We've been dreaming about this for years.
Years.
[Brian] Mark, Jessica, and their two daughters
have lived all over the world.
I'm in the US Army.
We went to Germany, Texas, Honduras, New York, Hawaii.
We lost a lot of friends as we left different places.
Right.
[Mika] And now, they're eager to set roots in Florida.
[Brian] He is covered in vines.
This might be the most challenging ground-break
we have ever done.
[Brian] Will their love of old world charm...
[Jessica] I love the stonework.
This looks like very French.
-Okay. -Real stone is real expensive.
[Brian] ...bring them their happily ever after?
Moment of truth.
[Mark] It looks so big.
Oh, my God.
[Mika] Let's go check this out.
This is so beautiful.
[Mika] Yeah.
These blueprints are gonna be a reality.
Let's go.
[Mika] Brian and I know a thing or two
about building custom homes on fast timelines.
There's always a reason why they need their home done
in 100 days.
Second baby is on the way.
Hurricane season is around the corner.
[Brian] And now we're expanding to renovations too.
We're gonna flip-flop everything in this house.
We don't know what's behind the walls.
[Mika] Whether it's a new build or a renovation,
each project has its own set of challenges.
This is the exterior of the townhome.
You raise it that a foot...
-[Mika] I know. -...it's a lot of work.
[Mika] I know it is.
[Brian] But the look on our clients' faces
makes it all worth it.
-[man] Oh, my God. -[woman 1] Oh, my gosh.
[woman 2] I am in heaven right now.
[upbeat music playing]
[Brian] Mark and Jessica, you found us.
[Mika laughs] Hello there, family.
-How are you? -[Mark] Hi.
-[Jessica] Hello. -[Mika] Hi.
[Brian] There are so many trees on this lot,
I didn't think you'd ever find us back here.
We have over 300 trees.
Where are you thinking this house is gonna go?
Somewhere in the middle.
That way we can still be, like, in...
-In the forest. -[Mika] Love that.
-...but like... -But in Riverview.
...still have our own little place of solitude.
-[Brian] Yeah. -Our oasis.
[Brian] How many acres is this?
[Mark] Seven and a half.
Seven and a half acres in the middle of Riverview.
Ah, Riverview, where the journey started.
[Brian] And continues.
[Mika] We have been living our entire lives in this area.
[Brian] I know.
Then we went to high school here.
Jade went to pre-school just down the street,
so we know this area very well.
Who do we have here?
-I'm Olivia. -[Brian] Hi, Olivia.
[Olivia] I'm 16.
-And I'm Ava. -[Brian] Ava.
[Ava] I'm 17.
[Brian] Nice to meet you.
[Mika] Olivia and Ava. I love that.
[Brian] How did you find this lot?
[Mark] The internet.
[Brian] Yeah.
What are you gonna do when you wanna live in Florida,
but you're in Hawaii?
So you guys bought this like sight unseen?
Yeah.
I'm curious what you do.
I'm in the Army.
I'm a Black Hawk helicopter pilot.
-Say what? -Wow.
-Okay. -Very cool.
You might have the coolest job
of any client I've ever worked with.
[Mark] So when I was a junior in the military,
I would fly a lot more.
Now I train the next generation of pilots.
So it's very rewarding
as I'm preparing for retirement.
[Mika] I mean, my parents were Air Force,
but we never got Hawaii as an assignment.
I'm a little bit jealous.
How long did you guys stay there?
-Uh-- -We were there for two years.
[upbeat music playing]
[Brian] What's the most favorite place
you guys have ever lived in the entire world?
Probably Germany.
There were so many things...
-[Brian] Yeah. -...to do.
[Mark] In Germany, just being right in the middle of Europe.
Hey, let's go to France.
[Brian] Yeah.
It's an hour and a half away.
Where are you guys originally from?
Valrico, Florida.
[Brian] So you guys are from here?
[Mark] Yeah. We know each other from high school.
[Jessica] He dated my best friend.
We're still friends.
Uh, but we met in the hallway
and he came in and...
I'm not allowed to talk about your hair, am I?
Okay.
Not allowed to talk about his hair, but...
Yeah. You can say... You can say I kind of look like a hippy if you want.
It was long.
-It was very pretty. Um-- -See? She said it was pretty.
So she did like my long hair.
I did not think it was pretty back then though.
[laughs]
[Brian] Talk about a full circle.
-Well, you see... -My goodness.
...you're gonna wind up in Florida
which is where you guys started.
Yeah.
[Mark] This is home. We want this to be home.
[Jessica] With him retiring and our kids getting older,
it's really important to come here and set roots.
I get to keep all my friends...
Yeah.
...and I get to actually know people down here.
-Yeah. -Mmm-hmm.
-That means a lot. -And I'm very excited about that.
Like, on the airplane, we're leaving from Germany,
she was just, like... [whimpering]
just crying for, like,
the first half hour of the flight.
You weren't even sitting with me.
I was sitting right in front of you.
Where are you guys currently living right now?
-It's a little complicated. -[laughs]
[Mark] I'm stationed in Alabama, I'm living there.
Ava's living with me,
while she's taking online courses.
The next semester is gonna be in-person classes for her.
Oh.
So we've gotta get this house done by next semester.
Deadline, deadline, deadline, deadline.
[Mark] Deadline.
[Brian] Jessica and Olivia, where are you guys living?
[Jessica] My dad lives five minutes down the road.
So I kind of flex between up in Alabama
and here in Florida.
Olivia started high school down here
so that she could start her school
-that she'll graduate from... -[Mika] Mmm-hmm.
...and have friends.
-Her forever friends. -Yeah.
Yes.
Like, her friends that she doesn't have
-to move away from in three years. -I'm excited for that.
