Why Lead Paint Cost HGTV's Dave And Jenny Marrs Thousands Of Dollars
Dave and Jenny Marrs have experience with old homes. As the hosts of HGTV's "Fixer to Fabulous," the design and demolition duo have renovated plenty of residences in the Bentonville, Arkansas area. Thus, they are intimately familiar with everything that comes with timeworn properties, like leaky pipes, lax building standards, and most importantly lead paint. Shockingly, the toxic paint wasn't banned by the government until 1978. Until then, lead-based paint could be used in homes where it could easily chip and flake off, causing health concerns for little ones who might accidentally ingest it.
In 2019, when "Fixer to Fabulous" premiered, the Marrs were just getting started with HGTV, and although Dave had run his own construction company since 2004, renovating older homes was likely still new to him because the Environmental Protection Agency EPA caught wind of some rule-breaking. The government agency released a statement that claimed, "Specifically, Marrs failed to: (1) obtain recertification before beginning renovations, (2) assign a certified renovator to each renovation, (3) maintain records showing their compliance with RRP measures, and (4) perform work in accordance with the work practice standards," on some pre-1978 residences.
In particular, two homes that the Marrs renovated could have produced paint chips and dust riddled with lead, which can cause detrimental, lifelong health defects. As a result, the HGTV stars accrued fines equal to a whopping $35,000.
Fees weren't the only consequences for the couple
After issuing the hefty fee, the EPA wasn't quite done with Dave and Jenny Marrs yet; the agency also requested that the husband and wife team give back for the greater good. The Marrs will need to film a public service announcement about lead paint lasting at least 30 seconds, which, hopefully, shouldn't be a problem for the HGTV hosts. Once completed, the clip will essentially belong to the EPA, who can use it as they see fit and will post it on social media.
Fortunately, the government institution reports that the Marrs have since "pledged to comply in all future renovation activities." Beyond that, they'll even further aid the EPA's Lead RRP Program, which strives to limit lead exposure in pre-1978 homes during renovation, repair, and painting. The Marrs have agreed to speak about the dangers of lead on "one episode in their upcoming season five and two episodes in season six" of 'Fixer to Fabulous.'"
The couple appears to have seriously stepped up their game, but so has the EPA. The Marrs definitely aren't the first HGTV stars to find themselves in hot water with the agency. Other hosts penalized, fined, or warned for lead infractions include Chip and Joanna Gaines of "Fixer Upper." Lead is found on the EPA's high-priority pollutant list, and the agency won't hesitate to do whatever it takes to limit exposure, especially among young children.
It's not the first time the Marrs have been in a bind
Sadly, when you build and renovate homes, especially in the public eye like Dave and Jenny Marrs do on "Fixer to Fabulous," trouble is often just around the corner. Dealing with EPA penalties isn't the first time the couple has faced legal troubles. In 2021, former clients Dana and Tyler Craddock sued Marrs Construction and Marrs Developing LLC after being featured on the show in 2018. The couple claimed the contractor "did not maintain an Arkansas Contractor's License" and "Neither Marrs Developing, LLC nor Marrs Construction, Inc. obtained the required construction-related permits from Benton County, Arkansas for the remodel to occur at the home," according to WJHL.
The Craddocks were highly suspicious of the work performed by the Marrs without these proper certifications and permits allegedly being in place. As a result, it resulted in "affected portions of the Home to be unusable." The former clients also pointed out that the show's policy was to keep them in the dark during all renovations, not allowing them to view the work being done on their home until the big reveal.
The case was dismissed in 2022, only to have another pop up in 2023, this time on behalf of Matthew and Sarah McGrath, who claimed they paid for renovations that were never actually completed. The world of house flipping and renovations can be scary for clients and contractors alike. Hopefully, the Marrs and their former customers can get everything safely straightened out sooner rather than later.