Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
LORI: WOO HOO!
LORI: California!
NARRATOR: Wisconsin couple Lori and Cory
want a vacation home in Hollywood
with spectacular views.
LORI: Wow.
But these Midwesterners are in for a big shock
when they see the homes that they can afford.
These cabinets are pretty hideous.
LORI: I don't know, though.
You know, with some new hardware they can be -- Whoa!
[ Laughs ]
Something like this in Wisconsin,
I think, would be about $150,000.
Welcome to southern California.
NARRATOR: And after they pick a place,
renovations get under way...
but overseeing the work while living in another state
is more challenging than expected.
This is the kitchen area right here.
Are you getting dizzy yet?
Perfect.
MOLLIE: The drain is not on the right side.
It's so hard to manage this place from so far away,
I mean, when you can't be here to oversee things.
NARRATOR: But their frustrations pay off in the end
when they create a stunning vacation home.
This house is just completely different
from when we purchased it,
and honestly I didn't think
it was going to turn out this great.
[ Doorbell rings ]
-- Captions by VITAC --
Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC.
What are you thinking?
I'll take the Sweet Butter scrambled, please.
Look at, uh, Nueske's, the bacon from Wisconsin.
Oh, that's Wisconsin bacon.
That's from Wisconsin, where we're from.
My name is Cory. I'm married to Lori here.
We live in Madison, Wisconsin.
I'm actually an athletic recruiter.
And I work for a program in Wisconsin
that gets hospitals ready for emergencies and disasters.
And currently we are looking for a home
in the Hollywood Hills.
What do you guys think about the real estate market right now
here in Los Angeles?
It's such a good time to get in on it.
Lori went to school out here.
She got her Master's degree at UCLA
and really fell in love with the place,
and for the last two or three years
she sits at home every night in bed...
[ Laughs ]
...on the computer looking at real estate in L.A.
You make me seem obsessed.
Finally we just kind of took the leap, and here we are.
So the purpose of this home
is both investment and enjoyment.
We definitely want to come out here for vacations
and enjoy this home with family and friends,
but we also would like to rent it out
and use this as an investment.
We're looking for a fixer-upper, for sure.
Something where we can, uh, invest our money in,
fix it up, and in the long term, get a good return on it.
That's why location's important,
just finding a place that we can rent out
when we're not here.
When I first started looking online
for homes in Los Angeles,
I started out in Malibu,
and then I found out what real estate was like in Malibu
and realized we needed to be a little more realistic.
We're now focusing our search in the Hollywood Hills,
because it offers a great central location.
Two bedrooms is definitely key for us.
We'd like to have two baths as well,
but definitely something that's a little bit more open concept.
Lori, do you see that house right up there?
Almost looks like a glass box.
That is really neat.
There's a lot of unique places up here.
LORI: As far as style goes, I would love to find something
that screams West Coast,
like a California bungalow
with all that natural wood,
and I know we can't afford anything by the ocean,
but I'd still like to find something
that feels a little beachy.
I really want something that has that California feel
and really like mid-century modern,
really with the sleek lines and just a modern feel to it.
Can you imagine Tula hiking this with us?
I think she'd get a little tired.
I'd really like to be able
to bring our dog out on vacation with us
and have a nice yard for her to play around in.
That said, I think our dog's going to have to compromise.
Having a yard, to me, it's not that important.
I mean, the view is the most important thing.
I think that would be key.
This is really the kind of view we're looking for.
NARRATOR: In L.A., views do not come cheap,
so to get what they want,
they're willing to push their budget as high as $600,000.
We actually did look
at some investment property in Madison, Wisconsin,
but if anybody knows Lori, that would be too easy,
so we needed to make things a little bit more complicated,
but we're enjoying it
and the search is on
and hopefully we can find something.
You know, the parking here is crazy.
Today, Cory and Lori are looking
at a three-bed, two-bath home in the Hollywood Hills.
Their agent, Tom Tostengard,
hopes to use his background as an architect
to help them see the potential in the space.
Were you able to park close by?
Uh, fairly close. [ Laughs ]
A couple blocks away.
The good news is that the no parking
is reflected in the price.
This property is listed at $529,000.
I like that.
Is it all the way up?
It's all the way up these stairs.
Wow.
From the street to the front door is 75 steps.
CORY: Wow.
TOM: I wasn't quite sure if I should show them this house or not
because of the access issues and the no parking,
but I think it really is a good value in their price range.
Can I take a breather here, Tom?
Not yet.
They're the kind of people
who might be the buyers for this house.
Stairway to heaven, right?
