Minnesota sisters Lindsey Uselding, Kirsten Meehan launch new HGTV renovations show
MINNETONKA, Minn. -- A pair of Twin Cities sisters have been responding to flood, fire and storm damage emergencies together for a decade.
Now, HGTV is following along as they help homeowners in their time of need with recovery and restoration work.
Lindsey Uselding and Kirsten Meehan compare their personalities to a mullet.
"Lindsey is business upfront, and I am free-flowing party in the back," Kirsten said.
Lindsay and Kirsten are the type of personable and funny experts HGTV looks for in its unscripted series. The sister act tackle emergency restoration and recovery projects for homeowners dealing with disasters on their new primetime show, "Renovation 911."
Growing up in Edina, Lindsey and Kirsten have always been best friends.
"We shared a room even if we had like another room, we wanted to share. We went to college at the same place, we came back, we had to live near each other, so we've always just been very close," Kirsten said.
After college at UW-Madison, they went on different career paths. Kirsten went into the family restoration business, Ungerman, while Lindsey spent 12 years in corporate America at Target. Then came an offer.
"My dad had an opening and he's like, 'Would you ever come to this side, into small business?'" Lindsey said.
She made the leap, and a few years later bought his portion of the company, which she now co-owns with her sister and Ron Ungerman.
The road to HGTV started when a friend from high school happened to know a show producer and made a pitch.
"She said, 'Just have them start filming on their cellphones,' so we filmed ourselves, our colleagues filmed us," Kirsten said.
Eventually, they were asked for a demo reel. Two years later, a pilot. It tested so well that it was immediately ordered to series.
The first season features eight episodes which each highlight two projects, including the work at the home of their business partner Ron and his wife Sonia. The roof of their Minnetonka home suffered from ice dams, resulting in water damage in the kitchen, bathroom and den.
While Lindsey and Kirsten are the restoration and design stars, they proudly share the screen with their home.
"Minnesota is an actual character in the show," Lindsay said.
"Every season is highlighted because we film for a really long time. People aren't just gonna see that we're a frigid abyss, they're gonna see a beautiful, you know, lake-filled state," Kirsten said.
"Renovation 911" airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on HGTV. Episodes can also be streamed on Discovery Plus.
Lindsey and Kirsten also have started a company called "Practical Home" that offers savvy solutions for home maintenance and design.
