6 strange & spectacular homes in Michigan that were featured on HGTV

Need an excuse to watch more HGTV? Flip on the television and check out six HGTV programs that feature houses or properties in Michigan.

If you’re an HGTV fan, you know the drill: You sit down to watch one (really, just one!) episode of “House Hunters” during your lunch break. Before you know it, the sun has set, your children are asking when dinner will be ready, and you have successfully neglected all personal and professional obligations for over six hours to yell at onscreen home-seekers who demand WAY more closet space than their budget allows.

Every now and then, a Michigan property pops up during “House Hunters” or another one of HGTV’s many renovation, design, or architectural appreciation programs—and there’s something so fun about combining the simple pleasures of HGTV with the familiarity of home. If you haven’t checked them out already, here are seven homes in Michigan that have been featured on HGTV. Consider this an official sign to jumpstart your next binge-watching session.

1. Ransom Gillis House: Featured on “Rehab Addict”

205 Alfred Street, Detroit

If you’ve driven down Alfred Street in Detroit, you might have spotted the Venetian Gothic beauty of the Ransom Gillis House, which has stood since 1878. In 2015, it was the subject of an episode of HGTV’s “Rehab Addict,” which is exactly what it sounds like: a show dedicated to rehabbing defunct or abandoned properties. Host Nicole Curtis walked viewers through the renovation and restoration process of the Ransom Gillis House in an eight-part series, with breathtaking results.

Fixes included a brand-new turret roof, customized stained glass windows modeled after the originals, stunning tile details throughout, front porch detailing, and magnificently restored hardwood floors, just to name a few. Today, the house is occupied by tenants, but passersby can admire its exterior beauty.

2. Carpet Castle: Featured on “Ugliest House in America”

Jenison

Being featured on HGTV doesn’t automatically mean that a house is beautiful, and exploring Michigan’s more unique homes is just as enjoyable. Fan favorite “Ugliest House in America,” hosted by comedian Retta, takes viewers across the country in pursuit of (you guessed it) America’s ugliest home.

Season six highlights the so-called Carpet Castle in Jenison, a riverfront abode whose walls, floors, and even ceilings are covered in carpet. Despite its unassuming 1920s exterior, the house was deemed ugly enough to advance to the show’s next round of competition.

3. SS Huronia House: Featured on “Ugliest House in America”

Augres Ave., Au Gres

Michigan’s maritime heritage is an undeniable point of pride here in the Great Lakes State (famous shipwrecks and all). Our region’s passion for boats made its way onto “Ugliest House in America,” though we think the home in question isn’t so much ugly as it is wildly unique.

The SS Huronia is a house designed to look like a boat, complete with five bedrooms (two of which look like crew quarters), four bathrooms, a smokestack, and—most delightfully—views of Point Lookout, the meeting point between Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron. It’s hard to imagine a home more perfectly suited to a Michigan maritime fanatic.

4. UFO house: Featured on “Ugliest House in America”

Clark Road, DeWitt Township

Here’s another entry from the “not-so-pretty houses” category: a UFO-shaped home near Lansing that also made an appearance on “Ugliest House in America.” Fans of all things extraterrestrial might disagree with its “ugly” reputation, but Retta and her team aren’t so sure about the home’s inconvenient round design and rubber roof. With a bit of sprucing, though, we’re certain that the UFO could make an out-of-this-world place to call home.

5. 1920s Tudor: Featured on “House Hunters”

Grosse Pointe Park

Of course, no HGTV list would be complete without a “House Hunters” mention. A Season 227 (yes, there are more than 200 seasons) episode of the show featured young homeowners searching for their dream house in Metro Detroit.

The program highlighted three houses in Grosse Pointe Park, including a stunning Tudor on Bishop Road that serves as a dreamy representation of the Motor City’s expertly designed houses from the 1920s. Home-buyers Alexa and Dan ultimately opt for a more traditional Cape Cod, but the episode offers viewers a fun glimpse into a slice of Detroit’s architectural history.

6. Detroit’s hidden gems: Featured on “Bargain Block”

Multiple properties

“Bargain Block” doesn’t just feature one Michigan home. Instead, the series follows hosts Evan Thomas and Keith Bynum as they thoughtfully restore some of Detroit’s poorly maintained houses into charming, move-in-ready homes. Since it premiered in 2021, the show has highlighted some true hidden gems in the Motor City, including two delightful residences on Santa Rosa Drive.

Who knows? Perhaps you’ll fulfill the ultimate HGTV fan’s dream by moving into one of the network’s professionally designed homes.