[Jessica] Being able to be here,
be with family, and...
[girls] Aw...
-It just means a lot to me. -[Mark] Yeah.
Well, we're gonna get you home and get you home soon.
What are the things we need to put in this house
so that there's no more moving?
At least three bedrooms and a office.
-[Mika] Okay. -[Brian] Okay.
Their bedrooms on the other side of the house.
-[Brian] Whoa. -[Mika] Oh.
I love how she just took a minute.
[Brian] Hey, and she pointed to you.
It was like,
"Get on the other side of the house."
They're older teenagers, they're young adults.
[Mika] Mmm-hmm.
And they need some freedom, they need their space,
so I wanna give them that.
One of the things we do need in the new home
is a really big lanai.
-Oh, absolutely. -Ooh. Okay.
So do you kind of have, like, a look that you're going for?
Yeah. We really liked a lot of the features of the houses in Germany,
-that modern look. -Mmm-hmm.
But old world charm.
[Mika] I think it'll be really cool to infuse that...
-Yeah. -...character.
And I'm totally, like, relating to you guys,
because I know in the military housing,
all the houses were the same shade of khaki, right?
[Jessica] Yeah.
White walls, plain.
[Mika] After this house is built,
you can hang up the pictures
and paint a wall a certain color.
How much have you guys saved to build your dream home?
$739,000.
-[Brian] What? -[Mika] To the tee.
And $0.15.
-[laughter] -Yes. Give me that extra $0.15.
-You can't go over. -[Mark] No.
Can't go over.
-[Mika] We got a lot of planning to do... -[Brian] Yes.
...especially while you're here in town,
-so we gotta get to it. -[Brian] The home.
Yeah. Let's get to work.
[Brian] Need to bring my hiking boots.
[upbeat music playing]
[Mika] Mark, I know you're gonna be heading back to Alabama pretty soon.
And today I really wanna get a visual
of not only of the footprint of the home,
but maybe some design decisions too.
[Jessica] Yes.
The whole theme with Mark and Jessica
is old world meets new construction.
We have to figure out what that means.
This home is a historical home here in Tampa.
What is your first impression?
[Jessica] I don't like the brick.
[Mika] Okay.
Would you change the brick out for something else?
I would like a large stone
and we don't really need much of a front porch.
Our style is just not really this.
[Mika] Okay.
We've gotten a good start to the day,
but we still gotta go see another house.
-Ready? -Okay.
-Yeah. -Let's do it.
[Mika] Come with me.
[upbeat music playing]
[Mika] With the exterior of this house,
you got like the stonework.
[Jessica] I love the stonework.
I really like this archway on the top.
[Mika] Mmm-hmm.
-This looks like very French. -Okay.
So while we're kind of looking at this exterior,
I mean, how big of a garage?
[Mark] We're a family of four.
So we need at least a three-car garage.
Okay. Also if you notice
the orientation of the garage,
you kind of got this courtyard.
[Jessica] Yes.
I feel like it kind of brings in that style
that we're going for.
I'd worry about backing out,
because there's...
There really is not straight shot
-to get out anywhere. -[Mika] Yeah.
She has a history of damaging a couple of vehicles.
Say what?
[Jessica] He had to put those pool noodles
in one house garage...
-So she knew where to stop... -...so that--
and she didn't hit anything with the doors.
Not until I knew where to stop,
but like so that when I did hit it,
I hit the noodle not the house.
We definitely don't want any accidents happening
in this brand new house that we're building for you.
But I really like the courtyard.
Is there a way that we could maybe do a drive-through garage?
-Like you... -Okay.
go through it here
and then there's another garage door on the other side and--
[Mika] Oh, I see what you're saying.
-Okay. I feel like... -No reverse needed.
I think we might have to make a very custom garage.
You guys have seven acres.
We can do whatever the heck you want with the garages.
I feel like we should head inside
and see what other cool features we can pool.
-Let's do it. -[Mark] I can't wait.
[Mika] I know that you've probably had
several different styles of kitchens.
What are your thoughts?
[Jessica] I really like the white cabinets.
[Mika] Okay. You guys thinking you wanna incorporate
any color in your kitchen space?
We definitely need a splash of color in here.
[Jessica] I like red, like a crimson red.
I was leaning more towards blue,
because there's a lot more option for blues.
With red, if you go too light, you're pink.
But I like red.
Yeah. I don't want her seeing red
and I don't want her feeling blue.
So we gotta figure it out.
Are there any other features in here?
I like the size of this island.
[Mika] All right.
[Jessica] But I don't like a sink in the island.
Since I make bread, I have to knead the bread
and so I like it...
[Mika] Ah.
...to be just a place where I can do food prep.
[Mika] Okay.
Let's, uh, travel on.
[Mika] This house has a pantry I want you to check out.
It's kind of small.
If it could be definitely a lot bigger than this
and it would be better for me
if it was accessed from the kitchen.
So we actually want it in the kitchen space.
Yes.
But if it could be the same cabinets,
so that it's like a hidden space maybe?
We can camouflage it, make it more functional
and in the kitchen for you.
All right. Cool, you guys.
So let's check out some other spaces.
-That last. -Mika, before we go on,
I'm noticing this ceiling here.
-[Mika] Yeah. -[Mark] It's really catching my eye.
[Mika] It definitely has kind of nice, like,
warm feeling with the brick detail.
[Mark] I love it.
I think we definitely need to bring some stone inside.
Just a little bit more of that old world.
Some of what I've seen
they would have exterior walls inside.
[Mika] On the inside of the house?
You do not look like you're a fan.
What are your thoughts, Jessica?
Um...
He kind of surprised you with that.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Mark] I'm noticing the ceiling here.
I love it.