[ Both laugh ]
We'll see.
Now that we can actually see the place,
it has a little bit of that California bungalow feeling.
Wow, lots of wood in here.
CORY: Interesting.
Huh. But look at this view out the window.
[ Sighs ] That's a great reward.
Gorgeous.
It's a nice view.
What are your thoughts on this -- this ceiling here?
I mean, it's extremely low.
I don't know why they brought it down like this,
but it's higher on this side,
so there's a good chance
that you could make the whole room this height.
You know, Cory, I agree.
Like, it does need a lot of updating,
but you know, something about it
makes it feel kind of nice and warm
with all of this wood in here.
If this was our house, everything has to go.
LORI: I know Cory has a problem with wood paneling,
but really I don't have that much of a problem with it.
It obviously isn't a California bungalow,
but the natural woods make it feel kind of cozy like one.
TOM: So, it's ready for some updates.
Whoa! These cabinets are pretty hideous.
I don't know, though.
You know, with a few coats of paint
and some new hardware --
Whoa! [ Laughs ]
The kitchen is hysterical.
There's doorknobs on the cabinets,
so I think there's a lot of work
that needs to be done to this place.
Oh, interesting. [ Laughs ]
TOM: This is kind of an extra space in the house.
It's not a bedroom,
but it's something you might be able to use as an office.
The one bathroom on this level is in here.
LORI: Hmm.
With new plumbing fixtures,
maybe resurfacing these walls,
this could be a really nice bathroom, actually.
Here we have the second bedroom.
This one has a lot of wood, too.
The exposed rafters are kind of interesting.
Gives you a little bit of an architectural interest.
Yeah, guests and renters would really love this.
It's really quiet up here, and, you know,
you're just hidden away from everything back here.
It does feel like it's kind of a tree house, doesn't it?
It does.
Oh, now I like this.
This is bright and airy, a little small.
CORY: Is this a bedroom?
This is a bedroom.
It's kind of a long, narrow configuration.
How would you like to wake up every morning
and look out at these views?
Yeah, pretty neat.
NARRATOR: They head back through the living room
and down the spiral staircase to see the master bedroom.
TOM: This is the largest of the three bedrooms,
and it does have an en suite.
Almost looks like a kitchen.
It has countertops and everything.
A little bizarre.
But this is all cabinetry
that could come out pretty easily.
Very nice.
Mm-hmm.
I can really see this being a great entertaining space.
You can friends, family out here for dinners,
you know, and there's a fenced in yard for Tula.
There you go with Tula again.
[ Laughs ]
I really love this outdoor space.
This was my favorite part of the house by far.
I love this out here.
I think if you're interested in this property,
we really are going to need to act fast.
I think it will go really quickly,
and I'd hate for you to miss out on it
if it's something you really like.
I really do like the price
and even, like, the fix-ups.
I mean, that's -- that's not a major concern.
The main thing for me is the parking,
the fact that there's not a parking spot with this place.
We had to park two blocks away from here.
I think that could be a deal-breaker.
But look at this view,
and look at this outdoor entertaining space.
That's exactly what we envisioned
when we thought about getting a house in California.
Absolutely, the view's great,
but at the same time, we do need to make sure
this is efficient and convenient for our renters as well.
NARRATOR: So now their agent is taking them
to a home with better parking and amazing views,
but it's not making a good first impression.
Hmm, kind of looks like a prison.
[ Laughter ]
LORI: This is where --
I've heard lots of celebrities live up here.
CORY: Very cool.
NARRATOR: Wisconsin couple Cory and Lori
are looking for a vacation
and rental property in the Hollywood Hills.
Working with a $600,000 budget,
they've already seen a house with great outdoor space
and fantastic views,
but there was no parking and it was up 75 stairs.
Look at that view.
Today their agent is taking them to a mid-century modern home
that is hidden in the hills,
but it's only a five-minute drive
from the glitz and glam of the Sunset Strip.
TOM: The house we're going to see today
is in a really interesting setting,
but the house is priced at $500,000,
which is a very low price for this neighborhood.
I believe that they priced it low
in order to generate a lot of interest
and hopefully start a bidding war.
So more than likely it's going to go for well over five, then.
I think it will.
Is this the house right here?
Yep. It's the one on the left here.
Hmm, kind of looks like a prison.
[ Laughter ]
But a very nice prison.
So, this house was built in 1950,
and it has two bedrooms and one bathroom,
and it's just under 800 square feet.
This house definitely has a mid-century modern feel
with clean lines on the outside,
which Cory should be really happy about,
but I don't feel anything beachy or bungalow about this so far.
