-So, would you ever live in a bungalow? -I would,
'cause having everything on one level
-is very enticing. -[Hilary] Yeah.
The problem is sometimes the bedrooms are just
too close to the living area and the kitchen.
-Which is great for snacks but not anything else. -Oh, doesn't matter.
-Doesn't matter, doesn't matter. -What? Of course it matters.
No, it doesn't. You get somebody like me and I can completely
reconfigure the way that it's laid out
and you wouldn't have an issue at all.
That's beyond your expertise.
No, it is not.
I've never seen you do a bungalow because--
Doesn't mean I can't do it.
So, just call me when you get a bungalow, I'll fix it for you.
[chuckles] I'm not calling you.
-Why not? -'Cause you're too expensive.
-This is true. -Might call you for a quote though.
Ha!
[narrator] Michelle and Quincy's house is dated...
Look at these great columns.
I think we're [chuckles] visiting Rome.
[narrator] ...dysfunctional...
[Michelle] There is no proper storage.
[narrator] ...and conquered by kids' stuff.
[Michelle] Look at the toys.
There's no space for us.
[narrator] Hilary is juggling conflicting priorities...
Hilary, I really want a banquette.
-Wait, wait, wait, wait. -And I need the window.
I can keep the window but you give up the pantry.
[narrator] ...while David wants to level up their life.
[Michelle] This is beyond flawless.
It is truly gorgeous. Wow.
Well, I must say, like, David, it's pretty impressive.
[Michelle] This is a winner.
Are you going to love it...
Or are you going to list it?
[narrator] Quincy and Michelle moved into this house with their oldest son
and had two more sons in their time here.
My favorite part of this house actually,
is the proximity to the lake,
and also the paved trails that are along the way.
We bought the house 17 years ago.
And at the time, it was a much quieter neighborhood.
[Quincy] So, look at the curb appeal.
[Michelle] It's a lovely large porch
that you can spend the entire time looking at a new roundabout
-with buses and trucks right over there. -[engines roaring]
Now let's show you inside the house and everything that's wrong with it.
-Aw, there's a lot to like. -Hmm.
How about we start with the extremely small foyer?
-Quaint. Quaint. One way of looking at it, quaint. -[chuckles]
[Quincy] And we've got the nice oak staircase here,
the grain shows quite beautifully.
Let's take a look at the would-be dining room.
Look at these great columns.
I think we're [chuckles] visiting Rome.
Look at the fireplace. It hasn't worked for us in years.
And this nook for a TV.
Barely functional.
Look at the toys.
[Quincy] Well, the good thing is a space to play, a space to romp around.
There's no space for us.
There isn't, uh, an adult space anywhere.
There's nowhere to retreat, nowhere to relax.
I don't think Hilary can give me the kitchen of my dreams.
There's not enough space in this house to do so.
[Quincy] It has nice eat-in kitchen space.
There is not a lot of prep space in the kitchen.
And there's no island, there's no pantry.
Look at the spices on the counter because we have nowhere to put them.
We have a laundry room/mudroom
but it is a mess.
And again, not functional. There is nowhere to put shoes.
If it's raining or snowing, we're getting, uh, wet boots and shoes all over the place.
This is the biggest room in the house.
But it's space we're not using and we don't know how to use.
Though the room is so big, the closet in that primary room is small.
There is no proper storage.
We have the pleasure of showing you our lovely, uh, bathroom.
Uh, a bathroom with a very large tub taking up a lot of space
that we don't ever, ever use.
Except for Cruise.
[Michelle] That's a holder spot for Cruise's toys.
The shower is too small.
The tiles are too dated.
There's only one sink.
And we're constantly tripping over each other in the mornings.
I have been thinking about and wanting to move for years.
I have been collecting boxes even in preparation for moving for years.
[Quincy] I'd love to stay here.
This is where we need to be.
And I think if we're able to stay in our community,
a fresh start, a new home, a better layout will work for everyone.
This is an older development, isn't it?
Because look at the trees, they're very mature.
[David] Yeah. Oh, yeah. This little roundabout.
-Don't you love roundabouts? -I do.
-I think roundabouts are really good. -They're so cool.
English, you know.
Yes.
-It's actually this house right here. -[Hilary] Mmm-hmm.
[David] So, this is not the way you go into the house.
[Hilary] It's just not very handy if it's pouring with rain, is it?
[David laughs] No, it's not.
You would be soaked by now.
If it were raining.
But it's not raining so it doesn't really matter.
-No, I would have them-- Anyway. -Come on.
[door squeaks]
[Hilary] You kind of see the whole thing.
-You've got it in one moment of walking into this house. -You do.
[Hilary] There is your kitchen straight ahead of you.
Look at this room. This is a bizarre room.
-It's an office, I guess and-- -[Hilary] I guess.
-[David] And drop zone. -[Hilary] And it's not connected
so it's not meant to be a dining room.
Oh, dear.
[David] It's not a bad size, really. I mean...
They've got the usual issue of too many toys all on the main floor.
-So... -Can you see that far?
How many fingers am I holding up?
Three.
Ooh.
I can see that far.
But the natural light right here is very nice.
Who cares about the natural light?
You can barely see the TV.
I care about the natural light.
-Little dining area. -[David] It's not terrible.
See, this kitchen's not a bad size.
[Hilary] Oh, stop it.
-[laughs] If I'm being honest-- -Ooh!
Ooh, ooh, there's a finished basement. This is gonna be my salvation.
