Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
DREW: Sandra and Kyle are young
and ready to build their lives together
but not in their current home.
KYLE: There's multiple doorways.
There's a doorway leading to a doorway.
SANDRA: Grandma's house is not working for us anymore.
Don't you agree?
DREW: That's where we come in.
I show people properties with promise.
Want to give it a chance?
It's like the restaurant pass-through.
You need the bell. Ding! Order's up.
JONATHAN: And I take on the renovation.
Look how rotten that is.
It's incredibly illegal.
We know how to turn a dated disaster
into a fantasy first home.
We are the Property Brothers.
-- Captions by VITAC --
Who is Harry Bear? Is Harry Bear a good boy?
Is he a good boy? Ruff-ruff.
Sandra and Kyle are renting her grandparents' house.
And although they love the history of the home,
they just feel stuck inside.
Yeah, it's very old and not functional for a young family
trying to start their lives together.
[ Laughs ] Do you want your toy?
We actually met in university,
so we've been together for 10 years.
This is our lovely dog, Harry.
His is also ready for a new home.
Don't you agree?
[ Whimpers ]
Do you?
Grandma's house is not working for us anymore.
It is for sale right now, but we could never see buying it.
KYLE: There's too many renovations,
and we're not handy at all.
There's multiple doorways.
There's this doorway, you've got this doorway here,
there's a doorway leading to a doorway over here.
He's constantly walking into things.
There's too many doorways.
It's like a maze to try and get to your kitchen.
It's horrible.
Cabinets do not stay shut.
They pop open and eventually get to this point
during half the day.
We kind of came up
with a little bit of a creative solution.
So we don't actually trip.
[ Chuckling ] That's actually happened.
And we have wires hanging out of the wall.
I don't even -- We don't even know what this does.
It's taped for safety because it's live.
Can you imagine a child?
[ Laughs ]
I'll take you into our only bathroom of the house.
As you can see, it's luxurious.
A solid one person can fit in this bathroom.
So, we're in the guest bedroom.
Wouldn't you want to stay here?
I mean, it's got all the comforts of home.
You've got your bed, you have a kitchen,
which so many bedrooms could do with [Sighs], right?
Our wish list is to have open concept --
no more walls, no more repetitive doors.
A workable kitchen.
I'm sure location is gonna be key for us --
somewhere close to subways.
We love to walk,
and our favorite brunch place is up the road
and our coffee place.
Come on, Harry. Let's go in here.
Yeah, we like to have a lot of the amenities in the area.
We're so close to, you know, the parks and greenery.
Our max budget is $475,000.
It's gonna be a big job.
I'm a bit skeptical if the brothers
can find us that dream house, so...
[ Whimpers ]
I'm surprised they haven't come to see us sooner.
Yeah, it seems they've reached the breaking point.
They just do not want to live in a house with so many issues.
Well, there's nothing to complain about
inside this house we're about to show them.
It is perfect in so many ways, kind of like me.
[ Laughing ] No, I could so make a comment right now.
Shh.
Here it is -- detached home.
Fully renovated.
SANDRA: Oh, that's amazing.
Love the curb appeal.
It's a lot better than our place already.
Come on in.
This place is awesome!
Oh, wow.
Now, this is open concept,
exactly where you guys wanted to be.
You have a beautiful outdoor entertainment space,
you have three bedrooms.
Oh, my God, I love the floor and this staircase!
And a definite lack of doorways.
KYLE: Definitely the open concept that we're looking for.
This is, like, leaps and bounds over what we have right now.
This house is amazing.
So beautiful, very spacious.
It's awesome.
A fireplace!
DREW: Gas fireplace.
Built-in shelving over here.
I'm sold. I'm not leaving.
KYLE: The gas fireplace is amazing.
It's super modern-looking,
and the fact that it's actually functional
and we can warm our hands on it is fantastic.
What do you think of the color scheme in here?
'Cause they've gone with a really light hardwood flooring.
SANDRA: I think the lighter wood
actually makes it look a lot bigger.
Yeah. I love the light wood on the floor.
Come on through to the back here.
I love the high ceilings,
because it makes it feel twice as big as what the space is.
Now, over here, they have a very modern blend
with traditional in the kitchen.
Do you like that?
Yeah, and it's modern but not too modern.
Downtown living, a lot of times,
you don't have a lot of cabinet space.
In this kitchen, you have more than enough cabinet space.
Way more than we have.
KYLE: Way more than we have now.
Three cabinets?
Yeah, three cabinets.
There's so much storage in the kitchen.
It is perfect.
Awesome.
Love the fact that it had all the appliances that we needed --
something we don't have right now.
And the sink.
I love the usable stuff, like the sink and the stove.
This is amazing.
And I love the granite countertop.
Love the -- Love the counter.
Countertops are amazing.
How about the stylish vent hood?
You know, we don't even have one.
[ Chuckling ] You don't have much right now.
We don't have much.
We don't have a lot right now.
So I could have basically just shown you a barn,
and it would still be, "We don't have any of this stuff!"
There's even a cat for Harry to herd.
[ Meows ]
Just like, "Why are these people in here?"
Oh, it's great, and it's got a lovely outdoor space, too.
New windows, as well.
DREW: Let's head upstairs and check out the second level.
Okay, great.
After you.
See, straight ahead, you have the first bedroom.
KYLE: Oh, wow.
SANDRA: Oh, this is great.
Oh, I love these closets!
Fan of built-ins?
That's just way more storage than we could ever imagine.
It's perfect.
Sandra doesn't often hug cupboards like that,
so that's something that she really enjoyed
in the house [Chuckling] I think.
