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NICOLE: Coming up on "Rehab Addict"...
I think it's so cute.
...work continues in my hometown of Detroit, Michigan,
where I'm rehabbing a 1929 house
that was severely damaged
when the neighboring house burned down.
I'm leaving it just like that.
It's a duplex, and I'm focusing on
the upstairs unit's kitchen and bathroom...
...where there's an amazing sink
So cute.
There's a lot of missing parts to this area,
but a trip to the salvage store...
How about $120?
...and a little help from mom
will get it back to being beautiful again.
We just did a project in 15 minutes.
I buy and sell houses,
but I'm not your average flipper.
Oh, my God!
Why in the hell would you cover that up?!
I just want brick.
I don't just renovate.
I restore old homes to their former glory.
It's screaming, like, "Make me pretty again."
It's day and night...
There's always one last door.
...which is not easy when you're a single mom,
but I'm making it work.
I don't know. I still think I'm taller.
My name is Nicole, and I'm addicted to rehab.
-- Captions by VITAC --
Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC.
I'm back home in Detroit, working hard
on restoring a beautiful 1929 duplex
that had been left damaged by a fire.
We've already given the exterior a complete facelift
from new windows to repaired siding
and a newly landscaped yard.
Inside, we've renovated
the lower unit's kitchen and bathroom
along with a little side room
that I turned into the perfect home office.
Wow.
Now I have plans to restore
the upper unit's kitchen and bathroom,
where there are plenty of original fixtures,
but a lot of fire damage to address.
Today is the day we finally start demoing,
and, really, it's a matter of deciding what stays, what goes,
what can I salvage, and what is too far gone?
Now, for the most part, everything's in great shape.
I mean, the fire ripped through here
and really acted like a heat gun -- pssh! --
and took all the layers of paint off the walls and doors.
The cool thing is that all the shellac and polyurethane
has really preserved these doors so that when the fire came in,
that's all it did -- just burned off
layers and layers of polyurethane and shellac.
So, really, it's cleaning up and determining what we can save.
[ Laughs ]
Wow, look at how it melted the paint.
I've never seen the fixtures actually in the bathroom.
Anyone down there?
[ Clatter ]
Oops.
Look at how pristine this is, though.
I mean, this one's dirty 'cause it's burned,
but actually, like, I feel more comfortable sitting in here
than, like, every other bathroom.
Look at those.
I love these. I just think they're so cool.
See, it's all wide plank up here.
That is the worst sound.
What is it, that mop on there? Lookit.
At least the kitchen sink was saved.
I think it's so cute.
I'm leaving it just like that.
They're savable.
There's another original door off the back of this kitchen.
I had the downstairs one fixed by a local woodworking expert,
so he's taking care of this one as well.
NICOLE: The drywall's going up,
and we have 2,200 square feet of house here,
and there's really not any wall
that doesn't need some sort of work done to it.
[ Drill whirring ]
Justin has been busy upstairs getting the bathroom drywalled
and the tub area fitted with 6-inch subway tiles.
[ Saw buzzing ]
JUSTIN: Here it is -- the last tile. Done.
Now it's time for me to put on some dark grout.
The grout always looks really scary when it goes on,
and I think it probably freaks most people out,
but it lightens up a bit.
The dark grout is really intact
with what would have been here originally.
You didn't have all these fancy grout colors.
The other thing -- As a mom,
dark grout doesn't discolor, doesn't turn yellow.
White grout tends to yellow in a shower,
so dark grout is a great option.
It's clean, it's classic,
and it looks scary as heck going on.
The most important thing to remember when grouting --
When it's still wet, get it cleaned off.
Wow, that is going to be pretty in here.
Sounds good.
It's not gray. It's not blue. It's not green.
That's the bathroom color!
NICOLE: Everyone always envisions Detroit as doom and gloom,
and the best way to see Detroit, I think,
is [Clicks tongue] sporting some kicks.
And I think this is a view of Detroit
that many people just don't think of.
And there's no better way to start my day
working on a burnt-out house than running.
I only get to run in the morning real quick
because I got to get back to work.
The kitchen floors were in pretty decent shape
after we pulled up the linoleum,
so after a few repairs and a good sanding,
they're ready for a coat of polyurethane.
This bathroom was a scary disaster,
and now it's just getting down to the nitty-gritty,
where everything gets cleaned.
And the funny part is that these original fixtures
are all porcelain-coated, which means,
over the years, they've just painted them.
You can see it.
So, I just want to clean all this up
so it can all shine through.
That's gonna look great.
But my biggest thing is saving this medicine chest.