-This is-- -How-- How does the basement fix this?
It doesn't. It just means there's an extra space.
I wanna see what this is.
And that's your salvation?
Oh, mudroom. And it's a laundry room.
Ooh.
[David] And it's storage?
Enter your salvation.
-So... -That's it? That's the size of your salvation?
-A little small. -Maybe there's something good behind this door.
Oh, well, look, yes. Yes, this could be an office.
Not bad.
Hey, so, if the basement was your salvation,
what is the second floor?
I didn't say it was my salvation...
-Yes. -...I thought it would be my salvation.
It was a semi-salvation.
[quietly] Gotcha.
[Hilary] They've just moved in.
-I think so. -Or they're in the process of moving out.
Good for me. All right.
Kids' bedrooms.
[Hilary] Ta-da!
-Oh. -[David] I mean, look at the size of this place.
Look at all the clothes in those plastic bins.
[David] Look around, the bedroom itself has enough space.
And bathroom.
It's got a walk-in shower. It's got a big tub.
[Hilary] If I could gut it, it could be quite decent. It's got space.
[David] It does have space.
Walk-in closet.
-[Hilary] Oh, whoa! -[David whispers] Holy...
How does anybody ever find anything in here?
[David in normal voice] I have no idea.
I know what they need. [chuckles]
They need a house that makes sense. So, good luck with that.
[smacks lips]
Kind of agree.
This house is a ball of confusion,
from the basement, all the way up to the second floor.
Where do I begin with what's wrong with this house?
Truly there isn't a single space that is fabulous or functional.
So, my job is to make their life easy on a daily basis
and I can probably even do that close by
by just going to a newer development.
And with any amount of money, other than knocking it down and building a new house,
I don't have a single clue as to how I can improve this
to be even remotely in competition with what David could find them.
[narrator] Hilary and David meet with Michelle and Quincy
to find out who wants to stay and who wants to go.
How did you guys end up in this metropolis?
And how long have you been here?
So, we've been in this house for 17 years.
How old are your children?
-There's a grown one that's out of the house. -Mmm-hmm.
-And then one... -And one is 16, and one is six.
-Wow. Okay. -Okay.
-So, your lifestyle's changed completely. -[Quincy] Mmm-hmm.
This house will be wanting to function in a different way
-and that's what we're gonna work on together. -Yes.
-[Quincy] Sure. Yes. -Yeah.
-Because your needs and your wants... -[Michelle] Absolutely.
...are gonna be very different now from 17 years ago.
-Yeah. That... -Absolutely. We're looking for some adult space.
-Yeah. -[Michelle] Right?
-That we don't-- That we don't have right now. -[David] Very findable.
[David] Very findable.
I've done a valuation on your home.
And the current value is $900,000.
All right? So, what is the must-have list
-to get you out of this house... -[Michelle clears throat]
[David] ...and into the new one.
[Quincy] Four bedrooms.
Four bathrooms and that's including a powder room.
A modern open concept main floor.
A large eat-in kitchen.
Office space.
Large backyard.
A finished basement.
Okay. Anything else?
South of this area.
-You know, what would you say your parameters are... -[Michelle clears throat]
...which-- in minutes, let's just say.
Ten minutes in either direction I would say would be the parameters.
What is the budget for the new house?
The budget is $1.2 million.
All right. Listen, I think a new house makes sense.
And I think it's gonna deliver the kind of open concept
-on the main floor that you want... -[Michelle] Mmm-hmm.
-[David] ...that's I think is almost impossible to get here. -[Michelle] Mmm.
[David] Let's see what we can come up with.
Let's hear your must-have list for me to convince you that
this is the house that you want to stay in.
[Michelle] We start with renovating the kitchen,
adding more storage and an island.
I'd love a sitting room because I need an adult space.
Renovate the laundry and the mudroom.
Renovate the principal bathroom.
Create a better walk-in closet.
And add new flooring throughout the entire house.
So, what's my budget?
Your budget is $150,000.
Wow. Lot of money.
But I think with $150,000 and a lot of imagination and flexibility on your end,
I do think that I can turn this into a house that when I'm done you're gonna love it.
[Michelle] Hmm.
And I think I would ask for exactly what you asked for.
Because I think all of that needs to get done
-and I think you will realize a lot of value out of this. -[Michelle] Mmm-hmm.
[David] And when I find that new house,
the only thing you're gonna say is list it.
This is looking pretty good for me.
I actually think it is looking pretty good for you which I resent.
-[laughing] -Because what am I supposed to do about traffic?
I can't do anything about traffic.
There's nothing you can do about it.
You know, you just have to give them so much inside that house
that they just overlook the traffic.
That's what you do.
[narrator] Hilary meets with brothers Mike and Matt to go over her design plan.
It's a real challenge.
But we have a half decent budget this time,
which is good.
The stairs. So, obviously, they need updating.
We're gonna put in new spindles.
[Matt] Mmm-hmm.
Floors are gonna be new throughout.
[Matt] Okay.
Starting with this room here.
I don't know, obviously you don't either at this stage, whether these are structural.
-Ideally, they'll just be gone. -[Matt] Yeah.
Because this is going to become the...
living room for Michelle who just wants a quiet place that she can sit in and enjoy life.
So, now we move on into the really big challenge.
The plan right now,
new cabinetry throughout, uppers and lowers.
We're gonna wrap all the way from the stove over here
to the sink and the fridge right here.