I think we definitely need to bring some stone,
that old world, inside.
And most in the military homes that we have lived in
have been really basic, where they apply to everybody.
This house is gonna be ours,
so I like making it a little bit more fun.
We might even be able to use the same stone from the archway.
Hmm.
It would be kind of cool to tie in
that aesthetic that you have from the outside.
I mean, not on my ceiling.
Right now we're just looking
at this one brick veneer, right?
But there might be a stone
that you fall in love with enough
to where you'd be comfortable having it
on the outside and the inside.
I understand what you're saying,
because when we were in France and Germany,
Croatia, Greece,
we did see some really cool houses
that had the old stone on the front
and then you see it somewhere else
within the home.
So it does add textures that I want.
Mmm-hmm.
If we can find a compromise of a space
that it makes sense where it's not overbearing.
Accent walls are really cool.
[Jessica] Yeah, yeah.
-[Mika] All right. Cool. -I'm gonna trust you.
I hope you do.
We still have some more to see.
[Jessica] Okay.
[Mika] How do you envision your transition
from inside to outside?
[Jessica] I'm not a big fan of the sliders.
I really like a French door.
I feel like a lot of France is gonna be in this house.
I love it, it's all about the travel.
[Jessica] Just put it all together.
[Mika] Let's keep it rolling.
I wanna get an idea for Ava and Olivia.
So you wanna put their personality in,
I need to figure out what that is.
[Mark] Olivia is very artsy.
[Jessica] Well, she does stuff with drama at school...
[Mika] Yeah.
and she loves her fashion.
In here, you kind of got this nice bold rich color.
[Jessica] I think that she would definitely be open to it.
She's definitely my color kid.
[Mika] Awesome. What about Ava?
Ava is very simplistic.
Ooh.
She actually doesn't even like her bed on a frame.
She wants her mattress on the floor.
Because she's such a big fan of Japan.
-[Mika] Okay. -[Mark] Yeah.
[Mika] We know that we have to have their rooms,
kind of, separate in a split floor plan.
Do you guys wanna do like an en suite to each of their bedrooms?
They definitely need two bathrooms.
[Mika] Okay.
Uh, but maybe making one of them an en suite
and then the other one
a bathroom that's, kind of, shared with the house.
[Mika] Okay. It's coming together.
Today, I got enough information
to where Brian and I can really come up
with a footprint that's gonna be functional
for their family
and give it a lot of character.
They have 7 beautiful acres,
this house is going to be
the spotlight right in the middle.
[bird cawing]
[upbeat music playing]
[Brian] Mark and Jessica,
you guys are moving to Riverview
and, uh, here is the view of the Alafia River.
[Mika] Yeah.
We figured we give you a little taste of the Riverview community.
[Brian] Uh-huh.
Since you're gonna be calling this home.
[laughs]
Are you all ready to check out this house?
-Yes. -[Mika] All right.
Starting with the exterior of the house,
giving it stonework on the entryway
really gives that entry like a defined focal point.
It's beautiful.
[Mark] It is. I really love the feature on the roof,
how the roof lines go together.
[Mika] I'm glad you noticed that,
because the high peaks are something else
that you see a lot when you're going through
different countries in Europe.
[Brian] You know what you don't see anywhere
are drive-through garages.
You might be a trend setter with this.
We gave you a three-car garage
and you're gonna be able to drive
directly through two of them,
so you don't have to worry about backing up.
-It's perfect. -[Jessica] Fantastic.
[Mika] Right when you walk in, we've got a big open area
with a great room and a kitchen.
[Brian] And off the great room,
we gave you French doors that are gonna open out
to that beautiful lanai.
[Mika] Having that huge lanai
gives you that outdoor capability
to make a dining room and extra living room.
[Mark] Yeah.
This looks amazing.
-[Jessica] It's perfect. -[Mark] Yeah.
[Mika] Off the great room towards the back of the house,
you have a really cool office space.
[Brian] One of your main priorities
was a huge walk-in pantry.
We made it a hidden pantry behind the cabinets,
but all part of the kitchen.
That is great and, it looks like a whole another room.
Oh, it is.
What are you gonna do in there other than mill wheat?
Secret dance parties.
Yes, that's the wheat milling party room.
[laughs]
[Mika] The girls' rooms are gonna be positioned
on the right side of the house.
They both have their own bathrooms.
One's gonna be attached to the room,
the other one's right there,
so it can be also a guest bathroom if need be.
They're gonna love it.
So you're main suite,
it's tucked away
on the other side of the house from the girls
and you have a soaking tub,
double vanities, and a walk-in shower.
[Jessica] I don't know.
As we get older, I think a bench
would be really good in there.
[Brian] Yeah. Absolutely.
[Mark] It's also a good place
to put the extra shampoos and conditioners.
You used to have quite the long hair.
Are you considering growing it out again?
-Is that why you need a shampoo stalls? -[Mika] Mmm-hmm.
I like to leave my options open for retirement.
-[Mika laughs] -[Mark] So maybe.
[Mika] In total,
you have three bedrooms and three baths,
and you have a three-car garage.
[Brian] A drive-through garage.
[Mika] That's right.
Plus the office, 2,900 square feet.
[Brian] And this was a tough budget for us,
but we got it at exactly $739,000.
-[Mika] And $0.15. -[Brian] And $0.15.
This is unbelievable.
It's more than anything I could've ever imagine.
This is goodbye for now to you, Mark.
I just wanna say thank you for your service.
I know you're heading back to Alabama,
but, uh, you're in good hands.
Thank you.
[Mika] Super excited to get started.
[upbeat music playing]
[Brian] Oh, my gosh.
This lot is like a jungle.
We have so much clearing to do
before we can actually get down to the dirt
and get down to business too.
