Ty Pennington

As new homeowners and longtime residents with fixer-upper projects have discovered, Ty Pennington is quickly becoming one of the most popular resources in America for accessible, comprehensive home project planning. He offers advice on maintenance and renovation, publishing Ty’s Tricks in 2003 and hosting and developing several popular home maintenance television programs. As a TV host and personality, Ty Pennington incorporates interesting human drama concepts into home-changing renovation projects—a format that has made Ty a big success.

As former host of “Trading Spaces,” Ty Pennington oversaw couples and families that traded homes with one another, with the goal being for each couple to build the other’s dream home. Most of those involved were pros or skilled amateurs, but even so the show’s interest was generated by the near disasters and down-to-the-wire finishes that great reality TV is made of. Pennington has continued with the concept of refurbishing ordinary people’s homes while educating his audience, this time with the hit show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”

Ty Pennington was born October 19, 1965 in Atlanta, Georgia, where he spent his formative years. Ty had a difficult time in school, although by the time he finished college he was balancing careers as a carpenter and model while working as a designer and artist. In addition to his numerous television endorsements, his deal with Sears has him working hard to develop stylish, long-lasting home goods—rather than just rubber-stamping someone else’s work.

He has struggled with ADHD his entire life, and has done work promoting awareness and medication for the condition. His diverse range of skills has allowed him to take on his current job, which requires him to quickly design and help build interiors for homes, all the while offering laid back charm and quick humor to his growing television audience. Fans agree, he gets the job done.