It’s probably no surprise to HGTV fans that Dave Marrs is the kind of dad who’s eager to help his five kids discover their gifts and interests right in their own backyard — and that he’s just as passionate about helping other young people do the same.
Marrs renovates homes on “Fixer to Fabulous” with his wife Jenny, focusing mainly on properties near their family’s Arkansas farm. Concerned about the rapidly declining workforce in the trades that they rely on, from plumbers to electricians to carpenters, Marrs started a weekly social media check-in called “Shop Talk” to, in part, encourage young people and their families to consider the trades as they plot out their futures.
“I read an article the other day that the average age of HVAC technicians is 58 years old,” he recently told EntertainmentNow. “That’s a big problem.”
In his latest Shop Talk episode on February 15, 2026, Marrs talked about prioritizing family over work, sharing how precious his time is with Jenny and their kids — Luke, 6, Charlotte, 11, Sylvie, 14, and their twin boys Nate and Ben, 15. But helping their kids eventually find work that they love and contributes to the world, he told EntertainmentNow, is a part of parenting he takes seriously.
Dave Marrs Says He Loves Having His Kids Help Him With Projects
The Marrs are still several years away from figuring out what their teens will do after high school, but Dave thinks it’s never too early to give kids experiences that can help shape their future interests. Their kids are involved with caring for their animals, helping around the farm, and Dave invites them into the woodworking shop on their property whenever he can.
“I love having them in the shop, I love having them help me whenever they want to do that,” he told EntertainmentNow. “We do have three teenagers right now who don’t love helping out in the shop, but I’ve got Charlotte and Luke who love to be out there. Ben’s always a trooper. He’s always willing to jump right in, and Nate and Sylvie when they’re in the mood. Ben likes to because he can make cutting boards and make he sells it in our store.”
When it comes to helping his kids and other young people plan their future work in the world, he said, “I don’t want to say four-year schools are bad. If you’re directed that way, then go for it! I just think there’s a lot of kids that don’t know a direction, and there are so many manufacturers … that just need good, hard-working people that can learn a trade or a skill.”
“I think for so long we looked down on (the trades) as if it was something ‘less than’ and that’s not the case,” Dave continued. “I mean, you can be a heating and air technician and make $100,000 a year in your first couple years.”
Dave Marrs Adorably Apologizes for Getting So Excited Talking About the Trades
HGTVIn January, the Associated Builders and Contractors trade group reported that the construction industry will need to attract 349,000 new workers in 2026 and another 456,000 in 2027 to fix labor shortages. In addition to filling traditional roles, Dave told EntertainmentNow that engaging young people in the trades is also important because they’re savvy to emerging technology.
As an example, he said one of the construction partners he and Jenny frequently lean on for “Fixer to Fabulous” renovations is Cornerstone Building Brands, a home exterior manufacturer that makes everything from durable siding to sliding glass doors.
“There is so much innovation and technology going into the products that we’re putting on our houses
now that are changing the efficiency of it, that are changing the look of it,” Dave said, pointing out the company’s Solar Defense Reflective Technology as an example. “I mean, there’s sidings now that have a solar defense that will protect paint for 40 to 50 years. There’s a lot of really great technology.”
“So even if you’re a techie person, or you just love to create things, you can still go into our industry, and it is something that is changing and evolving every year,” Dave said excitedly before sweetly apologizing for his exuberance. “Sorry, just talking about that and highlighting that it’s so important, I get so excited.”
Jenny Marrs Says She & Dave Try to Create ‘Mentor Relationships’ With Local Teens
HGTVLaughing as she listened to her husband get so adorably pumped about the topic, Jenny interjected, “He gets so excited! I think what Dave also is really trying to do is encourage the people in our industry, the ones that are doing this, to turn around, put your hand out and help someone behind you. We’re not doing that enough, like we’re just kind of focused this forward.”
She continued, “We have to think about the next generation coming behind (us). I think it’s really, really important, and to talk about it and take away the stigma of like, ‘Oh, I have to know what exactly I’m going to do for the rest of my life at 15 years old.'”
Jenny said in addition to their own kids, they have local high schoolers work on their farm, in Dave’s shop and with her on design “just trying to really create those mentor relationships.”
“It’s on us, the people that are in this industry,” she added. “I had an intern for two years who was in college right here at the University of Arkansas. Now she works for me full time, and she’s amazing. But to be able to have that real life experience really tells you so much about this industry. Like, if you’re just studying design in school, versus being on job sites with an actual designer and contractor, you’re really learning a totally different aspect of it. Same with craftsmen.”
Season seven of “Fixer to Fabulous” airs Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. Eastern time on HGTV.
