Drew: This is vanessa and michael's forever home.
Jonathan: And the only home their sons,
Alex and lucas, have ever known.
These guys are growing up fast,
And how old are you now?
16.
With their oldest about to graduate high school,
They wanted to turn their house
Into a big family-hangout space.
While they're all still living under the same roof
And well into the future.
I want them to always come back home.
So it's time to take this house apart...
Jonathan: Whoa. Oh, yeah.
...So that we can bring this family together.
Contrast it up.
Jonathan: And help them stay in the home they love.
What's going through your mind?
I can't... It's so beautiful.
♪♪
Jonathan: A house is four walls.
Drew: A home, that's where memories are made.
[ laughter ]
That's what I'm talking about!
Oh! [ laughing ] oh, my...
This is "property brothers"...
"forever home."
♪♪
So is it vanessa or michael who grew up here?
Vanessa grew up in this neighborhood.
They love this area.
It's very family-friendly,
And her mom still lives just a few doors away.
-Hello. -Hello.
We were just talking about the fact
That you have family in the neighborhood.
Yeah.
And you can't get away with any trouble here
Because grandma lives right over here.
Right there, yep.
Grandma lives over here. Yeah.
And you've had this house for how many years?
-16 years. -16, yeah.
Oh, wow, so 16, and how old are you now?
16.
Michael: We always knew it was a great house,
And we wanted to stay here forever.
Forever. That's why we bought it.
I love the neighborhood.
I grew up here, and I love being close to my family.
Everything is about our family,
And we've lived here with our boys their entire lives.
So there's a lot of firsts in this house
And a lot of family memories.
Yeah, all of the firsts are in this house.
Yeah.
Lucas, what is your biggest frustration with the house?
Well, mostly the kitchen just because
There's not enough room, and I really want...
Yeah. ...Just, like, a new stove,
You know, some new cooking stuff.
-You cook? -Yeah.
-He loves to cook. -I like how he's like...
-He loves to cook. -..."just some cooking stuff."
I guess that's how everybody cooks.
Kids, why don't you head to school?
Mom and dad, you show us what doesn't work.
-Sounds good. Bye. -Alright.
-See you guys. -Bye, boys.
They're not gonna have as much fun as us.
I won't cook anything until you get back.
Vanessa: Now that the kids are growing up,
We want a more functional space,
A more adult space.
When they're men, I want them to come back
And have a space where they can remember
Where they grew up.
I want my grandchildren to love coming to my house,
Our house, our house, our house.
Thank you.
Jonathan: Alright. The split-level entrance.
-Yes. -What is that?
That's cole. That's cole, our bird.
That's cole.
Drew: Oh, wow, so you don't have a security system.
You just have a bird. -We have a bird.
Will he mimic me?
Vanessa: He might.
[ whistles ]
-Whoa. -Oh.
Well, how do you do?
Jonathan: Okay. Quit flirting with cole.
Let's talk about the house.
Now, your entrance is pretty small,
So it makes sense that your closet is up here,
But this does not look big enough for a family of four.
Well, I think we can use more storage space.
I mean, the reason why there are no doors here,
That's a renovation begun but not finished.
And this space, we never use it because it's not cozy.
Yeah, see, there are no dents in the furniture from sitting.
Yeah, it's like the furniture is hard,
And it's too orange.
Drew: So where do you hang out?
Usually in our basement now. Yeah.
We have the tv downstairs.
I would hang out here because I'm getting whistles
And compliments the whole time. Yeah, you get whistled at.
Jonathan: Your floors have seen...
Better days. ...Some heavy traffic.
Yes, because we have kids, we didn't do them
Because when they were little, they were always...
They're pretty harsh on the floors, right?
Yeah, this was, like, our space.
We would chill here, holding lucas
With alexander sitting beside me.
They've done everything here.
You can tell that you are proud of your kids,
And I love the fact that you want
To make this place perfect
So that they just never want to leave.
Exactly, I want them to always come back home.
That's pretty special, and that's something
We can definitely help with.
-Amazing. -We're a close family, too.
We have an older brother as well, and our parents,
You know, they'll come stay with us for months,
And then we go stay with them,
And we really all get along well, but, yeah,
You have to have a space that works for everybody.
This is actually a pretty massive dining area.
But that wall is right smack in the middle.
It makes it feel small and squishy,
And then if you're in the kitchen,
You can't talk to anybody in the dining room.
You have to come out and walk around it.
Jonathan: And that's how they designed these houses
Back in the day.
They wanted it compartmentalized.
As a matter of fact, dining is a small fraction
Of what happens in this particular space.
Yeah, so here, we do so many things on this table.
We run an entertainment company,
So we send out performers to corporate events,
Everything from acrobats, show girls.
I do my work here.
Michael sews here.
The boys do their homework here.
And so you want to still keep this as a multipurpose area.
You'll still do some sewing and working up here.
I think we'll always be up here...
I think so.
...Because we like being together.
But it's got to be hard to spend time together
When your kitchen is so closed off.
-Yes. -Mm-hmm.
Oh, and we go from orange to green. Yep.
Did you paint this backsplash tile?
-Yes. -Okay.
