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I think it's got character.
Character is so closer to rustic,
which is so close to run-down.
NARRATOR: These two newlyweds
are ready to leave the heart of the big city...
I am not gonna miss this.
...for a little more space.
Come on in.
But they're in for a big lesson
in the real meaning of the phrase "rustic charm."
This is where you hide the fugitives?
Where is the floor?
What a piece of junk.
NARRATOR: See what fixer they finally fall for.
Then stick around as they dive headfirst
into a whole-house renovation.
I got it. Stabilize it.
But when Johnny nixes some ideas right off the bat...
What about orange?
I don't like it. It's not real rock.
NARRATOR: ...and replaces them with a few of his own...
[ Laughing ] Oh, my God.
Yeah.
...see how their designer finds a way
to pull it all back together.
So, this is just incredible.
[ Doorbell rings ]
-- Captions by VITAC --
Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC.
And I'm Johnny.
And we are newlyweds and artists living in Hollywood.
Many moons, many moons, many moons in the month of May.
I would characterize John as very fun.
He's hilarious. He makes me laugh all the time.
And he has a very big heart.
I would characterize Carmen as, um...
perfect.
She's very classy, but she's so down-to-earth.
And she always makes me smile, and she's adorable.
Am I forgetting anything?
[ Both laugh ]
We have known each other six years,
and we've been married for a year.
After we got married,
I moved out of my apartment in Silver Lake
and into Johnny's studio apartment
because it was closer for work.
And so, I put most of my things in storage.
I do have a suitcase full of clothing
and a suitcase full of shoes.
But I actually had a living room at my place,
so I'm not used to everything being in one room
with another person.
So, this one has vaulted ceilings.
JOHNNY: We're looking for a house
that is somewhere between $450,000 to $650,000.
Obviously, I'd be a little more comfortable
with the $450,000 price range
because that would be a lower mortgage payment.
And we want a minimum of three bedrooms and two bathrooms.
Other than the rooms,
we're gonna need space for a creative room.
I'd love a space to put a pool table.
When I was a kid, I used to go with my brothers
to the community center and play pool,
and then eventually my dad
ended up getting a pool table in the house,
and it was a lot of fun.
Our kitchen is this big --
a little bit more than 6 feet right there.
I want a kitchen with a lot of counter-top space,
a lot of cupboard space.
I even envision different stations in the kitchen.
That is my dream.
I like Craftsman homes,
and I also like mid-century homes.
With mid-century homes,
I really like the open, spacious,
kind of timeless, modern look to them.
I'm just learning about styles of houses
in this whole house-search thing.
I never really learned.
I didn't know about mid-century or Craftsman houses.
But I like ranches.
I like ranch style. I like it spread out.
But I can't stand stucco,
and I can't stand cookie-cutter stuff.
NARRATOR: Johnny wants to stay in Hollywood,
but properties in their price range don't come with much land.
They're not even listing the amount of land on here?
He wants a lot with at least 10,000 square feet,
so they've moved their search north
to the San Fernando Valley,
where prices are more affordable.
This house will represent a private haven,
a home for us that is a place
where we can be creative and productive
and have space to breathe
in this busy, hectic, noisy city.
Most of the houses that are lower in the price range
where I'm more comfortable
are in definite need of serious renovation.
Which we're not afraid to do because I come from a family
who owns a remodeling business in Ohio,
so I'm used to renovating and building things.
And fixing things. It's in her blood.
She's already done wonders with me.
[ Chuckles ]
That one over there?
NARRATOR: Today they're continuing their search
by meeting Realtor Chris Pauley
in a part of the San Fernando Valley
known as Van Nuys.
I wanted you to see this
because I think this house is unique.
It's not set up in a really traditional way.
It's huge. It's over 2,700 square feet.
It's listed as having six bedrooms and four bathrooms.
Wow.
And the lot, as well, is enormous.
It's over 12,000 square feet,
so there's a lot of potential here.
Ooh!
All right. Come on in.
CARMEN: I like the fireplace.
JOHNNY: Yeah.
That's inspirational.
We've got the creative room going on.
We could knock this wall out, actually, right here,
this little section,
and make it into one doable space.
And your pool table,
if this was all opened up, could definitely fit.
I would probably put it over here
'cause that way the porch would open up.
