When Jasmine Roth sets her sights on completing a project — even one that seems impossible — there’s no stopping her. Case in point: When the editors at HGTV Magazine asked the Help! I Wrecked My House host to guest-edit the October 2022 issue, she jumped at the chance. And when the editors announced they needed a house to shoot for the cover, Jasmine did the most Jasmine thing possible: She bought an A-frame home in Arrowbear, California she'd been eyeing and vowed to renovate it in time to meet the magazine's press deadline. The caveat? She'd have to finish the project in just six weeks.

“We wondered if we were out of our minds to agree to shoot a home that was [at the time] still under contract,” says Maile Carpenter, Editorial Director for HGTV Magazine. “But then we realized we just have to make the magazine. If Jasmine could do the renovation in such a short amount of time, we could do that much.”

Making It Work

Guest-editing HGTV Magazine is no simple task, and guest-editing HGTV Magazine while gut-renovating the home that would eventually become Hazel’s Cozy Cabin (named for Jasmine’s two-year-old daughter) seemed unfeasible.

But, of course, Jasmine was up for the challenge.

And when it comes down to it, the two ventures aren’t all that different. Much like rebuilding and designing a home, making a magazine involves creating a beautiful product from scratch.

“Both tasks require you to see something that’s not palpable yet,” says Maile, who made clear this was no "light-touch" editorship. Jasmine built the line-up for the October issue and came up with some very Jasmine-esque story ideas (including a list of her tool-belt must-haves). She collaborated with the editors in New York on video calls she took from the construction site in California, juggling time zones, page layouts and, of course, a massive home reno project.

“I literally had my finger on the pulse of the entire magazine,” says Jasmine. “I made decisions. I talked about the things I think are interesting and fun, and I got to showcase some of my own projects."

The Jasmine Way

It’s no surprise Jasmine is the first HGTV star to guest-edit the magazine. The self-described yearbook-class lover — “This is like the grown-up version of my yearbook days!” — actually wrote the story that ran alongside her house tour in the November 2021 issue.

“She’s exactly what we want the magazine to be: She’s inspiring and creative,” says Maile. “She has incredible energy. Her can-do spirit is infectious.”

Within days of finding out about the possibility of the guest editorship, Jasmine concocted a detailed presentation full of mood boards and ideas. She also planned out a construction schedule for the home. “That was the moment we realized if Jasmine can do this, we can do this,” says Maile.

Although most of the actual magazine planning took place virtually, Jasmine knew she’d have to visit the HGTV Magazine offices at least once to check in with the editors and be there in real-time. So, with the world of glossy paper and photo shoots on our minds, we met up with Jasmine and the magazine editors in New York City to watch them in action and discuss all their plans for the October issue.

“I'm super excited to be at the HGTV Magazine offices in person,” she tells us, as she takes a seat in the art room. “We're going to get a ton done. We're going to go through everything. I'm not leaving until this is finished.”

The October issue of HGTV Magazine hits newsstands everywhere on September 20. Of course, readers can look forward to getting a tour of Hazel’s Cozy Cabin (spoiler alert: The finished home is delightful), but Jasmine also touts the “How Bad Is It?” column as another story she’s super-excited about. “I love that section of the magazine,” she says. “I always read it, so getting to answer those questions was really cool.”

Even better, we'll get to watch the entire renovation process on-screen: Help! I Wrecked My House: Jasmine Buys a Cabin premieres on HGTV and discovery+ Saturday, October 1. The special follows Jasmine as she guest-edits HGTV Magazine and renovates the A-frame home in California.

Though, at the heart of it all lies the October issue and all the work it took Jasmine and the editors to pull off the project. “Seeing how professionals lay out a magazine is so awesome,” says Jasmine. “Seeing what it takes to put a magazine together and being a part of the entire editorial process has been eye-opening and such a surreal experience.”