskelton and @yeghomeshows on Instagram.

#2: Tag up to three friends on my latest Instagram post about the Edmonton Fall Home Show.

#3: Comment below telling me whether you’re a DIY’er or you leave it to the professionals. 🙂
(Please include your Insta handle so I can find you on social).

Island of Bryan-13

This post was sponsored by The Edmonton Fall Home Show. As always, thoughts and opinions are mine. 

Other Posts You’ll Like

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xx

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Filed Under: Local Love, Play Local, Travel

Comments

  1. Jessica McGregor says

    October 17, 2019 at 9:41 pm

    I am a DIY’er for sure! @jessmcgregor

    Reply
  2. Deanne Bolton says

    October 17, 2019 at 9:53 pm

    I’d like to say I’m a DIY ‘er, but really depends on how complex the project is. I don’t hesitate to bring in the Pros if I think I might really mess it up. Ha ha
    @deab84

    Reply
  3. Julianne says

    October 18, 2019 at 12:06 am

    DIY’r! I like keeping busy with projects

    Reply
  4. Dawn Merkel says

    October 18, 2019 at 6:33 am

    We are definitely DIY’rs. We just completed our kitchen Reno. My husband made all of our new cabinet doors and even cut the granite slabs etc. we have watched Bryan throughout the years and I’m sure my husband learnt a lot of tips from him. @dmerkel1

    Reply
  5. Shanin Neff says

    October 18, 2019 at 7:18 am

    I’ve been a DIY’er all my life. As a child I watched a show about a lady and her dogs (yes of course it had dogs lol) who would fix stuff. My folks would come home to a disassembled tv or toaster and then I would put it back together. Lol. When I moved to my acreage my DIY stuff tripled ! But is more fun to see my hubby who has ways just hired people become a serious die hard DIY guy this last year making us a fabulous enclosure for our chickens and ducks and he’s about to tackle winter enclosures for our goats AND we want to do a rental private dog off leash area in our front field soon!
    Love this contest. We adore Bryan and his family and love watching leave it to Bryan. And island of Bryan.

    Reply
  6. Danielle Toffoli says

    October 18, 2019 at 7:44 am

    My husband and I are DIY’ers but sometimes those projects dont turn out quite as we visualize. We’d love to learn more and hope to get comfortable enough to be able to flip a house one of these days!
    @Danielletoffoli

    Reply
  7. Dezeray Brown says

    October 18, 2019 at 8:37 am

    We are do it yourselfers! My husband absolutely adores Bryan and would be a dream come true to meet him. We own a small residential construction company in Sherwood Park. We now have 10 FT employees and book up 1.5 to 2 months in advance. He uses tools he’s learned from the show in our own business plans. Thanks for the amazing chance to win this great prize!

    Reply
  8. Donnalea says

    October 18, 2019 at 12:23 pm

    Love to DIY, but sometimes I have to leave it to the pros!! @aroundthenook

    Reply

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Lifestylist + Blogger: KariSkelton.com
Mom to Wyatt, Moses🐾 + Monroe🐾
Babe on the way! (06/22)
❤ @ryanjespersen
motherhood | style | recipes 👇

Kari Skelton | Motherhood
when you feel like you've hit your max bump but th when you feel like you've hit your max bump but there's still nine weeks to go. 😳

It's truly amazing what our bodies can do. 💛

#31weeks #sunsoutbumpsout #beachball
Life update. ❤ I’ll be keeping this piece of Life update. ❤

I’ll be keeping this piece of art forever. Wyatt painted this for me back in January, when I was isolated with Covid. I taped it up on the wall beside the bed during my stay in our guest room. If you zoom in, you’ll see me in the front with the big baby belly. (Wyatt calls me ‘big belly’ these days!)

Rainbows represent promise, hope, and new beginnings. 

It's been a rough past few weeks for our family, hence my absence online. Thank you so much for your messages of love, concern, and support. They mean so much to us. I know I share a lot with you on here, but I’m not going to get into details this time. Just know we're doing alright. Junebug is great (and kicking and rolling around non-stop!), Wyatt is awesome per usual, and Ryan and I are rock solid.

I had to take a break from work. My main focus has always been (and will
always be) protecting the peace, health, and well-being of our family unit. 

Social media can be a beautiful place where connection and inspiration happens. Unfortunately, it can also foster hurtful and harmful attacks. I’ve learned so much over these past few weeks, and have deeply reflected on my presence and future plans online. I’ll share more soon, but for now, I just wanted to check in, say a sincere thanks, and let you know we’re all good. ❤️
The moment I found out. September 22, 2021. I’ll The moment I found out. September 22, 2021. I’ll be honest - the first trimester wasn’t great. There were moments of joy (like this one) but it was filled with anxiety, scary moments, and a few hurdles. 

🤰I’m playing catchup on some pregnancy blog posts but I wanted to make sure this was up, especially for those who have been following our journey. 

👉 Head on over to KariSkelton.com for ‘Pregnancy Q&A: The First Trimester’ where I get into all of it. Link is in my bio.

❔️Please ask any questions. That’s the whole reason why I share about this. I believe sharing our experiences and personal stories helps all of us feel less alone and often validates what we’re going through. 

(If you can believe it, I took a video of the exact moment I found out but it disappeared from my files. Poof! Gone.💨 Of all the videos to lose…. 🙈 But very happy to have this photo).