So the tile had these ugly little flowers...
-Oh, so it's the original tile. -...All over it.
It's the original tile.
Jonathan: If you were looking to have
The perfect kitchen, what do you like?
Vanessa: White. I really like white.
I like contrast.
-Okay. -Okay.
This is the challenge.
You want to have a kitchen that functions for you,
And I don't like having appliances
Just sort of hanging out like that.
I want you to show me how you make toast.
Because I can't reach it. Yeah.
Yeah, I know. How do you make toast?
So I go like this.
Michael, can you bring the toaster to me?
Right now, I can see how you've just been making do.
Jonathan: If we can do it, I'd like to blow out these walls
And give you one big family hangout space.
We'll add an eat-in island and a big dining room table
So there's space for everybody to work together.
The kids are gonna love it, too with a better open flow,
Better space for them for doing homework.
-Yes. -It's gonna be great.
Jonathan: The rest of this house fits their needs perfectly.
Down the hall from the living space
Is a nice master and two big bedrooms for the boys.
Oh, wow. Alexander is sophisticated.
-Mm-hmm. -And clean.
The basement houses all of their costumes
For their business and a cozy family room,
So I think we're safe to concentrate their budget here
On the main level.
Drew: It's a great house, and I can see why you love it.
There's a lot we could do, but it also comes down to budget.
What are you guys looking at spending?
I think we want to stay in the $120,000...
Range? Okay. ...Range.
Yep, sounds good, and that will get you
The beautiful, brand-new kitchen,
Make all of this space more cohesive.
Hold on one sec.
What's happening?
Just talk construction.
Oh, I'm a little afraid
Of what's about to happen right now.
I'm afraid, too, of what's gonna happen.
Yeah, and I have a feeling...
I hear beads. ...I know what's happening.
What are you talking about?
Oh, you're beautiful.
I found the secret stash.
-Wow. -Huh?
Jonathan: Why don't you guys do this?
You guys pack up all your stuff.
I'll come back in a few days, and we'll get started
Actually demo'ing the stuff that we know we can demo,
And then after you've toured the inspiration home with drew,
I'll do up some plans. We'll present them to you.
We'll go from there. -Sounds great.
The inspiration house is gonna really paint the picture
For what we could do here,
And I promise I won't wear this outfit.
Vanessa: Amazing, okay.
I can't take him seriously in those feathers.
See you guys later in a few days.
-Bye. -Thank you, bye.
You can feel the love,
How much their family means to them,
So I want to be able to give them a space
That will help them create new memories.
Jonathan: This house has seen
A lot of wear and tear over the years,
So it definitely needs new flooring throughout,
And we need to open up some walls.
Yeah, better sight lines to the front door,
To the kitchen and dining area,
But on top of all that, what this house needs
Is a little bit of you and a little bit of me.
But mostly me.
♪♪
Oh, my demolition crew has arrived.
Think fast.
Grab those. Come on right in, guys.
Vanessa: Okay.
One step at a time here,
So first thing we need to do... Actually, alex and lucas,
Why don't you guys pull all the drawers out of here?
Oh, the kitchen, though.
There's so many memories in this kitchen.
All of the birthdays are in here,
Like 1 to 16 for alexander.
Wow.
All the cakes come out of the fridge,
Into the living room.
We'd bake cookies, christmas cookies, all of our squares.
When we get this kitchen done,
You'll be able to do amazing christmas cookies...
Yes.
...And if you happen to send some my way, I won't complain.
It's a deal. It's a deal.
Alright. Let's pull the drawers out of here, doors,
Things like that.
Nice.
There we go.
Alright. Hold on.
Okay, here we go, okay.
You don't have enough weight.
Give it a pull, one, two, three.
Whoa. Oh, yeah.
Why don't you guys do me a favor?
If you guys haul this out, we'll finish doing this in here,
But you guys did a great job.
Alright? See you guys.
-Bye, boys. -Watch the stairs.
-Be careful on the stairs. -Watch the stairs.
So you've got a handle there.
Ready? One, two, three.
-Oh, yeah. -Now the fun part.
Want to punch the hole in the wall?
Go for it.
Jonathan: Right now, this wall is literally a barrier
That's keeping this family from spending time
Together in their home, so it has to come down.
Opening everything up will just make it one big,
Happy family space.
Nice.
So you know what's weird?
So this is not really framed like a load-bearing wall.
This does have a double top plate,
Which would mean that there is a load coming down on top.
That bad?
It's expensive.
In order to open up this space,
We'll need to tear out the ceiling joists
And install a massive beam, so all that adds up.
It's weird because it's framed with a double top plate,
Which would mean this is all load-bearing.
That's a bit of a hiccup.
So what does that actually mean in terms of what we can do?
So what does that mean?
Either we'd have to spend several thousand dollars
More to put a beam in,
Or it takes away that fully open concept
Because we'd have to leave this wall.
Okay, but we have no more money,
And we don't want a wall.
Let me have the engineer take a look at it.
The next time you guys come in,
I'll have a couple options for you.
Okay.
But this is gonna be a complicated thing.
Yeah, this is definitely a stumbling block,
And it means that something has got to give
With the design or the budget.
