What Bryan And Sarah Baeumler Were Doing Before Renovation Island

Bryan and Sarah Baeumler have captured the nation's imagination with their new HGTV show, Renovation Island, which sees the ambitious couple renovating a neglected holiday resort in the Bahamas, and turning it into a must-visit destination for adventurous travelers like themselves. The Baeumlers spent an impressive amount of money on making their dream a reality, and watching them struggle as everything that could possibly go wrong does, has proven to be quite addictive for fans of the home renovation network.

However, although Bryan and Sarah Baeumler might be newcomers to American audiences, in their native Canada, they're basically Chip and Joanna Gaines. Renovation Island isn't their first project — far from it — and Bryan in particular is a stalwart of HGTV Canada. According to a press release, their gut feeling about making things happen in the Bahamas might have led them to taking the biggest risk of their lives, but there was a whole lot going on with this couple before their big move even happened.

Bryan Bauemler became one of HGTV Canada's go-to onscreen handymen following stints on the likes of Leave It to Bryan, and Disaster DIY (via iMDb). His wife Sarah, who has a knack for design that complements his DIY know-how, joined forces with him on subsequent series House of Bryan, Home to Win, and, naturally, Renovation Island — known as Island of Bryan up north (via iMDb).

The couple actually met in high school but didn't date, instead staying in touch for the following decade before they finally got it together in 2001 — once college and their post-graduate programs were done. Their first date was in Toronto where, as Sarah recalls, Bryan took her to see a production of The Lion King, followed by a romantic sushi dinner (via TRNTO).

He proposed in Nova Scotia, during a trip to see his family, and the couple tied the knot in Toronto in 2004, with their honeymoon taking place in Las Vegas. Four children followed (two boys and two girls). No matter how busy they get, family comes first, with Sarah telling TRNTO, "We love what we do, and we work hard so we can enjoy time with our family and watch the kids grow up."

As noted by Ottawa Citizen, season 1 of Island of Bryan was the highest-rated HGTV series in Canada, adding to the already-established Baeumler brand. But the couple aren't just reality stars; they have other business interests, too. "All of our businesses in Canada are still going as well, and that's been part of the balancing act," Sarah admitted. As Bryan explained, their development company, Netzero, aims to redefine the term "house proud." Naturally, retirement isn't something these two are even considering.