And you get a good amount of light here, too.
This is basically all doors and windows.
Look right here. We got some water damage.
Does that mean that the roof is gonna need fixing, as well?
CHRIS: You'd definitely want to bring in somebody to take a look at that.
'Cause it looks like it's a support beam, too.
What do we got going on over here, a couple bedrooms?
It's pretty small.
And it's got its own bathroom with a little shower.
This bathroom needs a lot of work.
Growing up in a remodeling business,
I can see some potential here,
but I think it's gonna take a lot of work.
JOHNNY: Now, what's over here? More bedrooms.
Okay. This is a front bedroom here.
Yeah, please be careful with that there.
Is this where you hide the fugitives?
A raccoon?
A very angry raccoon.
I don't know how we'd refinish this.
There's a hole here with no wood to refinish.
It's something to negotiate.
That is an awesome, positive spin on that,
because I'm always looking for negotiating tools.
Oh!
This is the master
'cause there's a bath there, two closets.
It's not a bad-size master. We've seen smaller.
NARRATOR: Moving towards the rear of the house,
there are three more bedrooms...
two shared bathrooms...
plus a bonus room off the back.
If I were to put my hand on this,
would it open up a wall
revealing yet another small bedroom?
I'm afraid I can't tell you that.
Okay.
A small bedroom, to me, is a waste of space.
I feel like it's better to have fewer bigger bedrooms
than lots of small bedrooms.
I know Johnny has these big ideals
when we walk into a house,
but I really want to get out of our studio apartment.
Oh, now we've got some space.
CARMEN: Yeah.
CHRIS: It does require a bit of landscaping,
a lot of landscaping,
but again, this lot is over 12,500 square feet.
Yeah.
So, the kitchen. We haven't seen the kitchen.
Oh, yeah. Let's check it out.
And here's your kitchen.
It is.
But this is a $35,000 job to remodel this entire kitchen.
Yeah, quite possibly.
Every room that we've been in has needed some kind of work.
That means at least $100,000 in renovations
for a house this size and the landscaping out there.
When you leave, I don't want you to harp on the price
and what we have here
because I believe the seller has shown
that there's flexibility.
And if it's listed at $580,000,
it doesn't mean that we come in at $580,000.
Yeah, well, I'm thinking flexibility.
If he's flexible about $150,000,
then we might have a shot here.
NARRATOR: Later that same week, Chris lines up another fixer.
CHRIS: You put a little blood, sweat, and tears,
and this could be a great find.
What's the blood-to-tears ratio?
A little more sweat than blood and tears.
Okay. That works.
NARRATOR: With a budget maxing out at $650,000,
Carmen and her husband, Johnny, are looking for a home
in Southern California's San Fernando Valley.
The last place they toured had the lot size Johnny wants,
plus more than enough square footage,
but Johnny estimates the necessary fixes
could run $150,000.
Today, they're continuing their search
in the same San Fernando Valley neighborhood of Van Nuys.
It's very private. What is the lot size?
It's huge. It's just under 13,000 square feet.
The house is big, too.
It's just under 2,300 square feet.
What's the price here?
Listed at $499,000. It's three-bed and two-bath.
Definitely a little bit run-down. That's for sure.
Yeah, it needs a little bit of work,
but you put a little blood, sweat, and tears,
and this could be a great find.
What's the blood-to-tears ratio?
I would definitely say a little more sweat
than blood and tears.
Okay. That works.
I hope, anyway.
Come on in.
Ooh!
There's a lot of lights.
JOHNNY: Oh, here we go -- open space.
Yeah.
Where is the floor?
They had carpet in here,
which has just been all torn up recently,
so this is the subfloor.
So, if you wanted to install some hardwood,
if you wanted to put in some new carpet,
it's basically ready to go.
This is on a swamp cooler?
It is. It's not central air.
A swamp cooler is a ventilation system
that pulls outside air in over a water system.
And basically, it blows that humidified air over the house.
Yeah, we definitely need central air for The Valley.
Look at this backyard.
I like how private it is.
This is a nice pool!
I like the shape of it.
It's got a diving board.
That's nice.
[ Airplane passing overhead ]
That is a loud plane.
I'm trying to get away from helicopters in Hollywood.
[ Sighing ] Oh.
Kitchen.
It's big!