[upbeat music playing]
[Brian] So I was just in Africa
with my dad and brother a couple months ago.
[Walt] Yeah.
I feel like I'm back on safari.
So-far as you can see,
what do you think we have to do here?
-[laughter] -Starting up already.
We have to de-vine it.
Woo-hoo-hoo! He is covered in vines.
[laughs]
Keep coming!
We have to take all the old trees out,
all the underbrush.
-Hey! Hey! -[Walt] Hey! There he is!
[laughter]
[Brian] Man!
This might be the most challenging
ground-break we have ever done.
Typically, a ground-break should take about a day.
This one's gonna take several days.
[upbeat music playing]
-[man 1] Come-a, come-a, coming. -[man 2] Okay.
Okay?
[Brian] We have five garage door openings,
which means massive headers that go over each one,
and these things are not light.
All right. Duck.
There we go.
All right, Walter. Come on. It's the last one.
Oh!
Oh, my gosh.
Looks good.
It's the first drive-through garage we've ever done.
[Brian] I think it's kind of cool.
-[Walt] It is cool. -[Brian] Hey,
they're gonna gain a peace of mind from Jessica
not having to back up.
[Walt] No car repairs.
[Brian] So we started block early this morning
when the sun was rising.
I mean, check it out.
We just placed our last block as the sun is setting.
Smaller house blocking in one day, no big deal.
A house this size, almost 3,000 square feet, is unheard of.
Busy day, but a very productive one.
Many hands make a light work, doesn't it?
[Brian] Absolutely.
I think I counted, like, 24 workers here today.
[Walt] Really?
Actually, like, 25, including us.
Ah.
[upbeat music playing]
-[Mika] Hey, guys. -[Jessica] Hey.
[Mark] Hi, Mika. It's good to see you.
-[Mika] I come bearing gifts. -You have a lot of stuff.
-Here you go, Mark. -Let me give you a hand with that.
[Mika] You take the heavy stuff
and I will take the light stuff.
[laughs]
All right. I'm sure you guys are ready
to move down to Florida
and be in your permanent residence.
Absolutely.
[Mika] Right now, hanging out at dad's house, right?
Especially with you, Mark,
traveling back and forth to Alabama.
It's like, when I can get you here in person,
I'd love to make as many decisions as possible.
I know you wanna incorporate some stone.
So have you decided where inside the house you would want it?
[Jessica] I think it would be really cool in the kitchen,
like behind our stove,
just, like, giving it that, like,
old world feel in that area.
Let's take a look.
I wanted to bring some different color tones.
And if you notice the shapes are kind of different too.
So this is a manufactured stone,
so it's actually concrete
that is stamped to resemble real stone.
Even the little textures in it,
it looks exactly like a real stone,
like you would pick it up from the ground.
It looks really nice.
What do you think, Jessica?
[soft upbeat music playing]
[Jessica] I mean, I was kind of...
Kind of like the authenticity of real stone.
[Mika] This is a lot more affordable.
So we're looking at maybe $10 a square foot
versus real stone
could be up to 50 bucks a square foot.
[Jessica] Kind of like the authenticity
of real stone.
[Mika] This manufactured stone
is also a lot more affordable.
So we're looking at maybe $10 a square foot
versus real stone could be up to 50 bucks a square foot.
This is a great compromise,
but it still gives you the look.
Let's not forget we're trying to get it in the house too.
If you want it in multiple areas,
it's gonna be quite a bit of material.
For what we have within our budget,
I'm already sold on it.
I think it's a great idea.
[Jessica] True.
It is better for our budget.
I guess... I guess this could be okay.
It's growing on me.
All right.
Now that we kind of have the samples here,
what do you think?
How do you feel?
Stack stone is pretty, but... Yeah.
Yeah. It looks almost too organized and tight.
I feel that one is much--
I think we're looking more for the craggily.
-Craggily. -[Jessica] Kind of put together...
Ooh. So craggily.
[Mark] Even.
[Mika] If it's between these two,
which one do you guys like more?
They are very different in color.
Kind of like this one.
[Mika] There's some uneven.
There's some irregular.
I really like how those will fit together.
I think that that'll look really nice.
[Jessica] I agree.
I think this could work.
[Mika] So we're liking this for the outside
and the inside of the house?
-I think so. -[softly] Yes.
I also brought samples today for your island.
Ooh.
I like red.
I was leaning more towards blue.
I'm seeing more blues than red.
Why do you have to notice that, Mark?
[laughter]
[Mika] So what are your initial thoughts?
We've always had red in our kitchen,
so I wanted to stay with red.
But this is our forever home.
So we did have a firm discussion.
And maybe it's time for change.
-Ooh. -[Jessica] So one of these.
[Mika] All right.
So let's put this in the middle then,
so we can kind of see what we like better.
This one's almost like a navy blue.
[Jessica] Mmm-hmm.
[Mika] Whereas this gives me more of like
a true blue color.
I think I like this one better.
[Mark] This is really good.
[Mika] Okay. I think this looks great together.
I'm making the orders today, before you change your mind.
And you will be home before you know it.
[birds chirping]
[Brian] Today, we are getting out of concrete
and moving into lumber.
Trusses are done and we actually decked out the roof.
[rock music playing]
[Brian] So Mark and Jessica are doing this beautiful arch
in the entryway,
which definitely adds to that old European charm.
Arches aren't an easy process.
We have to cut two curved pieces of wood
and then add smaller pieces
to hold the shape together.
But it's gonna be worth it.
[upbeat music playing]
-[Mika] Oh, my gosh. -[Brian] What you think, Mika?
[Mika] Wow.
I'm kind of falling in love with the arch entryway.
