Las Vegas resident wins DIY Network giveaway

Though she’d been dreaming of winning a home from HGTV and DIY Network for many years, Amanda Rodriguez was still shocked to learn the news that she had won the DIY Network Ultimate Retreat Giveaway 2018.

A Las Vegas administrative assistant and mother of three, Rodriguez’s name was randomly drawn from 64.5 million entries to win the grand prize package valued at more than $800,000.

The giveaway includes a fully renovated and furnished home nestled in the mountain setting of Sapphire, North Carolina, plus $50,000 provided by national mortgage lender Quicken Loans. The home is surrounded by the Appalachian Mountains in an area perfect for year-round outdoor living and a laidback lifestyle.

Rodriguez said she and her two older daughters used to sit around their kitchen table talking about what they would do if they actually won some day.

“We made plans as if it would happen,” said Rodriguez after receiving the news. “We even kept a spreadsheet of all the home sweepstakes the networks offer.”

Still, when the dream became a reality, it was hard to believe. “I kept thinking, ‘This can’t be real,’” she said.

The DIY Network Ultimate Retreat invited viewers to follow the demolition and renovation process room by room as a dated 1980s creekside residence was transformed into a show-stopping retreat.