Add it to my wish list.
This is a necessity.
I really like the natural light.
DREW: High ceilings, a lot of natural light pouring in.
It's a great-size master bedroom.
This is amazing. Perfect.
Fully renovated bathroom with a jetted tub.
Wow. Very spacious.
I love the continuation of the modern feel in here.
But then you have rustic elements, like the shelf.
Look at the raw-wood shelf.
Oh, that's really lovely.
Wow. Really cool.
Oh, I like that!
How does this compare to your current place?
Have you seen our bathroom?
It doesn't.
You've seen the whole space.
You have the city-center location that you really want.
Inside, obviously, an open concept.
I love it.
I'm definitely sold on the space,
the finished kitchen.
It's all turnkey.
Like, I mean, it's just all done.
But that's the scary thing,
because you're gonna pay more for that.
The list price of this house is $718,000.
That is well over your max budget.
That's even more expensive than I thought it was gonna be.
That makes me really depressed.
No idea why they would even show us something
that far out of our price range.
Just a tease. Just mean. That was mean.
We can't afford it.
You can't afford this, move-in ready.
I'm trying to prove a point here.
We need to look at properties that need some work.
That is the absolutely only way we're gonna be able
to get a house within your budget
that will be your dream home.
Okay.
You're okay with that,
but I can tell that you're not okay with it.
I don't know. It's scary.
Just seems so much simpler to find something move-in ready,
but we definitely can't afford it.
Okay, well, I've lined up some showings.
Give these houses a chance.
Don't worry about price. Let's just look at these homes.
Okay?
Thanks.
I'm not handy at all.
Definitely don't want to start picking up the tools
and working on a house.
We're really trusting the brothers can come through
and find us a perfect reno home that we don't have to touch.
I have a good handle on what they want in their home,
and it's actually gonna really shock them,
but they need to hear me out.
DREW: Sometimes I'm not sure where to start a house hunt.
This time, I've got a good idea on a property
that will suit them.
I'm showing them an estate sale.
KYLE: Oh, they're here.
How you doing?
How's it going?
Good.
Good.
You all ready for some house hunting?
Ready to go.
We're all ready.
We have an awesome first property.
You want to know where it is?
Yes.
Yeah, where?
Right here.
Sorry, what?
We want to tour your house.
Yeah?
Well, why not give this house a chance?
The pièce de résistance of horribleness.
Uh-oh, that's bad.
I'm just ready to walk away right now.
DREW: Sandra and Kyle are a young couple living in a century-old home.
SANDRA: Grandma's house is not working for us anymore.
But they can't afford move-in ready.
We want to tour your house.
Sorry, what?
I know they weren't expecting this,
but their current rental has a lot of promise.
Now we have to show them why.
This house is over 1,100 square feet.
What is your issue with this place?
Because, literally, it is exactly what you're looking for.
List it up.
Tell me some things that are wrong with it.
The flooring needs to be replaced.
SANDRA: The kitchen is very unusable.
Like, we have a ceiling caving in,
an unfinished basement, and one bathroom.
We have all these walls,
all these nooks and crannies in the corners.
I just don't see it.
I know this home belonged to your grandparents,
and they passed away.
Your family are actually handling the estate.
I think it's important
that you actually give this house a chance,
because there is a lot of potential here.
I knew we threw them a bit of a curveball,
showing them the home they're currently renting,
but it has 3 bedrooms, 1 1/2 bathrooms,
it's a semidetached with over 1,100 square feet.
It can work for them.
I think they just need another perspective,
and I'm hoping that Jonathan and I can give that to them.
Now, did you guys do the painting in here?
SANDRA: No.
It looks like painting over wallpaper?
Yeah, you can see all the bubbles in it.
It just -- It feels really claustrophobic.
We have, you know, plaster issues on the ceiling.
Again, the cracks in the walls, and...
KYLE: And it really doesn't feel homey at all,
with the way it's all sectioned off.
First thing I would do is remove all of these walls
and give you a nice, big open space.
Is there anything you like in this space?
We like the character of the home.
We like the original archway here.
Right.
We don't like the fireplace.
The fireplace is original and old.
Needs to be taken out.
SANDRA: I don't even know where that tile came from.
That's horrible.
But, again, this is stuff that can be changed.
In behind there, you probably have the original chimney,
and there's probably some brick.
Or if you don't want to expose that,
we could do a new tile over it, take the feature all away.
DREW: Come on in here.
SANDRA: Okay.
This is a huge, huge kitchen space.
Not necessarily usable, though.
KYLE: The pièce de résistance of horribleness is the kitchen.
We don't even -- It's not even --
Uh-oh, that's bad.
Right now, it's maybe just not laid out the best,
because we could swap it around, have a big island here,
lots of walking space to go straight out the door,
and maybe we shrink down that window a little bit
so that we can get cabinets all the way along.
DREW: How many bedrooms do we have? Three bedrooms here, right?
KYLE: Three bedrooms, one bath.
Right.
How many bedrooms do you want to have in your new place?
Three.
Right, perfect.
So you have that here.
Are you putting the puzzle pieces together yet?
Or is it still...
Right now, the dollar signs, again, are just --
It's getting too much, I think.
Well, would you like to know
what the value of this home is right now?
Sure.
Yes.
If they list the property,
the list price on this house is gonna be around $435,000.
I know it's your family that are handling the estate.
And they would really like to keep the house in the family,
and that's gonna help you
because we would avoid any bidding war.
We would have no other offers coming in.
