''But there's no way I could have handed by keys over to complete strangers,'' Griggs says.

"I admire anyone who has the courage and faith to do that but I'm way too anal and would have a heart attack just thinking of what they might do."

As host of Prime7's House Rules, Griggs has watched the renovations unfold since January when production began. Six couples from around Australia have entrusted each other to renovate each other's homes, and in the weeks since mid-May when it kicked off on our screens their courage has pretty much paid off.

Griggs has been more than impressed with the standard of renovations presented.

''What they've been able to achieve has just been incredible,'' Griggs says.

But now, as the series winds up, it's the game that's becoming more interesting.

''If you've watched this week you'll know that the game has changed,'' Griggs says. Couples have been eliminated since last Monday and tonight's penultimate episode will see a big twist that will change everything.

''I've found the eliminations very hard,'' Griggs admits. ''At the end of the landscaping episodes there was this beautiful, beautiful vibe, people were being very supportive of each other and then it went to all-in, knives out. I found that really confronting.

''But at the same time it was rather refreshing, you could see that it had became too real for some of them really and it led to raw, honest, open dialogue between the teams.''

Griggs has revelled working with the couples in House Rules, watching how they react, how they interact, but admits that at times she has found the whole concept of reality television challenging.

"I've been in this industry for 20 years now and this is the first time I've had a go at this style of show,'' she says.

''Working with the amazing production team, who had so much success with My Kitchen Rules, watching to see how this huge scale production comes together for a couple of hours of television each week has been fascinating.

''But reality television is a lot more controlled, a lot more produced, or at least it feels that way to me, and yes I can see the irony in reality television feeling produced.

''I'm used to doing a story where you get to where you need to be, you collaborate, work out what your story is going to be, and you shoot it. You've done your research and it's just about getting people to relax and open up, whether that's with sport or Better Homes and Gardens.

''This has been very different but it's been fascinating.''

Griggs doesn't agree that home renovation shows are taking over from cooking shows as the viewers' preferred choice; it's more a matter of what happens to be airing at the time. She says we'll be saturated with cooking shows for a while, for example My Kitchen Rules and Ten's MasterChef, and then the home shows will come on - think House Rules and WIN's The Block: Sky High.

''There'll always be people cooking just as there'll always be people interested in home shows,'' she says.

''Home shows aren't a new thing, many of the shows I've worked on with Seven have had that element, Better Homes, Auction Squad, House Calls to the Rescue … and if you look at the other networks there've been home shows on their schedules for 20 years or so, too.''

Better Homes and Gardens is in its 21st season, something that Griggs is very proud of. She has been hosting since 2005 and still loves every minute of it.

''I'm always amazed at the stories we're continuing to come up with,'' she says. ''It's really great comfort viewing, that's how I like to think of it.''

Griggs, who will be 40 in October, is the mother of two teenage boys, Jesse James, 17, and Joe Buster, 16, from her first marriage to actor Gary Sweet. She also runs a construction company with her builder husband Todd Huggins - ''that's my real job,'' she laughs. As production began on House Rules, they were renovating their fourth home on Sydney's northern beaches.

''Calling me a keen renovator is probably a little bit misleading,'' she laughs.

''Working with Todd it's more than that now. You know what to look out for, how to read plans, how to manage a budget, how to deal with subcontractors. That's where most people get themselves into trouble.

''It can be quite daunting. On House Rules the three chippies - Leighton, Ben and Nick - came in all cocky and confident thinking it was going to be a walk in the park and they really struggled with the amount of things they needed to be on top of.''

Griggs says she can't wait to see what the reaction will be as the series winds up tomorrow night, when the winning couple will get their mortgage paid off.

''To see it all come together has been been fascinating.''

■ House Rules screens tonight on Prime7 at 7.30pm.