Wow.
CORY: This is great, Tom.
This house has an open beam ceiling,
which makes it feel kind of spacious and loft-like.
It really opens up the house. It definitely does.
It makes it feel a lot bigger than it really is.
The house was sited and designed
to take advantage of the views,
which look out over Century City
and all the way to the Pacific Ocean.
You can see the ocean on a clear day?
On a clear day you can see the ocean.
Very nice.
Can you imagine us sitting here for sunset cocktail?
Wow.
Oh, I like the open concept,
kind of the indoor/outdoor living
that this house provides.
It really is a nice atmosphere.
So, you can see it's kind of a steep drop-off
here right outside the edge of the house.
That is steep.
The house is actually built on stilts,
so where we're standing is actually cantilevered
out over the hillside.
Is it dangerous to have a house on stilts
in the hills during an earthquake?
Well, I don't know that it's dangerous.
I would feel comfortable buying a house like this.
We like to live on the edge anyway.
Then in this way we have the kitchen,
which is a little bit on the small side.
It's a tight squeeze.
It is a tight squeeze.
The kitchen is not quite what I had in mind.
Especially when you have a house that has such a great view,
you want to be able to see that beautiful view
when you're cooking in the kitchen.
This is the smaller of the two bedrooms here.
Does have nice, big windows facing the street.
Love it.
Master bedroom is this way.
That's a nice size.
Yep, a little bigger.
The windows just really open everything up.
I mean, this nice, afternoon sunlight is just spectacular.
Unfortunately, there's not a separate master bathroom
in this house.
Just one bathroom, hey?
Yeah, and it's all original.
It definitely does.
Look at that sheet rock right there.
LORI: Having one bathroom in this house
is definitely a concern for resale and for renters.
If we were to buy this house,
we would definitely have to add a second one.
NARRATOR: The living room and master both have access
to a wrap-around deck, which leads to a car port.
It's large enough for one car,
but it's covered so it'll keep the sun off,
keep the car cool.
Yeah, definitely do the job.
You know, it's a bummer that there's only one parking spot,
but I guess that's what you have to deal with
with a house in the hills.
I just hope that it's not a concern for renters.
Let's go downstairs
and take a look at the larger deck below.
Watch your head here.
A few creaks.
LORI: Oh, but great view down here, too.
Oh, this is -- this is the money shot.
Wow, look at this,
and look at all this space out here.
However, this looks a little dangerous.
Do you think this deck feels safe itself here?
It'll work.
All right, all right.
Just don't have too many guests down here.
No mosh pits on the deck, right?
CORY: It's a little bit small.
It does have the two bedrooms we were looking for.
The one downside is it only has one bath,
so if we can add a bath, that would definitely help.
The fact that this is built on stilts
like this just doesn't seem safe to me.
NARRATOR: So their agent has lined up a house
on more level ground
that has two bathrooms and is closer to the beach.
This is it right here.
Whoa.
This is definitely a fixer-upper.
Look at the dog park. Aw.
We could take Tula here.
NARRATOR: Wisconsinites Lori and Cory
are looking to spend up to $600,000
on a vacation and rental property
in the Hollywood Hills.
They've seen a three-bedroom home
with a great outdoor space, but it had no parking.
The next house had better parking and amazing views,
but it's a two-bedroom with only one bath,
so today they're on their way to see a larger three-bedroom,
two-bath home that's not in the Hollywood Hills,
but it is closer to Lori's dream location of Malibu Beach.
Wow, look at this little cute river,
and look at the mountains.
Yeah, it is -- it is nice scenery.
This is really close to Malibu.
I could see this as a really relaxing getaway.
This is it right here.
Whoa.
This place looks interesting.
We asked Tom for a fixer-upper.
LORI: It's certainly not mid-century modern,
and it's definitely not bungalow,
but it does feel a little beachy,
so that's a point in my book.
BOTH: Hey, Tom.
You found it.
We did.
You're only 10 minutes from the beach
in beautiful Agoura Hills.
It's really peaceful out here.
This property is 1,600 square feet,
and it includes the vacant lot next door,
so it's almost a quarter of an acre of land.
Ooh.
But let's take a look inside.
Yikes.
Huh, interesting.
Yikes.
It's a little bit of a low ceiling here in the foyer.
Something like this in Wisconsin,
I think, would be about $150,000.
Well, welcome to Southern California.
[ Both laugh ]
This is the real estate market here.
This is the master bedroom here.
Uh, this is interesting, Lori.
[ Laughs ] Definitely is.