We don't do that a lot, but I really feel like it defines it.
It's giving me some European vibes, for sure.
Absolutely.
And it's even gonna look better
once we get the stone on it.
[Mika] Can we talk about this other entry to the house?
Because, dang, this is, like,
the biggest garage I've ever seen.
It's so much fun, too, like the drive-through aspect of it.
I think it's so practical.
I mean, you literally drive through here,
drive all the way through,
and keep it going in a circle.
[Mika] Kind of nice. I like the flow.
We have electricians, plumbers working today,
but pretty soon, we'll be drywalling.
Guess what I got?
85,000 choices of paint colors.
-Oh, boy. -[Jessica] Hey, guys.
-[Mika] Oh, hello, Jessica. -Hey, Jessica.
[Mika] Are you loving the progress so far?
I can't believe this.
It's coming together so well.
Like, I don't have words. I don't even have words.
-[Brian] Well, that's good. -[Mika] That's good.
That's a good thing. I'm a little jealous
because I, too, struggle
when it comes to backing out of a garage.
And I would love to have the drive-through option.
[Jessica] My husband's gonna love this.
[Brian] Your car is also gonna love it, too.
My insurance company will as well.
-And your insurance company. -Exactly.
This is, like our halfway point.
And everything starts moving a lot quicker now
that we have all the walls up.
And it would move even quicker
if you guys would finalize your decision.
So, Mark's in Alabama.
[Jessica] I've been given executive authority
-to make these decisions. -[Brian] I love that.
So, I, um, I hope that I'm representing well.
We've got the stone picked out.
So now, we're gonna use this to anchor,
picking out exterior colors, 'cause I feel like
that's super important
to kinda make sure it works together, right?
Um...
so on that...
We had a chance to think about it a little bit.
We just want the real stuff.
[Brian] Yikes.
[Jessica] We had a chance
to think about it a little bit.
And we really want
the authenticity of real stone.
To us, it makes it more realistic
for, you know, the times that we've spent overseas.
Kind of, really, we wanna hold on to that.
We just want the real stuff.
I've seen a lot of homes that have the cultured stone.
It's beautiful. We didn't even realize
that it was not real stone until it was explained to us.
But, like, just having that like, no, deep down,
really made it like, "Ah, no, I want that real.
I want that real look."
Is that something that we could maybe do?
I will say real stone is real expensive.
-Mmm. -I know.
[Mika] 'Cause we're talking about three areas.
[Brian] Garage accent, front entryway,
and then the kitchen.
If we did real stone,
it's probably $10,000 more.
Over budget.
[Brian] It's heavier.
The install is harder.
I mean, there's a lot of factors
that make real stone much more expensive than "faux" stone.
I mean, it's almost like a cubic zirconia
versus a diamond ring.
-Do you know... -I feel like they--
Do you know which one I got you?
She'll never know.
Oh, I'm about to find out
after we get done today, I know that.
If we went with real stone,
with the budget that we have,
we could probably do it in two places,
but definitely not all three.
So what if we cut out the kitchen?
It would probably be more important
to try to have it on the outside of the house.
Okay. You wanna talk it over with Mark?
-Nah. -You're the one here,
so you're the one that makes the decisions.
[Jessica] I know that Mark will feel the same way.
We wanted the inside, and now we're taking it away.
But, it's what's gonna have to happen
in order for us to have the real stone.
[Brian] We're gonna make it happen.
We've got to cancel this order as soon as possible.
And then I need the choices on the real stone very soon.
We've got to move quick on this.
We'll be meeting pretty soon
to rock and roll.
[Brian] Real rock and roll.
[Mika] Real rock and roll, not--
Not that fake rock and roll.
Not that wannabe rock and roll,
you know what I'm saying?
As far as exterior colors, though,
I think we've got to get the actual stone
that we're gonna put on the house
so we can see the true colors.
-Okay. -And then pick paint colors.
Here's the deal.
If you get your authentic stone,
we want an authentic surprise.
[Mika] Mmm-hmm.
So, no more peeking around the house.
-[Mika] That's the deal. -[Brian] Deal?
-[Mika laughs] -Fine.
-That's the compromise. -Fine.
Take your last look now,
or forever hold your peek.
-Okay. -[Mika laughs]
-No more changes. -Not thinking twice.
I'm going. I'm going.
-[Mika] Right. -I'm going.
-Speaking of changes... -Yeah.
I hate when a homeowner
has to compromise something they really want.
Like, I've been trying to think of special projects
every single time I'm here working,
and maybe that's what we do.
Maybe we surprise them with that stone
in the kitchen.
They will be blown away
when they walk through that front door.
I'm not opposed to that.
I think we have to figure out how to make it work.
-[Mika] All right. Well-- -Shh. Don't.
She's right there.
-We're good. -You're not a good whisperer.
[Brian] Let's do it.
Your whisper is like a normal talk.
I know. Sorry.
Well?
-Yes, no. -Sorry.
-I like the idea. Okay. -We'll do it.
We didn't make the decisions today
that I anticipated as far as exterior paint colors,
but we did make a decision on a special project.
So, I mean, we broke even.
There we go. I like that math.
Mmm-hmm.
[birds chirping]
[instrumental music playing]
[Mika] Gosh. Okay.
So I do see why they gravitate
towards the natural stone.
I mean, this is beautiful.
Today is our second attempt at selecting the stone
for Mark and Jessica's house, and I'm hoping
that we can make a decision.
-Hello, hello. -Hey!
Hold on a second. Where is Mark?
So, he had to go...
do army stuff.
Is that him flying overhead right now?
Because otherwise, I really wanted him
here today, 'cause this is a big deal.
I know. He really wanted to be here.
-Yikes. So, Olivia... -Here we are.