That's gonna get you into a place,
and Jonathan can start renovating it right away.
Right. It would be nice, except there's a lot of obstacles.
Kyle clearly is not on board with this.
I mean, my preference is, if we could make it work,
I'd love to stay here.
I mean, there are a lot of memories.
We never considered actually buying this house.
I'm just ready to walk away right now.
It can be a hard thing, dealing with finances and family.
That's why let me do that.
I think, if we had that buffer with the family,
with you, maybe it would be better.
I'm glad we kind of rehashed this and talked it over,
but I just want to see more houses.
And we're gonna show you more houses.
I just wanted to give you a little bit of that eye-opener
with this place to see that it is a great home,
but let's see if there's something out there
that also has a lot of potential.
Okay, great.
Okay? Let's get to it right now.
Great.
Let's go.
Well, here we are, in the same community you love.
This house -- It does need a bit of work.
Interesting roof.
Dated architecture.
Not feeling that one.
No, I didn't see the enthusiasm in your eye.
It needed a lot of work.
This is a nice-character home.
A lot of space in here.
Like the look of this one.
Definitely didn't like the fact that there's no green space.
It's tough to find a house in this neighborhood
in your price point.
I know, we're giving you a run for your money.
Someone's got to make him work.
Here we go. We have three stories.
I'm not sure about the addition on the front, though.
Yeah, it's a little bit boxy.
KYLE: Well, the layout was really funky on that one.
DREW: Yeah, it's not too functional.
Small, and way too much work.
You know what? We have seen everything in this neighborhood.
I really think we're gonna have to look at going elsewhere.
Here it is, nice big house.
I love the green space in the front.
And, actually, there's a green belt in behind.
Which is why we had to drive so far to get here.
Hey, give this house a chance. There's a lot of space.
After you.
That is some amazing wallpaper.
Oh, it's textured!
That's -- That's something.
It's, like, crushed velvet.
It's just something out of a horror movie.
[ Thunder crashes, wolf howls ]
Oh, it just feels wrong.
You can see dirty fingerprints around here.
Ignore that.
You shift into the main area.
I know you guys are already ripping the house apart,
but give it a chance.
Oh!
I think Sandra and Kyle were feeling uneasy
before we even stepped inside this house,
but this is a semidetached house with 4 bedrooms,
3 bathrooms, and over 1,400 square feet.
I just want them to realize
they're gonna get more house for their money
if we move outside their preferred area.
Oh! Wow.
Um, what is this?
This is your kitchen!
It's like the restaurant pass-through.
You need the bell. Ding! Order's up.
I have no words. It's just hideous.
The blue countertop -- hideous.
Floor tile -- [Chuckling] same thing.
Yep.
I don't know what they were thinking, bringing us here.
Well, I'd want to pull this wall back
and have this all as living room space.
There are a lot more issues that I saw in their current home
than anything I've seen here,
so I think this would be a quick and clean renovation.
Come on in to the dining area.
Okay.
It is a good size.
Minus the spindles.
The wooden spindles.
If you get rid of the wooden spindles,
where are you gonna put your porcelain dolls?
Uh, on the curb.
[ Laughter ]
That's where they should be.
If we were gonna move the kitchen,
I mean, take a look at this.
This space back here -- all this wall opened up,
look at the size of what this kitchen would be.
SANDRA: It's a big space.
I just have trouble seeing it as a kitchen.
I can tell you just don't like this house one bit.
No, I'm not feeling it.
This place actually shows better than your place.
I'm being honest.
You have water damage.
Your place does not show very well, so...
All right, why don't we hop upstairs and look at the bedrooms.
Okay.
SANDRA: At least the bedrooms are not a bad size.
They are. Now, are you afraid of a little color?
That's a lot of pink.
KYLE: Whoa, that's...
And then such a tiny sink.
That's so funny.
It's too pink.
Why pink?
Is there gonna be something maybe green?
Yellow? Pink.
And these flowers just are gorgeous.
DREW: But it is a big bathroom,
so Jonathan can gut that and make it absolutely stunning.
What I actually think would be great on this upper floor
is if you take the two bedrooms over here,
combine them into one massive master suite,
I mean, that would be a pretty nice upper level.
That would actually give us a lot more room
than we currently have.
And a lot more bathrooms.
Four bathrooms, total.
That's amazing.
And it would still give you two extra bedrooms
over on this side for guests or future children.
Or office space for now.
Or office space for now, exactly.
And that's something that we've always wanted,
so that's something to keep in mind, too.
Well, I think something that would really sell you
on this place is the price.
Okay.
This house is listed for $399,900.
Wow.
Well under your max budget.
And, honestly, that's above market value.
I can get that down even more.
Really?
The price is definitely in our range right now.
Your house that you currently live in is over 100 years old.
This house is 60 years old.
A lot of the issues in your current home
are caused by the age.
I think, now that we've seen the whole space
and you've given some ideas,
I almost feel like this would be a clean break for us.
I don't know.
I think there's some potential there on the renovation side.
I think you saw the potential.
Yeah.
Let's put some designs together on this house,
as well as your current home,
to see which house would be best suited for you.
I think it would be very helpful.
[ Gasps ]
Oh!
That is just amazing.
I think it's definitely gonna make it tough for us.
DREW: Sandra and Kyle have narrowed it down
to two possible contenders.
One is the outdated home
Sandra's grandmother used to own...
It would be nice, except there's a lot of obstacles.
...and the other is more house for your money
but out in the 'burbs.
I don't know.
Jonathan has drawn up designs for both,
and we're about to present the plans.
Drew: Hey, guys.
