The Homeowners Show

Craig Williams and Kevin Hackett
  • 4.5 (47)
  • Home & Garden
  • Weekly

The Homeowners Show is a weekly home improvement podcast hosted by Craig Williams and Kevin Hackett. Whether you're a veteran DIYer, a first-time homeowner, or just want to get more out of your house, Craig and Kevin cover home maintenance advice, home repair tips, DIY projects, and how to hire home improvement professionals without getting burned: vetting contractors, reading bids, and knowing when to call a pro instead of doing it yourself. Broadcasting from the Houston area with listeners around the world, the show brings on roofers, plumbers, electricians, foundation specialists, and other home service pros to answer real homeowner questions. Streamed live and published weekly, with more than 350 episodes in the archive. Full transcripts, topic guides, and episode search at homeownersshow.com.

  1. 3d ago

    Home Affordability in 2026

    Craig put together a side by side of 12 housing indicators from 2006 and 2026, and he and Kevin spent the back half of this episode working through what the numbers actually say about home affordability. Before that, football. Texas Tech and A&M both lost, and the guys got into whether the quarterbacks coach matters more than the offensive coordinator, what the move to a 24 team playoff does to the sport, and whether the transfer portal should be capped at one move or two. Kevin laid out the whole Brandon Sorsby situation at Texas Tech, the five million dollar one year deal, the gambling history that Cincinnati made public, the suspension, the injunction he got after a Lubbock judge recused himself, and how he wound up with no season at all once the NFL declined to hold a supplemental draft. Election talk followed. The governor's race, the Senate race, the mailer that arrived addressed to the students in the Williams household, and Matthew McConaughey talking about an independent run in Texas. Then the housing numbers. Homeownership sits at 65 percent now against 68.7 percent in 2006, which puts us in the middle of the last 20 years rather than at a low. The median home price is 417,500 dollars against 221,900 then. Median household income is 87,460 dollars against 48,200 then, so income and price have both roughly doubled. The average 30 year rate is 7.4 percent against 6.41 percent, about a point apart. Monthly principal and interest runs 2,313 dollars against 1,112 dollars. The average first time buyer is 40 years old now, up from 32, and first time buyers make up 21 percent of sales instead of 36 percent. The number Craig thinks explains the most is inventory. There were 3.51 million homes available for resale in 2006 and 1.6 million as of September, roughly a third of the supply. Both hosts put 30 percent of take home pay as the hard ceiling for a mortgage, with 20 percent a smarter place to start, and Craig argued that the same percentage is a bad idea for rent because none of it comes back as equity. He also made the case that younger buyers should be more curious, since builders will often buy down a rate. The last stretch is land. Craig explained what it took to earn a bee based ag exemption on his Montgomery County property, five years of waiting and several thousand dollars out of pocket, why you need six acres rather than five once a house sits on the land, and why buying acreage that already carries a wildlife exemption in another county can be the simpler route. He also talked about reseeding pastures after losing his grass to drought and horses. All of our episodes, shorts and reels are at homeownersshow.com, and shirts are at homeownersshow.com/merch. Buy a Homeowners Show T-shirt: homeownersshow.com/merch Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH4BFMNUMhucjky9o9SWjSA?sub_confirmation=1 Every episode with full transcripts: homeownersshow.com/episodes Facebook: facebook.com/homeownersshow Instagram: instagram.com/homeownersshow X: x.com/HomeownersThe Questions or topic ideas: info@homeownersshow.com Sustained Growth Solutions: a lead generation system built specifically for your business, so you never have to search for leads again. sustainedgrowthsolutions.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  2. Oct 20