I like the pink walls.
The stone work is actually pretty nice, though.
Yeah, the owner actually built that whole wall himself
using local river stone.
What is this beam in the middle of the room here?
I think this was originally the garage,
and these posts were lined up in the middle,
so they would have had one car on each side.
Master bath is up here.
It's kind of interesting
having a big step up to the bathroom, you know?
It's official. This place is not mid-century modern.
The beams are opposite of modern and sleek looking,
so it's just not my favorite.
Well, this place is old school.
It's a blast from the past.
I can tell Cory's a little uneasy
because this is not what he expected
for the price of the house.
However, it's by the beach, and it has a lot of potential.
NARRATOR: There's a deck over the parking area.
Wow, this is nice.
Yeah, these pine trees.
Don't they kind of remind you of northern Wisconsin, Cory?
Yeah, I like the vibe.
I mean, it's a great view, but yet very private.
LORI: It has a lot of space and plenty of parking,
so that's good for renters,
and it's the best place we've seen for the dog yet.
I really like this open concept
with the dining, living, kitchen area all right here.
I can see entertaining would be really nice.
I like the wallpaper, Tom.
[ Laughter ]
Some of this kitschyness or these, you know,
things that remind us of home,
it's kind of quaint and kind of charming.
I mean, I actually kind of like some of these touches
that are in here right now.
Lori is definitely very optimistic.
She -- it's hard to find a negative bone in her body.
I just don't know how much money
we're going to have to put in this place.
These are probably the two original bedrooms
and bathroom in the house,
and this one has a really nice corner view,
looking out at the mountains and the hills.
This could be a really nice room for guests
or even a master.
Yeah, it is nice.
It's nice to have this big window here,
nice breeze, great view.
And over this way we've got the guest bathroom.
LORI: Oh, wow!
Okay, so we might need some updates.
A little bit smaller than the other bedroom.
I don't know if I'm really fond of the size of this bedroom,
but for a guest bedroom it's not too bad.
We said we wanted to be close to the beach
and we're close to Malibu, which is great,
and I kind of like the kitschy feel of it.
I think we could probably live with some of it for a while,
you know, and maybe renovate over time.
I just feel like it's so much beyond our budget.
TOM: Yeah, I think it is priced
a little bit high for its condition,
so there may be some room to negotiate on it,
but if you think you might be interested,
we should really move forward
with an offer as soon as possible.
NARRATOR: Cory and Lori and sit down
to evaluate the pros and cons of each house,
and once they decide, the renovation gets under way.
This is the kitchen area right here.
Not yet.
NARRATOR: With a budget stretching up to $600,000,
Wisconsinites Cory and Lori
have been looking for a vacation
and investment property near the Hollywood Hills.
Their search has taken them all over the city,
and now that they're back home in Wisconsin,
they're ready to decide on a place.
Let's start with the house that had 75 stairs.
Besides the stairs,
I do like that it had three bedrooms
and it was below our budget at $529,000.
I do like the looks of the house.
It's more of a mid-century modern house
like we're looking for, and the location's awesome too.
The downfall is going to be the parking,
and that's going to be a major issue for us and the renters.
However, the outdoor space was fantastic.
I can totally see us revamping that.
But what do you think our expenses are going to be
the time we get the whole thing fixed up?
So, let's talk about that second house.
Great location near the Sunset Strip,
below our budget at $500,000.
Yeah.
But we wanted a space for guests,
so having two bedrooms instead of three, I don't know.
There's no yard for Tula and one bathroom?
I don't know. That might be a turn-off to renters.
But, to me, I think that view, it's just awesome.
So, what about that three- bedroom near Malibu Beach?
You know, it's double the size of the other two homes,
but it is priced the highest at $630,000.
True, but it did really feel like a retreat out there.
I loved that.
I know you did want to be by the beach,
which would be great for us and renters,
you know, but at the same time,
it's $630,000 and that's definitely a negative.
There's definitely room to grow.
You could expand if you wanted to,
and a quarter of an acre, that's a lot of land in L.A.
So, which house do you think we should go with?
Well, I'm kind of leaning
towards the one in the Hollywood Hills,
the mid-century modern near Sunset.
I'm actually glad you said that.
That's the one I'm definitely leaning towards.
Yes, I'm so glad.
Let's do it. You want to call Tom?
Yes, yes.
LORI: Oh!
STEVE: That's not hard enough.
There you go.
Get that out of the way now.
NARRATOR: The house was listed for $500,000,
but after a bidding war,
the final purchase price was $636,000.
LORI: $636,000 is more than we wanted to spend.