In the meantime, I'm sending them on a house tour with drew
While adam from my construction team
Helps me finish up the demo
And get to the bottom of this load issue.
Alright. Give me some good news from the engineer.
No good news.
If you wanted to get rid of this completely,
You would have to put a new beam from here to here,
But, unfortunately, the peak of the roof is too tight,
So we'd have to put a post here,
Steel post in the basement with a new footing.
We have to start doing posts and footings,
You know it's gonna be thousands.
For sure. Yeah, okay, what else?
So alternatively, we keep this post right here.
We'll pack out underneath, and then you can open this up,
But unfortunately you have to keep this post here.
One post. Right.
Any additional cost on that
Or really just the framing underneath?
Really, yeah, it won't even add to the cost.
We'll just put some packing under there.
Okay, I'll get some options together
Once we get the rest of the inspiration info from drew,
But they'll both have to include having a post here.
Okay. Cool, thanks.
Yep, yep.
Drew: After 16 years raising kids and making do,
Vanessa and michael are more than ready
To update their forever home.
This house is a two-story,
But I think its main floor is a perfect example
Of the more grown-up aesthetic they want.
Vanessa: Oh, this house is gorgeous.
Yes. It's beautiful.
Inside, everything we see
Are things we could do to your house.
I love the rails, the glass.
Oh, yeah, well, imagine having glass rail
On the inside of the house, too.
It gives you a better sight line down to the front door.
Oh, I love the front door, too.
Oh, I like this.
There you go.
Whoa.
Oh, it's beautiful. Michael: That is awesome.
I love everything about this one.
It's amazing, yeah.
So what is it you love about this?
The lack of color, and it's clean and simple.
I love the contrast with the white.
This is a good thing for me to know
That you're okay with black.
It can be black and white or a gray tone.
It just has to not be all white.
Perfect.
But I like this tile, too. This is timeless.
This is more of a neutral modern design overall,
But we do have some warm tones.
You can see the floors over here.
Michael: Forget about the floors for a second.
The room is incredible.
I love the floor. I like this color.
Again, it's a contrast to the white.
This is very much what I would like to see.
It's cozy.
The couches look like you want to sit on them.
Drew: You can have the modern, clean lines
And still have a comfortable sofa.
It's a good-sized sectional, too.
Yeah, like, don't you feel like
You could just, like, sit here?
So even though I like modern and clean,
I still want it to feel inviting and warm.
Like home. Yeah.
One of the biggest features I know that you guys want
Is an open flow to the kitchen.
Yes, open concept.
Look at that.
Wow, that's exactly what we need.
Vanessa: This is everything.
This is what dreams are made of.
I love this. -Oh, yeah, this table, too.
You can be here and still access our living room.
Yeah.
Wow. This is gorgeous.
Also, that beautiful timeless look
That you like in the front entry...
Yes.
This is quartz. This is quartz, okay.
So it's meant to look like marble,
But this is zero maintenance.
Yes, I love this.
Instead of having your microwave
And your toaster and things stacked,
How about having everything clean, tucked away?
Whoa. Oh, I like that.
I like that, and that's, like, my height.
And what do you think of the appliances?
I love the stainless steel.
Gas, maybe not for us.
The open flame idea, I think, is maybe not great for vanessa.
Yeah, so maybe a flat top or an induction...
Okay. ...Would be nice.
Why is that?
I burn things all the time, weekly.
Okay, so open flame around you, not a good idea.
Not a good idea. Note.
And same with the boys, too.
And lucas needs a kitchen that he can cook in.
He can cook in. That he can cook in.
Yeah.
[ laughter ]
I'm gonna take all these notes to jonathan.
This has been a lot of great stuff.
Do you feel like this is starting to paint the picture
For you? Absolutely, this is beautiful.
If it looks anything like this...
We're happy.
...We're gonna be really happy.
Okay. You are gonna be very happy. Yes.
Vanessa and michael are already these amazing creative minds,
But then I walked them into this house,
And you can see their imagination expanding.
They love this contemporary style.
It has a lot of contrast to keep things interesting,
But it's still comfortable enough for family hangouts.
They want a much larger kitchen with a big island,
And it should have direct sight line to the dining room,
Where they can all be together working, doing homework,
Sewing or actually eating together.
Let's set up, like, a little lemonade stand,
Except it's not lemonade.
It's samples. It's a sample stand.
Alright. There you go.
So we got to bring something that is gonna make it feel
As light and bright and open as possible
Because it's not gonna be 100% open.
Well, we definitely want light and airy.
The big thing for them, contrast.
Contrast. They want contrast,
But it can't just be cold and unwelcoming.
They want to have it feeling warm.
They love the dark floors.
As beautiful as those floors are,
That might make things a little bit smaller.
If they can go somewhere lighter,
This will help the light bounce around.
Yeah, I think that'll bring the warmth they want.
Then we can bring in some contrast
With the kitchen cabinets.
So we can go lighter on the counters.
They were really gravitating towards a white countertop,
And they like that marble look.
We could even use black and white marble accents
Just to tie all these spaces together.
Alright. Perfect, contrast it up.
I'll see you later.