Hey.
Hey.
Today is the day you have to make a decision.
So excited.
And it's a big decision, and these designs look amazing.
How you feeling?
A little nervous.
And you've narrowed it down to two great properties --
the sentimental semi, your current house --
The other property is the scary suburban home, but it is bigger.
Why don't we first look at the sentimental semi?
Okay.
Sure.
JONATHAN: I'll take out the multiple doorways
and open up the space for a cozy, updated living room
with a brand-new gas fireplace and hardwood floors.
My design will be a blend of old and new,
keeping the character of the original home.
Kyle: Wow.
Ooh.
That is just amazing!
Yeah.
I'll continue the open floor plan
with a large dining area
that flows into a fully equipped kitchen
with tons of storage and prep space,
a center island, and all the latest appliances.
[ Gasps ]
Oh!
I'm really impressed.
Yeah, me too.
I had no idea you guys could make it look like that at all.
Kyle, you actually -- You look excited.
I am! I'm really excited.
DREW: The appraised value of this home is $435,000.
Now, the appraiser just came in this one time --
first time he's seen the place.
You've been living there for two years,
and you know some of the issues that are in the house,
and I feel, actually,
a more realistic market value is $400,000 for this home...
Yeah.
...and that's what I think we should make our offer,
and I honestly think your father,
who is the executor to the estate --
I think he'll appreciate all the things
that have to be fixed.
He wants you in a safe and stylish home.
Yeah.
The renovations?
JONATHAN: Renovations -- pretty substantial.
We're looking at about $75,000, and it'll take us 5 weeks,
and that's your max -- $475,000.
SANDRA: Yeah.
How does that make you feel?
It sounds really good.
Sounds a little too good to be true.
Yeah, but great design,
and we'll definitely be able to make the budget work.
As great as that place looks,
we still have the scary suburban house to look at.
Okay.
Yeah.
JONATHAN: No more kitchen at the front.
This will become your new living room.
It'll be open concept
and will flow into a generous dining area,
perfect for entertaining family and friends.
Oh, wow!
Oh, wow!
Again, really different from what we saw before.
That's completely different.
At the back, where there used to be a living room,
I'll put in French doors leading to a patio
and make you a beautiful, spacious kitchen
with hardwood floors, marble counters,
and a breakfast-bar peninsula.
That's amazing. Like, I'm really --
I'm shocked that that is the same house that we toured.
Yeah.
Would you say this is a contender now?
Oh, for sure.
I'd say this is a contender now.
DREW: Awesome. And the list price on this house
is $399,900.
The market value would actually be around $380,000.
No one is buying this house right now.
Been sitting on the market for a bit.
I would say that our target price should be $370,000...
Oh.
Oh.
...because we have to change
the full configuration of the home.
Kitchen is being moved to the back,
walls are being opened up.
It's a big job. Buyers are running away.
Renovations are gonna be about $100,000,
and that's because we're flipping the entire main floor,
so it's a lot of work.
I can get it done, though, pretty quick, in six weeks.
That's a -- That's -- That's actually amazing.
Yeah.
That would bring us in at $470,000,
which is $5,000 below your max budget --
a little buffer.
It's tough.
It's a tough decision.
Now that we've seen the design and got the prices,
I think it's definitely gonna make it tough for us.
When we come back, let's hear what your choice is.
Okay.
Great.
I don't know. What do you think?
[ Sighs ]
I'm really impressed with the scary suburban now...
It's a bigger space, so...
...and I wasn't interested in it before!
Right.
That's it.
I mean, the sentimental semi is in the right location for us.
We know what issues -- most issues, I think --
were gonna be there.
Which scares me because the budget is so tight.
I mean, do you think we could make a wrong decision, though?
They're both amazing.
I think I know which one I want to go with, but...
Do you?
Yeah.
I think I know which one I want to go with.
Yeah.
[ Chuckling ] Do you think we're talking about the same house?
We'll see.
[ Laughs ]
So, what's the decision?
The decision is...
We're pretty comfortable
going forward without a home inspection.
JONATHAN: This is just completely rotten.
DREW: Sandra and Kyle need to decide
between two fixer-uppers.
Jonathan has done up designs for both.
Will they choose the $400,000 sentimental semi
with the $75,000 reno,
or the scary suburban for $370,000
and a reno budget of 100 grand?
Time to find out which house they choose.
Oh, you seem confident. I like that.
Yeah.
Yeah.
All right, so, what's the decision?
The decision is...
As much as we love what you've done with the scary suburban,
we had to go with the sentimental semi.
Oh, okay.
Okay, great.
Now, why did you choose that house?
So, first of all, I mean, we have so many memories there.
Yeah.
We've lived there for so long...
Yeah.
...but the commute, on the scary suburban,
was the scariest thing for us to come to terms with.
It's gonna be an amazing house when Jonathan is done.
And when we bring our offer of $400,000 forward to your dad,
I want to make sure that him and the rest of the family
are comfortable with that,
and they're not gonna feel that we're lowballing them.
He'll understand, because I'll give him a list
of all the issues that we need to repair.
This is the good thing about having a third party
deal with all the numbers and business.
Then you guys don't have to do that with family.
Let Drew be the bad guy. He's always used to that.
[ Laughs ]
Okay, great.
Well, this is exciting.
You guys talk design,
and I'm gonna get the paperwork started.
This house has been in Sandra's family since the '60s,
when her grandfather bought it for $19,000.
I wish I could get a house nowadays for $19,000.
i do have to present the offer to Sandra's dad.
[ Telephone rings ]
He's the executor of the estate.