Yeah, and I like this island.
Stand here and talk about things.
You know, I would love to stand here
and talk about things with you, but if you noticed...
You're just too tall.
No. This thing's too low.
What is this?
An outdoor grill built inside.
What a piece of junk.
I do not like tile. I do not like grout.
This, to me, I'm thinking 50 years of dirt
embedded into the grout right in here.
I think it's got character.
Character is so close to rustic,
which is so close to run-down.
What's past this door over here?
What do we got here?
CHRIS: This little breezeway
probably was part of the exterior of the house,
which the original owner closed in
to connect it to what used to be the garage --
now rec room.
CARMEN: I like that it's separate from the rest of the house.
It feels like a separate wing.
This room has potential.
I can already hear my dad's voice.
He's a contractor.
And I can already hear him saying, "Do not buy this house.
"It needs too much work.
"It's gonna require too much money.
Do not buy it."
NARRATOR: Back inside the main house,
there's a three-quarter bath with a retro tub and wallpaper
and two guest bedrooms.
The second bedroom also includes two bonus rooms.
CHRIS: Up here, big master bedroom. Come on in.
CARMEN: Oh!
Walk-in closet.
Oh, my goodness.
That's as big as our kitchen right now almost, right?
Yeah.
[ Laughs ] This is so big!
Oh, my goodness.
Full bath as well.
Full bath. But it's tile.
Oh, this is horrible tile.
CARMEN: It's got the his or her sinks.
Mine hairless, yours carefree.
[ Laughs ]
Such a politically correct way of saying it.
That's very nice.
Okay, so what do you think?
It's daunting, actually, a lot of work.
But there are a lot of positives.
That master bedroom is huge --
lots of windows and doors and lights.
And this is so private.
It's the potential house
because nothing exists the way we want it.
Yeah.
Everything that we want is still up here.
This is just sort of a blueprint for it.
Yeah, for this price, basically, you're getting the skeleton.
And it's gonna be up to you if you want it
or if you want to move forward with this to fill in the rest.
NARRATOR: A day later, Chris lines up a house that is less of a fixer,
but it's 20 minutes from their target area.
Okay.
In fact, it's a little bit out of your price range.
But it has just been reduced.
Yeah.
This is amazing.
NARRATOR: Newlyweds Carmen and Johnny are looking for a home
with at least a 10,000-square-foot lot.
But the budget they're working with
means they're touring fixers.
Today their Realtor, Chris,
is taking them farther out of town,
to the neighborhood of Northridge,
where he's found a home that's less of a blank slate,
but still has plenty of places to add their own stamp.
This house is on the higher end
of what you've been looking for, okay?
But I don't want to get hung up on the price.
It has been on the market for a little bit,
Okay.
CHRIS: I want to show Johnny and Carmen this house
because I want them to see a home
that's on the other end of the spectrum
of what they've been looking for.
It has some of the same characteristics that they want,
but it's a little bit more of a polished product,
and I want them to be able to see that
so they can weigh their options.
It's beautiful inside, three-bed, two-bath,
over 2,300 square feet,
enormous lot, over 12,000 square feet.
It's really, really very nice. I think you're gonna love it.
JOHNNY: All right, let's check it out.
CARMEN: Yeah, we'll give it a chance.
Ooh! It's really open.
This would be a great dining area.
JOHNNY: Nice, new ceiling fixtures.
We've got another little seating area here, which is awesome.
Oh, I love how big this kitchen is.
JOHNNY: Wow.
CARMEN: This isn't my ideal of what I'd want for a counter top.
It's a little too '90s for me.
I'd like it to have a little more character and charm.
But it's not horrible, and it's very well done.
So, you got your pantry and also a bathroom over here.
Pantry and bathroom, not in the same room, fortunately.
That's the half-bath.
Okay.
Through here, another dining room, living room.
[ Singsong voice ] It's got a fireplace.
I don't like all this cabinetry in here.
It's that wood-on-wood look, and, you know,
it was just something somebody else chose.
It's not what I would have chosen.
I do not like 1990s style.
I would rip all of the built-ins out.
JOHNNY: Hold up. I found a secret entrance here.
CHRIS: Oh, the stairs to the attic?
Do you want to head on up?
Wow.
Got to watch your head coming up a little bit.
Okay.