And I want to continue where this window will be removed
for some sort of pantry or storage,
but to keep some light, we'll add a vertical transom
and a new sliding door will go here.
Some sort of an island will add loads of counter space
and also additional storage.
All right. Now, mudroom.
I'm gonna do stackables, pick up some counter space, storage, that's it.
-[Matt] Okay. -[Hilary] Okay?
That's the main floor.
So, most of the money is going into the main floor.
-And speaking of money... -Mmm-hmm?
...we're working with $150,000.
[Mike] Perfect. We're good.
[Hilary] We are going upstairs.
-Ta-da! So, this is... -[Mike] Huge.
Huge.
There's going to be a much better closet system in here.
Now the bathroom is a whole other discussion.
[Mike] Now the bathroom. Oh, boy.
So, here's the plan.
I want a double vanity along here.
Move the toilet over there to this wall.
I don't know what the issues are with that, you'll let me know.
And a great big shower with a bench over here.
And obviously we're going to improve the lighting.
Yep.
We've got $150,000.
We're ready to go once I get the news from you
-on moving the toilet. -[Matt] Yep.
All right. Thank you.
So, house number one for Quincy and Michelle.
It's not a corner lot but it's a quieter street.
And the lake is basically over there.
The house itself, five bedrooms, four bathrooms,
semi-open concept main floor,
finished basement,
got an office space for her,
it's got a den and a special feature in the backyard.
See what happens.
Good morning!
[both] Good morning, David.
-Good to see you. Good to see you as well. -Good to see you as well.
How would you compare this location over where you currently are?
I like the closeness to the lake.
Even closer than where we currently live.
-[David] Mmm-hmm. -That is phenomenal.
And then you have the house.
-[Michelle] It looks good. -[Quincy] Mmm-hmm.
-Let's go have a look, see what you think. -All right.
[David] Come on in.
[Michelle] Not a bad start.
[Quincy] It looks pretty good so far.
[Michelle] Hmm.
-You know, if I had a sign... -[Michelle] Hmm.
...that I could put on the wall that said, "Michelle's domain"...
-[Michelle] Ah! -That's what I would put.
[Michelle] I really do like it.
This is what I was thinking.
-[David] Yeah. -[Michelle] The high ceilings are great.
This is a good start.
-Let's keep going. -Okay.
[David] You've got a living room space here.
This would be the main living area.
It's just the, uh... The lower ceiling height, um...
Used to something a bit higher in terms of our house.
I've got a little treat over here.
[Michelle] Okay.
[David] A nice little private office
-on the main floor. -[Michelle] Oh!
-Let's go have a close look at the kitchen. -Awesome.
I mean, that looks more like the kitchen table than the dining room.
I'm a bit confused with the kitchen.
[Quincy] Mmm-hmm. True difference.
-I'm underwhelmed. -[David] Okay.
[Michelle] Hmm. Why, thank you.
[David] Wouldn't you enjoy this in the summertime?
[Michelle] It is a beautiful backyard, but it's not for us.
-We do not want a pool. -[Quincy chuckles]
-No pools? -Nope.
-Not pool people? -No, no.
[David] Duly noted.
[Quincy] What do we have now?
-[David] Main floor laundry. -[Michelle chuckles] This is a drawback.
[David] So, it needs to be bigger or...
-[Michelle] Main floor... -[David] Yeah?
-...has to be bigger. -[David] Okay.
Has to be more useful, has to be a mudroom slash laundry room.
[David] Okay.
-Basement. -Okay.
[David] So, this is going to be kids and Quincy.
[Quincy] And great carpet.
We, uh, not really into the carpet situation in the basement.
-So... -[Michelle] No, not really.
Kind of feels like you're in a basement.
-Right. -[Quincy] Yeah.
You don't really want to feel like you're in a basement.
[David] So, head upstairs.
So, that would be the bathroom for the kids.
[Quincy] Yeah. Kind of narrow, yeah.
-[David] Bedroom number one. -[Quincy] Serves its purpose.
[David] Bedroom number two.
-[Quincy] Another cozy room. -[Michelle] Come on, jeez.
They're all so small.
Like they tried to force the home to have five bedrooms.
Five bedrooms, right.
[David] Let's keep going.
-[David] Bedroom number four. -[Michelle] Okay, little better.
This room, I think, could be the minimum size...
-[David] Okay. -...that we'd be looking for.
-Last bedroom. Let's go. -[Michelle chuckles]
[David] And the main bedroom.
[Michelle] Hmm. I think it's pretty good.
This is a... quite a decent-sized primary room.
All right, bathroom. Right here.
[Michelle] From my opinion, the shower is beautiful, David.
-The vanity is great. Uh, modern, uh, enough. -[David] Yup.
I will let you guys go first.
[Michelle] It's definitely smaller than ours.
-[Quincy] It's... it's quite small. -[Michelle] Yeah.
All right, then. Uh, well, let's talk money.
[Michelle] Okay.
How do you feel about it overall?
Underwhelming.
Location? Overwhelmed?
-Overwhelmed. Fantastic. You hit the mark there. -[David] Okay.
-Yup. -[Quincy] You know, some... some of the things
that we've been talking about along the way
have been bungalows, for example, right?
-[David] Oh, really? -So, let's... Yeah, definitely.
Well, let me see what's out there. There's not a lot.
What do you think this house is listed at?
$1 million.
I would say $1.2 million.
This house is listed at $1,250,000.
A lot of that is location.
