Merritt Island HGTV Dream Home Episode To Air At 1 p.m. Today

By  //  May 27, 2016

HGTV: we go all out to provide inspiration

WOW! David Rennie of Shelton, Connecticut was chosen from more than 127 million entries for the HGTV Dream Home Giveaway 2016. The lucky winner and his wife Margaret were in disbelief when host Brooks and the HGTV production crew ambushed them at their hometown church. (Anders Krusberg/HGTV image)
WOW! David Rennie of Shelton, Connecticut was chosen from more than 127 million entries for the HGTV Dream Home Giveaway 2016. The lucky winner and his wife Margaret were in disbelief when host Brooks and the HGTV production crew ambushed them at their hometown church. Rennie accepted the $1.2 million cash option in lieu of the $1.7 million grand prize, and the house is now up for sale. (Anders Krusberg/HGTV image)

ABOVE VIDEO:  Having the winning entry in the 2016 HGTV Dream Home Giveaway would have been very nice indeed, for the prizes included the beautiful Merritt Island riverfront home complete with private dock and generously sized lot, plus a 2016 GMC Acadia Denali, a boat and $250,000 in cash, all in all a more than $1.5 million prize.

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The 2016 HGTV Dream Home Giveaway Merritt Island house was selected over 100 other candidates for the honor, primarily because of its good bones and, more importantly, because of its location, location, location. (HGTV image)

BREVARD COUNTY • MERRITT ISLAND, FLORIDA – The HGTV Dream Home 2016 episode featuring Merritt Island on Florida’s Space Coast will air at 1 p.m. on Friday, May 27.

Last March, HGTV announced that David Rennie of Shelton, Connecticut had won the HGTV Dream Home 2016 on Merritt Island. Rennie accepted the $1.2 million cash option in lieu of the $1.7 million grand prize, and the house is now up for sale.

Having the winning entry in the 2016 HGTV Dream Home Giveaway would have been very nice indeed, for the prizes included the beautiful Merritt Island riverfront home complete with private dock and generously sized lot, plus a 2016 GMC Acadia Denali, a boat and $250,000 in cash, all in all a more than $1.5 million prize.

The chance of being drawn from the more than 100 million entries expected in the giveaway is, well, more than one in 100 million, but that doesn’t mean the Dream Home can’t still make our life much more pleasant, even if we didn’t win it.

“In designing the home, we go all out to provide inspiration,” said this year’s Dream Home interior designer Brian Patrick Flynn.

Thanks to the Atlanta-based designer, inspiration oozes out of the 90s-era home that HGTV chose to redo for this year’s Dream Home sweeps.

The Merritt Island house was selected over 100 other candidates for the honor, primarily because of its good bones and, more importantly, because of its location, location, location.

HGTV-MERRITT-ISLAND-580-2A long driveway lined with large palms leads to the 3,150-square-foot house with killer views of the Indian River Lagoon.

The house is very special for HGTV, for it marks the 20th anniversary of its wildly popular home giveaway program and is the first remodel – versus new build – the home and garden television giant tackled.

Dream Homes are built in the country’s most desirable locations, so it is not surprising that the Merritt Island Dream Home is the fourth project HGTV tackled in Florida.

Previous Sunshine State Dream Homes were built in Rosemary Beach, Mexico Beach and Islamorada.

Helping the 2016 Dream Home become reality was contractor Steven Price of Steven W. Price Construction in Melbourne. Price was chosen because he specializes in remodeling versus new construction.

“From what it was to what it is, they did an amazing job,” said Price, who was tasked from moving walls and lifting the room to make way for the plans developed by HGTV Dream Home architect Michael Stauffer.

The project broke ground in January, and despite long periods of summer rains that threatened to slow work down, Price and his team delivered the finished product on time.

Flynn, who grew up in Florida and has been in several house projects through “Urban Oasis” and other HGTV programs, had a clear vision of what he wanted for the Brevard Dream Home. It was to be coastal, but with classic flair, a la Hamptons.

Brian Patrick Flynn
Brian Patrick Flynn

The design had to show well in social media, too.

“We aimed for a look that is eclectic and appears as if it was collected from all over the world over a period of years,” said Flynn.

The update, transitional take on Florida style offers casual elegance with a clever play on classic coastal.

VINTAGE SURFER MURAL

The house’s most unique feature, which also securely grounds it to its location, is the vintage 1970s photo mural of surfers off Melbourne Beach.

The giant floor-to-ceiling, 14½ wide and 15 feet long, came from the Brevard Historical Society archives and was printed on the same vinyl material used to wrap advertisement around buses before installing in the living room of the home.