This medicine chest is original to the house,
and similar cabinet would cost about $120 brand-new.
But it will only take me about an hour or so
to get the old one looking good again.
This mirror has got so much smoke damage.
But if you take your scraper
and you put it in a towel or something like this,
it actually can help you get all this gunk off
and not ruin the mirror.
I'm always afraid to use chemicals
because you don't know what's gonna harm it.
It's a lot of elbow grease on this one,
but it's already coming very clean,
and you can see everything's coming off,
just like that.
All right.
Looks pretty darn good to me.
And, really, what I'm trying to do is just soften up all this
so that it smoothes out, gets all the rough pieces off.
Gonna sand it up real quick and give it a fresh coat of paint.
Is it gonna be perfect?
Heck no. It's old.
It's not supposed to be.
It's finally time for paint in Detroit,
and it's not like I can just go to my garage
and grab up all my extra paint -- I have none here.
But I found a paint shop where they do exactly what I do.
They take all the recycled paint, they mix it all together,
and they form new colors, which is what I want.
Sounds good.
So, I want to go in the magic backroom, see what you guys have going.
Yeah.
Well, I got some 5's already put together.
Oh, you do.
Okay.
Which is a light green color.
There's another 5 of eggshell.
The contractors I work with --
They bring in their leftover paint.
And we can mix together pretty much any color you want.
I love this 'cause this is what I do.
So, this'll be pretty cool 'cause the Detroit house
will have its own unique color palette as well.
Absolutely.
A lot of times when you mix together these old paints, too,
they actually give you a better product.
It actually covers better.
Is it easier if I pick out some colors, then,
Sure.
Pick out some colors, and then I'll match you towards that.
I got plenty of paint here to work with.
I always say, pick a family
or something that really strikes you,
and then you can go either way from there.
You can go lighter version or a darker version of the color.
Pick a family. That's a good point.
All right, Rob. There's my final three.
Looks good. I'm sure we can match them up.
Any chance you want to deliver those to me today?
Okay. Cool.
That'll rock, 'cause I was just thinking
that's a lot of paint for my little car.
Well, the paint's all done,
and that's a huge thing off my list today, especially since
I don't have to load it and take it back to the house.
[ Dog barking ]
This is a brand-new color for me.
Not really.
It's in my guest bedroom at home,
but I wanted to break up the bathrooms a bit.
I did very neutral colors throughout the house,
but these bathrooms were so spectacular
because they have all the original tile,
so I decided to mix in
a little bit of different color in this.
It's not gray. It's not blue. It's not green.
Doing a little more detail with a couple gallons of paint,
which is all under $50,
makes a huge difference in a bathroom.
The bathroom should always have
the personality of the house, too.
That's the bathroom color!
I love it.
My grandmother loved this house.
It's seriously the same smell.
This is my great-grandfather's workbench.
[ Breathes shakily ]
So, Jason, we got the workshop right here in my backyard.
Jason's brought the doors back,
and he's actually assembling them right on-site
so that we have a perfect fit.
The one thing about when you remake an old door
is that the whole house has shifted since it was built.
So you just can't take a door and think that you've built it
and it's gonna fit right back into the house.
So, it's already been inside the house, dry-fitted,
taken out, shaved down,
and actually adjusted so it fits back perfectly.
[ Nail gun firing ]
The best part about working in Detroit
is being close to my family.
And today, I'm headed out to Lake Orion, where I grew up,
along with my mom, dad, and brother Ryan
to visit the house that my great-grandparents used to live in.
NICOLE: Hi, Carrie.
CARRIE: No, come on in.
Okay.
This is already weird.
Wow.
Now, we were never allowed in this door.
I just want to see the staircase.
NICOLE: I just want to see if --
Yeah, wow.
This feels like the original layout,
CARRIE: Yep.
NICOLE: So, now, your kitchen's back towards this part.
Okay.
Do you still have the loft in the garage?
CARRIE: Yes.
NICOLE: Oh, my God.
[ Sniffs ] It's seriously the same smell.
And I know that sounds absolutely ridiculous.
[ Inhales deeply ]
Are you thinking what I'm thinking?
NICOLE: This is my great-grandfather's workbench.
I remember coming up here as a kid, and it's just --
This is what we're all about.
[ Voice breaking ] I mean, this is something that --
It's such a cool feeling.
I go through this experience all the time
when people show up at my houses
and say, "Our family used to live here."
And I've never quite experienced it myself, and it's just --
This is probably one of those moments where I get it.
[ Breathes shakily ]
My grandmother loved this house.
I see her. I feel her.