-Just going to cost you to get it, uh... -[Michelle] Hmm.
[David] A completely done house the way you want it this close to the water.
Um, let me see what I can come up with.
-Yeah, that sounds good. Thank you. -[David] Let's go.
-While the location is fantastic... -Yeah.
-Um... -Beautiful.
-Do we have... Do we have a need for a pool? Not really. -Yeah.
-Right? -No.
This was all about giving them tranquility and location
that they don't currently have.
Imagine what the design team could do.
Hilary and that team, I'm sure, can do a lot.
-Yeah, they can make the house look better. -The house--
But they're not going to get us off a main road,
-which is one of the biggest problems that we have. -Mmm-hmm.
I don't think they're ready to spend the money
to get a house that's fully done in this neighborhood.
So, I'm going to have to take them away from here.
Hopefully, not too far.
[upbeat music playing]
Hey, I brought my assistant.
-Go say hi. -Aw, hi, Suki.
-[Suki panting] -[Mike chuckles]
So, what's the news on moving your throne?
We have the option of moving it to that side of the bathroom.
That's pretty cool. It'll be on this side.
So, when you open the door, you don't see a toilet.
Okay, so, that's great.
The only thing is, the one post in the main floor
is structural. So, you're going to have to, like, build that into your design.
Easy.
-Okay. -Okay.
-I'm good with that. That doesn't matter. That's easy. -So, okay?
Perfect.
-Love it. Okay, let's go. -Aw, I thought Suki was going to stay.
[narrator] Michelle and Quincy come by for an update from Hilary.
-[Hilary] Hi. -[Quincy] Hello. How are you doing?
I'm going to lay out for you the plan.
-Okay. -Sure, let's go.
This is going to become your peaceful place with a door on it.
-Nice. -That's more like it.
So, now, I don't like these.
One of them is structural. The other one is just to balance it.
I will close them into the wall.
-So, you won't even know they're here. -Sounds good.
-Okay, good. -[Quincy chuckles]
[Hilary] Okay, now...
Come into your kitchen area.
To really be able to extend your storage the way it should be,
I need to get rid of this window.
I can bring cabinetry all the way along here.
I can get a pantry in here.
And I'm going to give you an island
that will run all the way along here.
Nice and long but not too wide because we don't have the depth.
What do you think?
-We want the window. -[Quincy chuckles]
But you need a pantry.
But we want the window.
[Hilary] What about just a transom?
I would say a bit more than a transom.
I would really like the light on this floor.
Hilary, I really want a banquette.
Wait, wait, wait, wait. We're just talking about cabinetry and a window.
What... what... Where does the banquette--
I've always wanted a banquette.
I... I can see the space with a banquette.
How badly do you really need and want that?
[Michelle] I need a banquette. [chuckles] And I need the window.
I can keep the window, but you give up the pantry.
No, we need a pantry.
You've just eliminated a place for the pantry.
The only place left
to give you a pantry,
I could take this opening from here to these stairs,
I could give you...
you know, a floor-to-ceiling "pantry,"
which would mean that this would be blocked off.
Hilary, a part of it was the openness
in terms of the sightline from the front door to the kitchen.
That was part of the... the draw, the allure for us.
Could you go to the front door for a second?
My wall is not going to go all the way here.
I see. Okay.
[Hilary] Could you live with that?
I think I can... I think I can live with that.
-I think so. -[whispers] He said yes.
Can you live with that?
Sure.
Because this is your trade-off for having that.
It's not as obstructive as I once thought it would be, so...
[Hilary] Good.
-Okay with me. -[Hilary] Thank you.
I never thought it would be easy.
The minute I walked into this house,
it's just too small.
The house isn't big enough to get us the kitchen that we want.
I mean, but there's... There are limitations, right?
-That's the problem. -Given... given the size.
-So... -But that is the problem.
I will do what I can. I do think it's going to be fabulous.
I do think it's going to be at least 1,000% better.
However, being able to stay here,
in proximity to the lake... [clicks tongue]
So, I think, honestly, it can be a great idea.
[peppy music playing]
Bungalow that I found,
they're going to absolutely love.
Four bedrooms,
four bathrooms, a beautiful open concept main floor
with an incredible kitchen
and a walk-out to a great backyard.
And a better mudroom and laundry situation.
So, we're probably about 15 minutes from your house currently.
[Michelle] It is truly gorgeous.
And it's a bungalow.
It's better than a bungalow.
-Come on. -[Michelle] Oh, my gosh.
-Look at the door. -[Quincy] I like the door.
[Michelle] Look at that. Wow.
-[David] Huh? -[Quincy] I must say,
I... David, it's pretty impressive.
[Michelle chuckles]
This is going to be your youngest son's room.
Bedroom number one.
The positive is right here.
[Michelle exclaims]
-[David] This is your son's bathroom. -[Michelle] Oh. [chuckles]
-Beautiful. It's gorgeous. -[Quincy] This is...
Let's keep going. It gets actually better.
[Michelle] Oh.
-[David] 'Cause I know you love yourself a mudroom. -Thank you.
[Michelle exclaims and chuckles excitedly]
Oh, my goodness.
This is flawless.
-[Quincy] I must say, it's really nice. -[Michelle] Wow.
Okay. Gorgeous.
-[David] So, you've got your formal dining room in there. -[Michelle] Oh, my goodness.
[David] Then, you have the eat-in kitchen
-family room combination. -[Michelle chuckles] Oh, boy.
You've got this incredible island.