MAN: $435,000?
Yeah, well, that's the appraised value,
but the good thing for us
is that Kyle and Sandra live in the house,
so they're able to tell us what the issues would be.
That gives us a better idea for our renovation budget.
Yeah, there are some issues.
Yeah.
Can I grab a cappuccino, please?
KYLE: I'll have a black coffee.
Well, $400,000 is what I feel is a fair offer.
How do you guys feel about that?
[ Indistinct conversations ]
I'm a little nervous.
It's really taking that next step
into adulthood from kid-dom...
[ Chuckling ] Kid-dom.
...and putting on my big-boy pants
and starting a new adult life with Sandra.
Well, that's the important thing.
We want to make sure that you guys are happy, too.
The whole family has to be happy
with whatever the final price is.
SANDRA: We're really familiar with the house.
We've lived there ourselves for a couple of years now,
so we're pretty comfortable
going forward without a home inspection.
DREW: Hey, guys.
How are you?
Not too bad.
I have some news. I finally got in touch with your dad.
I told your dad the appraisal was $435,000...
Right.
...but with the work we know has to be done
and some of the issues...
Yeah.
...we agreed that $400,000 was a good price.
Wow. That's amazing.
But he said, even though that's a good price,
he felt $385,000 was a better price.
And so that's what we closed on.
Oh!
That's really good.
Isn't that awesome?
Really good.
I'm so excited!
Thank you, Mom and Dad, for that.
We couldn't be happier.
So, a lot of work ahead of us.
You guys should go and celebrate.
We'll finish up the paperwork later on.
Great.
Sounds great. Thanks so much.
With the deal done, they're about to turn this place,
with all its family history, into their own family home.
They've bought the house for $385,000.
Not only is that a great price for this area,
it adds some extra contingency for Jonathan's reno budget.
That's a good thing when you're dealing
with the uncertainty of an older home.
Since Sandra and Kyle are going to be living in the house,
they want to have it all done in five weeks.
We're about to smash up a house that holds a lot of memories for Sandra,
but I've promised to preserve the charm.
I'm giving them an open-concept living room and dining room
fit for entertaining.
And I'm taking the kitchen out of the '60s
and into the next millennium.
I hope Sandra will be okay with it.
And she said she's ready to swing a hammer
and start the demolition,
but, eh, let's see if she actually is ready.
We have our hands full today.
We're smashing the walls open.
We're tearing out the cabinets.
And these are cabinets that you've walked into
your entire life.
I know. Yeah, I know. It's gonna be hard.
Yeah?
Yeah.
But you're okay with it?
I'm good with it.
Let's just get it done.
I've been in and out of this house since I was a baby.
My dad actually grew up here,
so I kind of got a little choked up right before we started.
I could really picture, you know, where my grandmother --
where she stood at the countertop.
And I don't know, they're good memories.
How's it going?
Good.
Yeah.
Right. We're good.
[ Chuckles ]
Oh, it's just beginning.
But it's nice to step out and get a little fresh air before,
because we haven't even started the really...
Yeah.
...the really tough stuff.
JONATHAN: But starting demo is too much for Sandra,
so it's up to Kyle and me to get things started.
There.
One down.
[ Laughter ]
A lot to go.
Don't think I can actually pull anything off.
Oh, my God.
You -- You can --
No, it's all right.
Want to do this?
No.
This door has your name on it.
Oh, God.
[ Chuckles ]
I knew we had to demo a lot,
but when you're actually demoing it all,
you're just kind of -- It's kind of emotional.
This part down here, I have no reservations about.
I hate this part.
[ Banging ]
Kyle, you're having a little too much fun.
I'm having tons of fun doing this.
[ Indistinct conversations ]
[ Laughs ]
It's four -- four whacks.
More than four.
Five.
Oh, wow!
JONATHAN: There we go.
Oh, wow! [ Laughs ]
You can see up here,
the plaster should not come away this easy.
That's just disgusting.
And lookit, this is just completely rotten.
[ Laughs ]
Here, I'm gonna just see if we can get a better look here.
This over here is what's supporting your tub.
Look how rotten that is.
That's basically the wood
that's supposed to be holding up the floor.
Oh, my God.
So we're gonna have to fix that.
That is it.
We don't have another dollar or dime.
We're not as lucky as I was hoping we would be.
Aw.
JONATHAN: Sandra and Kyle purchased her grandmother's outdated home
for me to renovate into the home of their dreams.
Oh, wow!
JONATHAN: But only one day into the reno,
we discover a serious structural problem.
JONATHAN: That's basically the wood
that's supposed to be holding up the floor.
Oh, my God.
Wood should sound like this...
[ Hollow thumping ]
Right.
...not like this.
[ Gentle tapping ]
SANDRA: That's gonna be really expensive.
I'm a lot less emotionally attached to this kitchen now.
Now that you could have fallen through...
Now that I could have fallen through.
...you're not as emotionally attached to it?
Now that the kitchen could have killed you...
Yes.
...you're not as emotionally attached.
All right.
1...2...3.
[ Clatter ]
[ Sighs ]
Well...we're not as lucky as I was hoping we would be.
That's an asbestos wrap.
Aw.
Yeah.
So we know we're gonna have
at least three of these runs going upstairs
and that's not gonna be any less than probably $2,500.
Right.
Aw! The stupid asbestos.
[ Laughs ]
[ Sighs ]
JONATHAN: With things on hold in the kitchen,
we are moving on to the living room.
We need to open this up completely, right,
'cause you didn't like how dark it is in the front entrance...