#pregnancystories #motherhoodrising #motherhoodunites #Canadianblogger #Canadianmom
Contest Closed. Congrats to our winner @michelle_q Contest Closed. Congrats to our winner @michelle_quay! Thanks to all of you for entering! ❤

➡️ Giveaway! To celebrate @fresonbros first birthday tomorrow (Saturday, March 5), we’re giving away a $250 Freson Bros. GC! 🥳

You’re invited to pop down to the party between 11-5 to celebrate with us! 🎉There’s birthday torte, a whole bunch of perks, specialty tastings, and additional in-store giveaways, including a beautiful Camp Chef XT Wood Pellet Grill! 🙆‍♀️

To enter our $250 GC Giveaway:

👉 Make sure you follow me @kariskelton and @fresonbros.

👉 Like this post.

👉 tag some friends who would love this!

✨️ Bonus entry: Head to KariSkelton.com and leave a comment on my ‘Freson Bros. Turns One’ blog post (make sure to add your IG handle in that comment so we know who you are). 

*This giveaway is open to Canadian residents only and is in no way endorsed or supported by Instagram. The winner must be able to pick up the $250 gift card prize at Freson Bros. Edmonton 5139 Mullen Rd. Contest closes Friday, March 4 at 11:59 pm MST. The winner will be announced on this post before 9 a.m MST Saturday, March 5. 

🚨*PLEASE watch out for impersonation accounts that unfortunately sometimes pop up during giveaways. I will only reach out to you via DM from my account (@kariskelton) to confirm your win and then we’ll coordinate details via email only.
Load More… Follow on Instagram

kariskelton

Lifestylist + Blogger: KariSkelton.com
Mom to Wyatt, Moses🐾 + Monroe🐾
Babe on the way! (06/22)
❤ @ryanjespersen
motherhood | style | recipes 👇

Kari Skelton | Motherhood
when you feel like you've hit your max bump but th when you feel like you've hit your max bump but there's still nine weeks to go. 😳

It's truly amazing what our bodies can do. 💛

#31weeks #sunsoutbumpsout #beachball
Life update. ❤ I’ll be keeping this piece of Life update. ❤

I’ll be keeping this piece of art forever. Wyatt painted this for me back in January, when I was isolated with Covid. I taped it up on the wall beside the bed during my stay in our guest room. If you zoom in, you’ll see me in the front with the big baby belly. (Wyatt calls me ‘big belly’ these days!)

Rainbows represent promise, hope, and new beginnings. 

It's been a rough past few weeks for our family, hence my absence online. Thank you so much for your messages of love, concern, and support. They mean so much to us. I know I share a lot with you on here, but I’m not going to get into details this time. Just know we're doing alright. Junebug is great (and kicking and rolling around non-stop!), Wyatt is awesome per usual, and Ryan and I are rock solid.

I had to take a break from work. My main focus has always been (and will
always be) protecting the peace, health, and well-being of our family unit. 

Social media can be a beautiful place where connection and inspiration happens. Unfortunately, it can also foster hurtful and harmful attacks. I’ve learned so much over these past few weeks, and have deeply reflected on my presence and future plans online. I’ll share more soon, but for now, I just wanted to check in, say a sincere thanks, and let you know we’re all good. ❤️
The moment I found out. September 22, 2021. I’ll The moment I found out. September 22, 2021. I’ll be honest - the first trimester wasn’t great. There were moments of joy (like this one) but it was filled with anxiety, scary moments, and a few hurdles. 

🤰I’m playing catchup on some pregnancy blog posts but I wanted to make sure this was up, especially for those who have been following our journey. 

👉 Head on over to KariSkelton.com for ‘Pregnancy Q&A: The First Trimester’ where I get into all of it. Link is in my bio.

❔️Please ask any questions. That’s the whole reason why I share about this. I believe sharing our experiences and personal stories helps all of us feel less alone and often validates what we’re going through. 

(If you can believe it, I took a video of the exact moment I found out but it disappeared from my files. Poof! Gone.💨 Of all the videos to lose…. 🙈 But very happy to have this photo).

#pregnancystories #motherhoodrising #motherhoodunites #Canadianblogger #Canadianmom
Contest Closed. Congrats to our winner @michelle_q Contest Closed. Congrats to our winner @michelle_quay! Thanks to all of you for entering! ❤

➡️ Giveaway! To celebrate @fresonbros first birthday tomorrow (Saturday, March 5), we’re giving away a $250 Freson Bros. GC! 🥳

You’re invited to pop down to the party between 11-5 to celebrate with us! 🎉There’s birthday torte, a whole bunch of perks, specialty tastings, and additional in-store giveaways, including a beautiful Camp Chef XT Wood Pellet Grill! 🙆‍♀️

To enter our $250 GC Giveaway:

👉 Make sure you follow me @kariskelton and @fresonbros.

👉 Like this post.

👉 tag some friends who would love this!

✨️ Bonus entry: Head to KariSkelton.com and leave a comment on my ‘Freson Bros. Turns One’ blog post (make sure to add your IG handle in that comment so we know who you are). 

*This giveaway is open to Canadian residents only and is in no way endorsed or supported by Instagram. The winner must be able to pick up the $250 gift card prize at Freson Bros. Edmonton 5139 Mullen Rd. Contest closes Friday, March 4 at 11:59 pm MST. The winner will be announced on this post before 9 a.m MST Saturday, March 5. 

🚨*PLEASE watch out for impersonation accounts that unfortunately sometimes pop up during giveaways. I will only reach out to you via DM from my account (@kariskelton) to confirm your win and then we’ll coordinate details via email only.
Load More… Follow on Instagram

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