Vanessa: Ever since we've seen the inspiration house,
We've been thinking about the open concept.
Nothing but light, lots of light.
Lots of light.
-Hey, guys. -Wow, hi.
-Hello, hello. -Come on in.
Whoa, it's so open.
Drew: Not closed in to your front entrance anymore.
-No, it's so bright. -Pretty amazing.
Do you want to jump right into the options,
Or do you want to talk about the support situation here?
Open concept. Open concept?
Yes, we've been thinking about it.
Alright.
Okay, that's the glass half empty part of this conversation.
We have to talk about the support situation here.
Turns out we can't get a beam on top of the exterior wall,
So we could strengthen it up
And leave you with just one post,
And then the rest of the wall could be gone,
And that would only cost a few hundred dollars.
A post, okay.
Yeah, sometimes it's better to see a visual.
-Yes. -So...
Vanessa: Yes.
Wall, post.
Oh, that's clear now. Bad wall.
Skinny post.
Okay. Thank you. That made it all clear.
Alright. Let's talk options.
Okay. So option number one
Would keep the footprint of this main area the same.
With this wall gone and without that half wall in the entryway,
We'd install new light hardwood floors to unify the space.
We'll bring in a light wood table and upholstered chairs
To make this as comfortable for work
As it is for eating dinner.
In the kitchen, floor-to-ceiling two-toned cabinets
With chrome accents would give you plenty of storage
And contrast nicely with the light quartz counters
And slab-style backsplash.
State-of-the-art appliances will be built in for a clean look,
And now there's room for your dream kitchen island
And a gorgeous waterfall edge with seating for the boys.
A modern front door and a glass railing
Would bring the light streaming upstairs
Into a bright, contemporary living room,
Inviting you to sit back and relax with the whole family.
All of that would take about five weeks to complete,
And it would cost about $115,000.
Which gives us a little wiggle room
If we run into any issues.
Michael: Personally, I think it's going to be amazing,
Particularly if you move the sinks
So that we actually have a vantage point.
We're not staring at the wall. I think that'll be amazing.
For sure, and the cabinets, floor-to-ceiling will be nice,
And that island, just keeping it open.
I love that. -It's gonna be so stylish.
I know you guys said you like that, a bit more modern,
But you still want it to feel warm and inviting.
Mm-hmm.
And jonathan is very much keeping in mind your key word
That you told us -- contrast.
That's phenomenal. Amazing, okay.
Option two, and you have to hear me out
Because it's a little nuts, changes everything.
We would get rid of the living room entirely
And move the dining room over to the top of the stairs,
So you would still have that multi-functional table
That your family needs.
That would leave us with enough space
To literally double the size of your kitchen.
The island would be big enough to contain your cooktop
And still leave loads of prep space.
In addition to that full wall of pantry storage,
The cabinets would expand to fill the space
That was once your dining room.
You'd still have those top-of-the-line
Built-in appliances,
But your sink would move over to the window
With modern open shelving to complete the look.
And then you would utilize your family room downstairs
As your sole tv-viewing space.
Yes, I love that.
That would come in at your max budget of $120,000,
And I could get it done in six weeks.
I love that idea.
You don't like quite so sold.
No? Oh, I think it's so pretty.
Yeah, I love the idea of a bigger kitchen.
I'm not 100% sure I want to completely
Give up a living space here, though.
But we never use this space, ever.
It's something to get used to.
I mean, this is why we're giving you two options.
It could be completely
Different styles of living in this house.
So you guys tell us -- option one or option two?
On the count of three. Okay.
Both: One, two, three...
Option one.
Oh, whoa.
Yes. That's great.
Option one was the one that said,
"this is the way to go."
It allows us to stay within budget.
It does.
The flow is nicer. You come in.
There's a beautiful kitchen, a beautiful dining room.
You can see straight through into the living area.
That bright, open space,
That's what we would like for our home.
That's just brilliant. Yeah, I love it.
The next time you see it, it's gonna be open.
-Yeah, guys. Thanks. -Bye.
-Thank you. -Have a good one.
Everything I see so far is awesome.
Yeah. Like, already, with the walls out
But not quite finished, it looks great.
Oh, we're happy. Yeah.
Jonathan: Michael, vanessa, the kids and their bird, cole,
Are all staying with grandma for the next five weeks
While we get down to business renovating their forever home.
Storage is the name of the game,
So we're expanding the front hall closet,
And we're adding a ton of new cabinetry in the kitchen.
Alright.
Well, if we know our island is gonna be here,
Let's cut a channel, pull over the plumbing.
Since both the sink and the dishwasher
Are gonna be in the island,
We'll run it under the floor here.
And then we'll also get a good look inside to see
Exactly what we're dealing with for the drawers cavity.
Do you think there will be any surprises?
It's an older house. There's always surprises.
Let's make a little...
I already marked a couple of lines.
Alright.
Do you want to snap her?
Okay. Ready?
And then move over.
Alright.
Good. Alright.
What else?
Since we're gonna give them a ton more storage,
We need to get rid of that window.
We do have a new door coming in,
But now that this wall is gone,
You have tons of light coming in from this window here,
So it should be good.
Okay. Why don't you cut,
And I'll start taking down some of the trim?