    Epic Universe Review, the Red River Upset, and Fixing a Camper AC With AI

    Kevin and Craig are back in the studio after about ten days apart, and they start with college football. Craig lays out Texas A&M's third straight SEC loss, to LSU, Kentucky and Missouri, and argues the offensive coordinator is the part of the problem nobody is talking about. Kevin notes that Texas Tech is the only undefeated Division 1 school in Texas right now and sits at number 10, which leads into a longer back and forth about preseason rankings, the bias baked into them, and the move toward a 24 team playoff. Craig also takes a victory lap for predicting the Red River upset weeks before Oklahoma beat Texas. Kevin officiates Texas high school football, so the second half of the football talk turns into an officiating lesson. He explains why the late no call in the Georgia and Alabama game was pass interference in his view, how conferences give their officials a philosophy on game deciding plays, and the difference between an illegal blindside block and a block in the back, which is a 15 yard personal foul with an automatic first down versus a 10 yard penalty. The conversation then gets serious around the Cornell fraternity story that resurfaced after two years, including the group text, Cornell's response, and whether institutions ever hold the right people accountable. That leads into the planned livestream of a firing squad execution, public punishment as a deterrent, and whether kids should have phones at all. On the product side, the Grill Fighter arrived in the mail. It is a chainmail scraper over a non porous silicone pad with a bottle opener and a hook, and it came directly out of the earlier conversation about wire brush bristles flaking off into your food. A full review is coming. Craig then gives a long trip report. One day at Epic Universe and two days at Walt Disney World. His take on Epic is that it is overrated, with about eight rides worth doing and the whole park finished by two in the afternoon. Isle of Berk is the one world that delivers, the Harry Potter queue beats the ride, and the Dark World ride has an Igor animatronic that just sits there. The Stardust Coasters in Celestial Park, though, he calls the best roller coasters he has ever been on. He also covers the Universal value resort with a separate bedroom and the pool you can hear music in, then Beach Club at Disney, the five minute walk to the International Gateway, how they used the Lightning Lane multi pass, Magic Kingdom knocked out by one o'clock, a ten minute wait for Flight of Passage, Food and Wine Festival, and walking into the new Hurly Burly bar on the Boardwalk the night before it opened. Kevin closes with a repair win from Huntsville State Park. The camper's main cabin air conditioner ran the fan but the compressor never kicked on. He used ChatGPT and a multimeter to test the thermostat, ordered a $30 replacement, had a friend bring it up the next day, and it worked immediately. He and Craig talk about using AI to diagnose a problem before you call a technician, including Craig's smoker rebuild after he pulled the plugs without taking a picture first. Buy a Homeowners Show T-shirt: homeownersshow.com/merch Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH4BFMNUMhucjky9o9SWjSA?sub_confirmation=1 Every episode with full transcripts: homeownersshow.com/episodes Facebook: facebook.com/homeownersshow Instagram: instagram.com/homeownersshow X: x.com/HomeownersThe Questions or topic ideas: info@homeownersshow.com Sustained Growth Solutions: a lead generation system built specifically for your business, so you never have to search for leads again. sustainedgrowthsolutions.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  3. Oct 6

    Euhomy Ice Maker and AquaTru Water Filter: What Craig Learned Using Both

    Kevin Hackett and Craig Williams recorded this one earlier in the day than usual because Craig has a trip coming up. They open with the new website and the newsletter signup at the bottom of the homepage, which emails you the links every time a new episode and the shorts go out, then spend a while on the college football weekend. Kentucky beating A&M 31 to 21 at Kyle Field, whether Marcel has already peaked, the offensive coordinator change after Collin Klein left for Kansas, and a running game that was working until they stopped using it. They also cover Ole Miss over LSU, Trinidad Chambliss, and the Texas Tech and Houston game that came down to a two point conversion the two of them still disagree about. The home product section is built around three things Craig has been using. First, a small rechargeable air gun with a brush attachment, an inflator attachment, three speeds and a USB-C charge, about $35 on Amazon, bought mainly to blow dust off studio gear. Second, the Euhomy ice maker installed at the guest house. It is about the size of a dishwasher, makes 100 pounds of ice a day and holds roughly 30 pounds in the bin, and Craig paid $252 on sale. He hooked it to the old washing machine cold water supply. The two warnings are worth hearing before you buy one. It has no drain pump, so it is gravity fed and the drain never shuts off, which means you either mount it high enough to reach a drain line or you pull the hose and empty it into a five gallon bucket. It is also not refrigerated, so once the ice is made it melts like a cooler. Craig found the lid left open before the show and the whole batch gone. Third is the AquaTru reverse osmosis countertop filter, which the company sent them to try without paying for coverage. It removes microplastics, arsenic, lead and nitrates, the filters last about 24 months, and the water tastes good. The trade offs are the weekly hand washing of both tanks, the counter space it eats, and the capacity. It holds three quarters of a gallon and only about two thirds of what you pour into the fill tank reaches the drinking tank. Kevin looked up the under sink version at $395, which stores 1.7 gallons and makes 54 gallons a day, and they talk about who each version actually suits, including renters who do not want to plumb somebody else's house. The last stretch is well water. A woman Craig rides with lost power in Tomball with a barn full of horses and no generator, which leads to a straightforward point: if you are on a well and you do not have a generator, you do not have water for your house, your toilets or your animals. They finish with the water rumors circulating in Texas, data centers, and where robotics and subscriptions may be headed. Buy a Homeowners Show T-shirt: homeownersshow.com/merch Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH4BFMNUMhucjky9o9SWjSA?sub_confirmation=1 Every episode with full transcripts: homeownersshow.com/episodes Facebook: facebook.com/homeownersshow Instagram: instagram.com/homeownersshow X: x.com/HomeownersThe Questions or topic ideas: info@homeownersshow.com Sustained Growth Solutions: a lead generation system built specifically for your business, so you never have to search for leads again. sustainedgrowthsolutions.com Termisave: warranty your home against the threat of termites. Email info@termisave.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  4. Sep 17