Yeah.
...when you first walk in?
But you want to keep these pillars?
Yes. I love those pillars.
Okay.
Yeah, they're the first thing I remember when I was little,
walking into this house,
and so I'm glad that we'll be able
to keep them into our entrance.
All right.
Pull that down.
See, it's separating right there.
Right.
So we'll just have to be careful
so that we can put it back together.
[ Grunts ]
[ Saw buzzing ]
Oh, I didn't say, "Take the whole house down,"
I said, "Just this."
[ Laughs ]
All right, ready? Go.
There we go.
And last but not least...
Ah.
We just saved your memories.
Two pillars.
JONATHAN: With Sandra and Kyle out of the house,
the asbestos can be safely removed.
I'm glad we had the extra contingency,
but we lost a day of progress.
KYLE: Sorry, it's pizza again.
SANDRA: This is pretty typical of how it's been
since the reno started.
Feels like the walls are kind of caving in on us,
and it's -- it's getting really tiring.
Most of our stuff from the kitchen and the living room up here,
and then we have no kitchen, so no cooking, no table.
No proper meals, no vegetables, no fruits.
Everything is deep fried and takeout.
You know, at this point,
we kind of have it down to a bit of a system.
We're planning on staying here
throughout the renovation as long as we can.
We still have our contingency, but that is it.
We don't have another dollar or dime
to spend on this renovation.
So, you guys have been living in the space.
You've probably seen the chaos.
Do you think, right now, this looks better or worse?
SANDRA: I'm not gonna lie. It looks a little worse.
KYLE: It looks smaller.
It's really small.
Really? See, I think it's the opposite.
I think this looks much better
because we can see the space we're working with now.
Good news -- we have all the asbestos removed.
And it turns out, because of the type of asbestos
and how easy it was to remove, it only cost us 1,500 bucks.
Okay, good.
That's really good.
Way less than we thought it was gonna be.
That's amazing.
Yeah, that's amazing.
I sense there's some bad news coming, though.
There is.
If you look at the ceiling in the kitchen,
you can see that it's sagging down in the middle, right?
Which we did not notice before.
Oh, my God.
Unfortunately, this heat run came all the way up the wall,
and then they notched it across, right in the middle there.
You can see how bad that is sagging down.
And if we didn't have this temporary support wall there,
I'm worried about you guys walking around up there.
Okay.
Oh, my God.
Yeah, it's not -- It's incredibly illegal.
It's not safe.
When you have rot and you have poor structure to start with,
it's an extremely dangerous situation.
And I'm amazed, at this point that it hasn't come crashing down.
And it would have, at some point.
So, how much is that gonna cost to fix?
A lot of restructuring. Probably about 2,500 bucks.
Oh, my God.
[ Sighing ] Oh, man.
Okay.
Yeah.
A mistake 50 years ago is affecting us financially now.
And it doesn't seem fair at all.
But you get a guy my size up there, and...
Oh, no.
I mean, that's not supporting anything.
That's just sitting there.
It's cracked all the way through.
These ones are cracked.
SANDRA: That's horrible.
JONATHAN: It's been a wild ride for Sandra and Kyle,
who are living in the house through the reno.
I'm worried about you guys walking around up there.
I'm hoping the worst of it's behind us
and we finish up on time and on budget.
JONATHAN: That's not supporting anything. That's just sitting there.
It's cracked all the way through.
SANDRA: Oh, my God. That's horrible.
These ones are cracked.
But you get a guy my size up there, and...
Oh...
That's basically what's holding up your house right now.
So, I mean, we are here right now.
Do we think we should...
We should just get the heck out of here, I suppose.
Once you start pulling these joists out to switch it,
you can't be up there.
Yeah.
So maybe you guys should think about packing up and taking off.
Yeah, I know. I think that's a good -- I'd feel safer.
I don't want to be jumping around up there.
It'd be a scramble, but it's for safety,
so let's do it.
Yeah.
Okay, well, let's plan on that.
And I will guarantee you one thing.
Once it's done, it will be safe,
and this place is gonna look great.
Great, thank you.
Amazing.
The thought of staying in the house another night
is really concerning.
I'm just shocked that we've been living in here
for so long like that.
I think we need to do less talking and more...
More packing?
...packing, to leave as fast as possible.
Agreed.
JONATHAN: Renovating a 100-year-old home is never easy,
so it's a good thing Sandra and Kyle
have decided to move out of the reno zone.
This is a major gut job
involving all new plumbing and all new heat runs.
I know, last time you guys popped by the house,
things were a little stressful
because your house was falling down.
So don't worry. We're fixing those things.
But I wanted to take you away from that
and do a little retail therapy.
They literally have thousands of rugs,
and every season, they put out something different.
Ooh!
The textures are really awesome.
Oh, that is amazing!
The great thing, too -- they're all stain-resistant.
Got that nice low pile, so it's gonna be durable.
These are really, really nice. I love these.
So, would you say, with these, we are on the right track?
100% on the right track.
Yeah.
You've really kind of captured our taste
really, really well in these two.
I love them.
They're definitely not my grandmother's rugs.
No, they are not. And these are woven rugs.
I really like this pattern. I don't know why, but I like it.
[ Laughs ]
If you guys think we're on the same page,
then why don't you leave it with me?
We'll choose the rugs for both spaces --
living room and the dining room --
and it's gonna look great.
This is a way better surprise
that I think we can look forward to,
as opposed to the ceiling caving in.
Yes.
Yeah.
See? That worked. You're smiling.
That's all I wanted.