- This is really lovely. -[Quincy] A lot of space right there.
This is... spectacular.
[David] Okay. Backyard.
Right this way.
The backyard.
-I mean, as you can see... -[Michelle] Oh, my God.
...low-maintenance,
-You've got beautiful trees all around. -[Michelle] Oh, my goodness.
This is a winner.
[Quincy] Yeah, this is nice. This is impressive.
-Let's go see your bedroom. -[Michelle] Oh.
The right size for a primary bedroom.
This is... spectacular.
[exclaims]
Now, this is what a closet is supposed to look like. This is perfect.
[David] The bathroom's next.
-[Michelle] I was gonna say, "Let's see the bathroom." -[Quincy] Mmm-hmm.
-[Michelle] Oh. -[Quincy] Stand-up shower and tub.
-Very nice. -Yes.
[Michelle] This is absolutely move-in ready.
Let's, uh, head downstairs to the basement,
um, which also doesn't need a stitch of work.
-[Michelle sighs] -Come on.
If your son was here and he saw where his bedroom was going to be,
he would flip. Look at this.
[Michelle exclaims and chuckles]
Remember I was saying to you, David, I want a basement
-where you don't feel like you're in a basement? -[David] Yeah.
-This is it. -[David] Yeah.
-Isn't this cool, too? -[Quincy] And then...
-[Michelle] It's... It's really beautiful. -[Quincy] Nice space.
It is... spectacular.
-[David] Mmm-hmm. -That's the word today, I think.
-[David] "Spectacular?" -[Quincy] Spectacular, spectacular. [all chuckle]
All right, well, let's keep that theme and look at this bedroom.
[Michelle] Okay.
-Excellent size. -[David] Yeah.
-All the rooms are great. -Yeah.
Let's head up to the island...
-Okay. -[David] ...and talk money.
-Okay. -[David] Sound good?
-Let's do that. Let's do that. -[David] Let's go.
I think this house is spectacular.
What do you think this house is listed at?
I would say $900,000.
I think this house is more like $1.2 million.
This house is listed at $1.2 million.
Well...
Put it closer to the lake,
-and it's $1.5 million. -Aye...
[both chuckle]
[David] That's the dilemma.
Unless you're willing to spend more money, you're not getting this house
as close as that house was
-or even as close as your house was. -Right.
If I get you closer to the lake with a house like this,
would you spend the money to buy it?
He said upwards of 1.5, so even higher than $1.5 million.
You know, you're going to be looking at an...
at least another couple of hundred thousand dollars.
-It's well over our budget. -[Quincy] Mmm-hmm.
But this is clearly a blueprint of the house
you guys think is perfect for you.
Yes.
I knew when I walked through this house
that it was absolutely perfect.
And getting a house more perfect than this is going to be very difficult.
We are not going to find this at that price anywhere.
Let's give Hilary a chance, though.
Getting them closer to the lake,
even more difficult unless they're willing to spend the money
that I've told them they're going to have to spend.
We had that whole notion of the lake, proximity to the lake--
We could drive to the lake.
-The pa... The paved trails, all those pieces... -We could... Yeah.
-...that we've become accustomed to... -I know, I love it, too.
-Huh. -We could drive to the lake.
[narrator] Work is underway as the kitchen is demolished
and the floors are prepped for new boards.
Michelle and Quincy come by to see Hilary and the progress on the house.
-[Hilary] This is your wonderful sanctuary... -[Michelle] Mmm-hmm.
-[Hilary] ...whatever we decide to do in here. -[Michelle] Yes.
So, I need to talk to you about the doors.
Option number one is one pocket door.
So, obviously, you'd have a longer wall on one side
-and one door. -[Michelle] Hmm.
Or French doors with, you know, full glass.
I do like pocket doors, though...
Um...
Really prefer the idea of a pocket door,
it... it really leaves every inch to be used.
-[Hilary] Okay. -Okay.
-Thank you. -[Hilary] All right.
[narrator] The kitchen reno continues as new cabinetry is installed.
[sawing]
We're literally four minutes from their house.
And just as close to the lake that they love.
And this house,
open concept, eat-in kitchen,
upstairs, great bedrooms for the kids,
a beautiful principal bedroom,
that huge walk-in closet,
beautiful bathroom,
finished basement,
walk-out to the backyard.
I know they love the bungalow, but this is a good opportunity, too.
We are four minutes from your house.
Close to the lake?
-[Michelle] Yes. -[Quincy] Very close.
[David] Something you guys both love?
-Yes. -Yes, indeed.
-Look and see what you think. -[Michelle] Okay, let's see.
-[David] Come right up. -[Quincy] Let's go.
[Michelle] It's okay. It's okay.
-[David] Just "okay?" -[Michelle] It's okay.
-[David] Just "okay?" -[Michelle] Yeah, just "okay."
Remember, we're in your neighborhood. Closer to the lake.
-[Michelle] We are in the neighborhood. -[David] On a quieter street.
[Michelle] That is good.
First reaction is "just okay." So...
-Let's keep going. -[Quincy] Yes.
[David] It's not quite the mudroom we looked at in the bungalow.
It's a similar, uh, sized layout to what we currently have.
[David] And so, to the main area.
So, you have your kitchen, your dining room,
your family room and your breakfast area.
[Quincy] It's a all-in-one.
All-in-one.
[Michelle] It's okay. It doesn't compare at all to the bungalow.
No, it doesn't. But, you know, one of the...