Cool.
CARMEN: I would make a curative room, maybe.
Your ex-landlord would probably suggest we could rent this out.
[ Laughs ] OH, that's true.
NARRATOR: Back down on the main floor,
there are two bedrooms with that same '90s decor.
I think we would take out this cabinetry again, open it up,
and we would change this flooring.
JOHNNY: I wish that this wasn't done
so that we could put our own choices in here.
I feel like, again, this is one of those things
that is increasing the value of --
or what they're saying is the value of the house.
This is a very masculine bathroom.
I don't like this matching the floors and the countertop.
It feels really, like, heavy and clunky.
It's like a '90s dance party in here.
If we could knock the '90s out of this house,
I could see it being a home for us.
Let's take a look at the master.
It's an okay size for a master.
Walk-in closet is decent.
Oh, yeah. That's a good size.
Nice little bathroom over here.
Yeah, right around.
This is kind of a '90s look,
and it's pretty bland in here with just the gray.
It needs some color.
The master's a little small, needs a little color, too.
I'm surprised, with the size of the house,
that they didn't go a little bigger on the master bedroom.
Yeah, they left a lot of the living space --
Like, a lot of the square footage is in the kitchens
and the living room and the dining room.
And I'm looking that it looks like
we could even expand this room out more.
You want to take a look?
Make it a master suite.
It's interesting that it's 12,000 square feet.
It doesn't feel -- I mean,
I guess just the way it's laid out on the property.
A lot of it is the front yard.
Mm-hmm.
We've got some traffic noise here.
Is that a major street over there?
It's a fairly busy street, yeah.
And, again, as these trees fill in,
you're gonna lose some of that street noise
as this grows and this gets more mature.
Well, this one makes a little more sense with the price,
considering everything that's been done with it.
CARMEN: Mm-hmm.
But it would be nice if there was some wiggle room
with the things that we would want to do to it
to make it fit our style.
Well, you know, I do believe that there would be some.
I think there's always room to negotiate.
You know, but again, that said, I do know that this is higher
than what we've been looking at.
Yes.
NARRATOR: The end of this search isn't the end of the story
because Johnny and Carmen plan to put their stamp
on whichever home they choose, even if it kills them.
This is the gauge of my enthusiasm
as it gets lower to the ground.
[ Laughing ]
How are you?
Good to see you.
Good to see you.
NARRATOR: Searching for more space,
Carmen and Johnny move their house-hunt
north from Hollywood, California,
to the San Fernando Valley.
There, they found three places in various stages of repair
and are now ready to choose their favorite one.
So, what are you guys thinking here?
CARMEN: Well, with the complete fixer, it was reasonably priced,
I think, at $580,000, for that amount of square footage,
almost 2,800 square feet.
And I really liked the floors. It had floors.
Except in one of the rooms.
There was a big hole.
The kitchen needed a lot of work,
but we have plenty of room to expand that.
Mm-hmm.
I didn't like the crazy row of bedrooms.
I think the house is a complete gut
in order to make it work for our needs.
We could really make it our own though,
Yeah. Mm-hmm.
I really liked the mid-century ranch.
It needs a lot of updating,
like, pretty much every surface in it.
But I do like the fact that it has all this land.
Mm-hmm.
Yet there's a lot of house and a lot of land there, too.
Mm-hmm.
Price is a little bit better, and it's also got a pool.
Yeah, I love that it has a pool because it gets so warm.
It was nice that there was that room
on the other side of the house
that could be a media room, a pool table room.
Yep.
NARRATOR: This house is $625,000.
CARMEN: There was a lot of living space,
but I did not like those built-ins
in several of the rooms.
And that '90s crazy marble in the bathroom would have to go.
I wish it wasn't so close to that busy street,
and we're dealing with a higher price,
and I don't know if it would be worth it.
Especially considering
the renovation that we would want to do.
But it has really good bones.
I think what holds the most water for me,
literally, is the already-established pool
and the land from the mid-century ranch.
I love the open, spacious layout.
I love all the doors and windows,
and I really see a palette there that we can make our own.
I agree.
And if you're wrong, I blame you.
[ Laughs ]
So, we need to pick out a dining-room color
that we both agree on.
We ended up getting the mid-century ranch,
and we ended up getting it for $520,000.
