Can Erin and Ben Napier Save This Crumbling ‘Worst Case Scenario’ Property on ‘Home Town’?
HGTV
On HGTV’s “Home Town,” Erin and Ben Napier are no strangers to helping fellow Laurel, MS, residents restore historical homes, but their latest project gets personal and is unlike anything they’ve ever done before.
In the Season 7 episode “The Heart of Laurel,” the married couple introduce two beloved pillars of their community, Janice and John Hollingsworth (along with one of their nine adult children and two of their 13 grandchildren).
Growing up in Laurel, Erin explains, “Their house was the one that all the kids in the neighborhood thought of as a home. Miss Janice was everybody’s momma. When people speak about the Hollingsworths, they say, ‘That is a family that all of us looked up to.’”
Before: The Hollingsworth family’s home in Laurel, MS, became uninhabitable.HGTV
A couple years back, the Hollingsworths’ four-bedroom, one-bathroom, 1,300-square-foot house was so badly damaged by a tornado that the family has been forced to live in an apartment ever since. But they haven’t lost hope about returning home.
“I’m not sure we’ve ever seen a house in worse condition, but we’re going to try our hardest to to save this house for this family,” Erin says.
After: Erin and Ben Napier bring the Hollingsworth’s home back to life.HGTV
With the help of countless community members—including the mayor, members of the local fire department, and even families who’ve appeared on previous episodes of “Home Town”—the Napiers raise the necessary funds and get to work on this “once in a lifetime opportunity” to give back to a family that’s given so much to others.
Check out how Erin and Ben return the home to its former glory, and let their work be a guide for any living space that needs to be brought back to life.
Always start with safety first
Before: A fallen tree damaged the Hollingsworth’s home during a tornado.HGTV
When it comes to fixing the Hollingsworth’s house, Erin and Ben are faced with serious problems. For one, the couple can’t even do the normal walkthrough with clients to share plans because the structure is not safe.
“A tree fell on the house and destroyed part of the roof, which then leaked inside the house, which then caused rot and mold,” Ben shares.
There’s also extensive termite damage, vines growing inside interior walls, rotten roof rafters, and foundation issues. In short, it’s what Ben calls their “worst case scenario.”
After: Ben and Erin Napier replace many structural elements of the badly-damaged home.HGTV
“We have focused all of our efforts on making the Hollingsworth house structurally sound,” Ben says. That includes leveling up the foundation and bracing every wall, room by room.
It’s a good reminder to address all hazards before beginning or continuing other work.
Design for the life you live
Before: The original 1,300-square-foot home has four bedrooms and one bathroom.HGTV
Another goal is creating a more comfortable space for the Hollingsworth family—especially John, who uses a wheelchair.
The Napiers widen doorways and open up a wall between the dining room and the living room so they can have more room to host large family gatherings.
“It’s going to be good for the way they want to live,” Ben says.
Perhaps the boldest change Ben and Erin make is converting one of the home’s four bedrooms into a large second bathroom, complete with a wheelchair-accessible shower and stackable washer and dryer. Removing a bedroom may go against a widely accepted renovation rule, but in this case, it makes total sense given the payoff in Janice and John’s improved quality of life inside their house.
After: Erin and Ben convert a bedroom into an additional bathroom and laundry area.HGTV
“We think it’d be more valuable to have a bathroom and a laundry room at this stage in your life when you don’t have nine children living in it,” Erin says.
Consider that permission to plan your living space for your specific needs and way of life rather than for a future buyer.
Add a round table to a square room
Before: The dining room is the heart of the home for the Hollingsworth’s large family.HGTV
While crafting a custom dining room table with assistance from the mayor of Laurel, Johnny Magee, Ben shares one of his and Erin’s go-to decorating rules: “When we’re doing a square dining room, we’ll go with a round dinner table.”
However, since the Hollingsworths have such a large extended family, Ben says a circle won’t do. He decides to design an oval table with a removable leaf in the center so that it can accommodate more family members and is “easier to get around the ends in a wheelchair” than it would be if it were a rectangle or other shape.
After: Ben crafts an oval table that can accommodate more family members in the renovated dining room.HGTV
The reveal of the dining room is a “powerful moment” for Janice and John.
Highlight personal artifacts
Ben presents veteran John Hollingsworth with replacement military medals.
Erin and Ben continue to keep the Hollingsworths top of mind while decorating the finished space.
Ben surprises John with a display case of military medals—his had been stolen, so the local veterans museum worked to get the replacements.
“To see those medals back on the wall,” Ben says, “may be better than the house.”
Ben, Erin, and members of the Laurel, MS, community plant a new tree outside the Hollingsworth family home.HGTV
Outside, Erin intentionally leaves the stump of the very tree that fell on the home exposed in the front yard. She explains that before the tree became a source of destruction, it was a source of happiness for Janice, who recalls her children playing underneath it when they were young. The stump stays “because it’s that special to her,” and a new tree is planted nearby for new memories to be made by the grandchildren.
Revive furniture with a fresh coat of paint
Before: The Hollingsworth house is known for its signature blue porch swing.HGTV
Beyond major structural repairs, Erin and Ben give the whole house a thorough aesthetic makeover, from all new exterior siding to fresh coats of neutral-colored paint on the interior walls. The most important upgrade of all, though, may be the family’s “prized heirloom porch swing” that’s been hanging in front of the house for 50 years.
Erin says, “I think it’s incredibly important when the Hollingsworths see this house for the first time that they recognize something from the past. This isn’t going to feel like the home they left unless that porch swing is there and it’s blue.”
She sands it down, paints it a different blue hue that “feels like it’s aged a bit,” and places it back in position. Painting the front door the same blue color creates balance on the porch, and reviving the old swing with new paint strikes just the right emotional tone for the completed renovation.
After: Erin repaints the porch swing and adds additional modular seating for visitors.HGTV
“Our intention with this house, it’s not about making bold choices,” Erin says. “It’s about familiarity and comfort and creating a really perfect canvas for a fresh start.”
No surface was left untouched, but upon seeing the fully restored home, Janice tearfully declares, “We’re home, we’re home! The love is still there.”
The Napiers celebrate the completed Hollingsworth home on the porch.HGTV
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