Last night on Property Brothers 2018, Drew and Jonathan helped Maureen find a manageable home for her and her infant son. Her and her husband Josh bought a house in Tennessee after his job sent them across the country. A month after they bought the house, which sits on seven acres of land, her husband died from an undiagnosed heart condition. The house and the land isn’t very manageable for her as a single mom so she is putting the house on the market. Her maximum budget is $540,000.
Instead of showing her a house for inspiration, Drew and Jonathan decide just to use her current home for inspiration. She shows them around and points out that she would really like an open concept house with a lot of space. Her parents live with her and they would really like for them to have an area to retreat to when not playing with little Issac.
The first house they look at is a good size and her dad is trying to tell her it’s move in ready and doesn’t need a lot of renovation. She tells him that the first thing she sees is a wall that needs to come down. Not to mention, the walls are yellow and green in the living room and kitchen. This house is 2400 square feet, has four bedroom, two and a half bathrooms and it’s a three story house. It also has a bonus area over the garage. The dining room is a lipstick pink, but there is a bonus play room and the space up above the garage would be a great space for her parents. The house is only listed at $389,000 with a 7 week renovation period and only $110,000 in costs.
The second house they look at is a three bedroom, two bathroom home with a bonus area over the garage also. The house is in an “L” shape with a private wing. It also has a Home Owners Association so the yard work wouldn’t be up to her and there is a lot for them to do with pools and tennis courts. The kitchen is nice, but it’s very closed off and so is the dining room so Jonathan tells her that they would have to knock down some walls. Maureen’s dad isn’t very open to taking down the walls, but Maureen has been through this before with Josh and knows it needs to happen in order to be able to see Issac playing while cooking dinner or even just sitting in the living room. This house is listed at $435,000, but Drew thinks he can get it for $405,000 and Jonathan needs $135,000 to renovate. She is sold on this house and wants to put in an offer.
They are able to get the house for $405,000. This is what the house looked like before Jonathan and Drew worked their magic.
Gallery: Before the Property Brothers Renovations
With the budget having no room for anything big, Jonathan is really hoping for a problem free demolition. Maureen and her dad came by to help with the demolition. During this process, they find that the ceiling joists in the kitchen run in the opposite direction than the rest of the downstairs. They are really hoping for no more issues, but a little more time into the demo and one of Jonathan’s crew members brings something to his attention. There is termite damage to the exterior wall.
David, Maureen’s father, isn’t very optimistic, but Jonathan knows it has to be done. Jonathan is thinking that this is going to cost about $500 to fix the walls and floors that were eaten by termites. They also had to put knew joists and beams in the ceiling of the kitchen, which also cost more money. During the course of the day, Maureen comes by and kind of unloads a little on Jonathan about how hard it’s been for her to adjust to single mom life. He offers to watch Issac for her so she can go shopping. Here is the design plan for Maureen’s new home!
Gallery: Jonathan’s Designs for the Property Brothers Renovation
Maureen has sold the house she is currently living in and has to start packing, but she isn’t getting much done with Issac running around. Drew and Linda are enlisted for babysitting. During this, Drew and Linda bring it to Jonathan’s attention that Issac needs a new play structure in the yard. Maureen is thrilled about the way the house is coming along. Meanwhile, Jonathan has Drew and Linda walking the neighborhood and is spreading the word about a big party they want to have so that Maureen can meet everyone and make some adult friends.
The rest of the renovation goes pretty quickly and move in day is coming pretty quickly. The final touches are done and it’s time for the big reveal! The mantle on the fireplace was made with reclaimed barn wood that Josh had found and planned on using for a feature wall in their home. Maureen brought it to Jonathan and he was able to make that a gorgeous mantle out of it. This is what the house looks like now!
Gallery: After the Property Brothers Renovation
We ended the episode off with Linda and all the neighbors outside ready to welcome Maureen and Issac to the neighborhood. What do you think of the transition of this house? Let me know in the comments below, on Facebook or on Twitter!
This was a very touching and inspiring episode. Maureen’s positive, optimistic attitude and cheerfulness, despite her obvious difficult situation, was amazing. The new house looked wonderful, and I hope that she was able to absorb financially the extra problem repairs that occurred. This was a rerun that I caught tonight. It cheered me up!