JOHNNY: And we're kind of lucky because there is not a lot
on the market around here right now,
and we were competitive,
and one of the things that gave us the edge
was that we wrote a letter.
And apparently, the former owner, likes letters.
I would eventually like to wallpaper this wall.
Our budget for renovation is about $50,000,
and we're gonna try to stretch that as far as it'll go.
We got to get HVAC. That's gonna be about 10 grand.
And then we have electrical,
which is gonna be another 10 grand.
NARRATOR: The remaining $30,000 will be split
between fixing up the main house on their own
and turning the converted garage into a rec room.
In order to make the space more usable,
especially for a pool table,
they start by leveling the floor,
a process that involves drilling out and attaching rebar,
pouring 4 inches of fresh concrete,
and leveling as they go.
JOHNNY: Well, everything seems to be working just fine.
We'll be leveled. It takes three weeks to dry.
The flooring guys will come back and finish the job.
This is exciting stuff.
I love seeing it happen.
CARMEN: The garage conversion needs so much work.
That's probably the room that needs the most work.
And we have no clue how to start in there.
NARRATOR: So they've contacted designer Maureen Mahon
to come up with a plan.
JOHNNY: Realizing that you need the help of a designer
is a bittersweet moment because now you realize
that you can delegate some of this daunting task
to someone else who has some experience in it,
and that'll save you some time.
But at the same time, it's hard to admit that you need help.
Based on your vibe, I came up with kind of an adult playroom
that's got a little bit of a '70s vibe to it.
JOHNNY: Nice.
Yes, I thought you'd like that.
We're opening up the ceilings.
We're getting rid of all the grid.
We're taking out these beams
and then replacing them with nicer wood.
And we'll drywall and insulate the ceilings
so it'll have kind of a chalet feel to it.
I love that.
So, this is the entertainment side of the room.
You'll have the 10-foot-wide sofa here
and 7-foot one here,
which is theater seating with cup holders,
and it reclines and everything.
JOHNNY: Nice.
Over here is the game area, where you have your pool table.
Okay.
And we'll have 5-foot clearance
all the way around the pool table
so that you are unobstructed while you are playing.
I know you guys wanted a Ping-Pong conversion top
Yeah.
And there is gonna be a little place for it here.
So you can fold it up, stick it up on the wall,
and we'll have artwork on the back of it
so it'll look like just a piece of art.
It'll be really cool.
But I'll probably have some input on the actual subject.
That's fine. That's fine.
I don't have anything written in stone yet.
You guys, it's a, you know, collaborative process.
Yeah.
Right here we're gonna have a big fireplace
What?!
Not kidding.
It's bioethanol, clean-burning.
It'll be built out in wood and then covered in a stack stone.
I love this idea.
I don't like it. It's not real rock.
I want real rock.
I'd rather have real rock or no fireplace at all.
Okay.
No, I'm not a big fan of faux anything.
I don't want that.
I would rather not have a fireplace in there at all
unless it's gonna be the fireplace that I want.
I was so excited when she said "fireplace."
Johnny and I have a lot of talking
and, I think, negotiating to do about this room.
MAUREEN: I understand Johnny's point,
but a masonry fireplace and a chimney
would take them way over their budget.
It's very frustrating when they push back
on something that you feel very strongly about,
that you think is really gonna make the room.
But at some point, you just have to let go, you know?
NARRATOR: While Carmen and Johnny
continue to live out of their studio apartment,
work starts inside the house, as Johnny has arranged
for new laminate floors to go down in three of the rooms,
at a total cost of $1,500.
I just came in to check on the house,
and apparently, there was a miscommunication
between the contractor and the crew,
and nobody told them
that I wanted the floor vents covered up
because I'm doing all-new HVAC in here.
JOHNNY: I told those guys
that I didn't want any under-the-floor venting,
that I was gonna redo HVAC
and everything was gonna come through the ceiling.
The job is botched,
and they'll have to redo all that work again,
which sets us back on the move-in day,
and I'm a little ticked off about that miscommunication.
[ Cellphone rings ]
Yes. Hello.
Yes, they left.
That's what I said, yes.
I did go and look in the master bedroom,
but I did not notice the floor vents.
It wasn't until I came back
and noticed that there was a hole,
'cause they happened to be working right over the hole.