One of the things you wanted to be was,
-you wanted to be closer to the lake. -[Michelle] Yeah.
-[David] Closer to your neighborhood. -[Michelle] Yes.
-Let's have a look at the backyard? -[Michelle] All right.
-It's nice. -[David] Cute backyard.
-[Michelle] It is nice. -[Quincy] Yeah, nicely landscaped.
-[David] Yeah. -[Michelle] It's nicer than our backyard.
[Quincy] For sure.
[David] We're done with the main floor.
So, do you want to go upstairs or downstairs?
-Downstairs. -Let's do it.
So, behind these two doors
is unfinished storage space.
If you want to finish it off at some point,
-you can. -[Quincy and Michelle] Okay.
-[David] This is my favorite room... -[Quincy and Michelle exclaim]
-...in the house. -[Quincy] Well done.
Very nice.
Then let's head upstairs, have a look at the second floor.
-Okay. Thank you. Yeah. -Good, good. Let's go.
-[David] Bedroom one of four up here. -[Michelle] Yeah.
All right. Let's go see the bathroom
-your kids are going to share. -Okay.
-[Michelle] It's good. -[Quincy] It's a good size as well.
[Michelle] Way better than ours.
-[Quincy] A really good size. -[David] Let's see the kids' bedrooms.
Kids' bedroom number one.
-[Michelle] It's a lovely room. -[Quincy] Yeah.
[David] Kids' bedroom number two.
[Michelle] Yeah, the rooms are a great size.
Let's go see the principal bedroom.
[Michelle exclaims]
It's very nice.
Uh, storage first.
-[Michelle] Okay. -[Quincy] It's all ready.
As is, it is better than ours.
Let's go see the bathroom.
-[Quincy] Double vanity. -[Michelle] Oh.
This to me looks a little bit dated.
-Right. -Yeah.
-[David] All right, let's go. -[Michelle chuckles]
I don't necessarily think it's the house for us.
Yeah, I don't think so either.
What do you think this house is listed at?
$850,000?
-What do you think? -Mmm, $1.1 million.
-This house is listed at $1,150,000. -Hey!
Being close to the lake
is a big deal.
And I would say, probably, of all the houses we've looked at,
the bungalow probably is the one that you love the most.
-Agreed. -Yeah.
So I think we're done looking at houses, then.
-Yeah, I think so. -I would agree.
There is no way that Hilary can compete
with that house or the quiet at that location.
I love the location,
um, but it's not comparing to the bungalow for me.
Yeah, but for me, again, the bungalow is just...
The location is the issue, right?
The only shot that she has at this
is if they decide that 15 minutes
is too much.
[narrator] Michelle's been inspired by spaces she's toured with David
and asked to see Hilary to discuss an idea.
-Hello. -Hello.
-[man] Hey, guys.
This is what's left of your house.
-It looks under construction, that's for sure. -[Quincy chuckles]
There's actually Hilary something I wanna chat with you about
upstairs.
[Hilary] Oh, upstairs?
-Yeah. -Oh, okay, sure.
We have been
looking at some fantastic houses with David,
-and we have seen some tremendous closets. -[Hilary] Mmm-hmm.
We really would like a much bigger walk-in closet.
And I'm sure you would.
-I don't blame you. -[Michelle] Hmm.
Where exactly do you think this big closet would go?
But it's just such a big expansive room, and you know, I'm--
-[Hilary] I agree. -I'm not sure what's happening
in the lower area yet.
I don't know, but we really want a bigger closet.
Anything to expand this closet,
so I could build out here,
and bring something in here on both sides
that could also be storage.
That would increase the storage way more than you could imagine.
I think the idea is great.
I would love if they could work them in to the budget.
-And-And that's what I would like to do. -Okay.
I'll see if there's somewhere that we can find a way
to change the design that we've got going,
to pull back to find the money for this.
-I think you need this. -[Michelle] Okay.
[narrator] Hilary hears from Mike about budgeting for the closets.
[Hilary over phone] The main thing for me
is to have maximum impact and function with minimal cost.
-[Mike over phone] Well, you're good for budget. -All right.
[Mike over phone] So, there's a small issue with the pocket door setup.
Just the way we're trying to build the pocket door system
in to that framing.
The, uh, millwork that we pre-ordered
doesn't fit with the new pocket door design.
[over phone] Not enough room for the pocket door.
Michelle has now been sold on a pocket door,
wants a pocket door, nothing but a pocket door.
[over phone] So, is this an issue that is,
literally cannot do?
[Mike over phone] No, we just can't pull it off.
-Fine. -[Mike over phone] There's no room for that pocket door.
That's fine.
[over phone] I actually by chance, came upon
the next best thing.
So, I'm gonna send it to you,
you let me know if it can work, okay?
[Mike over phone] Sounds good.
All right, talk to you soon.
[narrator] After hearing from Mike that her new plan will work,
Hilary calls Michelle.
[Michelle] Hey, hi, Hilary.
[Hilary over phone] Got a bit of a bad news.
I can't give you that pocket door.
But I thought that was already a, like, a go.
[Hilary over phone] The way the wall that it would go in to is built,
it's just not possible.
Pocket door really was a,
important feature for us, sounds like we don't have a choice.
[Hilary over phone] I think I can give you the next best thing.
-I'm disappointed. -[Hilary over phone] So--
If you can just trust me.
Okay, all right.
[clanking]
[grunting]
You know, this is a great neighborhood.
It's gorgeous.
