Renovation Realities

Nikki and Caleb Grandy are renovating their combination kitchen/great room area to better reflect their personal tastes and to truly make their house a home for their family. They'll have to remove an entire wall of high-ceilinged built ins and the small pony wall currently dividing the space. The existing tile floor running throughout the areas will be removed to make way for hardwood and the young couple will assemble a custom oversized island that Nikki designed herself. The existing kitchen cabinets will remain intact, albeit freshly painted, but new concrete countertops will be installed throughout. The high ceilings and sheer magnitude of the space won't make this renovation easy, but the Grandys are confident they can handle anything together.

Brandon and Kim Harris are planning an extremely ambitious kitchen renovation. New cabinets, countertops, flooring, lighting and fixtures are to be installed in the dining room area after completely demolishing their existing kitchen. The current kitchen will then be transformed into a more modern dining room that suits their personal style. They want to open up their floor plan from one side of the house to the other, so the load-bearing wall separating the rooms will be torn down as well. This renovation is the largest they've ever attempted, but Brandon and Kim are ready to take on this huge project and finally have a kitchen they're proud of.

Lauren Kushner and Mike Musser just bought their dream home. It has tons of character, but is in need of some serious repairs, most importantly in the master bathroom. In it's current state, the bathroom is nonfunctional, run-down, dirty and simply not up to their standards of what a master bath should be. A full bathroom teardown will kickoff this renovation. Everything must go, tiled floor, ugly shower, unusable jacuzzi tub, outdated vanity. After demoing this bathroom down to its bare bones, new tile flooring, subway tiled shower with multiple jets and heads, a refinished claw foot tub and a new vanity will be installed. While neither is a stranger to smaller renovations, Lauren's confrontational and controlling attitude has been known to cause a few sparks between the couple. This complete bathroom overhaul will surely be a strenuous project, but as long as Mike's prepared to accommodate all of Lauren's demands, they should end up with their ideal bathroom.

Andrea and Keith Hansen's kitchen is falling apart. Drawers fall out and crush their feet, cabinet doors frequently break and the water-line for the refrigerator doesn't even work. They're planning a complete renovation to transform this lackluster space into a kitchen they can be proud of. The old cabinets and wasted soffit space above will be torn out to make way for new ones, the dingy countertops will be demoed and the outdated tile flooring will be removed and replaced with sturdier tiles more up to the rigors of Andrea's cooking. Along the way, they'll have to figure out what's wrong with the water line and fix it in hopes that the luxury of ice can once again be theirs. Having completed a few minor renovations in the past, the Hansens are both wildly intimidated by this huge renovation. Keith's perfectionist and stubborn character mixed with Andrea's detail oriented attitude will likely cause some problems, but after eight years of marriage, they're positive they can handle it together.

Baha Khalil has enlisted his best friend Mustafa to help him renovate his disgusting kitchen. Basically, everything needs to be torn out and replaced. The cabinets are old, cheap and ugly, so they're planning on ripping them out and replacing them with something more modern. Next, the puke-green countertops will be removed so Baha and Mustafa can install new granite. The multiple layers of dingy laminate flooring, which Mustafa refers to as linoleum inception, are going to be demolished so they can install new ceramic tiles. The next project will be the removal of the drop ceiling, which is already half missing, and the fluorescent lights home to hundreds of dead bugs. This kitchen renovation is the last thing Baha needs to complete before moving into his new home, and he's positive that with his best friend's help, he can finally have the kitchen of his dreams.

Whitney and Brad Hancock are renovating their unused upstairs area into an extra bedroom or nursery. The short treads on the staircase that leads up to the area make it impossible to walk up and down, so the first step will be to demolish the existing staircase and install a new one. Once that is complete, they feel as if the entire space is too closed off, so they plan on opening up the entire area by demolishing all interior walls to start with a blank slate. The ceiling is drooping and needs to come down, a broken window and its frame will be replaced and the broken flooring will be torn out as well. When all demo is complete, Whitney and Brad will then install insulation, drywall and new bamboo floors throughout. Even after all of this work, they are planning on hiding an exposed HVAC duct somehow. With limited DIY experience, The Hancocks are overwhelmed by the sheer size of this renovation, but know that they need the extra space.