Okay.
I'm cutting a channel in the floor
To run plumbing for the new island.
Having a sink that faces the living room
Will be great for this family,
And it lets everyone be a part of the action.
I also want to install a dishwasher here,
Something vanessa and michael have been doing
Without for 16 years.
I found more color. Oh.
A bold red.
That's definitely contrasty.
I don't exactly know what's going on with the joists here.
What do you mean?
There's a gap here.
That could be a problem.
I don't exactly know what's going on with the joists here,
So it's just weird that there's a total gap here.
Usually, you have them... Drew: Yeah.
...Overlapping right next to each other.
When installing floor joists,
You're supposed to overlap them side by side,
And then you can nail them together.
In this case, they're actually spaced about 6 inches apart,
And it's just...
It's not gonna cause any issues,
But it's just not the way I would do it.
Well, all of our casing is off.
Do you want to just take this door off the hinge
Since we're swapping it?
We only have five weeks to turn
Vanessa and michael's forever home
Into a more functional space for their family of four.
The biggest change will be removing the rest of this wall
To open up their living space.
My team is adding a beam,
And then we'll be beefing up the floor joist to support the post.
And since we want the first impression of this house
To blow everyone away,
We're ripping out the dated flooring in the entryway
So that it can flow with the rest of the house.
Need your big brother to help you?
Thanks, bruh.
So what's the plan?
Are you gonna do the same hardwood
Down here as up here, or what?
No, tile at the front door because they will get
A lot of snow, so they'll want easy cleaning.
We'll do new treads, and we'll stain them
To match the floors up top,
And then we'll paint the risers.
Okay, perfect.
Now, when you walk into this house,
The first thing you'll notice won't be the bird.
It'll be how inviting this entryway feels.
It sounds like you're still a little jealous
That cole likes me more than you.
Dream on.
Drew: While jonathan and the construction crew
Are full steam ahead
Working on the new open-floor plan for michael and vanessa,
I'm thinking about the overall design.
If this main floor is gonna look clean and contemporary
From every angle, there's another member of this family
Whose home is gonna need an update.
I have some clients, and they have...
Their third child is their cockatiel.
Mm-hmm, yeah.
They absolutely love, they call him cole,
And we wanted to give cole a new home within the home,
One that will complement the new modern design
But is still practical.
I kind of like this over here
Because there's a bit of shape to it.
Oh, it's got style. It almost feels like a house.
It has architectural detail.
Oh, yeah, and it's very mobile, too.
This is mobile? Yeah, it's very much so.
It's nice and light.
Well, that's perfect
Because if they're having a dinner party or something
And they want to move cole to another room...
Oh, yeah. ...Then that's a lot easier.
I like that there's additional storage
Underneath, too, which is great.
Knowing the aesthetic that my brother
Is gonna have for the living room,
This would tie in nicely, a dream home for cole.
Pets are family members, too,
And we can't forget them when designing a space.
Jonathan and I grew up on a ranch,
And we had pets our whole lives,
Including jonathan's dogs, gracie and stewie,
So it doesn't matter if our clients have feathers or fur.
A forever home has to work for everyone.
♪♪
There is so much work happening here.
The stairs have been prepped,
So we're ready for the new treads,
And the rail will be next.
Our subfloor in here is nice and level,
And, of course, our drywall is pretty much all done,
And our plumbing is ready for the island.
The old window has been deleted.
We've reduced this wall down to just one post,
Which will line up with the island perfectly.
Everything in here is gonna feel more open, more bright,
But more importantly,
This family will be able to spend more time together.
The new location of our range
Means I'm venting out through the roof
At a different location, so I need to hop up there,
Figure out where that's going to be and put in our roof cap.
Why am I the one that has to do all the, like...
I believe this is an extra-large,
And I definitely need an extra-small, so...
Yeah, right.
Let me tie you off.
Okay, good to go. Thank you.
Alright.
-Don't slip. -Don't slip.
Alright.
I wouldn't say these are the best-condition shingles.
Oh, my gosh.
Adam: What's up?
That is so bizarre.
This side doesn't look too bad.
This side is trashed.
Uh-oh.
There has got to be leaks coming through here.
Well, this is just breaking away, so...
So what are you thinking, a reroof?
It is not in the budget to do a reroof.
It is so weird because this side isn't bad.
I mean, I can see there's definitely some decay
On the shingles, but, over here, it's trashed.
Adam: Uh-oh.
It actually looks like a flock of woodpeckers hit the roof.
Maybe the exposure from the sun, maybe?
It's got to be. It's got to be.
It's just dried everything out. It's brittle.
Like, we don't want to go do a brand-new beautiful space
Down there and then have water leak through.
Gosh, we'd be like 8,000 or 10,000 bucks
If we were going to redo this roof.
For sure, yeah. Absolutely.
That's...
Yeah, we're gonna have to call the roofers,
But this is gonna be expensive.
We are gonna have to call in some favors on this one
Because the roof needs to be replaced,
But we'll make sure that it's done right
So they don't have to think about it for another 25 years
When their grandkids come to visit.
♪♪
Jonathan: This whole room is gonna look awesome.
