Usually Dave and Jenny Marrs‘ home makeovers on “Fixer to Fabulous” are fairly straightforward and safe, but every once in a while they have to take risks.
In the episode “Family Farmhouse Restoration,” they meet Tim and Kenna Lee, whose three-bedroom, two-bath farmhouse has been in the family for generations. They want to freshen and update the home and have $190,000 to spend on the project.
However, they really don’t want Dave and Jenny to go too far, or to rid the home of all the family held near and dear. So, the Marrses must strike a balance between old and new, which isn’t easy.
“We’ll take something that was really special and change it,” says Jenny. “And that can be a bit of a risk.”
But their upcycling ideas are remarkably clever—and not out of reach for the rest of us, either. Here’s some home makeover inspiration that you might want to try around your own abode, too.
Lose the linoleum
’70s kitchen
HGTV
Didn’t everyone have that brownish-flowered linoleum on the kitchen floor back in the day? It was once a hot fad, but no more.
Even Dave thinks it looks familiar, and calls his brother, contractor Matt Marrs, in to see it.
“Matt, what does this remind you of, this floor?” asks Dave.
“Grandma,” says Matt.
Since the linoleum is a ’70s addition and has no sentimental value whatsoever, it will be replaced by luxury vinyl flooring that looks like white oak. The new flooring not only looks far more elegant, but also brightens the kitchen up considerably.
The team also replaces those awful red Formica countertops.
Remodeled kitchen
HGTV
Upcycle important materials
Table made with cherrywood from the mantels
HGTV
There are two cherrywood mantels that run about 13 feet across two walls. They’re too dark and bulky for the space, so Dave will create smaller mantels out of lighter wood to hang above the fireplace.
Meanwhile, what to do with the old mantels?
“We are going to convert them into a huge table,” says Dave. It’ll be big enough for the whole family on Thanksgiving, which is just what the family wanted.
“It’s reusing what’s important to them, which is the cool part,” says Dave. “I’ve never made an almost 12-foot-long table, and I’m so excited.”
Brighten up the fireplace with a lime wash
Lime-washed fireplace
HGTV
“This fireplace is original to the house,” says Jenny. “We want to keep the fireplace intact structurally, but I just think it needs to be freshened up a bit, brightened up a bit, so we’re going to try a lime wash.”
“What is this made of?” Jenny asks professional painter Ashley Kennedy, as they begin brushing the wet lime onto the brownish bricks. “Dave thought it was made out of limes.”
“It’s made out of lime, the mineral,” Kennedy explains. “You can use it on the exterior of your home or the interior, like this.”
Instead of painting the brick white, the whitewash gives it a softer, more subtle effect, which is perfect for the space.
Trellises add interest to a plain wall
Plain exterior wall of the farmhouse
HGTV
There’s a huge brick wall with a few windows at the front of the house, and that vast expanse of brick makes it look painfully plain.
“There’s a lot of that brick, so we need to soften it up a bit,” says Dave.
Jenny suggests adding trellises with roses.
“I want them to be in these big sections to break up the brick,” she says. “Kenna’s grandmother loved roses. She had a rose garden, so we are bringing roses back to this house. Dave’s going to build some modern planter boxes with some modern trellises, and then we’ll have the roses growing up the trellises. It will be lovely.”
New exterior
HGTV
Add shutters to the exterior
But the trellises alone aren’t quite enough.
“Initially, I was a little concerned about how the outside was looking,” says Jenny. “It just felt sort of blah after we painted, and I didn’t like it, so we had to add the shutters.”
Dave goes back to his workshop to create beautiful wood shutters to place by the windows.
“We really needed all those elements to come together to make this house feel complete,” says Jenny.
Shutters add the perfect finishing touch.
HGTV
Do Dave and Jenny Marrs work their magic?
Tim and Kenna are thrilled with the way Jenny and Dave freshened up the old and added new while still showing respect for the past.
In addition to upcycling materials, the Marrses reframed many of the family photos and paintings and even restored some of the furniture that had been in the family for years.
“My dad would be so pleased! It’s got a new life,” says Kenna of her new home. “They kept the memory of our family and just carried it forward into a new life.”
“Thank you for letting us be part of your family story,” Dave responds.
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