The Property Brothers Reveal One Easy Update That Changes a Home’s Whole Look

Jonathan and Drew Scott get it: An awful lot can change in 17 years, and the latest episode of their HGTV show “Property Brothers: Forever Home” is living proof.

In the episode titled “Suburban Las Vegas Upgrade,” they meet Vegas couple Becky and Michael, who have three teenage sons. Now that the boys are (hopefully) past the age of throwing around food and toys and generally wrecking the place, they want the Scott twins to take the family’s home decor from generic to elegant.

Let’s face it, when you’re using a foosball table as a coffee table, it’s time to switch things up!

Becky and Michael both love modern decor, which makes things easier for the Scotts.

“You basically kicked traditional to the curb,” Drew tells the couple as they describe their dream decor.

The challenge comes in defining the huge, high-ceilinged open floor plan so it feels more like a warm living space, and less like a giant cavern with little personality.

As Jonathan and Drew attempt to make this happen on a budget of $87,000, they give some slick remodeling tricks that could well be adapted to our own living space. Take a look!

An instant exterior update

You don’t have to update everything to make a home look like new. In fact, there’s one tiny update that can overhaul a home’s whole look: the front door.

“A modern front door updates everything,” Drew tells Jonathan as they give the house an instant face-lift by simply removing the dated, double front doors with the frilly leaded-glass window, and replacing it with more geometric doors that have a series of small, rectangular windows running down the middle.

Interestingly enough, the new doors blend well with the Mediterranean-style exterior, while bringing the home into the 21st century. It may have cost $4,300 (they’re very big doors, after all), but that’s a lot less expensive than trying to change the entire exterior.

New modern barn doors and front doors
New modern barn doors and front doorsHGTV

Make sliding barn doors work in a modern setting

Jonathan is making sliding barn doors to separate the home gym from the rest of the house. He explains that the signature crisscross pattern on most barn doors will simply not do here. Instead he devises a pattern that angles the wood diagonally, instantly adapting a popular farmhouse feature to a modern home.

What’s with the floor on the wall?

Jonathan is working on the fireplace accent wall, and decides to use luxury, wood-look vinyl on the wall, instead of tile, wallpaper, or actual wood. It looks great, but Drew just has to rib him.

“You’re just flipping everything on its head, putting flooring on the wall,” he says. “Maybe we should put some wallpaper on the floor!”

“That’s a terrible idea,” says Jonathan, deadpan. Indeed.

Jonathan is proud of the freshly oiled mantel, and the accent wall lined with high-end, wood-look vinyl flooring.
Jonathan is proud of the freshly oiled mantel, and the accent wall lined with high-end, wood-look vinyl flooring.HGTV

Oiling wood can help bring out the grain

Jonathan has built a wooden beam–style mantel for the new fireplace facade, and the brothers believe that painting it just wouldn’t be right.

“To bring out the natural beauty of the wood, I’m just going to oil it, and that will bring out the grain,” Drew explains. “The biggest rule when oiling wood is you just want to make sure that you don’t leave any pools anywhere, and also don’t splash on your clothes, because it’s very hard to get out.”

Moisturizer is a must

Jonathan notes that Drew’s hands are still soft, even after doing a lot of manual labor—they’re not hard and rough like his own.

“I use moisturizer as I work,” confesses Drew. “I keep moisturizer in my tools belt!”

“Drew moisturizers as he goes to keep his hands soft,” Jonathan says with a laugh, adding that he keeps a hammer, a trowel, and moisturizer on hand at all times.

Enhance those high ceilings

There’s a lot of overhead space in this house that just makes it feel cavernous rather than cozy. The brothers come up with an amazing remedy that exponentially ups the elegance factor in the home.

“Sixteen-foot, floor-to-ceiling drapes accent the fantastic height of the ceiling,” says Drew. And boy, is he ever right!

Spectacular 16-foot, floor-to-ceiling drapes really up the elegance factor.
Spectacular 16-foot, floor-to-ceiling drapes really up the elegance factor.HGTV

Get by without a little help from your friends

“Everybody’s got a friend of a friend who knows how to do stuff,” grumbles Jonathan as he’s working on the wall where the TV and speakers were positioned.

It seems someone has jerry-built the wiring through the wall without sealing it, and moisture has gotten in, soaking the insulation. A few more years of that, and the wall would have been ruined, according to Jonathan.

The lesson: It’s best to leave those types of chores to the professionals.

Do the ‘Property Brothers’ stars deliver?

As usual, the homeowners are thrilled when they see what Jonathan and Drew have done, using words like “amazing” and “unbelievable.”

“It’s well beyond our expectations,” says Michael.

“Now we’ll never have to move. We’re in the perfect spot!” exclaims Becky.

Which is Drew and Jonathan’s cue to happily move on.

Article source: https://www.realtor.com/advice/home-improvement/property-brothers-reveal-one-easy-update-that-changes-a-homes-whole-look/

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The Property Brothers Reveal One Easy Update That Changes a Home’s Whole Look

Lisa Duke Realty, LLC

I began buying and selling real estate in 1995 for personal investments in Jacksonville, Florida. I enjoyed the business and I obtained a real estate license in 2002 to help others buy and sell homes on a part time basis. My part time efforts quickly grew into a full time real estate consulting business. Lisa Duke Realty, LLC opened in 2012 and in the first two years, our experience and staff have grown and flourished.