About HouseSmarts

Say goodbye to the world of miracle makeovers and sleepy do-it-yourself instructional shows. This is HouseSmarts, a 30-minute home improvement program hosted by Lou Manfredini.

As a contractor and a broadcaster (NBC’s Today Show, WGN Radio), Lou has created this high-energy half-hour weekly program to combine the best of both worlds for television audiences: useful home improvement knowledge and an entertaining look into the projects of real homeowners.

Each week HouseSmarts answers the questions homeowners really want to know. Nobody adds on a room in one weekend, or lets their neighbors decorate their living room. HouseSmarts follows the progress of real people and lessons learned.

You can also tune into HouseSmarts Radio every week where Lou answers your calls LIVE!

77-WABC New York, Saturdays at 7am EDT
WGN Chicago, Saturdays at 7am CDT
790 KABC Los Angeles, Saturdays at 8am PDT
KGO 810 San Francisco, Saturdays at 8am PDT

HouseSmarts stays up on the latest trends. Whether it’s an inside industry look behind the scenes at a trade show or in the showroom of a high-end designer, Lou makes keeping up on the newest and best things out there a breeze.

The reality of this show is that it pays to work smart. HouseSmarts is for real homeowners.

Meet Lou

Since 1995, Lou Manfredini has developed a loyal following nationwide who have grown to rely upon his entertaining mix of practical, valuable home improvement advice.

Lou began his media career when WGN-AM Radio 720 Chicago launched his idea of a home improvement call-in radio show. Today, over 20 years later, the Mr. Fix-It program is still the number one Saturday morning radio program in Chicago.

Lou is the host of the nationally syndicated weekly television show HouseSmarts, as well as his live call-in radio shows on HouseSmarts Radio in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco; and can be heard on radio stations from coast to coast delivering DIY tips on his HouseSmarts Minutes vignettes.

Lou has become a nationally recognized do-it-yourself expert, sought after for his expertise and his energetic, entertaining style. Lou also is a regular contributor to NBC’s Today Show, and also serves as Ace Hardware’s Home Expert.

From early on, houses and the art of building captivated Lou. As a teen, the Chicago-area native went to work at a local hardware store to learn about housing structures, the tools of building, and home improvement projects. Later, during high school, he decided to put what he had learned to practical use and began working as a carpenter’s apprentice. Then, in 1987, Lou ventured out on his own and launched a construction company. He not only built and renovated people’s homes; he gave people a better understanding of how their homes worked.

In addition to his media engagements, Lou owns two Ace Hardware stores, keeping him up-to-date on the homebuilding industry’s latest trends and technology. He lives in Chicago with his wife and four children.