...are you stepping in?
Are you gonna channel your dad's vibes
so we can pick out the right stone?
[Jessica] She's gonna be my sounding board today.
[Mika] All right.
And I do feel like these have
a lot of irregularity.
And we're just looking at one sample.
But when we put it over a bigger space,
it might even have a little bit more
than what we're seeing today.
I'm excited for that variation.
That's natural.
That's a natural occurrence.
[Mika] This is gonna feel more authentic for you guys.
-So, I get it. -[Olivia] Yes.
[Mika] But as you can see,
there's still a lot of choice.
[Jessica] These are a lot closer to, you know,
what we experienced
when we were living abroad in Europe.
I kind of like all the different
-pretty gray colors. -[Mika] Okay.
[Jessica] I like the dimensional one here.
I really like that manor one over there.
-[Mika] This one? -[Jessica] Yeah.
Um, maybe.
[sighs] I don't know. I'm really...
Now that I'm seeing them in person,
I'm starting to get a little nervous
about making this decision
-without him. -[Olivia] Yeah.
[Mika] I think we'll all feel better
if he has, like, two minutes
to just quick jump on a video call
so we can kinda show him, like, our top contenders,
and then let him have a vote on that.
You good with that?
All right, I hope he's available.
Mark, this is your chance.
You can't say we didn't try, buddy.
You can't say we didn't try.
-[line ringing] -Mark, don't let us down, buddy.
[Mark] Hello?
Hey.
-Hey. -[Mika] Hey, there you are.
-Oh, you're kinda grainy. -[Mark] What's up? Yeah.
You might hear some planes and helicopters and stuff.
So we're here with Mika looking at the stone.
I was hoping maybe you could help me.
Yeah, definitely.
[Jessica] So, I like this dimensional one.
It's got, like, long pieces.
And then this one over here,
it's a little bit more craggily.
[Mark] Yeah. I like that pattern.
I like how it was a little...
a little bigger stone.
Can you put your finger on it,
so I can see how deep the little crevices are?
So they're, like, finger-deep.
-[Mark] Yup. -At least half inch.
Yeah. Okay. I can see it. That one looks really good.
-[Jessica] Thanks, love. -All right.
See you later, Mark.
-[Jessica] Love you. -[Mark] Okay.
-Love you. -[Jessica] Bye.
Okay. So, Fond du Lac Manor,
we got that.
[Olivia] So pretty.
This is beautiful.
I feel like just like walking down
the streets of Tuscany and just, like...
It just has a very aged feel to it.
Around that entryway, this is gonna really pop.
Are you thinking for the main body color of the house?
Do you want something darker or lighter?
I love, like, a light gray.
I think that would be really pretty.
[Mika] Okay. So then, if we do something like this,
do we wanna do a pop of color on the door, maybe?
Yes. I kinda wanna do a blue door.
-All right. -Like a sapphirey blue.
[Mika] I think any of these top three
are really kind of, like, showstoppers
as far as being a richer tone of blue.
[Jessica] Yeah, I'm drawn to the dress blues.
-[Mika] The one on the top? -[Jessica] Yeah. Just... Yeah.
Reminds me of Mark's military uniform.
[Mika] Oh, see now. You're like me.
I look at the name of the paint color
and I'm like, "That's kinda cute."
Maybe the garage doors, too, kinda...
-[Jessica] Yeah. -...sprinkle it in.
-[Jessica] That would be really nice. -[Olivia] Yeah.
Okay. I love it.
Feeling pretty good about this.
I think it's gonna be great.
We picked our exterior paint colors
and I really hope
that Mark and Jessica love the stone that
they picked for the outside of their house,
'cause surprise, surprise,
you're gonna see it on the inside, too.
[upbeat music playing]
[Walt] Oh, what now?
What?
You know something that I don't know?
I don't like that look.
I don't like this look, either,
but Mark and Jessica...
-Yeah. -...just gave me a change order.
Yeah.
[Mark] I don't like that look.
I don't like this look, either,
-but Mark and Jessica... -Yeah.
-...just gave me a change order. -Yeah.
Hi, Brian and Mika.
Jessica and I were talking, and we had one request.
[Jessica] In the kitchen pantry space,
we were wondering if there's a way to put
some sort of pass through between the two.
[Mark] Yeah. Just take out a little piece of the wall
so that we can join those two spaces
for some quick access.
So Jessica actually mills her own wheat.
And she wants to be able to pass it
right through the kitchen.
So, I mean, I... I've never done it before.
Have you ever seen that in a house?
No, I have not. You know...
You know, we don't have many options,
'cause there's stone on this whole wall.
The only option we got is, like, right here.
Let's open up some of it,
and then we'll know what to do.
So, what do you see?
Is there any wire there?
Yes.
-It's going this way, though. -[Walt laughs]
-We're good. -[Walt] All right.
Now you can keep going across.
[Brian] I always feel terrible when we have to do demo
on a new construction house.
[Walt] Now you're getting fancy.
[Brian] There we go.
But technically,
this time is not my fault,
for the record.
Hi.
[Walt laughs]
Order up.
-Change order up. -Yeah.
Change order up.
You're right.
[upbeat music playing]
[Brian] It's gonna be a busy day.
We have garage doors being installed.
We are so close to the finish line,
but still have so much work to get done.
All right.
Hey, are we... are we back on track?
-[Walt] We're back on track. -Okay, good.
[Brian] But we're extra motivated
to get this family under one roof.
'Cause right now, they're in Alabama and Florida.
Oh, this is gonna be so good.
Now Jessica can pull right in,
drive straight through
and never have to back up again.
We also have stone being installed
in three different spaces.
This stone is gonna look so good at the entryway.
Now, Jessica and Mark, they know about this.
