Animal Planet building show to film in Asheville area

Recently, Animal Planet has become more human than you might expect given the name. On May 21, a camera crew will begin filming a show for the network in the Asheville area called “Restoration Wild,” which is more about people than animals.

The new show seeks to reach the audience that enjoys “Treehouse Masters,” and the same production company, LoudTV, that creates “Tiny House Hunting” and “Tiny House Nation” will create “Restoration Wild.”

“Restoration Wild” transforms dilapidated spaces into “one-of-a-kind living spaces,” according to a statement from Animal Planet.

“The series follows visionary wild man Jay Chaikin and his crew of expert builders and designers as they identify and repurpose the coolest vintage structures and relics left abandoned in the landscape,” the statement says. “An expert in transforming dilapidated spaces, Jay converts a vintage bus into a breathtaking guesthouse on wheels, flips a centuries-old cabin into an over-the-top hunting-lodge basement hangout and much, much more.”

The episode will mainly focus on the community of Lake Toxaway, near Brevard, where Chaikin and his crew will convert an old mill house beside a waterfall into a pavilion, according to Nick Craig, associate producer of the show. The cameras will venture into the surrounding area to collect materials and B-roll, so don’t be surprised if you see cameras around Asheville between May 21 and June 10, the duration of the shoot, Craig said.

Craig says he discovered the Lake Toxaway property, which is private, by networking with the area fly fishing community. Fishermen use a pond on the property to hatch trout to release into local streams, according to Craig.

“For this season of the show, we’re filming all through the country, so we’ve been casting vigorously to find these people who have ... some kind of a space we can use in our designs and make something that’s interesting and functional for people to use in the future,” Craig said. “Using the local history of the area, we try to inform the designs of each location.”

Although the property isn’t a public facility, Craig says there are ways for the community to get involved with the show. Local contractors Connie and Michael McCall will help Chaikin build the pavilion.

When it’s complete, LiveTV will invite the community to a party at the pavilion and film the “big reveal” of the finished structure, Craig said.