    Inside The Den: Montgomery ISD's Career and Technology Campus

    Kevin Hackett and Craig Williams got a VIP tour of The Den, the career and technology education campus for Montgomery ISD, and superintendent Mark Ruffin walked them through it. The Den stands for Discover, Explore, Navigate. It is a standalone campus that serves students from Montgomery High School and Lake Creek High School, who either drive over or ride a shuttle, and most of the programs run two years and finish with a certification a student can take straight into a job. They go program by program. Law enforcement has situational shooting simulators. Automotive services the district's fleet vehicles and teachers' cars, and it is open to the public for basic work like oil changes and tire rotations. The construction and architecture shop has SawStop table saws and a four by eight CNC, and Ruffin talked about eventually building a small home start to finish. Welding students were running TIG and MIG while the guys were there. The health services wing looks like an emergency room, with about twelve beds, a full size ambulance box, programmable patient dummies, and certifications in phlebotomy, CNA work and even running a gurney. Audio and video production has a full soundstage with wraparound green screens, an isolation room, a news desk with teleprompters and two podcast studios. Engineering and robotics has rows of 3D printers, metal fabrication, a programmable robot arm and three arenas built for robot battles, with camera positions above and a second floor balcony for spectators. Culinary arts is a teaching kitchen with roughly twelve individual stations, each with its own grill, stove and oven, tied to the chef's station by closed circuit TV, and connected through service and dish lines to a restaurant inside the school. Cosmetology has around 30 haircutting stations plus nails and facials, is open to the public on Thursdays and Saturdays, and places students in internships where many start building a client base before they graduate. Every lab has its own dedicated classroom attached to it, and the animal science and agriculture program sits at a separate facility they have not toured yet. Before all of that, the two of them go through the college football weekend, including Texas Tech, Oklahoma's loss to Michigan, Alabama's close call at Kentucky, the Wake Forest and Purdue double overtime, Utah beating Arkansas 43 to 10, and former Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez recording 14 tackles in his Miami Dolphins debut while wearing the green dot. They finish with the Lindsay Clancy trial, the single juror who would not convict, the mistrial that followed, and a conversation about what an insanity finding should mean now that state hospitals are largely gone. That turns into bears, Anthony Hopkins, and a recommendation for the 1997 movie The Edge. Buy a Homeowners Show T-shirt: homeownersshow.com/merch Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH4BFMNUMhucjky9o9SWjSA?sub_confirmation=1 Every episode with full transcripts: homeownersshow.com/episodes Facebook: facebook.com/homeownersshow Instagram: instagram.com/homeownersshow X: x.com/HomeownersThe Questions or topic ideas: info@homeownersshow.com Sustained Growth Solutions: a lead generation system built specifically for your business, so you never have to search for leads again. sustainedgrowthsolutions.com Termisave: warranty your home against the threat of termites. Email info@termisave.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  5. Sep 8