Yes!
NARRATOR: Later, Johnny and Carmen have cooled off.
Out in the garage, Paul and his crew
are getting ready to vault the ceiling,
but they've just spotted a problem.
We see that your air-conditioner guy has been here
and the ducts are a little larger
MAUREEN: Quite a bit.
So, we were gonna have the sloped, cathedral-type ceiling.
CARMEN: Right.
But it looks like the ceiling will probably be flat.
This design has gone to pot.
NARRATOR: Johnny and Carmen bought a fixer in the San Fernando Valley,
just north of L.A.
They need to address almost every inch of the place,
but work got off to a bad start
when the flooring guys cut around vents
instead of covering them up.
But the crew is good on their word,
and the very next day, they return to pull up, patch,
and re-lay the laminate.
And by the end of the week,
Johnny and Carmen can start moving in.
Johnny and I wanted to move out of our studio apartment
as soon as possible and get into the house,
so we decided to make the master-bedroom/master-bath area
as livable as possible and kind of a sanctuary
because we know how much work we're gonna be doing
in the rest of the house.
It feels really good to start to see some progress in this house,
and it's starting to feel like we are getting somewhere.
Yes! Good job. Thank you.
NARRATOR: Johnny and Carmen are turning one of the bedrooms
into a guest room.
They'll need to remove the old textured wallpaper
before replacing it with a more updated pattern.
I am finally taking down that grass-cloth straw wallpaper
in the guest room today.
I am putting water on it
and just letting that water soak for a minute.
See, look at this. It's just...
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I thought that wallpaper was gonna get so hard to get off,
and it is just peeling off like bark off a tree.
It feels good.
Whew!
NARRATOR: Out in the garage, they're creating a rec room
reminiscent of a '70s-era lodge,
complete with vaulted ceilings and exposed beams.
But when contractor Paul Davis and his team
start prepping the space, they discover a problem.
We see that your air-conditioner guy has been here
and the ducts are a little larger
than we anticipated initially.
MAUREEN: Quite a bit.
So, with our beams that are coming in
that we need to support the new ceiling,
we were gonna have the flat part, you know,
come all the way so we'd still have kind of a sloped ceiling,
a cathedral-type ceiling.
JOHNNY: Right.
But it looks like the size of the ducts
Oh.
So they're basically gonna gonna come down
to the top of our beams.
So we'll still be able to raise the ceiling,
but it'll probably be flat.
And you'll have exposed beams still.
And then we'll have the exposed beams.
So, we'll put the beams across and then put the dry wall
on top of the beams so that they're exposed.
You'll probably have like a 9 1/2-foot ceiling.
JOHNNY: Yeah, getting A.C. in there is extremely important.
We could have this amazing room, and if it's not
climate-controlled in a reasonable way,
it's not really gonna be enjoyed.
It gets really hot here in The Valley.
One of the changes we're making
is a fireplace idea that Maureen had.
I liked it, but Johnny didn't, and he can be very persistent.
But, really, I wound up agreeing
that we should wait till we can afford the real thing.
NARRATOR: That leaves an empty space in the design of the wall.
So Maureen's drawn up a low-profile scoreboard,
modeled after a theater marquee.
So, I guess we're gonna have some running lights,
Okay.
MAUREEN: And above it will be a big plastic sign
that says "Now Playing."
Oh, nice.
So, it'll look like a movie marquee,
and then this will be mounted on the wall over here.
CARMEN: I think this is gonna be a really creative piece
to have in this room.
We have a lot of creative friends and artist friends,
and I think it'll add some fun and spontaneity to the room.
NARRATOR: With the design settled,
the piece is going to be built off site
while work continues on the space.
All right, we're up, we're up! All right. Push!
Today Paul and his crew are back
to install the ceiling beams in the garage.
Take it down. Take it down. Take it down. Take it down.
The first beam -- We thought we could get it in
by just putting it at an angle and sliding it over.
[ Grunts ] Still tight. What's it hitting?
I don't see it hitting anything.
It's hitting a plate.
It was just slightly too long,
so we just chose to cut a hole in the roof.
We could slide it out and come back.
Oh, beautiful!
[ All grunting ]
So, now that we got all the beams in,
we're gonna put all the rest of the joists in
so we can put the dry wall up, finish up the framing.