Once we get it fixed up
and we get it rented out to some renters,
I think we can recoup that cost.
Oh, man, that is on there good.
Oh, nice.
Our Realtor, Tom, is also an architect,
which we really lucked out on.
He's drawn us some plans and given us some suggestions,
and they're perfect.
NARRATOR: The plan calls for
tearing out the existing kitchen
and relocating it across the room
to take full advantage of the stunning views,
and a brand-new master bath will be created out of a space
that is currently part of the porch.
It's a complete gut job,
and contractor Steve Bauer has been brought in
to oversee it all.
LORI: Here, I'll give you the big...
So our absolute maximum budget
for these renovations is $90,000,
and I do not want to go a penny over.
Little bit harder.
[ Roars, laughs ]
CORY: We'd really like to get this place done in about eight weeks.
The sooner we can get it done,
the sooner we can start renting it out
and recouping our investments.
Whoo!
We're heading back to Wisconsin.
We've got to get back to our lives and to work,
but we're leaving everything in the hands of Steve.
We'll be checking in by phone,
and we'll be popping back out a few times here and there
to just kind of check on things, and we'll see how it goes.
[ Laughter ]
The only thing I'd recommend is you guys keep your day jobs.
[ Laughs ]
NARRATOR: With Lori and Cory now back in Wisconsin,
Steve and his team spend the next five days
tearing the place down to the studs
and framing in the new floor plan.
This is the kitchen area right here,
and this is where I raised up that eight-foot door.
See that big beam in there?
STEVE: Lori and Cory live in Wisconsin,
and changes and stuff like that is going to be a tough one
because basically I'm doing everything I can
to please them 1,700 miles away.
You'll see we kind of changed around
that middle bathroom a little bit,
so you can check that out and see if you like it or not
or if we have to move it back.
We're still trying to wrap our minds
around this construction project.
Steve keeps calling us and asking us
what kind of materials we want
and what types of finishes we want.
It's a little overwhelming to be doing this
from this far away.
[ Laughs ]
We realized we needed someone with boots on the ground
in Los Angeles, since we can't be there all the time,
so we decided to hire a designer,
and we're flying out there to meet with her.
Hi, Lori. I'm Mollie. Nice to meet you.
NARRATOR: A few days later,
Lori and Cory returned to L.A.
to meet with designer Mollie Ranize
and go over the floor plan and design ideas.
We do like a more modern feel, however not too modern.
You know, we don't want anything sterile or cold-feeling.
There are going to be ways
that we can bring in the modern without making it too modern.
I feel so much better. This was the right decision.
I cannot wait to see what she comes up with for us.
Hey, Mollie. How are you?
Wow! Exciting, hey?
Let's sit down and start going over some details.
Sounds good.
NARRATOR: For their kitchen,
Mollie suggests mixing Cory's love of modern
with Lori's beachy vibe
by combining natural wood cabinets
and gray quartz countertops.
LORI: I love this. Mollie, I love this.
NARRATOR: In the new master bath,
she suggests Carrara marble walls
and dark gray countertops on a wood vanity.
LORI: It is a perfect combination
of everything we like.
I really kind of tricked it out wherever I can,
and I put in a little custom niche in a couple places,
but I have a couple concerns with your bathroom here.
According to the design plans,
we've got a stationary panel of glass here,
so now here is where we have our frameless shower door,
so once you pull that open, in order to turn on your shower,
everything is plumbed through this wall,
so you'll literally turn it on
and immediately get wet at the same time.
So in order to avoid that,
we're going to need to bring
some plumbing around to this wall
so that you can open the door,
turn on your faucet,
and have the water come out without hitting you.
CORY: Yeah, I like that idea. It makes sense.
One of the reasons we weren't able
to put the copper lines on that side
is we've got a steel beam underneath this wall.
Then I'd like to put it here.
It's still accessible,
so that you're not reaching completely into the shower
under the water flow.
Okay.
The other thing that I really
feel strongly about incorporating
is the linear drain,
because this is totally fine and functional,
but they always look a little dingy and not custom.
It would move your drain-hole location closer to the wall,
and it has basically a built-in recessed plane,
2 1/2 inches wide by like 30 inches long,
and it's at the same level as your tile,
so you never see this grate.
You never see your hair collecting.
You never see all the gross, like, grossness.
Exactly.
This is our L.A. dream house.
I mean, we really still want it to feel casual and comfortable,
but we do want to go a little bit over the top.
I mean, this is the Hollywood Hills.
It's not like we can just, you know,
do everything we did in the Midwest in this house,
so we are going to have to step it up a little bit.