I mean, look at this.
It's like you're in the middle of the countryside.
[David] Mmm-hmm.
And I think that's what's probably going to keep them where they are
in spite of being on a busy road.
The thing is, there's something else involved here.
What's that, finger-wagger?
I found them a very interesting house.
-Yeah? -And that's all the information
I'm gonna give you for now.
-You'll have to wait for it. -[mockingly] Okay.
I'll wait.
-Hi Hilary. -Good morning, Hilary.
-Good morning. [chuckles] -[Quincy] Good morning.
I'm great, how are you?
-Wonderful. -Fantastic.
-[Hilary] Looking beautiful. -Thank you, so are you.
All right so, it's been a long wait,
and it's been worth every minute.
-[Quincy] Hmm. -[Hilary] You ready to go and take a look?
-Ready. -Absolutely.
-Let's go. -[Quincy] We're ready.
-[chuckles] -[exclaims]
-Oh my God. -Look at this.
Wow.
Talk about a transformation.
[Michelle] Wow.
You have brand new floors.
-[Michelle] Yes. -[Hilary] You have a brand new staircase.
-[Michelle] Yes. -You have an entry that is actually an entry.
-[Michelle] That's pretty shocking... -[Hilary] You have--
-[Michelle] ...that one. -[Hilary] An instantly,
-beautiful house. -Oh my goodness.
-Wow. -And now we're gonna go and look at
-what we've done. Ready? -Okay.
Yes, yeah.
[Hilary] So now we're going to go in to
a living room that is actually gonna work for you.
-Oh my gosh. -Will this ever work.
This is beautiful.
-Wow. -[Hilary] Beautiful lighting.
Look at the fireplace as well, a stand-out.
-[Michelle] Wow. -[Hilary] It has this beautiful front.
-It is... -It does.
Making a statement just on its own.
I, honestly, I'm shocked.
I'm taking it in, like,
I just can't believe what you've done with the space.
-It looks-- -Amazing.
-An amazing transformation, I mean, wow. -Beautiful, yeah, it's...
This is a great start.
-All right, let go on in to the kitchen. -[all chuckling]
-Oh my gosh! -Sconces against the wall.
-I love the light. -Yes, yes.
-Indeed. -Oh, the table!
Marble.
It's beautiful.
You've got exactly what you wanted here.
-Yes. -This is on-point.
-It is, it's beautiful. -Right? Yeah, it's good.
The banquet is exactly what we wanted,
and yes, Quincy,
-definitely needed the window. -[laughs]
And it looks gorgeous.
Let's move on to your kitchen.
[Michelle and Quincy exclaiming]
-Beautiful! -[exclaims and chuckles]
And it's not
-cramped, like I thought... -No.
-No it's not cramped at all, no. -Maybe an island,
you know, the idea of the island, I thought,
it'd be good for space
-but I thought it would be too... -Tight?
-[Quincy] Yeah, I did too-- -But it's not, it's really perfect.
[Hilary] Turn left.
Look at this.
-[Michelle exclaims] -[Quincy] Hmm.
So, as you notice, you've got these upper cabinets
you've got the drawers in here,
and then you've got more storage--
-Oh, what! -[chuckles]
More storage!
-[Michelle] Look at this! -[Quincy speaking indistinctly]
-It really is night and day... -Yeah.
...to what we had and it looks beautiful.
Let's go in to the laundry room.
-[Michelle] Oh, boy. -[Quincy] Hmm.
[Quincy] We're gonna go right.
-And-- -Oh my God.
Ah, stackable washer and dryer.
-Whoa, backsplash? -Look at that sink.
[Michelle] Wallpaper, tile, what are we looking... [chuckles]
-What are we looking at? -[Hilary] You've got everything here.
-This is beautiful. -There's storage everywhere, it looks sleek.
Ta-da!
-Organization, right? -[Michelle] Oh!
-Closet organizer. -[Quincy] It's so organized.
-Right? This is really nice. -Yeah, it's great.
All right, so...
-You do remember the powder room? [chuckles] -[Quincy exclaims]
[both exclaiming]
Babe, look at the, the wallpaper, eh?
-[Michelle] Oh my. -[Quincy exclaims]
-[Michelle] Yeah, this is very nice. -[Quincy] This looks--
-[Hilary] Okay, good. -Wow.
-It's simply... -All right.
So, we're doing well I think,
-so far? -Okay, yeah.
-Let's go, keep going. -[both exclaim in agreement]
Giving you privacy with this door,
was a challenge, as you know.
-And I just asked you to trust me. -Yeah.
-Yes. Yes. -[Hilary] And you did.
And this is what we have.
-[Michelle] Okay. -So I hope you like it.
Oh, can't wait to see it, I'm sure we will.
-[both chuckle] -[Hilary] All right, let's go.
Oh!
[chuckles in surprise]
It's beautiful!
-This used to be a terrible horrible looking dining room. -[all chuckle]
-[Quincy] Dining table, right? -[Michelle] Oh my God.
[Hilary] You have a table here covered with kids' stuff.
-[Michelle] Yes. -[Quincy] Yeah.
-This is like a small oasis... -This light...
-[Michelle] ...I love this lighting. -It's just wow.
-This is beautiful. -[Michelle exclaims]
So the door is what I was describing to you,
that you wouldn't see the hinges,
-you wouldn't see anything. -Yeah.
[Hilary] You would have the benefit,
the same benefit as you would with a pocket door.
So you're okay with that, right?