It took an incredible amount of work
to get that kitchen ceiling restructured,
but now everything's safe.
But, with that, Sandra and Kyle still don't want to move in,
because they want to wait till it's completely done,
and I appreciate that.
And it also works out better for me, too.
We don't want to be tripping over each other,
so we'll wait till we're ready for them to move in.
You guys will probably want to take a look
at the restructuring that we've done,
because last time you were here,
it looked like it was gonna fall down.
Well, now we've restructured everything.
We've sistered in here brand-new joists.
We actually doubled them up all along here.
We feel so much safer in this room already.
I'm just excited that no one's gonna come crashing down
from the second story.
Me too.
[ Knock on door ]
I wonder who that is.
Hey. Come on in.
Hey. Hi, Jonathan.
Hello!
[ Laughing ] What are you guys doing here?
[ Laughing ] The chairs that I've always liked.
JONATHAN: Come on right in, guys.
What are you doing here?
Surprise.
This is a surprise.
How are you?
Oh!
JONATHAN: They come bearing gifts.
Fancy seeing you guys here.
Yeah, I know. Fancy seeing you here.
Does this look familiar at all?
SANDRA: This looks very familiar.
Yeah, these look familiar.
I've always loved these dining-room chairs
and the table that goes with it.
If you were to go and buy something like this,
especially once we're done reupholstering and everything,
we would pay through the roof for it,
so this is a pretty nice gift,
so I have to say thank you to you guys.
Oh, this is amazing.
Thank you.
Thank you very, very much.
WOMAN: I know that Sandra has always wanted this.
There, Sand. It's our gift to you.
They care about you. [ Laughs ]
WOMAN: It's just one thing that Roy and I can help with,
and you try to help your kids as much as you can.
What do you think of this, 'cause you used to live here, right?
You used to run around here.
This is my house... or was my house.
[ Laughter ]
My parents' house.
And my parents would have been absolutely ecstatic
with what we're doing here.
Somewhere up there, they're just glowing at all this.
Well, I think they're gonna be incredibly proud
of what it looks like once it's done
because you really are,
you know, polishing off this gem
so that another generation --
and, hopefully, generations beyond that --
can create a bunch of memories in here.
Yeah, they would just be glowing to know we're doing this.
And they probably would have
give you some of their furniture, too.
[ Laughter ]
I'm sure they would.
JONATHAN: With all the structural issues behind us,
we're working long days to get us back on track.
I'm gonna convert the old fireplace to gas,
and I'm warming up the whole space
with rich midtone hardwood floors.
[ Saw buzzing ]
Take a peek at your new hardwood floors.
I love it!
Wow!
Nice?
Oh, these are amazing.
It's like the perfect balance --
not too light, it's not too dark.
No, it has a lot of character.
Love it. Oh, it's great.
That -- good news. This -- not so much.
They really wanted to have this gas fireplace.
And the problem is, that fireplace has to vent somewhere,
and their chimney has two shafts,
one of which is completely blocked.
The other one's full of pipes from the hot-water tank.
So unless we spend a boatload of money,
I just don't know if we can make it happen.
I'm gonna have to give them some options.
I can do the gas fireplace,
but it's gonna cost us 3,500 bucks.
Another option would be,
if we want to convert it just to a decorative fireplace
and then have candles or something like that inside.
No.
Not the best option.
Probably the best option for us
is to put in an electric fireplace.
Aw.
And the electric fireplaces today
don't look like anything you've seen in the past.
It would look something like that --
a nice, slick, clean, modern unit.
And then the way that would contrast
against the wood cladding...
Actually, the wood cladding I brought in
is some of the reclaimed wood.
What I like is the fact that, 'cause it's an old barnboard,
a little rustic, contrasted with the beautiful, slick fireplace.
Okay.
Yeah, I definitely like the reclaimed wood.
And this would actually cost us about 600 bucks.
Hmm.
So, that's the cheaper of all the options.
I really wanted my gas fireplace.
I know. I really wanted it.
I really wanted the gas, as well.
Really disappointed about the fireplace.
It's been in the design since the beginning,
and to not get that in the end
is gonna be pretty upsetting for us.
JONATHAN: I'll try to work some magic.
Fortunately, nothing has changed for the kitchen design.
The white quartz countertops are going in,
and they're getting a white double sink to match.
With all the modern touches in the kitchen taking shape,
Sandra has something sentimental in mind for the living room.
So, before we head out, there's something
really important that I wanted to show you.
We were cleaning out the basement,
and I found a whole bunch of my grandmother's old crochets.
Oh, nice.
Yeah.
So we were hoping that you could
work them into the design in our house.
Kind of like that?
[ Laughs ]
We're hoping you could be a bit more creative with them.
No, this is cool. Wow.
Yeah.
Your grandma was a busy lady.
She was, she was. She definitely loved her crochet.
I can tell how important your grandmother was to you --
one of the reasons you bought the house --
so we will make sure that we incorporate this however we can.
JONATHAN: I've managed to rework the budget
and the old chimney stack
to give Sandra and Kyle the gas fireplace
that they wanted so much.
I'm creating a surround out of reclaimed wood
to give it both character
and help offset the cost of getting this updated.
The one thing left to pull it all together
is to incorporate the original pillars into a fresh new design.
I'm so excited.
Welcome back home.
Oh!
[ Laughs ]
Oh.
JONATHAN: It's been a series of surprises for Sandra and Kyle.
SANDRA: [ Laughing ] What are you doing here?
They left for safety reasons.
And now that all the work's done,
will they love their new home?
Oh, it's gonna be good to be home. I'm so excited.