Where's our HVAC in here?
STEVE: There's no way we were able to get HVAC over here
because where the unit is located on the other side.
I'm smiling, but this is, like, not good.
So, right now you're not saying there's any air or heat
in this bathroom?
No, there's also, uh,
there isn't any in the other bathroom either,
and that was the existing bathroom.
I don't know if that's going to work.
MOLLIE: I really think we've got to address it.
What are our options?
Putting in the unit in this wall.
My original thoughts on the air conditioning
at the beginning is there's a small unit underneath the house
supplying air to the house right now.
By tying into that existing system,
you automatically take away from the rest of the house.
So, bathrooms up in the hills up here,
it's a give and take type thing.
Some have them, some don't.
It's something that can be added on any time.
The fact that there isn't heat or air in the master bath,
that's -- that's an issue.
You know, I want to make sure things are done right.
Based on the changes that you recommend,
I mean, is this going to cost more?
I mean, what kind of time are we dealing with?
Are we going to lose time in the project?
Well, more than likely,
we are going to have to take a couple steps back.
NARRATOR: Wisconsin couple Lori and Cory
recently bought a Hollywood vacation home
they thought could be renovated long distance
with just the help of an architect.
But they soon realized
they needed the help of a designer
to focus on details like custom drains
and ideal plumbing placement.
MOLLIE: Had I been brought in pre-demo,
we would have gone over this,
but we have to nurture these little details
and finesse them,
because it's really going to be what makes the bathroom,
like, special compared to like, "Well, look, it's a bathroom."
STEVE: I've got to move a couple things,
which it's not really a big deal,
but obviously that will become an additional charge.
NARRATOR: A few weeks later,
they install the AC and move the shower plumbing,
so work continues on with drywall going in,
along with new large windows
that take advantage of the views that Cory insisted on.
So, how much for that new linear drain?
$490, and then don't forget about the new windows.
Okay.
Of course moving the plumbing
and adding AC are additional expenses,
but even things like, you know, the windows,
the kitchen cabinets, the island,
they're all more expensive than anticipated.
I would say we're about $7,000 to $8,000 over budget,
and we didn't want to go one dollar over.
It is what it is.
I mean, we just need to make sure moving forward
we're not spending an extra dime.
NARRATOR: In week six of the renovation,
the kitchen cabinets and new island are going in
and the quartz slabs for the bathroom countertop
are being cut off site,
while Cory and Lori are flying back in town
to check on the house.
Definitely excited to see it.
LORI: I am too.
Bringing with them Lori's father, Pete,
a woodworker who once owned a fireplace installation company.
So, on a clear day you can see the ocean to your left there.
PETE: Unbelievable.
I got to get my camera
and get a picture and show your ma.
You've got a view that just won't quit.
CORY: Bringing Pete, it's going to be fun having him here.
While he is here, heck, I'm going to take advantage of him
and, uh, we actually call him MacGyver
because we feel like he can, like, fix anything.
And so while we have you here, Dad,
if we could measure today for the mantle...
My dad is making us a mantle for the fireplace,
and to have him here and actually measure for himself
exactly where he's going to place this and everything else,
that is just really great.
It's a weight off my shoulders,
and I'm so excited for this mantle.
It'll just be kind of a piece of Wisconsin here in this house.
What's the time schedule?
Tomorrow.
Yesterday. Yesterday, Dad.
I don't know about that.
No, um, probably a month, I would say, month and a half.
I might be able to do that, yeah.
Be very careful.
NARRATOR: Before working on the mantle,
the fireplace needs to be cleaned.
LORI: How's it looking? Is it looking pretty dirty?
We don't know yet.
Seeing as you're the homeowner,
I'll just let you do this.
I don't like dirty and dusty.
I'll look when you're done.
LORI: Wow. That's a lot of dust.
Coming out to Los Angeles and visiting,
I mean, it's -- it's been great.
Coming out here and having to work on a house
while we're out here, it is a little bit of a burden,
but at the same time we really want to get this thing done.
It really wasn't that dirty at all.
We need to take the fireplace cover off.
And then I'd like to paint it all black.
Pete and I were tackling the deck.
It wasn't looking too good and it wasn't very safe,
so we were really just securing the railings.
The railings were in pretty bad shape,
and we secured the posts a little bit better,
and then we're putting up some cable right now.
We're putting up four strands of cable,
so it's actually starting to come along and look really nice.
Visually, does it need to be pulled in?
That looks pretty stout right now.
What do you think? Pretty good?
Looks good.
