Property Brothers Highlight 2 Things That Horribly Date a Home Today

HGTV

Now that HGTV stars Jonathan and Drew Scott have remodeled gorgeous mansions for themselves in Los Angeles, they’re remodeling a lot of Southern California homes on “Property Brothers: Forever Home.”

In the episode “New Generation New Design,” they head to Torrance to help Jericka and Matthew redo the home they bought from Matthew’s grandparents who decided to downsize.

The home was built in 1968 and hasn’t been changed much since then. The couple have a generous budget of $225,000 to redo the entire first floor, all while finding places to highlight historical furniture that has been in the family for generations.

“This is exciting because you have this house that has a history,” says Drew. “But obviously, it doesn’t have your vibe.”

As the property brothers get to work, they deliver some irresistible projects we all might be inspired to try on our own abodes—as well as a few home features to put out to pasture. Here’s what we learned.

Kick accordion doors to the curb

Jonathan Scott displays his martial arts skills as he kicks down a dated accordion door.

HGTV

As Jonathan and Drew enter the house, they spot an extraordinarily ugly faux wood accordion door separating the dining room from the entry.

“Lose this door?” asks Jonathan immediately.

“That’s our accordion door!” says Jericka.

“You sound excited about it,” says Drew.

“I’m excited to get rid of it,” quips Jericka.

He invites her to give it one good kick, and she kicks hard yet gracefully, revealing that she knows martial arts—as do the property brothers! These skills come in handy throughout the demo.

(Safely) remove popcorn ceilings

Popcorn ceilings in old homes can be full of asbestos.

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“You have the popcorn ceilings throughout most of the house, which is obviously dated,” says Jonathan. “We’d have to test it because it could have asbestos, and there’s a whole process in removing that.”

Sure enough, “Matthew and Jericka’s house was built in 1968, so it’s no surprise we found asbestos,” says Jonathan. “So we’ve allocated 10 grand of the budget to asbestos remediation.”

Add storage under the stairs

Bar and storage under the stairs

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There’s a floating staircase in the entryway, and the property brothers believe they can make good use of the area underneath if they just enclose it.

“In the front entry, we’re making use of the space under the stairs to add some much needed custom storage on both sides,” says Jonathan.

On the side facing the door, they enclose the space and create a coat closet.

On the side facing the dining area, they create a bar and put more storage underneath. Suddenly, a random pass-through area has become very useful!

Update the stone fireplace surround

Updated stone fireplace

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The fireplace that spans the wall in the family room is made of dated white, gray, and beige stone. But Jericka likes the stone fireplace and wants to keep it.

Although it looks daunting, it’s no problem for the Scotts to update the fireplace. They intend to whitewash the stone. But they don’t stop there.

“Another thing we can do is clean up and modernize this stone fireplace surround,” says Jonathan. “We’ll smooth things out, cut things back a bit, and freshen it up so it looks more refined when we add the whitewash.”

All pool tables don’t have to be grass-green

Sage-green felted billiard table

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“Jericka and Matthew have this antique pool table that’s been in Mathew’s family for generations, and now they want to restore it so that it works again and they can actually use it,” says Drew. “But it’s literally a pile of bits here in the garage.”

When Drew then takes them to an inspiration space in a game room in a modern hotel, they are not impressed by the billiard table. It has the typical bright green felt cover, originally inspired by grass. Jericka says she’s not a fan of that particular color. So the brothers decide on a more subtle color for the new felt.

“We went with a sage-green felt to go with the other finishes we’ve chosen, and the rosewood has been carefully oiled and restored,” says Drew.  “I felt it would be right for you.”

Do the property brothers deliver?

Matthew and Jericka are blown away by the changes.

“It’s perfect. I honestly cannot believe this is our house,” says Jericka. “You guys nailed it in every single way possible.”

“We’re never going to leave!” Matthew exclaims.

The property brothers leave with another happy forever home under their tool belts.

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