It's a big, open space, and having the decorative
Molding on this wall is just gonna elevate it,
Make it feel a lot more sophisticated.
It's gonna look really nice for sure, absolutely.
Get the glue!
My bad.
Yeah, go for it.
♪♪
That is bang on.
Lasers don't lie.
Jonathan: Sometimes having a big, open space
Can just feel void,
But this gives you a feature wall all across this side.
These are the little touches,
I think, that'll make the biggest difference.
Want to do more?
Absolutely.
Alright.
♪♪
Let's take off this railing.
Yup.
♪♪
Ready? Yup.
There we go.
See, I work out.
You strong.
Strong like bull.
A big design challenge with our new open floor plan
Is making all of the spaces feel cohesive.
Before, the entryway was really closed off,
And it just felt isolated, so we took out the half wall,
And now we're tying it in with the rest of the house.
♪♪
Oh, my gosh, what a difference.
It looks amazing.
This is gonna look great, new treads here,
New tile, new door, new rail.
Wow. When the glass goes in,
All of a sudden, this feels spacious.
It feels beautiful.
You'll be able to see the nice, new living space
Because there's no wall there.
Yeah. Nice and open.
Yeah.
We can't physically make this area any wider,
But with all these changes,
It'll help both the entry and living spaces feel bigger.
For sure.
There we go.
That is a good fit.
With the new stairs and flooring installed,
This home is already feeling warmer and more inviting,
And to give michael and vanessa the high-contrast style
They want, we're installing modern two-toned cabinets.
Everything is looking great here on the inside,
But outside, the roof is a different story.
Alright.
So this was a little bit of a nightmare.
Originally, I was coming up here just to cut in,
But we needed to check if there's any little patches
We needed, and all of a sudden,
Like, look at the quality of this.
Oh, it's a mess.
These shingles here, they don't even have a year left.
They're literally crumbling.
Yeah.
They are at their end of their life span,
So we're gonna be redoing the entire roof,
Which is a huge expense,
But it's something that has to happen.
In the meantime, this is where the vent
Is coming up for the kitchen.
Okay.
So we'll just pull this back, cut our hole,
Get the collar in,
And then we'll be in pretty good shape.
They can shingle right up to it,
And they'll throw in the actual vents.
Perfect.
Oh, yeah, look how bad this is.
It's just literally breaking away.
♪♪
Yeah, and so we want to go wide on that.
♪♪
Sweet. Hello.
Do a little test.
Look at that.
Almost. Oh, like a glove.
Like a glove.
Alright.
That's perfect, so what we'll do is...
They're gonna come strip the rest of this
Within, like, the hour.
They're gonna get started.
I'm hoping it doesn't rain because what are the odds?
It actually smells like rain.
It does smell like... It looks and smells like rain.
Do me a favor.
Just lay over the top of this hole
For the next hour until they get here.
Yeah, worst-case scenario, we'll throw some tarps down.
I mean, at the end of the day, it can't just look pretty.
Your forever home needs to have a forever roof.
Yeah. Or at least a 25-year roof.
Yeah.
-Come on in. -Oh, wow.
-Wow. -That looks amazing.
Ah!
What's going through your mind?
I can't. It's so beautiful.
Jonathan: We're nearing the finish line for vanessa
And michael's forever home.
No sign of rain yet, so the roofers are busy
Protecting this renovation for years to come,
And the stylish new front door is now being installed.
Inside, the main floor is now one, big, open space centered
Around a beautiful kitchen island
Where the family can gather to cook and work together.
We've finally given them a home that functions properly,
And now nicole from my design team
Is here to help me make sure the furniture and decor
Are a perfect fit.
What do you think?
Oh, my gosh, I can't believe it.
It looks amazing. Right?
Having everything open up, just night and day.
I know.
Because it was so unfunctional before,
And the living room in particular,
They never, ever used it,
So that's why I want to make sure
We have the most comfortable sectional.
Yep. I want something that is
Just gonna make it a space they have to use.
Yeah. So sofas, what do you got?
Yes, so we wanted to bring in a sectional
That would really maximize seating.
This one in particular, it's light.
It's airy, but it's also modern and structured,
And it still feels really elegant.
Even though the kids are getting older
And they don't want to cuddle on the sofa anymore,
This sofa make you want to cuddle.
Totally.
And then we'll want to have a coffee table to anchor it.
Yep.
And I think because of the shape of the room,
It's almost a square,
We can get away with a round coffee table.
Yeah, and I think going with the black table really, like,
Picks up the black accents that we're going with,
Like with the door and the light fixtures,
And it just, like, brings everything together.
Yeah.
And it's a beautiful natural stone,
So I think vanessa will be really into that as well.
Yeah, and that will just anchor everything,
So I think we are in great shape.
Great. Success, thank you.
Enjoy that sunny weather out there.
Thank you. You take care.
Drew: A big part of this renovation
Involves giving michael and vanessa
A lot more storage for their family.
Their front hall closet, that was way too cramped
For four people, so we've expanded it,
And we've added a proper closet organization system.
Once we tile inside the front door,
We'll nearly be ready to bring this family home.
Jonathan: What do you think of the tile?
The tile looks really nice.
