When HGTV asked John and Whitney Spinks to reprise last summer’s “Flipping the Block” success, the couple was particularly excited by one part it.
The new show would be filmed in their hometown of Jacksonville. The show follows a San Marco flip with potential for an update but a hidden problem in the roof.
It follows the usual formula of whether the home will sell without losing money. But this time instead of seasoned pros, viewers follow the angst of young entrepreneurs struggling to launch their business.
The pilot for “Florida Flippers” aired June 21. For those who missed it, HGTV will re-run the episode up to eight times.
If it gains traction, Jacksonville’s favorite young-couple-makes-good renovation team could film 12 more episodes and their hometown could have its first reality TV series.
John Spinks said he liked the chance to pitch Jacksonville. “Shows like this usually happen in Orlando or Miami,” he said.
With beaches at one end and historic district revitalization at the other, the city made good fodder for TV renovation drama, the couple said.
Last summer the couple won hearts as the underdogs on “Flipping the Block,” a show where four teams competed to earn the most money rehabbing and selling identical units in a condo complex.
Where other contestants already had their construction-design businesses up and running, the Spinkses had their dreams.
Whitney Spinks was a financial analyst aspiring to become an interior designer.
John Spinks was finishing a construction project management degree and hoping to move into renovation. They were the team to root for.
“We heard from a lot of people that they thought we were the most relatable,” Whitney Spinks said.
Since finishing the series, the couple has launched 27 South Design Group, casting their sights in a couple of directions. They’ve picked up remodeling and design contracts, opened a home décor resale shop and scoured the market for homes to flip.
Television fame brought unusual opportunities. Since last summer the couple has appeared across the country as paid guest speakers for home and garden expos.
HGTV didn’t pick out the San Marco house for “Florida Flippers” or help fund the deal, Whitney Spinks said.
“It was just like anybody else who wasn’t doing a show,” she said. “It’s, ‘how did we come up with the money to do that?’”
Beyond their personal story, the couple claims an interesting market niche.
It’s not a fix-it-up-and-paint-it-beige rehab.
They renovate with an eye to design, keeping the 1944 home’s original hardwood floors and oak trim and opting for level-four quartzite countertops rather than level-one granite.
“A lot of people our age are extremely educated and they’re upset when they’re given things like look-alike entrances to a house,” Johns Spinks said.
There’s an emerging market of people who are willing to pay a little bit more for unique features, he said.
Look for “Florida Flippers” on HGTV. And, if the series doesn’t get picked up, look for the Spinkses to keep flipping homes anyway.
“We do this because we love it,” Johns Spinks said. “It really is us.”
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