They do not know about the special project
we're doing in the kitchen.
Whoo!
This real stone is not light, my friends.
-It looks good, though. -[Walt] That's true.
[Jesse] It's a dolomitic limestone.
Quarry is in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin,
a couple hundred million years old.
Wow.
[Jesse] But the color is true on it.
If somebody chips a piece off,
still that natural piece of natural color.
Wisconsin. That's interesting.
I would've figured it came from Estonia.
-No. -Back to work. Back to work.
[machine whirring]
[Brian] I think this piece will go perfectly right here.
[Walt] Yeah. Maybe just cut that little piece off.
[Brian] So this like is a whole lot more work
than a traditional tile backsplash
that's really light
and you can lay 'em super quick.
I got one here. I don't think...
-No. -This is probably too small.
It's a little too small.
[Brian] Each one of these is over 14 pounds.
They're all uniquely-shaped
and they take forever to place and set.
-[Walt] Now you're cooking. -[Brian] Yeah.
[Walt] I like a lot of butter on my bread.
There you go, my friend.
We have a long day ahead of us,
but it's gonna be well worth it.
It's unique.
It's one-of-a-kind.
No one else is gonna have this stone
or this pattern anywhere in the world.
The pass through.
Hey, I was questioning the idea at first,
but now that the stone wraps around the corners,
-it does look good. -[Walt] It really does.
Mark and Jessica are gonna be blown away
when they walk into their dream home
and see this wall of stone.
It's really gonna remind them
of all their travels throughout the years.
I think this special project really rocks.
[Walt] Brian...
[Walt chuckles]
[birds chirping]
[upbeat music playing]
[Brian] Hey, Mik.
[Mika] Hey, there.
[Brian] I got some artifacts for you.
[Mika] Oh.
Mark and Jessica gave us
some of those sentimental pieces
that they've collected
over the years through travel.
Hey, look at this.
[Mika gasps] That is awesome.
-I love it. -[Brian] It was from Germany.
We're basically taking everything they've collected
and put 'em together in one brand-new dream home.
Mmm-hmm.
Coming down. Coming down.
It's got little brackets,
so I think that kind locks it here in place.
Check it out.
[Brian] All right.
[Mika] Look at that.
Let's put the glass insert in.
That is so cool.
[Brian] Yeah, it really is nice.
[Mika] This is unique.
I mean, you can't find this anywhere.
All right. So let's see here.
Oh, man, we got a lot of space to fill out here.
Yup.
[Mika] This is definitely, like, old world vibe.
I don't really think
it's going with the coastal vibes
that these benches are providing right now.
I think we need to put this
-inside somewhere. -You serious?
[Mika] Mark and Jessica like European charm,
old world, but then they like modern.
So, there's a lot of different elements
that this house has that makes it super unique,
and that's why you build from the ground up.
Final move, I promise.
Just like it's Mark and Jessica's final move...
it's this table's final move.
[Brian] Let me roll it in place here.
[Mika] It totally goes.
-I like that... -I like it.
-...much better. -Yeah.
[Mika] Olivia is, like, the artsy kid
that is not afraid for some color pop.
And the color of this room kinda matches her hair color.
-[Brian] It really does. -[Mika] It's fun.
[Brian] I love how both of the daughters' rooms
really highlight their character.
Ava is in love with Japan, as you can see.
She's got the cool art pieces, family photos.
You want a space you can grow into
and add onto.
And now, Olivia and Ava are gonna have that.
And we've got over 3,000 square feet.
So, it's gonna be a late night,
-but it's gonna be worth it. -[Brian] Yeah.
Don't get too comfortable,
'cause there's still a lot of work to do.
-Come on. -I know.
[Mika] Help me unload.
All right. I'm comin'.
[Mika] I do feel like it's gonna incorporate
all of the previous chapters in their life,
but it's also giving them room
to grow and write more.
Storybook ending, welcome home.
[Brian] That's tomorrow.
[Mika] Not yet. Tomorrow.
-Is that Mark? -What?
-[man] Hey, Mark. -Oh, I thought you were...
-Mark. -...gonna do a flyover,
-but we're not ready. -Mark, we're not ready yet.
Literally, give us 24 more hours.
Hold on! That's Mark coming to town.
[Mika] Oh, my gosh.
[dramatic music playing]
[Mika] This is where the journey started
and here's where it's ending,
right back here in Florida.
I really feel privileged to be a part of this,
especially because Mark and Jessica
live in that military lifestyle
and I can relate to that.
So, to bring the family back under one roof
is really special.
These are from Amsterdam.
How cool is this? I love this.
You know... You know what those are?
Oh, tulips.
"Two lips."
[Jessica] I feel like we've been dreaming about this
-for years. -Years.
I'm gonna try not to cry.
I'm already feeling emotional.
[both chuckle]
[Mika] Oh, yeah. This is perfect.
Oh, my gosh. Nice touch.
I feel like this was missing one thing.
Oh, that's so cute.
That's got a nice ring to it.
See?
-Argh! -[Mark] Mmm-hmm.
Here, just hold my hand. It'll be okay.
They're literally gonna be here any second.
Hurry up. What you got?
I want Jessica to make a grand entrance.
[Mika] Oh, I think they're comin'.
[Mark] It looks so big.
Look at the stone. It goes all the way up.
Oh, my God.
-[Brian] Here they are. Here they are. Here they are. -[Mika] Oh, yes!
-This is it, Jessica. -Here we go.
Moment of truth.
[Mark] Garage is open. Just pull through the garage.
Make sure I don't hit anything.
You got it, girl.
Ooh.
[Brian] You got this, Jessica.
-[Jessica] Oh, look at it. -[Brian] She got it. Come on.