It's gonna contrast the lighter tones so nicely.
I actually like that it's a little ebony and ivory
With the countertop in the kitchen.
Yeah, everything is gonna be dramatic.
That's what we want. Right.
I mean, it's a small space, so...
We could do something bold with the floors,
But it won't overpower the whole house.
I'll start mixing the grout.
Alright.
So everything on that side is completely dry,
And you're good to grout.
Just don't do these ones yet.
Okay. Sounds good.
Now that their kids are older,
Michael and vanessa
Want their home to feel more adult,
So these modern, high-contrast design elements
Are gonna update their home perfectly.
It's gonna be almost as dramatic as jonathan.
[ gasps ] how dare you?
♪♪
Jonathan: Michael and vanessa used to have
Such dark colors on the walls,
And it just sucked up all the natural light.
This way, the only darker tones
Are in the furniture pieces,
And then everything else has been lightened up.
Drew: This is so great.
I mean, the massive difference from before.
Well, and with it this open, now cole can fly everywhere,
Wherever cole's heart desires,
Cole's tiny, little bird heart.
This is a free-flying design.
It is.
♪♪
Oh.
So...
There you go. Thank you.
...Straight from cairo.
Ah, the miniature pyramid.
Originally, our budget was $115,000 to give vanessa
And michael a nice, open main floor,
But it turns out they also needed a whole new roof.
We pulled in some favors,
And we managed to get the price way down,
But that still brought their budget right up to the max
They could afford at $120,000.
But we knew that, no matter what,
We could not let a leaky roof destroy their stunning new home.
This is a beautiful, beautiful space.
Yeah, and a space they will actually enjoy using.
This is the kitchen of vanessa's dreams.
Let's get them.
Drew: How are you feeling?
Super excited, I can't wait to see it.
Very excited, and I see the roof.
The roof is amazing.
Jonathan: Beautiful, new roof,
No leaks, and the color ties into your...
New front door! Whoa, look at the door.
-Isn't it nice? -It's so big and beautiful.
-It's gorgeous. -And the handle.
You know what's behind door number one?
What is behind... Your beautiful, new forever home.
Vanessa: Oh, my gosh.
Come on in.
-Wow. -Oh, wow.
Vanessa: The floors, and it's amazing.
Michael: It's beautiful.
Ah!
What's going through your mind?
I can't... It's so beautiful.
What are you thinking?
Wow. I love the glass.
I could never imagine that our house would look like this.
It's...
Wow, thank you.
-You're crying. -Thank you so much.
You're welcome. You're very welcome.
It's so beautiful.
-Do I get one too? -Yes, thank you.
We wanted to make sure that you guys had something
That was worthy of your awesome family.
Before, when you walked in, it wasn't exactly welcoming,
So we've opened everything up to make it light and inviting,
Added some elegant marble tile for contrast
And some warm accent pieces
To make it feel like a place you want to come home to.
And now it lives up to the amazing family that lives here.
Thank you. This is stunning.
There's no longer this barrier here.
It doesn't feel like a tunnel anymore.
I love it.
I love the floor, and I like the contrast
Between the landing and the stairs.
Yes, I love the stairs and this, oh, the glass.
You have sight lines.
Wow.
That is amazing.
This is gorgeous.
It feels so open, so bright in here.
-You can see. -I love it.
Wow, look at the walls.
Oh, wow.
I love the color of the floors.
Drew: Does it feel like home?
It does feel like home, a better home.
Have a seat. Have a seat.
Yes. Oh, I love it. I love it.
Actually, I'll let you have space.
Yeah, this is amazing.
-You look like a queen. -I feel like a queen.
It's gorgeous. Wow.
We definitely wanted to take it up a notch.
You weren't even using this space
Because it was dark and the furniture was uncomfortable,
And now it's a beautiful, cozy space for your family to gather.
Yes. But it's also wicked stylish.
It is wicked.
It's so mature. It's mature.
He's trying to be not mature
Using words like "wicked stylish."
Super wicked stylish.
And I love the couch because it's cozy.
But it still has shape, which I like.
It does have shape.
Well, it's great for the family, lounging here.
And I feel like I can just take both of my boys
And snuggle with them on the couch
Like when they were babies.
Kind of like re-creating that photo.
Yeah, yeah, just like that.
Except they're a lot bigger now.
I know.
Aw.
Our kids are getting older now,
And I know that eventually they're gonna move out,
But I always want them to come back,
So to have a place they can come back
With their families, it just...
It's just so perfect.
I think with a space like this, it's gonna make them
Want to stay with you and cuddle a little bit longer.
I hope so.
Well, even if they're half as happy
As you guys were walking in that front door...
Exactly. ...Then we are doing all right.
You're good, yeah. I think they're gonna love it.
This is amazing.
But how about that kitchen and dining space?
Oh. Oh, wow.
It's so pretty.
It's so beautiful.
-This is amazing. -This is amazing.
But how about that kitchen and dining space?
Oh. Oh, wow.
It's so pretty.
It's so beautiful.
It looks like a new house.
-It is a new house. -Oh, my gosh.
-Wow. -No walls holding you back.
No walls.
It feels very, very inviting now, you know?
