Stephanie and Marc went to Drew and Jonathan after getting fed up with being out-bid on every house they wanted. With a budget of $925,000, they are looking for a good community with good schools for their son and any future children. They are currently living with Stephanie’s parents and don’t have much space of their own. They have a bedroom that they share with their son and their dog and a downstairs area that they can escape to. They spend a lot of time in the kitchen and would really like something with an open concept and something with a short commute to the downtown area where Marc works.
Drew and Jonathan brought them to see a house out of their price range just to get an idea of what they are looking for. After they get an idea of what Stephanie and Marc want, they decide that in order for them to get everything they want with their budget, they are going to have to move outside of the city. There is a train close by that can get them downtown in just 20 minutes though and they are open to the idea if they find the house of their dreams.
The first house they looked at needed a lot of updating, the kitchen was small, but they can open that up into the living area. There was a perfect area for a big formal dining area and a play area for their son. The house was on the market for $799,000, but had been on the market for a while and Drew said he was sure that he could talk the seller down to about $760,000.
The next house that Drew and Jonathan brought them to was out in what could only be described as the Country. The houses are really spread out and there is a lot of outdoor space. There was a main highway nearby which makes it close to transit and it’s a 20 minute train ride to downtown. It is a split level house with a bonus bedroom in the basement. There are four bedrooms and two bathrooms and 2200 square feet. It has a lot of color inside and needs a lot of updating. It is only listed at $615,000, but Drew thinks it will sell at about $630,000.
The next day Stephanie and Marc go to on a tour of the town they were looking at houses in to show them all the parks and shopping areas in town. While out and about, Marc and Stephanie tell Drew that they are going with the first house and Drew tells them that they should go in with a low offer because it’s been on the market for almost a year and the seller has disclosed that there is asbestos in the house. Drew offers them $760,000, but the seller countered at $785,000. Drew still thinks that’s too high considering everything. He makes a counter of $775,000 and they accepted that offer and that leaves $150,000 for Jonathan to work his magic with. This is what the house looked like before!
Gallery: Before the Property Brothers Renovations
It is time for Jonathan, Stephanie and Marc to get some demolition done! They start by ripping out the fireplace and ripping up all the floors inside. They then get the abatement team in to take care of the asbestos. During this time, Jonathan finds out that there is a backup in their septic system, but luckily they are pretty close to a new city sewage line that had been put in. If they wanted to get rid of their septic system it would cost them about $15,000 to run the line, but if they wanted to keep the septic system they would have to have someone come look the septic system. After having someone come and look at it, they find out that all it needs is a good service and they don’t need to go the city sewage route.
Meanwhile, when they get back into the house, Jonathan finds that they can’t take out one of the walls without having to spend an extra $8000 to do so. They have also found that all of the plumbing from an upstairs bedroom comes down through their kitchen and they can’t eliminate it completely, just move it and cover it. They aren’t thrilled about that but decide to move it which is going to cost them $2500 and leave the wall and just open it up as much as they can without having to put in a beam. This is what the original design plan looked like!
Gallery: Jonathan’s Designs for the Property Brothers Renovation
Later, Marc wants to ask Jonathan if there is anyway he can put in a projector screen in the living room which would be additional to the television. Stephanie isn’t thrilled about the idea because she is worried that it will make the living room look like a man-cave. Jonathan tells her that he won’t let that happen. Unfortunately, while looking into the projector idea, things seems to be a little more complicated than he thought. In order to make it what Marc wants in the long run they need to buy a receiver and they had to eliminate the chandelier that Stephanie really wanted.
After that was discussed, Jonathan was able to finish remaining work on the house and get it all decorated and ready for the big reveal! They only ended up $2500 over their budget, mostly because Marc was set on having his projector, but their forever home came out amazing! Here is what the house looked like when it was all finished!
Gallery: After the Property Brothers Renovations
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