    Ego Chainsaw and Hedge Trimmer Review

    Kevin had a main fork of a big tree break off and land along his property line, and rather than pay a crew for an awkward job he bought an EGO 18 inch battery chainsaw. This episode is the whole story, from ruling out gas to standing in the aisle at Lowe's comparing specs. The show starts on football. Texas Tech against Abilene Christian, the clock review at Michigan that put one second back on and gave Michigan a second Hail Mary, and Kevin's take after 21 years of officiating, including work in the Great American Conference. He reads the Big Ten statement and explains the rule about a ball needing to touch something out of bounds before the clock stops, then says plainly that officials should not change the outcome of a game. They also talk about the LSU eligibility fight, what NIL has done to team loyalty, and their picks for the season. The tool talk is the meat. Kevin ruled out gas quickly because of the fuel and oil mixture, the carburetor gunk after a season sitting, and the pull start. Craig backs that up with a spray rig that would not start on a job site and cost him two hours and a trip to O'Reilly's to buy tools and pull the carburetor apart. Kevin compared the EGO to the Kobalt and found the Kobalt uses an 80 volt battery and costs a hundred dollars less, but its chain speed is 10.5 against 22 on the EGO. He then compared the EGO to a Stihl at the same 18 inch bar. The Stihl engine is 45.6 cc, the EGO is rated at 50, and Stihl does not publish a chain speed. The EGO was 400 dollars on sale with a 6 amp hour battery, and that battery alone is 389 dollars at Lowe's. Tool only on Amazon is 279. He also notes the one real drawback, a battery saw stops when it bogs down instead of trying to push through. Craig talks about running Ryobi on 40 volts across 6 acres with three batteries, why bar length is not the same as power, and why he still mows with gas. He also shares what he and his son are building, a 6 by 12 test cabin to experiment with solar and water collection, and a reframed outdoor kitchen behind the party barn. Kevin closes on the EGO 26 inch hedge trimmer, dual action blades, a 1.2 inch cutting capacity, and a handle that is a trigger all the way around and swivels into five locking positions, 179 dollars tool only. One local note worth having, Lowe's had no gas chainsaw on the floor. For gas, Tractor Supply and McCoy's both carry Stihl, and Tractor Supply usually has someone on staff who can repair it. You can watch the show live on the homepage, sign up for the newsletter and leave a review at homeownersshow.com. Buy a Homeowners Show T-shirt: homeownersshow.com/merch Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH4BFMNUMhucjky9o9SWjSA?sub_confirmation=1 Every episode with full transcripts: homeownersshow.com/episodes Facebook: facebook.com/homeownersshow Instagram: instagram.com/homeownersshow X: x.com/HomeownersThe Questions or topic ideas: info@homeownersshow.com Sustained Growth Solutions: a lead generation system built specifically for your business, so you never have to search for leads again. sustainedgrowthsolutions.com Termisave: warranty your home against the threat of termites. Email info@termisave.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  6. Sep 1

    Flock Cameras, Property Taxes, and Jessi Cowart for Texas House District 15

    Craig and Kevin have a guest in the studio this week: Jessi Cowart, a lifelong Montgomery County resident from Oak Ridge North who is running for Texas House District 15 as a Libertarian. The seat is open because Steve Toth is running for Congress, and Jessi says that if she wins she would be the first Libertarian ever seated in the Texas House. She came across our radar after our last conversation about Flock cameras, and she has plenty to say about them. First, civil asset forfeiture, which she calls legalized theft. Under the way Texas law is written the property itself becomes the defendant rather than the person, the burden of proof is almost nonexistent, and getting your property back is incredibly difficult even when you are never convicted of anything. Reform bills get filed every single legislative session and die every single session, and she puts that down to law enforcement lobby money rather than any real disagreement, since the Republican, Democrat, and Libertarian platforms in Texas all say they want it ended. Then the cameras. Jessi announced this week that she has drafted the Texas Automatic License Plate Reader Prohibition Act, an outright ban on government use of automatic license plate readers with anti-circumvention language in it. If she is elected on November 3rd, bill filing opens November 9th, and she says this is her first order of business. Her Fourth Amendment argument is not about one license plate seen in public, it is about the aggregate: a searchable database of where you live, where you work, where you worship, and who you associate with. We also get into The Woodlands Township unanimously approving $109,000 for 30 more cameras in December, with roughly $90,000 a year in ongoing cost after that, and the separate $50 million agreement to permanently end the City of Houston's right to annex the community. The longest stretch is property taxes, and she brought the math. Use the state budget surplus, which was running $27 to $28 billion at the start of last session and does not count the rainy day fund, to buy down school district M&O tax debt. Put real spending caps on local government, because Texas has five spending limits on the state and none at all on cities, MUDs, and school districts. Cut things like the $1.5 billion committed over ten years to Hollywood filmmaking in Texas. Then shift what remains toward sales tax without raising it astronomically. She thinks elimination in five years is realistic. Kevin tells the story of buying a house from an older woman who had a 65 and over exemption, and getting handed roughly $5,000 in back taxes two years later. We close on homeowner ground: why the median age of a first time buyer is now 40, why Jessi wants more small starter homes, duplexes, and condos rather than the same single family build on every parcel, her idea for a permit clock so permitting delays stop getting priced into every new house, why developers rather than existing taxpayers should pay for new development, and Craig's 25 year old employee in downtown Conroe who lined up three roommates before he closed on his first house. Jessi Cowart is on Facebook, Instagram, and X, and her campaign site is cowartfortexas.com Every episode with full transcripts: homeownersshow.com/episodes New episodes every week. Rate and review wherever you listen. It genuinely helps. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  7. Aug 27