As soon as we're done with that, an electrician can come in
and put all his lighting in and everything.
NARRATOR: Now that the walls and ceilings are in,
Maureen can get started on the details in the space.
Today she needs Johnny and Carmen
to settle on paint colors.
But first, she has to bring them some bad news
about the Ping-Pong conversion top
that was to hang on the wall
and feature custom artwork on the back.
I think all of us assumed
that when we folded up this Ping-Pong table,
it would kind of accordion into four pieces this size
and we were gonna put it on the wall like this.
Okay.
But the hinges go along here.
And then when it's folded up, this part's on the outside
and not the black side, which we were gonna paint on.
CARMEN: So it turns out the Ping-Pong tabletop folds out
the exact opposite way that Maureen thought,
so putting artwork on the back is pretty much impossible.
My brain is kind of stuck on this one.
I mean, obviously, we need the feature,
but we can't just hang that with the blue side showing.
It needs to be completely rethought somehow,
but I'm just not coming up with the answer yet.
JOHNNY: I already have an idea about the artwork I want to use for this.
I'm just gonna have to take this project over
and figure out a way to make it work.
MAUREEN: If he wants to take over that, that's fine with me, really.
I just hope it isn't awful. [ Laughs ]
NARRATOR: Every single surface
in Johnny and Carmen's new house needs work.
They've been at it for seven long weeks,
and things are just now starting to come together.
Out in the garage, they've raised the ceilings,
and the beams are in place.
And now it's time to pick paint colors.
So, we've got these great blue colors,
and I wanted you to check with the pillow here
Okay.
I brought two colors for the accent wall.
One is a little more teal. One is a little more true blue.
CARMEN: So, you like it.
Yeah, I like this one a little bit more.
I do. It really pops, and it's pretty unique.
And you know what else?
Like, with going out to the pool,
this will kind of blend in with going out to the pool.
Good find, Maureen.
NARRATOR: For the rest of the room,
Maureen wants to paint the ceiling and walls
in either a bright or creamy white and the beams brown.
We do have a complementary color scheme here,
which is warms vs. cools.
And because this is a cool color,
having a warm white might, you know,
work better with the entire color scheme.
What do you think, Johnny?
I don't love it.
Really?
I don't love it.
What about orange?
No.
When Johnny and Maureen are not agreeing
and kind of butting heads, I start to feel uncomfortable
'cause I respect both of their opinions
and their points of view and their ideas.
I'm just not as particular about things.
I can make more adjustments than Johnny can.
It seems like he'll get fixated on an idea
and just really want to follow it through to completion.
I think it's all gonna tie in really well together.
I do.
It'll go with the floor.
That's true. Very good, yes.
[ Laughs ]
He's absolutely right.
You got the brown beams. You got the brown floor.
Okay.
Sold.
Moving on.
Has been made.
Agreement.
Yay. All right.
NARRATOR: Johnny and Carmen have been
working their fingers to the bone,
but as they hit the two-month mark,
their home is still a work in progress.
In the living room, they've created a brand-new look
by patching the ceiling, painting the brick...
...and adding a brand-new mantel.
In the guest room, the couple painted a pale green color
on two of the walls and have picked a textured paper
to create accent walls on the other two.
CARMEN: Those walls are in really bad shape,
and I just thought that wallpaper
would be the easiest solution.
I watched this nine-minute instructional video
on how to hang wallpaper, and it was very clear.
I wrote some things down.
This is the gauge of my enthusiasm
as it gets lower to the ground.
[ Laughs ]
We can't even get this first piece on.
It's falling.
We can't cut a straight line at the top.
The first slice is always the hardest.
I don't actually care anymore.
JOHNNY: [ Laughing ] Oh.
How long did it take for you to hit the "I don't care anymore"?
[ Laughs ]
Help!
Help!
[ Laughing ]
I do not want to spend the day doing this.
I want to go swimming.
[ Both laugh ]
All right, let go.
I want to go swimming.
I looked over in the corner and saw a can of paint,
and it's so easy, and I'm happy.
Look at the thickness of that door!
NARRATOR: Over the next two weeks,
the garage renovation starts to come together
with a fresh coat of paint going up,
new French doors going in...
...and new floors going down.
By week 10, all the foundation of the room is in place
and it's time to decorate.