Oh, my gosh.
It went totally through all over the brick.
Did it?
Psyche! [ Laughs ]
Such a dork.
NARRATOR: By week six,
the main bathroom is coming together,
complete with a new laundry area,
and workers are doing roof repairs
and installing new, larger sliding glass doors.
You guys need some help? [ Laughs ]
It'll definitely give us the light
we were looking for, though.
The work is looking great so far,
and Mollie's on her way over
to check out the bathroom revisions
before Cory and I leave town.
NARRATOR: The drain pipe for the linear drain
in the master bathroom has been installed,
but there's a problem with its position.
MOLLIE: The drain is not on the right side,
and I'm sure there is a good reason for this.
I actually designed that to be tucked behind the toilet.
Just like to keep bulky things out of your main eyesight,
but I honestly think that it's too far gone at this point,
meaning it would be far too costly
to drill up the ground again,
to undo all of the hot mopping that's already happened.
It's so frustrating because -- I'm sorry, I'm just going to --
I'm just going to go there.
It's really frustrating
because we are a month and a half into this project,
and I feel like we're all communicating really well
with each other.
Like, you're communicating well with us,
Steve's communicating well with us,
we're communicating well with Tom,
but we're not all collectively on the same page yet.
CORY: I totally agree with Lori.
It's so hard to manage this place from so far away.
I'm really starting to worry
about what's going to happen next.
Did we make the right decision getting into this?
I'm not even sure.
If I would have known it was going to be this difficult,
I'm starting to wonder if I would have even done this.
Come on, Tula. Come on.
NARRATOR: Wisconsin couple Lori and Cory
recently bought a vacation
and rental property in the Hollywood Hills.
They're seven weeks into a $90,000-plus
complete renovation of the house
that includes reconfiguring the kitchen
and adding a second bath.
So, have you heard what Steve's working on
on the house this week?
Yeah, we had talked,
and he said the new floors are going in today.
The most challenging part of this renovation
is that Lori and I are here in Wisconsin
as a lot of the expensive work is being done in the house.
We just have to hope that things are going smoothly.
NARRATOR: It's Day 51 of renovation,
and with Lori and Cory back in Wisconsin,
their agent and architect, Tom Tostengard,
is stopping by the house to see how the work is going.
But now that the doors on their expensive cabinets
have been stained, he quickly discovers a problem.
These two match, but this doesn't match that.
This is not good.
Now that the cabinets have been finished,
there's an issue with the coloration
and the matching of the staining
that the upper cabinets look quite different
from the lower cabinets,
and side by side they don't really look good either,
so it looks like they may have used mismatched veneers
on the cabinets.
Since there was a problem with fabrication,
the cabinet makers are going to replace all of the cabinet doors
so that they all match and look more consistent.
LORI: Is this going to delay everything?
No. They say that they can still
install the countertops
and come back and replace the doors later,
so it should stay on schedule.
So, that was Tom.
CORY: What did he say?
All of the veneers on the cabinets are mismatched.
Good news is they're going to fix it at no cost to us,
but I feel like I need to get on an airplane
and go see what is going on out there.
What do you think, Tula?
Should we pack all our summer clothes?
NARRATOR: A few days later,
Lori heads to Los Angeles to check on the house
and discuss the cabinet solution with Steve.
All these doors right here are getting replaced
because the color is -- it's a quick turn around on that.
Other than the little snafu with the cabinets,
the countertop looks fabulous,
the floors look really great.
Wow.
This cabinet looks great.
This tile is so nice.
Well, so far, so good.
I mean, so far this looks great.
NARRATOR: Back in Wisconsin,
Cory and his father-in-law are busy
working on the fireplace mantle.
Let's just make the miter on it.
CORY: Pete and I have actually been enjoying
working on this fireplace mantle.
It really makes us feel like we're, you know,
part of this house renovation,
even though we're 2,000 miles away.
NARRATOR: The next week, the crew paints the house
and finishes work on the kitchen island.
Later, they install
the re-ordered and pre-stained kitchen cabinet doors...
...and fixtures in the new master bathroom.
MAN: We have a faucet.
Tula, welcome to California.
Here we are!
I am.
After a weeklong cross-country drive,
today Lori and Cory are returning to Los Angeles
with a trailer full of things to furnish the house.
All right, let's check it out.
Oh, they do.
This is the way the cabinets were supposed to look.
This looks great.
Looks good.
Yeah, it does. Bathroom looks nice.
I like this vanity.
CORY: It's great to finally see some progress
being made on the house.
I'm starting to see a little light at the end of the tunnel.
