The Property Brothers Spot 3 Tiny Features That Will Instantly Date a Whole House
HGTV
Jonathan and Drew Scott know that home trends come and go, and the latest “Property Brothers: Forever Home” highlights just how ’80s a house can get.
In the episode “The Next Multigeneration,” the HGTV stars are called to remodel the El Segundo, CA, home that Nina grew up in. Her grandparents lived there; her mother, Chiqui, still lives there; and now, Nina and her husband, Nick, want to move in with their toddler twins. That’s four generations that have lived under the same roof since 1986, and many of the original features remain, dating the house big-time.
Nina, Nick, and Chiqui have given the property brothers a generous budget of $220,000 to redo the kitchen, dining room, family room, and living room. And they all need major work. Here are a few dated features they fix—and some clever tips you might be tempted to try in your own abode.
Do away with dated mirrored walls
Jonathan Scott and Chiqui carefully remove the mirrored wall panels so they don’t break.HGTV
Jonathan and Drew often tease each other about never meeting a mirror they didn’t like, and they pose in front of them as often as possible. But the 1980s “disco-era mirrored walls” in this house absolutely have to go.
“Fully mirrored walls came and went,” says Jonathan as he helps Chiqui remove them, being careful not to break the panels and spur on years of bad luck.
They use a suction tool, which you stick on the mirrored surface, and with a little elbow grease, it allows you to pull the mirror panels off in one piece. What will they think of next?
Sunken living rooms are now sunk
A dated sunken living roomHGTV
“A lot of this house is stuck in the ’80s, like this sunken living room,” comments Drew. “It was such a hot trend for quite a long time, and then people realized everyone falls on their face.”
Jonathan agrees, joking, “If there was a sunken living room, I would find my face on it.”
“If Jonathan had a shaved head, you would see all the scars and bumps from him hitting it on things or falling on things,” Drew chimes in.
“It’s not a pretty head,” concedes Jonathan.
It costs a hefty $10,000 to level the floors, and it’s a complicated process involving lots of rebar and cement, but everyone agrees it’s well worth it.
Ban the bars
Jonathan and Amit break out the bars.HGTV
Decorative window bars used to serve a double purpose, being installed for both security and style. But, they’ve become burdensome and unnecessary, especially in the backyard.
“We’re getting rid of the bars on the back slider and the window,” says Jonathan. “We want to make sure that we can open that space up.”
He plans on combining the window and slider into one large, light-infusing opening.
“Something that I think will transform how they use their indoor-outdoor space is having this massive slider,” he says. The bars have no place covering the grand new slider he’s installing.
Try a hidden home office in plain sight
Behind that glass divider is an office nook.HGTV
“Nick and Nina wanted a home office integrated into the living room,” says Drew. “A half-partition wall will allow Nina to keep an eye on the twins.”
The property brothers are installing a wall across the back of a very long living room.
“This office nook is a really unique feature, and it’s actually coming together really cool,” says Jonathan. “It was either going to be a really oversized front room or a good-sized office space and a sitting room, which they critically needed.”
To further separate the office from the living room, they add a black-framed glass partition.
“It actually feels so much bigger than it is, because of the glass,” says Drew. “That’s the cool thing. It’s a designer detail. You get that privacy, but you still have sightline of the kids when they’re running around.”
Engineered hardwood is a budget-friendly flooring option
A chic engineered hardwood floorHGTV
Those people who want the look of hardwood but the durability and cost-effectiveness of luxury vinyl flooring do have an option that’s more reasonably priced than hardwood planks.
“I’m going with engineered hardwood in a midtone color,” says Jonathan. “It’s durable, easy to clean, and will hold up to the traffic of the twins and their toys. Drew and I know very well that’s double the wear.”
He also notes that engineered hardwood flooring throughout will tie the whole house together. It costs about $10,000, which could well be a fourth of what quality wood plank flooring would cost.
Do the property brothers deliver?
Jonathan and Drew, being family guys themselves, realize the value of honoring the generations that came before. So, they’re glad that they are able to preserve memories and honor the past in the renovation of this home.
“You cannot replace those memories,” Drew tells the couple as he ushers them through the made-over house for the first time. “Very few people get that opportunity to keep a legacy going, and you guys have that.”
Nina is aware of this, and couldn’t be happier with their work.
“I definitely envision us being happy here for a long time,” she says.
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