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The house’s most unique feature, which also securely grounds it to its location, is the vintage 1970s photo mural of surfers off Melbourne Beach. (HGTV image)

The view of the Indian River reigns supreme in the design, which replaced ordinary sliders with oversized French doors and windows that frame the living painting that is the river and private dock beyond.

Local craftsman Jim Shepard was assigned the creation of one of the HGTV signature items for every Dream Home, a doghouse that matches the style of the main house.

A directional sign, placed by the dock and pointing to locations of all previous Dream Homes, is another signature piece.

EXTENSIVE USE OF PAVERS

Among the many aspects of the house that should inspire homeowners is the extensive use of pavers from Belgard, including the Lafitt Rustic Slab for the pool deck and walkway.

The pavers feature the look and texture of cut slate with lasting strength and staying power.

Featured in the 2016 Dream House kitchen is the Delta Trinsic kitchen faucet in champagne bronze. Touch technology allows user to activate the flow of water with a simple tap anywhere on the faucet spout, hub or handle.

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A long driveway lined with large palms leads to the 3,150-square-foot house with killer views of the Indian River Lagoon. (HGTV image)

Speaking of touch-free, toilets in the Dream Home are also touch-free, requiring only a wave of the hand to activate a strategically-positioned sensor on the tank to flush.

Twelve different Glidden paint colors were included in the home, and most were chosen to complement, not contrast with the blues of the sky and water.

Although colors are subdued through a large part of the house, Flynn went wild with teal in the bedroom, part of a master suite that features a 10-foot shower, free-standing Roman tub, two balconies and a dressing room.

Flynn consciously selected many of the products for their affordability. Basic and inexpensive subway tile, for example, takes on a high-end look by being placed in a herringbone pattern on the shower.

He mixed and matched fixture to show that chrome can live peacefully with finishes such as oil rubbed bronze. Penny round tiles, also easy on the wallet, were used to accent the bathrooms.

EYE-CATCHING ORGANIC PRESENCE

Although most of the art came from Ethan Allen or was custom-made by HGTV’s own team of artists, some of the pieces were almost found objects, such as a huge piece of driftwood that, sliced in half, presents an eye-catching and organic presence near the guest bedroom.

Any homeowner could replicate the stunning look.

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Featured in the 2016 Dream House kitchen is the Delta Trinsic kitchen faucet in champagne bronze. Touch technology allows user to activate the flow of water with a simple tap anywhere on the faucet spout, hub or handle. (HGTV)

Kitchen cabinets, once all-white, were given visual appeal by mixing dark lower cabinetry with upper cabinets, all from Cabinets to Go, a retailer with a reputation for well-priced products.

A basket weave tile pattern serves as backsplash, and with its combination of dark and light tones, unties the base cabinets with the wall units.

Many will enter the Dream Home giveaway, but only one person will win. However, incorporating the features and ideas found in the house could make all of us winners in our homes.

TO ENTER THE 2016 HGTV DREAM HOME GIVEAWAY, log onto HGTV.com from Tuesday, Dec. 29, through Thursday, Feb. 18. Fans can up their chances of winning by entering daily on the site, as well as at Realtor.com

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Helping the 2016 Dream Home become reality was contractor Steven Price of Steven W. Price Construction in Melbourne. Price was chosen because he specializes in remodeling versus new construction. (HGTV image)
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A directional sign, placed by the dock and pointing to locations of all previous Dream Homes, is another signature piece. (HGTV image)
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MOVING IN: A long driveway lined with large palms leads to the 3,150-square-foot house with killer views of the Indian River Lagoon. The house is very special for HGTV, for it marks the 20th anniversary of its wildly popular home giveaway program and is the first remodel – versus new build – the home and garden television giant tackled. (HGTV image)
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Toilets in the Dream Home are also touch-free, requiring only a wave of the hand to activate a strategically-positioned sensor on the tank to flush. (HGTV image)
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Although colors are subdued through a large part of the house, Flynn went wild with teal in the bedroom, part of a master suite that features a 10-foot shower, free-standing Roman tub, two balconies and a dressing room. (HGTV image)
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The chance of being drawn from the more than 100 million entries expected in the giveaway is, well, more than one in 100 million, but that doesn’t mean the Dream Home can’t still make our life much more pleasant, even if we don’t win it. (HGTV image)
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The chance of being drawn from the more than 100 million entries expected in the giveaway is, well, more than one in 100 million, but that doesn’t mean the Dream Home can’t still make our life much more pleasant, even if we don’t win it. (HGTV image)
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Another HGTV Dream Home signature item is the inclusion of a doghouse created in the same style as the home is decorated. (HGTV image)

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