Well, we're sort of at the homestretch.
We got a lot of stuff going on today.
The furniture's being delivered.
We've got an entertainment center coming.
All recycled wood.
Awesome.
MAUREEN: Paul, the contractor, is bringing the marquee.
JOHNNY: There it is.
This is the centerpiece of my recreation dojo.
I feel great about this. This is amazing.
I have my own pool table for the first time in --
Well, let's see. How old am I now?
I'm not no "mathemagician" here,
but it seems like it's been at least 20 years.
Hugs.
Thank you.
What's going on here?
Nice.
Custom-made recliners in burnt orange.
'70s theater look.
You need pillows.
JOHNNY: Yeah.
I'm scared to ask what this is.
JOHNNY: This is a Ping-Pong pagoda.
I was tinkering around last night,
trying to figure out how I was gonna mount the Ping-Pong table
to the wall, and I realized
that it really ran a huge risk of damaging the Ping-Pong table
if I were to try to glue anything or screw anything
to the table itself and hinge it together.
So the two pieces of the Ping-Pong table
Great.
And then you can carry them and put them on the pool table
when it's set up.
But actually, what I'm gonna do --
I think I'm gonna cut a custom wood top
and then, of course, paint it.
All right, so, what's going on inside?
Can I see the artwork?
Yeah, this is -- Well, I'll give you a peek if you want.
You can take a quick little peek right here.
Wow.
Oh, my God.
Yeah.
All right.
NARRATOR: After a long home search,
Johnny and Carmen settled on a place in Van Nuys, California.
From the front door to the back, every inch needed an upgrade,
including a soup-to-nuts renovation
in the converted garage.
Hey.
And thanks to designer Maureen Mahon,
they're just a few finishing touches from completion.
I think this looks really pretty in here.
It does.
Usually at the last day,
I kind of know how things are coming together.
There's just a few little tweaks to do, but in this case,
there are a few little projects that Johnny has taken hold of
that I have no clue what they're gonna look like.
I had an idea, as you remember, to hang the Ping-Pong table.
It didn't really work out, so once thing led to another.
MAUREEN: Not everyone has a Ping-Pong pagoda.
[ Laughs ] Oh, my God.
It goads you into playing Ping-Pong.
I think it actually goes with the room.
I wrote these Chinese characters on the side,
and this is "Play" and "Laugh."
No, it's not.
'Cause all I ever want to do is laugh and play.
I love it. [ Laughs ]
Johnny's Ping-Pong pagoda --
It's really the perfect solution.
It hides the tabletop in the most creative way possible.
I absolutely love it.
[ Door bell rings ]
JOHNNY: I love the eclectic nature of it.
CARMEN: Yeah!
I love that it's not just one style or one thing in there.
It's a mixture. It's a mixture of mid-century and Asian.
Everything.
Every little section of the room has its own little theme,
and each part ties into the next.
Whether through color or through theme
or something like that, there's something
that's tying in the other section of the room together.
We've lived in this house almost three months.
We ended up getting this house for $520,000,
and we have put a little over $50,000 into it
with construction and materials.
And that's with a lot of do-it-yourself work.
NARRATOR: Johnny estimates they painted
over 8,800 square feet of wall space,
including the guest room...
kitchen...
and every inch of the great room.
The fireplace -- We are so happy how it turned out.
It was just dark and red and soot-filled and black,
and so we found this do-it-yourself paint kit online
that gives your fireplace a new brick look,
almost a stone look.
Then we also got a mantel
that we really tried to match to the floors,
and I think we're feeling very good about this room.
This is a big house.
There's a lot of square footage,
and coming from a studio apartment,
where we didn't have very much furniture,
we have a lot of room, a lot of space to fill up in here,
and we've been acquiring some pieces,
but we definitely have room to grow.
Oh, I love the bar.
When we lived in the studio apartment,
we did not have anyone over.
There was no room to even watch a movie or cook for somebody.
So just to be able to share the space with each other
and with our family and friends is --
It's another world.
I'm about to do the inaugural break, you know?
Would you please?! I'm trying to --
[ Laughter ]
JOHNNY: We love this house.
[ Grunts ]
It's so much better than where we were,
and I can finally breathe a little bit better.
It's a really nice place to be right now.
We definitely found the right one.