Let's start taking some stuff in.
Okay.
Okay.
Oh, careful, careful, careful.
There's stuff that's getting pushed.
Oh, my.
Okay, wait, I'm stuck.
LORI: Ooh.
Here we go.
Nice maneuvering.
Perfect.
[ Both sigh ]
Nice work.
Now it's time for a beer.
NARRATOR: A couple days later,
Cory heads back to Wisconsin,
while Lori stays behind to do some furniture shopping
and handle all the final details.
Okay, Tula, you're in.
I'll show you where the bed goes.
We have lighting being done.
We have plumbing being done.
We have a bed being delivered,
some other furniture, a television's going in.
It's pretty overwhelming.
Oh, and I do have the felt pads for the bottom,
so let me go grab those.
It's really hard to be so far away
when all of this stuff is going on
and, you know, we just get to see it over pictures.
So it's really great to be here,
get my hands dirty, and help out a bit.
I think that's perfect. Let's do it.
Bombs away!
It almost feels like it's never going to be done,
because it just seems like there's one thing
after the other that keeps going wrong
or that we forget or that we have to do,
but I know in a few days when this is all finished
and when Cory comes back out here,
we can just kick back, relax, and enjoy the place.
Ooh, awesome.
Be careful so we don't nick up the walls too much here.
NARRATOR: Today Cory is back in Los Angeles
to install the mantle that Lori's father made for them.
Push it in just so it's tight.
While I'm nailing it in, yeah.
I just don't have the room to do it.
I know.
Let's bring it out a little bit.
Really?
Yeah, because I don't have an angle at all.
Okay.
Got it. Good.
Yeah.
[ Moans, hums ]
It got totally dinged up.
[ Sighs ]
LORI: Let's start taking some stuff in.
NARRATOR: Wisconsin couple Cory and Lori
are coming to the end of a complete renovation
of their Hollywood vacation and rental property,
but the mantle install isn't going smoothly.
We're thinking we're out of the woods,
the renovations are almost over,
the last finishing touch is this mantle,
and all of a sudden it falls out of our hands.
[ Clatter ]
[ Moans, hums ]
It got totally dinged up.
Damn it.
[ Sighs ]
Okay, that's not good.
How is it down here?
Wow.
Well, we just have to put it up like this.
I mean, we got to get it up.
We just need to drill bigger holes.
Yeah.
Once we took a peek at it,
it really wasn't as bad as we thought.
There's a couple little nicks on it,
but, you know, once we hang it I think it's going to be fine.
There we go.
Okay.
How we looking down there?
I am pretty close to the wall here, so...
Okay, I'm completely close to the wall.
Okay, looks great!
[ Sighs ]
NARRATOR: After 11 weeks of renovation,
Lori and Cory's dream vacation home is finally complete.
CORY: Out of all the houses we saw, this one was just --
it just felt right.
We had to sacrifice the size of the place,
but, you know, with the view, with the location,
and everything, it turned out great.
This house is just completely different
from when we purchased it.
I feel like we got the best of all worlds.
I really am happy with the outcome.
Initially, we purchased the house for $636,000,
and that was a lot higher than we had ever expected to go,
so for the renovations
we really wanted to top it off at $90,000.
Unfortunately, like we were warned,
things always go a little bit higher than expected.
We're about $20,000 over budget.
Yeah, so I just hope we can start renting the place out
and getting our money back quickly.
Thank you so much for all of your help.
I mean, we couldn't have done this without you.
Absolutely not.
There is no way we could have done it without you.
I know, from the beginning,
we were talking about having like a modern beachy feel.
I feel like with the overall color pallet and the textures
and everything, it really came together.
My favorite part of the house is the living/dining area.
It's such a dramatic change
from what it was when we first walked in here.
It really turned out great.
It was really closed in,
the kitchen was in a weird spot.
CORY: Now we've moved the kitchen
to a different part of the house, the view's great.
It really opened everything up.
This configuration is great.
As far as adding a second bathroom,
I think that's probably one of the best decisions we made.
To appeal to renters, I mean, just for our own use.
It's just so much nicer to have two bathrooms.
And that shower --
I love the shower, the way it turned out.
This bathroom is fabulous.
Hi! How are you guys? Good to see you.
It's totally a relief to be done with this house.
It was a learning process, definitely,
but I think we came out ahead.
Can you see the ocean from here?
LORI: On a clear day you can.
WOMAN: No way.
It sounds like it was a lot of work.
Are you happy that you did it?
I think so. Now that it's done, I can say yes.
[ Laughter ]