Jennifer and David Bullinger are renovating an outdated upstairs bedroom to add some much needed space to their cramped house. The existing room is unusable except for storage, and with four kids, the Bullinger's house is practically bursting at the seams. The walls need to be gutted to install insulation and electricity, three broken windows need to be removed and replaced and a door that leads to nowhere, something of a safety hazard for their four children under six, will either need to be closed off entirely or replaced with a new door and deck addition. The sagging ceilings and beaten up floors will be demolished as well, so this truly is a complete renovation. While both are familiar with minor renovations, this project is larger than anything either has taken on before. However, they both agree that the added space is paramount, so they're willing to do anything to get it done.

Chad and Katie Gunther hate their cramped and outdated kitchen, so they're going to renovate the space and incorporate their dining room area to open it up. Living and working in Las Vegas means that this dynamic couple loves to entertain, so now they want to create an inviting space for their family and friends. Everything will be demoed: cabinets that don't hold any of their cooking supplies, unsanitary and impossible-to-clean tiled countertops and ugly tile flooring and carpet. Their plan is to demo an existing peninsula and move it out into the dining room to open the kitchen floor plan. The new, larger cabinets will extend into the expanded space as well. On the opposite wall, built-ins will be installed to create a bar area. And the dingy carpets will finally be replaced with something more durable and chic. Chad isn't a stranger to small renovations, but Katie, who makes a living as a Britney Spears impersonator in Vegas, has no idea what she's doing. Combine that with the fact that Chad describes his plumbing and electrical skills as "sub-par at best," and this renovation will surely challenge the couple's problem-solving skills.

Jaci and Nic Velasquez have a hazardous front porch that needs to be renovated. The existing porch has been repainted and shoddily repaired numerous times, and this family thinks it's time for an upgrade. First, Jaci and Nic are planning to completely demo the existing porch. A cement staircase was hidden beneath the porch until Nic recently removed overgrown bushes that were harboring brown recluses. This staircase will have to be demoed as well, something Nic believes will be easier said than done. To finish out the demo portion of their renovation, the cement walkway leading up to the stairs will be torn up as well. The Velasquez family is planning on building a contemporary front porch after all this demo is completed. Consisting of an extended roofline, multiple steel support cables that create a 'floating' appearance, this renovation will completely change the look of their home. A new stone walkway will be laid down to add a warm and inviting finishing touch to this ambitious project. Jaci and Nic are excited to have a front porch that their children aren't afraid of, that won't injure friends and family who walk on it, and they can't wait to get started.

Amanda and Blake are planning their first renovation together. Their vision is to create a backyard oasis perfect for summertime entertaining with friends and family. Outside, they're worried about the sloped yard where the extension will be built, and neither has a clue how to begin attaching the framework of the deck to their house. Making matters worse, crawl space vents surround the exact area where their deck will sit and can't be covered up. Once the demo is complete and all previous issues are dealt with, the building process can begin. But with lofty ambitions for built-in seating, storage, coolers, an alcove for their grill and a covered area, Amanda and Blake might be in over their heads and over budget.

Danielle and Darrell hate their master bedroom. Underneath the hideous wallpaper lies extremely thin walls, so they are planning to completely gut the room. After everything has been broken down to its' bare bones, new insulation, electrical wiring fit for this era and a larger, more safe and secure window will be installed. While all the walls are bare, they've also decided that increasing their closet space will be a huge priority. They both agree that a new master bedroom is a must-have, so they're willing to put their differences aside to renovate this room.

Michael and Betsy Fry can't stand the mudroom that was haphazardly added on to their house some forty years ago, so they're ready to tear it down to the foundation and start fresh. The space is falling off the house, and the couple is worried that the room's lack of insulation is going to cost them a fortune in heating bills. The new room will include two new, larger windows, a door that actually closes, and built in storage and counter space for laundry. With this 120 year-old house there are sure to be some surprises along the way, and this happy couple will surely have their hands full with their largest project ever.

Jessica and Reid Surface just purchased their first home together in a most-sought-after neighborhood in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. To afford this amazing location, they had to compromise with a house needing a ton of renovations. The next project they'll be focusing on will be their ugly and outdated kitchen. They want a blank slate, so they're planning to gut it entirely. Jessica just wants to get this renovation over with as quickly as possible, but Reid's more methodical outlook and perfectionist attitude will surely slow down the pace of this renovation.