Bryan Baeumler is just an everyday handyman who rose to fame accidentally while looking to promote his construction business, and now he’s one of HGTV’s biggest stars! The television host is best known for his roles on popular series like Disaster DIY, Leave it to Bryan, and more recently, House of Bryan. Even though fans of the Home & Garden channel get to watch him on their TV screens on a regular basis, not much is known about his personal life off-screen. We’ve decided to dig up a few fun facts and compile a list of 10 things you probably didn’t know about HGTV star, Bryan Baeumler!
10. High School
Bryan Baeumler is a handyman at heart, and he’s always been that way! He spends his days working on his feet, out in the field. In an interview with HGTV, he said even when he was a kid at school he dreamed of working outside. He never enjoyed the idea of having to sit inside and learn what he needed to to succeed in life from a textbook. “I used to stare out the window a lot at the maintenance guys and wish I could be out ad working. Honestly, I’d always look out the window and wish I could go out there with those guys and cut down the trees, drive the tractor. Stuff like that,” he said.
Source: Bryan Baeumler Instagram
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9. First Job
Baeumler has always been drawn to the kind of jobs that take him outdoors; in fact, his first job was working on a farm! “The farmer behind us hired me to drive the tractor in bailing season. I was too short to reach the peddles on the tractor, so he’d get it in gear and I would be on the tractor, and just be going real slow. He’d point to the bales and the older kids would put it on the trailer. Every now and then, they wouldn’t get to one, and I would run over a bale, I didn’t know how to stop or anything. I just knew how to steer,” he said.
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8. Hidden Talent
You’d think one of Bryan’s hidden talents would have something to do with construction or tools, but fans would be surprised to learn that he’s actually quite musically talented! Not only is he a pretty good singer, but he can also play the flute! “I’m actually, surprisingly, a pretty good singer. I got a Karaoke machine for Christmas, and I’ve been practicing. Believe it or not, I’m pretty good at the flute. I went up to Grade 10 conservatory on the flute. At the music festivals, all the guys would make fun of me for playing the flute. All the guys, sitting together playing their oboes and clarinets would sit there and go, ‘What a loser playing the flute.’ And I’d be sitting there with 20 girls, going, ‘Oh ya? I’m a loser?'” he joked.
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7. He Hates the Phone
Bryan admits that he can be a little hard to get a hold of, mainly because he hates answering the phone or calling people back. In an interview with HGTV, he was asked what one thing was he could live without and his number one was the telephone. On that subject he revealed that he only likes when people text him, not call or email. “Apart from my family, I think I could live without anything, really. I’d like at least a flint and a rock. You know what’s one item I could live without? Email or voicemail. I don’t even check my email, I don’t care. If you phone me it goes to voicemail and says, ‘Do not leave me a message, send me a text,” he said.
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6. First Car
One of the things Baeumler is most proud of is his first car! From his description of it in an interview, it seems like he was quite attached to that Toyota 4Runner: “My first car was a 1989 Toyota 4Runner with the whole back lid that came on, and big tires on it, and lights on the thing. I t was really cool. I was that guy,” he said.
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5. Roots
Bryan grew up in Oakville, Ontario, attended Applyby College and studied political science and business at Western University. He got married, settled down and started an airline cargo company, but wasn’t fulfilled. So he quit, took some courses at George Brown College and started working as a handyman. “It wasn’t new ground for me. I grew up around tools. My dad built airplane parts and he was always handy. At 14, I formed a company with some friends called the Moon River Handymen and we worked the summers in Georgian Bay doing all kinds of jobs. It was something I loved and that I was good at. My dad taught me a lot, and he still shows up and helps out,” he said.
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4. He Loves Living in the Country
In the latest installment of House of Bryan, viewers got to watch him and his family build their dream home out in the country. In an interview with Hoss magazine, he said adjusting to country life wasn’t hard for him. “I grew up outside the city and I had thousands of acres of farm fields around my home.” It’s also been a great change for his family: “When we lived in town, it was too easy to run out to the store, go out to a carbon copy restaurant with saucy mediocre defrosted food, or pop back into the office after hours to finish up a bit of work. You’d be amazed how many things we ‘think’ we need that aren’t mission critical to everyday life. Now, work stays at the office, and we spend more time as a family eating home cooked (and much healthier!) meals, playing outdoors or exploring nature together. Our kids will choose a few hours running around outside playing together or chasing squirrels over their iPads, which I think is great,” he said.
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3. He Never Planned to be on TV
Today, he’s an HGTV star and celebrity who rose to fame by starring on his own DIY shows like Leave it to Bryan and Disaster DIY, but according to Bryan, he never wanted to be famous. In fact, he still finds it odd when he’s recognized by strangers or referred to as a celebrity: “To be honest, I never planned on being on television. Part of my marketing plan for my construction company was to offer free construction labor to a production company for a couple of months in exchange for advertising — it turns out they were looking for someone to host the show, and I guess they picked me! Disaster DIY and LITB were easy to develop — I love helping, teaching people, and sharing tips and tricks that make people’s lives easier and safer around their tools and homes,” he said.
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2. How He Met His Wife, Sarah
Bryan and Sarah have known each other since high school! They didn’t date back then, but were friends and kind of stayed in touch for the following 10 years after they both graduated high school, through university and post-graduate programs. The now reality stars were connected again in 2001 when they both shared an email that sparked up new conversation between the two. They decided to reunite over coffee after work one day — and the rest is history!
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1. How He Proposed to Sarah
On HGTV Bryan is the knight in shining armor, and can pretty much fix any problem that comes his way — but when it comes to planning a romantic evening with his wife, some things are just out of his control! Sarah opened up to Post City in an interview to share the story of how Bryan (almost) proposed: “Bryan and I were visiting his family out east in Nova Scotia. He had planned to propose while we were on this beautiful scenic hike beside the ocean. The views and scenery are usually breathtaking. However, on this particular day it was so foggy you could hardly see 20 feet in front of you. We ended up heading home and, on our way back, got a flat tire! Needless to say, it wasn’t the romantic journey Bryan was expecting, so he waited until later that night to pop the question,” she said.