If you're a reality TV junkie, it makes sense to look to the various house renovation and house construction reality TV shows on air these days for advice on creating your dream house with your new home builders. Once you start the process, however, you might find that real life works quite differently to TV-land.
Reality TV shows are all managed by production companies, who have an interest in filming and editing episodes rapidly in order to earn the highest profit possible. This means that the construction periods shown on TV for original houses or grand extensions are usually significantly shortened. The dramatic impact of each 'real' renovation or construction project sure is impressive, all new home builders know that it isn't possible without a lot of extra help.
While the stunning before and after shots enjoyed by the TV audience are definitely possible in the real world, the intervening time will probably be longer and filled with a few more hiccups than many TV shows like to portray. That is if you're watching the feel good genre of reality TV, of course. Many shows like to scare the audience out of renovating for life by giving all the gristly details of disasters experienced by keen amateur renovators.
The truth is that constructing your house is an exciting process, there's no wonder it makes such a great subject for television, and as with all large scale undertakings, along the road there will be some pitfalls and many fantastic moments of achievement.