Along with her mother Karen Laine, Mina Starsiak has become famous for renovating fixer-uppers on the HGTV series ‘Good Bones.’ Viewers get to see Starsiak and Laine throughout the whole process of buying a run-down house, remodeling, the property and then putting it back on the market. The series covers all the highs and lows of this process, and viewers also get a clear insight into both their personal and working relationships. While Starsiak’s profile has been raised due to appearing in this series, there are still lots of things that people do not know about her. Here are 10 interesting things that you didn’t know about Mina Starsiak.
1. She Caught the Property Bug After Graduating
Mina attended Indiana University. After she graduated, she didn’t know what she wanted to do for a career. She needed to pay the bills, so she took a job as a waitress. She wanted to do something that could make her more money, so she paid $37,500 for a rundown house. She got her mom to help her do it up, even though her mom was a defense attorney at that time, says House Beautiful. Buying this first house gave her the property renovation bug.
2. She Remodeled More Than 20 Houses Before HGTV Contacted Her
Starsiak was not new to the property remodeling game when HGTV got in touch with her about featuring in a new property show called ‘Good Bones’. By that time, she had already remodeled more than 20 houses, so she had plenty of experience in the industry. She had been working alongside her mom for more than seven years when they got the call.
3. Her Nickname is ‘The Sieve’
Mina and her mom Karen have given each other nicknames based on their personalities and the way in which they work together. Karen’s nickname is ‘Hippy Dippy’ because she is a bit of a dreamer with lots of creative ideas. This led to Mina getting the nickname ‘The Sieve’. This is because she sorts through all her mom’s over the top ideas to get the best and most practical ones, and she then turns these ideas into actionable renovations that will suit a more mainstream audience.
4. She is Married with a Baby
Mina is married to Steve Hawk. They met through mutual friends on Facebook. Although the pair hit it off straight away, Mina has said that their first date was abysmal. However, it didn’t put them off each other and they were married in June 2016. They have since had a son together, Jack Richard Hawk.
5. She is a Control Freak
Starsiak has described herself as a control freak and she feels the need to plan everything well in advance. She even created a baby registry before she even became pregnant. When her son was born, she realized that she needed to stop being such a control freak all the time. Her mom also advised her that once she became a mom herself, she would just have to live in the baby’s world and not worry so much about planning. However, she still feels the need to spend some time planning so that she can juggle being a mom and having a busy working schedule.
6. She is Passionate About Indiana
Indiana is Mina’s home state and it is where all the properties she renovates are located. She is hugely passionate about Indiana, and she promotes it everywhere she goes. She and her husband are committed to staying in Indianapolis, and she has said they will improve the city one property at a time.
7. She Lives Next Door to Her Mom
As if working together didn’t mean that Mina and Karen already spend far more time together than most moms and daughters, they are also next-door neighbors. Pop Culture says that they deliberately chose to buy houses next door to each other so that they could spend time together when they are not working. As well as being mom and daughter and business partners, the two are also the best of friends.
8. Starsiak Has No Formal Renovation Training
Many people who renovate and flip houses have some training or experience in a specific trade. That is not the case for Mina Starsiak. Neither she nor her mother have any training in a trade, and they are completely self-taught. Whenever they have needed to learn a new school to remodel a house, they have looked up how to do it on the Internet. They have picked up many new skills along the way.
9. Mina Thought the HGTV Call Was a Prank
Appearing on ‘Good Bones’ almost didn’t happen because Mina and her mom thought that the HGTV call was a prank. Apparently, Karen always believed the duo would make great television, and she had even written a let to HGTV a few years earlier to grab the attention of the network. Years had passed and Mina and Karen forgot about the letter. Mina’s cellphone kept ringing from a number she didn’t recognize, and she thought it was someone just trying to get her business information. She was surprised when she realized the calls were from a casting agent and initially didn’t believe they were really interested in her and her mom. Once she realized it wasn’t a joke, she was keen to get started.
10. She Looked After Her Niece for Nine Months
Although Mina Starsiak has a busy working life, she always makes time for her family. They are a very close family and help each other out when needed. When Mina’s sister was going through a difficult time, she took care of her niece, Julie, for nine months. Julie was just two years old at the time. This gave Mina some experience in preparation for becoming a mother herself.Good Bones
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