Sandra's grandma would be pretty proud.
I mean, this house has been in the family for three generations.
It has a fresh feel, but there's still a lot of her touches in here.
Sandra said the most important thing
was to have some of that history remain,
so I'm glad we were able to do a design
with a lot of sentimental value.
I can't wait to see what it looks like.
Yeah.
We need to hurry up. They're gonna be here any moment.
Perfect.
Welcome back home.
Oh!
[ Laughs ]
Oh, my goodness!
This is incredible!
This is amazing. Oh, wow.
Love the fireplace.
I love the fireplace.
I love the fact that it's finished.
That almost did not happen.
Thank you so much.
You guys were putting on the pressure.
I know how important it was.
You didn't want to do an electric fireplace.
You wanted it to be gas.
And now it sort of sets the ambience for the room.
Yeah, definitely.
It's the perfect blend of, you know, modern,
but then still having that traditional feel.
And that was so high on our wish list.
I am so thankful
that they were able to, you know, work their magic.
Yeah, they really pulled a rabbit out of the hat
on that one. That blew me away.
Oh, Kyle, look at the tile.
And the rug is beautiful.
Oh, yeah, the rug!
Yeah. It flows so well.
Yeah. And the hardwood color is amazing.
It really has that rustic type of style that we like.
JONATHAN: Opening up the entry really made a difference,
and this room is so much bigger now.
New hardwood and modern furnishings
give it a warm yet casual feel.
And keeping the original pillars by the front door
adds a touch of character.
I love those pillars.
Of all the things to keep in this house,
this was my favorite.
We wanted to tie all this nostalgia in,
from your grandmother's doilies --
We made some art with your grandmother's doilies.
Oh, my God, I love it!
The doilies look really good.
They look so good.
And that's gonna be a story that you can tell people,
'cause you don't see that.
So people will come in, and they'll say,
"What's the story behind that?" And you can tell them about
all your fond memories with your grandmother
and all the history in this home.
I know she would be so happy right now
if she could see the house.
Really glad we were able to come in here,
fix the issues, and make it a home that you can keep
in your family for three more generations.
And why don't we come into the dining area?
Kyle, and you didn't hit any walls on the way.
No. I was able to walk openly and freely
through the whole space.
Do you recognize this furniture?
Yeah, for sure.
Oh, my gosh.
My mom is gonna want her chairs back.
Yeah, I know.
Now that they're reupholstered.
Oh, my gosh. This is amazing!
[ Chuckling ] It's so good.
JONATHAN: Demolishing that wall that closed off the living room
gives you the open concept that you wanted,
and now it's perfect for entertaining.
And refinishing your furniture really paid off.
Everything, from the details to the furniture.
SANDRA: All the beautiful decor that they have throughout,
we're through the moon.
There is one more room I want to show you.
The kitchen. You ready for this?
Ready.
Oh, I'm so ready for the kitchen.
[ Laughs ]
Wow!
I love this.
Is this our kitchen?
This is amazing.
Oh, wow.
Oh, wow!
That's incredible.
JONATHAN: We wanted to go with all two-tone cabinets,
so you've got a different color for the island
than you do up on the wall.
Oh, my gosh. I just want to come in here and cook.
And two sinks.
[ Gasps ] Absolutely floored. This is amazing.
This does not feel like this is our kitchen at all.
Really cool backsplash.
Absolutely stunning.
If you look at the vent hood here and the appliances,
these are all really modern elements.
And then you're blending that
with some of the more traditional-feeling pieces.
Kyle, like, you could fit in this fridge.
Oh. Want me to try to get in the fridge?
No, don't. Let's -- No.
Oh, my gosh. And look at the cabinet space!
JONATHAN: It's a big transformation from what you had before.
I completely reconfigured the kitchen,
giving you an island and tons of cupboards and counter space.
Think your grandma would approve?
Oh, my gosh, my grandmother would be so --
so floored to see the kitchen like it is right now.
We've really captured her throughout the space.
You know, she's still here, but now it's our house.
[ Chuckles ]
It doesn't feel like it's just somewhere you kind of come home
and go to sleep and then go to work in the morning.
I mean, it's --
KYLE: It's a home.
It feels like a home.
Oh, my God, I am so happy.
Welcome home.
Welcome home.
[ Chuckles ]
This house has a lot of family history
and a great future as Sandra and Kyle's home,
where they'll be able to create their own memories.
They paid $385,000, which was a great savings for this area
and a bonus for the reno budget,
because the house needed a lot of work.
Both old and new issues were taxing on the budget,
but in the end, Jonathan managed to make the numbers work,
transforming this century-old house
into a dream home that will last another 100 years.
Oh, my God.
My mom and, of course, our dog, Harry,
are very happy with what we've done.
Amazing, eh?
I'm speechless.
Is this your new home, Harry?
And the fireplace works.
It's beautiful. It's beautiful.
She would have just absolutely loved to see this.
The furniture looks amazing.
SANDRA: [ Chuckling ] I know.
I'm shaking. I can't believe it.
I know.
What's this?
Oh! Go on in. Come on, Harry.
Good boy. Sit. Yeah.
KYLE: [ Chuckles ]
That's a good boy. That's for Harry.
That was perfect.
The blend of old and new is totally their style.
After seeing how happy they are,
kind of makes me want to buy Mum and Dad's place.
You and me?
And do what with it?
We'll renovate it, be roomies like the old days.
That is so not happening.
Let's leave the sentimental stuff to Sandra and Kyle.
What is wrong with me as a roommate?
A lot.
Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC.