The Cast of ‘The Brady Bunch’ Reacts to Their Renovated TV Home in ‘A Very Brady Renovation’

The “kids” of the ‘70s show “The Brady Bunch” reunited just in time to celebrate the show’s upcoming 50th anniversary on HGTV’s “A Very Brady Renovation.” They restored their iconic TV home and renewed its interior to make it look like the Brady’s family home.

Back in November 2018, HGTV bought the iconic Los Angeles house for a whopping $3.5 million, outbidding all interested buyers for the $1.89 million-listed property.

Afterward, the network announced their plans to restore the house—which was used only for exterior shots on the show—and renovate its interior to look exactly like the ‘70s set where the Brady family lived most of their adventures.

TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK

HGTV managed to lure the surviving cast members, the Brady kids, to team up with some of the network’s stars. Together, they have been working non-stop to bring the Brady home to life.

Maureen McCormack, Christopher Knight, Susan Olsen, Mike Lookinland, Eve Plumb, and Barry Williams worked side to side with “Hidden Potential” Jasmine Roth; “Property Brothers” twins Drew and Jonathan Scott; “Restored by the Fords” siblings Leanne and Steve Ford; and “Good Bones” Karen E. Laine and Mina Starsiak Hawk.

Fans have been following the renovation project through the digital miniseries “Building Brady,” and some had the chance to help complete the project through “A Very Brady Scavenger Hunt,” which encouraged fans to locate furnishings precisely like those seen in the original show.

“We have watched every episode of The Brady Bunch, paused, screenshot, and most importantly asked the people that would know best—all six Brady kids, to completely recreate the iconic Brady Bunch house,” said Jasmine Roth.

About working with the ‘70s stars, she added:

“We've knocked down walls, shopped for furniture from 50 years ago, sang in the rain, danced to Broadway tunes. I wasn't sure how much they’d want to get their hands dirty, but let me tell you—Marcia can swing a sledgehammer!”

A BRADY RENOVATION

One of the biggest challenges the crew faced was how to include a second floor and stairs in a single-story house without altering the house’s façade.

They came up with an ingenious solution and dug down behind the 2,500-square-foot home to create a 2,000-square-foot addition that held the bedrooms.

"There were no architectural plans left, so they had to figure out the perspectives and the scale by looking at the show," said Plumb.

Each cast member was assigned a room on the house to work on alongside the HGTV experts.

From the kitchen to Mike's den and even the backyard, each team demolished, rebuild, and assisted with the recreation of the iconic rooms down to the smallest details.

Some of the decoration pieces like a curio cabinet, the toaster, and the glass grapes on the coffee table came from fans.

One improvement the crew did was to recreate the fireplace with real stones because, on set, the Styrofoam pieces would fall mid-scene. To achieve an identical fireplace, the Scott brothers projected an image on the wall and then traced every stone piece by piece.

RESTORATION COMPLETE

According to HGTV, the renovation was completed in May 2019.

Although they faced some hardships trying to bring the home to life, once the cast entered the house to see the product of their efforts, they were all speechless.

“I was totally blown away,” Maureen McCormick, who played Marcia, told People. “I felt like I was back at Paramount Studios at stage five, walking in the front door, getting ready to film a scene. I felt Robert [Reed], Florence [Henderson] and Ann B. Davis in that living room so much. I was blown away.”

Lookinland, who gave life to Bobby, added:

“I didn’t anticipate how the whole picture would affect me. It’s not just that the curtains match or that there’s the staircase that everybody recognizes or the perfect fireplace, it’s that it’s all together now again in one place.”

MORE OF THE CAST REACTIONS

On the day of the reveal, not only were the Brady kids and their respective HGTV partners present, but also Llyod Schwartz and Hope Juber—the children of Brady Bunch creator Sherwood Schwartz— and three of Florence Henderson’s (Carol Brady) children.

They all walked in the home together, and Barry Williams, who gave life to Greg, said the experience was “very nostalgic.”

“I felt like a teenager walking in. The memories keep flooding in – episodes, scenes, what happened and what transpired,” he said. “As Maureen pointed out, we can feel the presence of Robert, Florence, and Annie there with us. Maybe they’re seeing it. It’ll be nice for them to enjoy it too.”

Maureen also highlighted how “cool” it was being able to get their hands dirty by building, restoring, and refinishing things in a house that “will be here hopefully forever.”

“Hopefully, this place will survive forever. It’s a part of history,” she added.

The San Fernando Valley home is the second most-visited house in the U.S behind the White House, according to the producers of the show.

HGTV is currently hosting “A Very Brady Contest” where a lucky fan will win the chance to "live like a Brady with a six-night stay at the iconic Brady Bunch house,” plus a cash prize of $25,000.

“A Very Brady Renovation” will premiere on HGTV on September 9, 2019.