Time is running out to enter sweepstakes for HGTV Smart Home 2026 giveaway in Orlando

Florida has been a favorite destination for HGTV since it started the Dream Home and Smart Home sweepstakes over two decades ago. The network has given away eight homes in the Sunshine State, more than any other state, across the two programs. Those designer homes had one thing in common: they were all located in coastal areas, until now.

For the first time, HGTV’s Smart Home sweepstakes has an Orlando address, or Apopka to be exact. And viewers have two more weeks to enter for a chance to win the prize package valued at $1.3 million.

“What’s so great about Florida is you can drive from the West Coast to the East Coast and see all different styles,” said Brian Kleinschmidt, who along with his wife Mika, designed the home for HGTV. “You have the beaches and then in Central Florida, where we built this Smart Home, it’s totally a different landscape, all the beautiful lakes, the Spanish moss. We really leaned into that with the design of the house.”

The Kleinschmidts are basically locals, living on the Orlando side of the Tampa metro area, and their HGTV show 100 Day Dream Home features homes built there.

“[Designing the Smart Home] was exciting and convenient and also felt comfortable because we design most of our houses here in Florida, so it felt like something we were familiar with, and it was great to be close and to be hands-on during the whole process,” Mika said.

The two said they did a lot of exploring in the Orlando area to get inspiration. They took the Historic Winter Park Boat Tour and visited a local mural festival, where they found a muralist to paint a powder room in the home.

“We really just kind of wanted to lean into the natural environment around there,” Brian said. “I know everyone knows Orlando from theme parks, but we wanted to show the beautiful natural side of Orlando that some people might not know about.”

That translated into a lot of subdued and classy features that went into the more than 3,000-square-foot home.

“The natural elements to me are timeless. In design, there’s trends that are great and then two years later they’re out of style. I think you’re pretty safe when you go with traditional classic, because it’s not going out of style. It’s been around for forever,” Mika said.

“We wanted it to feel comfortable but livable. You don’t want to go too over the top where it feels like people are living in a museum,” Brian added. “Our goal of this was to make sure the house felt like whoever wins it feels like they’re on vacation 24/7, 365 — and it really does. When you’re there, you would not need to leave.”

The pair designed the home with Orlando builder Hartizen Homes in Eden Crest, a new community combining both single-family homes and townhomes with resort-style amenities. Prices start at $344k for townhomes and $469k for detached homes.

“We had to make some variations on what they currently had in the neighborhood, but I think they liked it so much that they might use it in some other houses,” Brian told Growthspotter, although some of the neighbors might not know who the inspiration came from.

“I took Jade, our daughter, to a concert a couple weeks ago in Orlando, and when I dropped her off at the concert, I had to kill some time, so I drove around the neighborhood,” he said, adding Eden Crest has built up a bit since they completed the Smart Home 2026 earlier this year.

“It was so funny. This guy walking his dog said, ‘I know what you’re thinking, that’s the HGTV Smart Home. You can enter online twice a day to win it.’ He didn’t know it was me, obviously, and I said, ‘I think I’m going to see if I can try to win that thing.”

The Kleinschmidts used Hartizen’s Paxton floorplan which has four bedrooms and redesigned it a bit. It’s one of seven floor plans offered in the community.

“There’s an option you could have three bedrooms upstairs, but then you lose that huge bonus room area, and we wanted to capitalize on that because that’s where we have all the games, snack bar, and all that,” Mika explained.

This home has three bedrooms and three full bathrooms, including a main-level primary suite. The smart features throughout are not just tech.

“We definitely kept saying that we didn’t just think of smart as technology; [it is also] smart space planning and smart as far as functionality,” Mika explained, adding there are tech features like built-in chargers, shoe carousels, sports simulators, art televisions, and much more. “We were also just trying to think about who’s going to win this, so we wanted to cater to anybody that lives here, and it would make sense for them.”

Other Orlando vendors, like Barry Neal Carpet One Floor & Home and Timberlake Cabinetry, were also part of the project. The Kleinschmidts were also smart with the building materials, using insulation, skylights, and impact windows designed for Florida, some of which had a design feature Brian especially liked.

“I love that privacy glass. I love how it’s crystal clear, and then you just flick the switch and it becomes completely private, and then if you want to open it again, it’s flick of a switch,” he said. “I think you’re gonna see that technology a lot very soon.”

The pool and outdoor space posed some challenges initially due to a unique pool design, which isn’t a traditional inground style but isn’t above-ground either.

“We’ve never done one of those, so I was like, okay, this is gonna look good,” Mika recalled. “But it actually allowed us to create a whole boardwalk perimeter around it, and it was nice that it was kind of elevated so when you were sitting up there, you had the view of the rest of the backyard. So I have to say, I would not be opposed to doing that style pool again.”

The pool also has a swim-up bar and is near other backyard features, and even with the challenges, the area won Mika over.

“My favorite thing, [about the house] — I’m an outdoor person so I have to say the outdoor area —having those different zones of entertainment, the outdoor kitchen, putt-putt, movie under the stars, the pool. I would probably just hang out outside most of the day.”

For the HGTV show that kicked off the giveaway, the pair revealed the home to their daughter, Jade, who also helped with some of the design. That reveal episode taped in February, during a cold snap.

“It was the day when it was about 26 degrees in Orlando, and I will never forget this because we were in shorts and short-sleeved shirts around the pool, and they said, ‘okay, just pretend like you’re nice and warm,’” Brian recalled with a laugh. “The whole crew was in like ski jackets. It was colder in Orlando that day than it was in Juneau, Alaska. So that I’ll never forget that day, because it probably set a record.”

People can enter the HGTV Smart Home 2026 giveaway once each day on each of the two websites HGTV.com/Smart and FoodNetwork.com/SmartHome until 5 p.m. Friday, June 19.

The winner will not only receive keys to the home and everything in it, but will also get $100,000 in cash, bringing the total HGTV Smart Home 2026 prize package to more than $1.3 million.

The Kleinschmidts had messages for the winner.

“We’re in Tampa, so if you don’t invite us to the pool party, shame on you,” Mika said with a laugh, but added a message of gratitude. “A lot of thought went into every single design decision and up until the final day when we were putting in our final pieces of furniture, there are so many people behind the scenes on the team that put sweat equity for real into it, so I really hope they appreciate all it was a labor of love from not just Brian and I, but from the entire team.”

And Brian’s message to the winners: “Our goal was to make sure that they felt like they were on an endless vacation, and when they win it, that’s what they’re gonna feel, and that’s our hope. And we also hope they invite us for a party, but hey, we’ll see.”

Have a tip about Central Florida development? Contact me at Newsroom@GrowthSpotter.com or (407) 420-6261. Follow GrowthSpotter on Facebook and LinkedIn.