Ooh.
[Mika] Oh, man. She's a little close to the left.
They made it a little wider, so we should be fine.
Hey. She's in.
All the way through.
Look at me.
-[Brian] Yes. -[Mika] Woo.
[Jessica] I did it.
[Mark] You did it all the way through.
[Mika] Woo!
[Jessica] Oh, my gosh. It looks so good.
[Mark] I don't really know what to say.
It's amazing.
We've been dreaming about this for decades.
It looks so good.
-Yeah. -[Jessica] I love the rock.
It is so pretty.
-It does have castle features. -This is our castle.
[Brian] This is your castle.
Are you guys ready to go inside your castle?
[Jessica] I'm going.
[inspiring music playing]
[Jessica] Okay.
[Mark] This is our house.
They put the stone in the kitchen.
Go.
[Mika] Take it all in.
You guys.
Is this what you dreamed about?
I said I wasn't gonna cry in the car.
[Mika] Aww. Let's go check this out.
[Jessica] This is so beautiful.
-[Mika] Yeah. Go see. -[Jessica] Oh, my gosh.
It's so cool.
Now we felt bad telling you guys
you couldn't do stone inside the house
because of the extra cost.
So, we wanted to surprise you.
[Mark] I actually think it's really fitting here
to just tell Jessica, "I told you so."
-[Mika] Ooh. -[Brian] Ooh.
-Hang on a second. -Yes.
Hang on a second.
Got that look.
[Jessica] I was on the fence with it,
but seeing it there,
I cannot imagine it any other way.
I love it so much.
This is beyond.
I just kinda wanna stay here for a second.
-Okay. -You need to have a seat?
-We have some... -Yeah, yeah.
[Mika] There's plenty of seating
at this beautiful large island.
[Jessica] I know.
The blue is...
It was definitely the right choice.
[Mark] True blue.
-It's the way to go. -True blue.
[Jessica] I love it.
And the pass through to the pantry.
[Jessica] I didn't even see it.
[Mika] You gotta go explore it,
'cause that pantry,
you're gonna get your wheat milling parties
-on, girl. -[Brian] Oh, yeah.
Let's push through that door.
Oh, my gosh.
Oh, wow.
Oh, my gosh.
[Brian] Peek-a-boo.
-[Mika laughs] -Look at that.
-[Mika] Order up. -[Brian] Order up. Yeah.
[Mika] There's still so much more house to see.
Check out this office.
[Mark] Let's go check out the office.
-Oh, my God. -Yes.
Look, it's our barrel table.
-[Brian] There you go. -[Jessica laughs]
[Brian] We put a map of the world on this wall
for all the places that you've been,
and then the blueprint to where you are now.
[Mika] It's a map of the house here.
[Brian] Where do you wanna go next?
[Mark] Where do you wanna go next?
[Jessica] Let's see the kids' rooms.
-Yes. -Yeah.
[Mark] Check out Olivia's room.
Oh, my gosh.
I love the purple.
[Mark] There's just so much purple.
You said she liked...
-I love the color. -...a little bit of color, so...
[Jessica] She's gonna love this.
[Mika] And she's gonna have her en suite bathroom.
[Jessica] Oh, my gosh.
This is so nice.
[Mark] She's gonna love this.
[Jessica] Yes.
-Good job, guys. -All right.
Well, we can't forget about Ava.
-[Brian] Ava. -Let's travel the world.
[Jessica] Oh, my gosh.
[gasps]
Oh, those are so cute.
Oh, my gosh.
-She's gonna love this. -[Mark] She is.
And the bed's really close to the floor.
She's a huge fan of that.
[Brian] We wanted Ava to feel
like she was in Japan
when she was in this room.
Let's start our journey to your main suite.
-Yes. -Go.
It's so big.
[Jessica] Oh, my gosh.
[Mika] And there's, again, some cool pieces.
[Brian] What is that?
Oh, this is an artillery shell from 1917.
[Mika] Look at her. Look at her.
Oh, she's gone. She's gone.
[Mika] And there goes Jessica.
-[laughs] -Bye, Jessica.
[Mika] Go check it out, Mark.
[Mark] The shower looks really good.
-This tub... -[Mark] Isn't it awesome?
[Mika] Yeah. Right?
[Brian] How does this compare
to military-base bathrooms?
Nothing like this.
[Jessica] This does feel like a spa.
I'm so ready to soak.
Well, Jessica, you can't soak quite yet
because there's one more space
-we want you guys to soak in. -Yes.
[Brian] Mark and Jessica,
this was the reason
you fell in love with this lot.
Look at this view coming off this lanai.
-Yes. -How big this is.
[Jessica] This is so beautiful.
[Mika] You found the perfect lot and location.
You got your three bedrooms,
you got your three bathrooms,
plus your office.
[Brian] All in 2,900 square feet.
Yup. And the budget of $739,000.
-And 0.15. -Yeah.
-[mouthing] Yes. -This has been an honor for us to build your dream home.
You did such a great job.
-Welcome home, again. -Welcome back home.
[Jessica] It's gonna take me a while to soak in
that this is really my house...
-It is. -[Jessica] Our dreams.
-We're here to stay. -[Jessica laughs]
[Jessica] Just knowing that,
like, this is gonna be our home.
We're all gonna be back together again.
[Mark] We've always been coming to this area,
staying with friends and family.
And now, anytime that there's a party
that needs to be hosted, it can be here.
-[Brian] Hey. -Hi.
[Mark] Come on in. Have a cookie.
-Give us a couple more. -[Mark] Make yourself at home.
Y'all seriously deserve this, so much.
Aww.
[Mark] Don't make her cry again.
Yeah.
Mark's home.
Forever.
[woman] Yay.