Home Improvement The Massachusetts native — along with her husband and dad — is somewhat of a home DIY master, and she shared her best tips. Maria Menounos arrives at An Unforgettable Evening on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. Andrew Park

When a pipe burst in Maria Menounos’ Connecticut home a few years back, “the house had to come down to the bones.”

“Fortunately we were able to rebuild it the way we wanted it, which was great. But it was a painful experience, because it took a long time,” said the Medford native. “It’s just never fun when you’re not in control.”

The Emmy-winning TV journalist and personality — seen on “Extra,” “Entertainment Tonight,” “E! News” “The Today Show” and more — splits her time between Los Angeles and Connecticut. The Heal Squad founder and podcast host recently picked up a few home-preparedness prevention tips from hosting Hulu’s “Designed to Last.” 

The four-episode reality-competition show, made in collaboration with American Family Insurance, saw three teams “of home design innovators face off against the worst Mother Nature has to offer.” “Part competition, part science experiment, each episode tests a different element—until one team reigns supreme and wins the $100,000 prize.” Menounos hosted with contractor Eric Eremita and designer Wendell Holland.

Episode one saw teams fortify tiny homes against hurricane-force wind. Episode two was freezing temps and heavy snow. Episode three was driving rains, and episode four took on fire. 

In a phone interview, Menounos shared what she learned from hosting, and talked home renovation tips. Turns out, between her “jack-of-all-trades” dad Costas, her husband Keven Undergaro (they met in Boston) and herself, it’s a DIY-master family.

Maria Menounos at her Connecticut home. – Maria Menounos

In hosting the show, what did you learn about protecting your home fire?

I learned about a Japanese technique of pre-charring walls (Yakisugi) —  pre-charred wood is more resilient to catching fire. So it was a cool design feature, where it looked chic, but also protected the exterior of the home. In terms of design and functionality, I thought that was neat.

… I didn’t know there’s flame-retardant paint, intumescent paint, you can get at most hardware stores.

What about protecting your home from wind?

One team did these sliding barn windows. When wind hit, there was an actuator that would [trip a sensor] to close the barn windows [over the glass windows] for protection. I thought that was cool, instead of having to put plywood on your windows every time there’s going to be a big storm.

Ice and snow? 

One team did these heated misters (tubing under the roofline that sprayed saline mist, diluted so as to not stain the house). One team put heating-coils on the roof, and that worked to help melt.

Rain and floods?

Absolutely unequivocally we should always all have big Tupperware bins under our sink, right below our piping. Because inevitably you’re going to have a leak, and you want that water to be captured so you have a minute to figure out that it happened before it’s everywhere.

The blue team created this H2-No drip pan. [They describe it as a “metal catch pan with a float switch so that when the water comes in, the switch comes up…it closes, stops the flow of water.]  I thought that was neat, because the water actually shut off. It’s one thing to just put a bin under the sink and hope you catch the situation in time — it’s another to figure out a way to shut the water off. 

What’s another general home safety tip that we should always be thinking about?

For moisture, I saw a lot of caulking issues. Melting snow, ice, and rain gets into areas that aren’t caulked properly, so making sure all your windows are really sealed tight, is important.  Also, good drainage systems. Gutters being clear, so that everything can flow out to where it’s supposed to. 

Overall, how did you like hosting a home show?

I loved it. My family has been working on homes our whole lives. My dad was a handyman, he installed carpets and tiles, so I learned how to do a little bit of that with him.

… My dad was a jack-of-all-trades. He and his brother had Brothers Carpet Cleaning, they’d install and clean carpets. They did tile. He’s turning 82 this December. He’s a beast, he can outwork any 20-year-old.

Then with Keven, we just went nuts. We’ve done renovations the entire time we’ve known each other — almost three decades. We’ve been renovating homes and properties —sometimes for us, or for friends— and I’ve learned a lot along the way.  

So I can hang. It was just fun to have that side of me front and center on this show.

@mariamenounos Hey friends, welcome to my crib, aka my new guest house! This space has changed a LOT over the years, it went from being an outdoor kitchen to our gym and now our guest house (if we invite any guests to stay in it, LOL)! Thank you Cynthia @Hotpinkpineapples ♬ Weak for Your Love – Thee Sacred Souls

Is Keven a contractor?

Not officially, but we love it. It’s so fun to see something come together. I loved doing home makeovers on “The Today Show” when I worked there, and it’s no different when I get to see a vision come to life at my home.

And my dad is incredible. When we bought our California house, the realtors told us “Don’t buy it,” because it was too much work. I looked at [Keven and my dad] and said, “Are you guys sure you can do this? Because this realtor thinks you’re nuts.” And they turned it into this beautiful piece of property. They know what they’re doing, they love it.

Your dad lives with you now. What are a few recent projects you’ve done at your New England home? 

We did raised garden beds — that’s been helpful for all of our backs.  We built a studio there, so that I have space to do my shows.  We’re building garages right now. Eventually we want to be fully on the East Coast, so we’re just kind of slowly making our setup back there appropriate for our needs. We added a side garage to our main garage for all of my dad’s tools and lawn mower and such. 

We’re going to build a memorial garden for my mom next to the fruit trees. That’s our next big project.

Keven calls himself the “Regular Guy Contractor.” Have you three come up with creative solutions for problems at home?

Oh my god, consistently. I’m looking now at this berm we built in front of our property in California. We were constantly getting flooded, and all the sandbags [didn’t help.] My dad, being a genius, was like, “Keven, we just gotta build this little berm so the water just goes around, it doesn’t come in.” We built this little drain, and now if there’s heavy rain, it will go out there. We’re always coming up with solutions.

What do you hope viewers get out of “Designed to Last”?

I hope that they have fun watching it. I think it’s inspiring. Come up with an idea, then ask a handyman or contractor for help. Nothing is beyond your imagination.

The interview has been edited and condensed. Lauren Daley is a freelance culture writer. She can be reached at [email protected]. She tweets @laurendaley1, and Instagrams at @laurendaley1.

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