HGTV’s House Hunters Films in Woodbury

Photo: Tate Carlson

Justin and Elisha Robson in their HGTV-revamped Woodbury home.

When Justin and Elisha Robson bought their first home in Woodbury, it was captured forever on film for the television show, “House Hunters.” The popular reality program on cable channel HGTV follows homebuyers to potential properties and then reveals their purchase decision.

Justin owns Robson Construction Services; Elisha has an interior design degree and works for Thomasville Furniture. Married in 2008, the couple renovated Justin’s condo in Hastings. The project turned out so well that the Robsons wanted their first house together to be a fixer. “Remodeling is our hobby,” Elisha says. “It’s like owning a boat or a cabin. It’s what we do for fun.”

In late 2010, the Robsons walked into the office of Yocum Real Estate Group of Edina Realty and met realtor Sara Yocum. “We hit it off with Sara right away,” Elisha says. “We told her Woodbury would be ideal for starting a family and being close to work.”

Yocum went to work finding affordable properties worthy of the Robson’s remodeling investment, all the while joking about how cute the Robsons would be on TV. At least the Robsons thought it was a joke until Yocum explained that she knew a producer from “House Hunters” and had been searching for just the right local clients to refer to the show.

“The producer called and we still couldn’t believe it,” Elisha says. “By the end of that phone call, we were booking dates for filming.”

The Robsons first submitted a video of themselves giving a tour of their Hastings condo so the producer could see the remodeling work and how the couple interacts for the camera. Justin’s beautiful construction and Elisha’s bubbly personality were a hit. By December, a film crew from Hollywood was on location in Woodbury—during one of the biggest snowstorms in Twin Cities history.

“The film crew thought our Minnesota weather was insane,” Justin says. “I had to get lunch for everybody because I was the only one with four-wheel drive.” Yocum adds, “It wasn’t a matter of, ‘How does my hair look for TV?’ It was can I even get there?”

There were four days of filming at three potential properties. “We weren’t supposed to look directly into the camera,” Elisha says. “That was hard. It’s such a big lens in your face.” Justin grins and adds, “The camera made me tense. I’d stumble over my words and we’d have to do it over and over.”

Elisha laughs as she recalls the experience. “I thought we were being punked because they wanted to film us five different times walking up to a house and it was snowing hard. Thankfully, the heat was on in that house!”

The Robsons decided on a Woodbury Heights home on a street decked out with enormous amounts of holiday decorations. “I knew I wanted to be on that street,” Elisha says. “Those amazing lights told me that the neighbors are active, outgoing and care about their property.” The floor plan also offered the most potential for creating the custom space the Robsons wanted.

After closing, Justin got to work tearing down walls and ripping up three layers of flooring. They updated every room with new paint and moldings. The new open kitchen space is the crown jewel of their accomplishment. Justin was able to re-purpose all of the oak cabinetry handmade by the home’s original owner. And updated tile flooring makes a beautiful statement to arriving guests.

The “House Hunters” film crew returned in March to film the finished project. “It was fun to see the same people be amazed by our home’s transformation,” Elisha says.

It’s easy to agree with Sara Yocum: The Robsons will be cute on TV. The episode of “House Hunters” is scheduled to air sometime this month.

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For episode information, check out HGTV online.

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