I wouldn't have been able to envision it,
I've never seen anything like that before,
-but it is... -I know.
Sleek.
-Yeah, good solution. -Yeah.
We're not done yet.
We still need to go upstairs.
-[Michelle] Oh my gosh. -[Quincy speaks indistinctly]
All right, here we go.
-[Michelle exclaims] -Hey, the floor, eh?
[exclaiming]
Well, the floor is certainly um, breathtaking.
-Absolutely. -Oh, and the tiles. [chuckles]
My word.
-It's lovely. -[Quincy] Amazing.
Good. All right, now.
Whoo!
-Is this what we... -[exclaims in surprise]
-...once called our bedroom? -No way!
-Oh, geez, there's just simply no way. -Is this... [chuckling]
[Quincy] An accent wall as well, like, wow.
-Like, oh my God. -[Quincy] Yeah.
[Hilary] All right let's talk about
-really important functional things in here. -[Michelle] Okay, whoa.
[chuckling]
Like the bathroom?
-Maybe? -Oh. Yes.
-Yeah, we're caught up on this... -Maybe we should kinda,
-take a look at that? -Yeah.
-Yes, let's-let's do that. -Okay, let's do that.
[chuckles]
[chuckles in surprise]
[both chuckling]
-Oh. -Oh, look at this.
Mmm, oh my goodness.
-Oh my goodness. -[Quincy] Wow.
This is beautiful.
-[Michelle] Talk about the shower. -[Hilary] It's huge.
[Michelle] Oh my gosh, is it ever.
-[Quincy] Mmm. -[Hilary] This is another sanctuary space.
[Michelle] Definitely spa-like.
Well, if I could find the bellboy, but um,
-I don't know where he is. -[both laughing]
-So I'm gonna continue the tour. -[both laughing]
[Hilary] Closet.
-[both chuckle] -Oh...
-No flippin' way! -[chuckling]
This is beautiful.
[Michelle] Oh my gosh.
Seriously, Hilary, this is um,
outstanding.
-[Hilary] You've got an organizer. -[both exclaiming]
-This is seriously... -This is beautiful.
-...um, so well put-together, so organized. -Yeah.
[Michelle] This is perfect.
[Hilary] Take a look at the extra storage, right here.
[Michelle] Look at this.
Look at this.
-Like... Right? -[Michelle] Oh my gosh!
-Wanna take a look over there? -Let's just do this, okay.
[Quincy] Wow.
We like. [chuckling]
[Hilary] So, this is it.
Now David must have shown you a fantastic house,
-because he's downstairs chomping at the bit... -He did.
...dying to remind you of that.
-So, you go off and meet him there... -Yes.
-...and I'll catch up with you in a little bit. -[both] Okay.
Welcome back to your house.
-Thank you. -Yes, thanks, David.
Looks amazing.
-Yes. -It does.
There's two things I love about it,
one is how beautiful it is,
the second is how it has raised the value of this house
-to allow you to get the dream bungalow... -[Michelle] Hmm.
[David] ...that we looked at.
Do you remember how quiet it was on that street?
-I do. -[chuckling]
-[David] Open concept, eat-in kitchen... -[Michelle] Yeah.
[David] ...family room combination.
- Then you have the formal dining room. -[Michelle] Yes.
[David] Then you go in to that incredible mud-room
slash laundry room combination,
and the bedroom situation, two on the main level and two below.
And then the main bedroom,
that was so spacious, it had its own hallway.
And it had a beautiful walk-in closet
- and a spa bathroom. -[Michelle] Yes, yes.
[David] You've got that great deck, great backyard.
-[Michelle] Awesome. -One more thing to talk about,
money.
That is now the value of your house
with the renovation that has been done.
-Hmm. -That's...
Good.
[narrator] The pre-renovation value of this home was $900,000.
With a final renovation budget of 150,000,
the new estimated value of this home is $1,150,000.
That's an increase in value of $250,000.
Love the banquette.
-Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. -Wanted the banquette.
I think you have to be gracious to a degree
and admit that this is a fantastic renovation.
I-I have to admit, this is uh, this is incredible.
The only thing is, none of the bedrooms,
aside from ours, as their own bathroom.
And in the other house,
-two of the bedrooms have their own bathroom. -Two...
I guess you couldn't do anything about the traffic, huh?
Do you know, oddly enough, no.
This is just too busy of a street.
Mmm-hmm, although, again, you can walk to the lake here, right?
-Yes. -I think we've made a decision.
I think we have.
Decision made?
-Decision has been made. -Yes.
And? Are you gonna love it?
Or, are you going to list it?
-We are going to... -To love it.
-What? -[Quincy] Yes.
-Aw, it's okay. -[Quincy] We're going to love it.
-Aw! -[Quincy laughs]
-Really? -The bungalow absolutely
-ticks so many boxes. -It does.
[Michelle] But we do love the transformation of the home
-and we love the area, so we're going to... -Mmm-hmm.
-...love it. -Love it.
That's so great. Okay, I'm so happy.
-Well, it was a pleasure working with you. -[Quincy] Likewise.
-It was a pleasure. -[both] Thank you.
-[David] Take care. -You as well.
They may have said "love it" today, but I guarantee you,
in a couple of weeks,
after they put up with that traffic,
they are gonna be back to looking at that bungalow.
Right here, right now, they loved it,
and I'm proud of this renovation.
I think it was really one of the best I've ever done
with such a challenge in terms of space.
I got it.