And it's...amazing.
It's such a cool feeling, and everything is still here.
That's what I love.
Well, it's back to working on the house.
There's been some huge progress in the upper bathroom.
The medicine cabinet has been painted,
and we have brand-new plumbing.
This is one of my favorite things to do
because people rip these old tubs out all day long.
This is porcelain.
You can't afford to put this tub in your house these days.
It would easily be a couple thousand dollars,
and all it really needs is a very good scrubbing.
Now, old tubs -- You don't want to use anything
that will eat away this beautiful finish,
so I always use a cleanser that's nonabrasive
and is not gonna hurt it.
But it still scrubs away all that dirt,
and I got to tell you --
People always want to know why my arms are so toned.
'Cause I scrub the heck out of old tubs.
It's getting white already. I love it.
Look at how pretty that is.
Driving around the city,
it's so wild to think that everywhere you look,
there used to be house after house after house,
and now it's just fields.
But what happens when there's tons of houses
that are just abandoned,
there is a lot of salvaged old-house materials.
I really need a lot of old-house parts.
There's so many great areas in this city that are still thriving,
and, unfortunately,
those aren't the things that we ever see in the news.
And Eastern Market is just one of them.
I mean, it's midday in the middle of the week,
and there's great food trucks.
There's open markets. There's music.
And, most intriguing to me,
there's tons of shops with salvaged house parts.
Wow, is that beautiful back there.
20 bucks.
NICOLE: So, you have $150 on this.
How about $120?
Thank you for helping me.
I'm still in need of a storage cabinet for my kitchen,
so I'm going to look around another salvage store.
This is gonna go in my kitchen.
I need some storage in there.
Okay, today was a first because I actually had a mission
of finding a cabinet for the upstairs kitchen,
and I found it.
Now I have something cute to hang in the kitchen,
and I can get to work on the rest of it.
Don't you think that would look better than straight across?
Do you think people are driving by
thinking we've lost our minds?
A little bit of Velcro action today.
We just did a project in 15 minutes.
You want to get that side, mom?
I decided the best solution
for hiding the ugly plumbing under the sink
was a cute skirt using this red, checkered fabric
that I practically got for free.
Don't you think that would look better than straight across?
Oh. That's a good idea. Oh, and then you see the sink.
I'm not great at sewing,
so I've enlisted my mom to help.
NICOLE: Do you think people are driving by
thinking we've lost our minds?
But they know us.
Hey, I know how to do that corner now, by the way.
Always go forward.
Always go forward.
Oh. I thought you meant with the pedal.
There it is.
You work on the other one. I'm gonna go play.
I know.
The best way to adhere my little skirt for my sink --
a little bit of Velcro action today.
Whoop!
Okay.
This might get to be a tangly mess under here.
[ Laughs ]
Oh, man. [ Laughs ]
I got to get this done before my mom comes up here.
Aah!
Perfect.
Okay.
This reminds me of my school uniform.
NICOLE: Seriously!
Oh, my gosh. This sight so cute, I can't even handle it.
Done.
We just did a project in 15 minutes.
All right, I picked this up.
I think a little further that way, yeah.
[ Drill whirring ]
I like it.
We went from having no storage in here
to, like, cutesy storage.
♪ La la la, la la la ♪
I fell in love with this kitchen.
It had many layers of different flooring.
But we had an apron sink -- the original apron sink.
And with a sink this big, simple is the best way to go.
It's one of my favorite features here.
Dressing up the sink, because I wanted to hide the radiator,
so simply making the skirt for the apron sink
and adding a few other touches.
And the best part is it's understated.
It's very cozy.
I love creating cozy kitchens.
Wow. Light!
This upstairs bathroom -- I saw this much of it.
I took my foot across the tile,
and I could see the snowflake design.
My heart just started to race
because it was another original bathroom.
Basically, we got to salvage a medicine cabinet,
the sink, and the tub and some fixtures.
That's about it.
Everything was pretty much melted.
The heat from the fire melted the paint off the walls,
the varnish off the doors -- It was a mess.
Lots of repair, and now it's so cute.
This bathroom -- totally my style,
and now all the original pieces are back together.
They are porcelain. They are priceless.
Next time on "Rehab Addict"...
NICOLE: Look at this.
Isn't that crazy?
This is raw plaster.
Plaster is, like, old-world craftsmanship.
All the windows are in really great shape.
They're not curling. They're not doing anything.
I'm just excited that they're still in the house.
When I stage a home, we need dining-room tables,
house goods, chairs.
They're cute.
[ Sighs ] This is a big room.