It's so clean-looking. I love it.
So we've actually built the hood in there,
So everything looks nice and clean.
The hood is up here? Oh, yeah.
And we tore out the old cabinets and tile
To give you the white, modern look you wanted,
Complete with two-toned cabinets for contrast.
I knew there was a two-tone effect coming,
But I didn't know how that was going to work.
Yeah.
Right, I love the fact that it's separated this way.
-Yep. -Yeah.
And also having the slab backsplash, too,
I think is beautiful. I love that, yeah.
Drew: The clean backsplash, also the slab-style cabinets,
It gives you more of that reflective surface,
And you were saying how you liked that posh kind of a look.
I do.
I do, and the island is so big.
This is amazing.
Much bigger than I thought it would be.
-It's like a breakfast bar. -And then dishwasher...
This is a dishwasher? We've never had a dishwasher.
That's, like, the biggest thing ever for us.
This is amazing, oh.
Every second you can save of time... Yeah.
...You can spend as a family doing things together.
Spend it together.
Well, if you like that, what do you think of this?
-Is that the microwave? -This is a drawer microwave.
Drew: Load it from the top,
So you don't have to bend down too low.
I wanted this.
We're trying to give you every functional element
You could possibly have in this house,
Top-of-the-line appliances.
That is a gorgeous fridge.
The cooktop over here on the oven.
Oh, wow.
I think it'll be great for cooking.
I love it, and I love these lights.
Jonathan: I mean, this is gonna be a kitchen
That makes a lot of great family meals.
I can see the kids sitting there at the breakfast bar.
-Yeah. -Yeah, I love that.
It's like they can do their homework here,
And I can just be here.
No more wall right here,
So you can actually see the dining room.
You can see everything.
You can see right outside. It's gorgeous.
Michael: And I see we've lost a window.
You did, but you wouldn't even notice.
But, no, we're not missing any light.
Yeah, no, I love it.
Drew: Not only does that wall going away give us more light,
But it also gives us the sight lines
For when you're entertaining.
It gives us more function with the prep space
On the countertop, the storage space.
Yeah, surprisingly, there's a lot of storage,
Given that we've lost a whole wall.
Drew: And by the way, talking about storage,
Come around the corner here.
Yes. Okay.
Whoa.
This is awesome.
Whoa.
Drew: Pull-out drawers.
Oh, my...This is, like, a dream.
This is amazing.
Michael: You know, we've had no closet doors here
For 15 years.
Yeah. Finally, we can hide our...
And this is so clean. ...Coats and things.
Yeah.
When you have guests over, you can tuck everything away.
You also have extra storage on the side of the dining area.
-Oh, nice. -Oh, wow.
And a good-sized table.
I didn't even see this.
Oh, my gosh.
That's beautiful. This is nice.
Michael: I love the fact that it's not all white.
It's clean but has some contrast.
Drew: The big word, over and over,
Especially at that inspiration house tour,
Was contrast.
Yes, you said that.
Jonathan: But also,
We wanted to make it a lot more sophisticated,
But we didn't want it to be stuffy.
It has to be somewhere a family wants to spend time.
Yes, I love it.
Ooh.
Oh, yeah, this is perfect.
You really have the best best vantage point
From right where you are now because you can see
All the way down through those beautiful railings
Past the gorgeous kitchen.
Yeah, I love it.
Well, that's what makes it such a nice space for me
Is that's completely open-feeling.
Yeah, you could probably dance in here.
I think we have enough space now.
-We have enough space. -Didn't you guys take lessons?
Yes, we did take lessons.
Cha cha? Yeah.
Whoa.
Vanessa: Michael is my forever,
So now we have our forever home to just, like...
We're gonna get old...
No, we're not. ...Together.
I just feel like this is,
Like, our big girl house, you know?
Big girl house?
Big couple house.
Yes, big couple house.
Big couple house.
You have a house that was already full of memories,
And now it's a new space to create new memories in.
Should we get the boys? -Yes, yes.
Alright. Let's do it.
Drew: Welcome home.
-Wow. -What do you think?
-This is, like, awesome. -Awesome.
Lucas, we wanted to give you a beautiful kitchen
To inspire your inner chef.
I think you did that.
This is such a massive transformation.
They're already picturing all the beautiful family moments
They're gonna have.
We love seeing families that are so connected to a house
And giving them a space that really works for them.
Drew: For the record, it's not just a house reveal party.
It's a graduation party, alex.
Come on right in, everybody.
-Come on in, guys. -The party continues.
-Beautiful. -It looks so nice.
I can't believe it.
Who likes ice cream?
-Me. -You do?
Oh, really?
-Good to see you. -Congratulations, oh.
Jonathan: I would like to do an ice cream toast.
You can see how much love there is for you guys,
And the fact that you did all of this
For these two right here, cheers.
[ applause ]
Drew: I have a little friend
Who wants to show you his new home, too.
[ all murmuring ]
Huh?
We wanted to make sure that he felt at home,
Just like you guys do in this new space.
Wow, that's huge.
You like it? I know.
You love it. -Yeah.
Land on the best-looking person here.
-Aw. -Aw.
No big deal. I love you, too.