Life is busy. No matter who you are there will just never be enough hours in the day. Despite that being the case, it doesn’t seem to stop Scott McGillivray from trying anyways. Between filming a television series, renovation rental properties and raising a beautiful family, Scott never seems to stop. Recently, we got the chance to sit down and ask, what’s new with Scott McGillivray?
Read on to find out what Scott’s been up to and catch him alongside Debra in Scott’s Vacation House Rules on Home Network. Stream Live or On-Demand with STACKTV. Try it free today!
An Evolving Industry
With so many years of experience in the renovation world, Scott has seen pretty much everything. We wanted to know what changes to that industry have surprised him the most.
“In general, I would say the fundamentals have remained fairly consistent. I think technology has been the fastest mover. Homes are getting a lot smarter. The way that we wire them, plumb them, set up cameras, we really need to plan ahead (especially with investment properties) so that people can access their properties remotely.” We’ve certainly enjoyed seeing these new technologies incorporated into all of Scott’s stunning vacation house builds.
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Work/Life Balance
“I wouldn’t say that I am the person to consult when it comes to balancing work and life. I can tell you how mine is. Planning ahead is the way that I get through it, I have a calendar that is booked pretty much six months out. You need to make sure that as a family, everybody knows the assignment and everybody is on board. It’s a lot of preplanning and making sure that you protect personal time. Don’t put yourself last, you’ve got to put yourself first.”
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Scott’s Workout Routine
We wanted to know how Scott stays fit and active, whether he has a routine or really is getting it all done on demo days. “There was a period in my life, just before I had kids, where I would workout in the morning. That’s never coming back. Now, I work out in the evenings. I’ll try to workout right before dinner, I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing. For me, working out is an energy and stress release. I like to feel strong and with the job I have, you have to maintain a certain level or you won’t be able to complete the work.”
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Down Time
We asked what his days off look like lately. “I wouldn’t say that I have days off or that I have work hours. If I need to send an email at midnight, I’ll send it at midnight. Recently I took my family to Disney. We went for four days. It was amazing, we did all the things, planned it all out, there was a couple times where the kids waited in line and I sent a couple emails, but I was fully invested while I was there, and we had a fantastic time. It’s a balance for sure.”
Read more: Tour the Winning Cabin of Renovation Resort Season 1
Upcoming Travel Plans
“I am going fishing for a weekend. That’ll be coming up at the end of February. I have a ski trip. Actually, I have a work trip, and I’ve tacked on two days to go skiing. I love skiing and fishing, so I’ve got those coming up. Then I’ve got a trip to New York with the family. I don’t do a week or two weeks; some people go away for two weeks, that would give me so much anxiety that I would probably explode. I can do a long weekend, that to me is a full vacation.”
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Bringing Work Home
With the huge number of projects and renovations he takes on, we wanted to know if there were any builds that made him think ‘wow, I need to do that in my home.’
“Well, doing vacation house rules and helping people with vacation properties, that turned into me buying my own vacation property. I was like ‘I can’t do this anymore, I need my own.’ So, I think doing that show was a lot of inspiration.”
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What’s Worth Saving For?
So much of what Scott does is educating and empowering others financially. Since he’s an expert on helping others make money, we wanted to know what he thinks is worth spending money on.
“I don’t like spending money; I like investing money. Buying a boat, not a great investment but great return on lifestyle. You never have a bad day on a boat. I’ll tell you one thing, as soon as you go on a boat you forget how much you spent on it.” Scott’s right, all big purchases should have a return on investment. Sometimes that return is joy and memories. We think that’s the best investment anyone can make.
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Designer Dad
Scott has two growing girls and if one thing is true about children as they get older, it’s that they develop their own tastes. We asked if the girls had started to design their own spaces or if he was still the design expert at home. “My girls are now eleven and twelve years old and their bedrooms are the ones we built for them eight years ago, so they were little kids. We’re now getting to the tipping point where they have some ideas. Now, the good news is they still know that I am gatekeeper of executing idea. They go online and put their vision boards together and keep a little list of things they like. They have their ideas and plans but they’re still good about coming to me and saying how are we gonna get this done?”
Check out: 10 Dreamiest Bedrooms From Scott’s Vacation House Rules
Good Eats
As passionate as we all are about design, we’re equally as invested in good food. We wanted to know, If Scott had to choose his dream meal these days, what would it be?
“I’m probably going to have to do a nice tomahawk steak with, I know this sounds terrible, brussels sprouts. Gimme some brussels sprouts. But, before I eat that, I need a caesar salad. Caesar salad, brussels sprouts, asparagus, tomahawk steak, piece of cheesecake, take me out. Done.” There you have it, a man of taste.
See more of Scott in Renovation Resort and Scott’s Vacation House Rules on Home Network. Stream Live or On-Demand with STACKTV. Try it free today!
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