    Brooklyn Bedding & Dolly Parton

    This episode of the Homeowner's Show tackles a tricky refrigerator repair with a surprise twist, sharing valuable lessons about appliance parts and the importance of having the right tools. We also dive into common ice maker problems and the challenges of plumbing repairs, highlighting why proactive home maintenance is key. Plus, we celebrate the incredible life and legacy of the one and only Dolly Parton, sharing favorite songs and reflections on her lasting impact. We're thrilled to unveil our completely redesigned website, HomeownersHow.com! Now you can easily find past episodes, search for specific topics, and even interact with us live. Don't miss out on our new newsletter to stay updated on all things Homeowner's Show – sign up today! And if you're in need of a great night's sleep, check out our sponsor, Brooklyn Bedding, for comfortable and affordable mattresses. #HomeownerTips #ApplianceRepair #RefrigeratorRepair #DIYHome #PlumbingTips #DollyParton #HomeImprovement #HomeMaintenance #Podcast #NewWebsite #BrooklynBedding Buy a Homeowners Show T-Shirt! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel The Homeowners Show Website The Homeowners Show Facebook Page Instagram @homeownersshow Twitter @HomeownersThe Info@homeownersshow.com Sustained Growth Solutions – Design a lead generation system specifically for your business so that you never have to search for leads again! We are a full digital marketing agency. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  8. Aug 20

    Top 5 Most Abandoned Cities

    This episode of The Homeowner Show dives into a wide array of current events and hot topics. Hosts Kevin Hackett and Craig Williams kick things off by discussing the sweltering heat and its impact on outdoor work. They then transition into a detailed breakdown of the recent Candace Owens and Andrew Wilson debate, analyzing the claims made and the broader implications of such online discussions, particularly concerning their significant viewership and the nature of their content. The conversation then shifts to economic and social trends, including a report on home builders starting to cut prices and offer incentives, a stark look at the average annual cost of home maintenance, and the surprising rise in HOA fees. They also delve into data about the top five cities people are exiting in 2025, with a focus on the reasons behind these population shifts, such as housing costs and quality of life. Finally, they touch upon the literary world, debating the merits of classics and the importance of reading, before wrapping up with a discussion on the growth of certain cities and the changing landscape of homeownership. Buy a Homeowners Show T-Shirt! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel The Homeowners Show Website The Homeowners Show Facebook Page Instagram @homeownersshow Twitter @HomeownersThe Info@homeownersshow.com Sustained Growth Solutions – Design a lead generation system specifically for your business so that you never have to search for leads again! We are a full digital marketing agency. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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4.5
out of 5
47 Ratings

About

The Homeowners Show is a weekly home improvement podcast hosted by Craig Williams and Kevin Hackett. Whether you're a veteran DIYer, a first-time homeowner, or just want to get more out of your house, Craig and Kevin cover home maintenance advice, home repair tips, DIY projects, and how to hire home improvement professionals without getting burned: vetting contractors, reading bids, and knowing when to call a pro instead of doing it yourself. Broadcasting from the Houston area with listeners around the world, the show brings on roofers, plumbers, electricians, foundation specialists, and other home service pros to answer real homeowner questions. Streamed live and published weekly, with more than 350 episodes in the archive. Full transcripts, topic guides, and episode search at homeownersshow.com.

Information

  • Creator
    Craig Williams and Kevin Hackett
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    364
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2019 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Homeowners Show