Tamara Day and Dad Ward Schraeder Are the Dynamic Duo Behind 'Bargain Mansions'

When it comes to watching TV, there's very little that's more comforting than the offerings on HGTV. From House Hunters to Flip or Flop to reruns of Fixer Upper, the calm narration and the satisfying before and after footage makes the network a hotspot for people looking for an escape.

Since 2017, Tamara Day has been hosting and designing on Bargain Mansions, which airs on both HGTV and the DIY Network. 

On the show, Tamara and her dad, Ward Schraeder, select sprawling dilapidated homes in the Kansas City area to breathe new life into. Tamara always manages to buy the properties for a low price, and she often selects homes that have fallen apart as a result of an ongoing foreclosure. 

The duo is one of the most beloved on HGTV, and it's no surprise that there's a long family history when it comes to home renovations. 

Who is Tamara Day's dad? Find out more about the Bargain Mansions host below, including her family life, and how she and her dad got into big home renovations in the first place.

Tamara's love for renovating and fixing homes definitely originated from dad Ward Schraeder. Per his website, the handyman's first project was when he helped his father rebuild his grandfather's ranch home in Kansas City. When Ward and wife Trish Schraeder lived in Iowa, they had their kids help them finish a renovation that was started by a professional crew.

Ward explained that toward the end of the renovation, he realized that he could not afford to have an outside crew finish the work. He decided to teach his kids the value of hard work and tricks of the trade, so the family worked on finishing the renovation together on the weekends. 

"Out of sheer necessity, we couldn't afford to have it finished, so I did the painting, basement construction, and decking to finish the home," Ward wrote on his website. 

Once the work was done, Ward realized he had developed a passion for fixing up homes. He subsequently remodeled two other houses in the area. He soon shifted his focus to commercial properties, specifically medical ones. 

Ward's interest in finding diamonds in the rough rubbed off on Tamara. Her experience fixing up her family home and the other buildings on the farm's property as a child encouraged her to pursue big home renovations later. 

She married Bill Day in 2000, who also had a background in home flipping. The couple bought a 5,000 square foot mansion that had been in foreclosure in 2008. After the market crash, they realized that they couldn't afford to have a construction crew come in, so Tamara fixed the home up herself. 

At the same time, she began going to estate sales, and she refurbished many pieces to use in her home. When her passion continued after her home was furnished, she sold pieces and got a loyal following.

Though she might not be picking out the homes to renovate on Bargain Mansions, Trish Schraeder is still a crucial figure for Ward and Tamara. 

Ward and Trish celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary in 2019, and the two are the parents of four children. The two are also the grandparents of nine, which includes Tamara's four kids Nora, Henry, Bobby, and Thomas. 

Unlike her husband and daughter, Trish does not appear to be on social media. Ward and Tamara also don't often post photos with her.

Bargain Mansions airs on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on HGTV.