The Property Brothers Take On Their ‘Wildest Renos Ever’ in a New Season of ‘Brother vs. Brother’
HGTV
Property brothers Jonathan and Drew Scott are back with another season of “Brother vs. Brother,” where they compete against each other renovating different houses.
Season 8’s premiere episode is called “No Rules!” for good reason.
“We’re taking our sibling rivalry to a whole new level,” says Jonathan. “Because this time, our past rules have been tossed out the window. No limits on budgets, neighborhoods, or what we do to our houses.”
The only rule they’re sticking to is whoever makes the most profit from their renovation wins, with the proceeds being donated to charity.
“These are some of our wildest renos ever!” Drew promises.
Jonathan’s girlfriend, Zooey Deschanel, helps him pick out a Westchester, CA, bungalow built in 1951. It measures 2,000 square feet and has four bedrooms and two baths.
He paid $1.25 million for it, which seems high, but he explains it’s not far from the beach, and that adds a lot of value.
Drew goes for a 1939-built, 1,350-square-foot hillside home in El Sereno, CA (near Pasadena). It has three bedrooms and 1.5 baths, plus a separate garage and accessory dwelling unit.
He paid $850,000 for it—which also seems high, especially considering its dilapidated condition, but he explains it “actually feels like a steal compared to what others are going for in the neighborhood.”
That’s the L.A. housing market for you!
The first challenge is to renovate the living room and the front entry. The brothers give some great flip tips as the competition heats up.
Location really is key
Noisy plane flying over the residential neighborhoodHGTV
Jonathan thinks he has the advantage because even though he paid far more for his house, it is near the beach in West L.A., and it’s in relatively good condition.
But Drew points out its major, almost insurmountable, flaw: It’s under the flight path of Los Angeles International Airport, which is nearby. Planes roar overhead day and night.
Jonathan thinks the advantages trump the disadvantages, though.
“You know who wants to live near an airport?” he asks. “Pilots, flight attendants, anyone who works at the airport. People travel a lot, and there’s a whole market of buyers that I can tap into already in this desirable neighborhood.”
Drew is dubious about that, but can’t deny that his own house is in terrible shape. Still, he is undaunted.
“There were two things I really wanted when I was looking for my house,” he explains. “I wanted a fixer-upper that I could treat as a complete blank slate, and I also wanted a well-established suburban neighborhood, which I found. It’s an area with a lot of multigenerational families looking for a newly renovated house, something I plan on giving them.”
Both have their points.
Try a tray ceiling
Tray ceilingHGTV
When the dropped stucco ceiling in Drew’s house is removed, he finds there is room enough above the rafters to put in a vaulted ceiling, adding 3 feet of height. The only problem is, his contractor estimates that will cost $25,000 to $30,000.
Thank heavens there is an alternative.
“We can get 16 to 20 extra inches if they can do a tray ceiling,” says the contractor, adding that it will be “half the cost and a lot quicker.”
Naturally, “We’ve decided to go with a tray ceiling,” says Drew. “We’re going to have a little bit of decorative detail that comes up, then it flattens out nice and high. It’s going to make sure that the room feels more spacious, and that’s what this living room needs.”
Total cost? $10,000.
Create a snuggle zone
Judges enjoying Jonathan Scott’s snuggle zoneHGTV
Jonathan’s design assistant suggests that they “add a sofa that just kind of wraps around the room, and then it sort of becomes that central entertainment area where everybody just watches TV…”
“The snuggle zone!” says Jonathan. “You’ve got to have the snuggle zone.”
He chooses a large, comfy sectional for it, saying, “We’ll anchor everything with a nice, big area rug.”
But he’s not done. “If we’re going to create a cuddle zone, then we can’t forget the electric fireplace that will set the mood while keeping the environment safe,” he continues.
He plans for the whole house to be electric, without the use of any gas whatsoever.
Use noise-reduction windows
Installing noise-reduction windowsHGTV
Reducing noise is essential when you’re remodeling a house so close to an airport. And a lot of the noise can come in through the windows, which usually don’t have the same noise-reducing qualities the rest of the house has.
But Jonathan has a solution: noise-reduction windows.
“Add the new windows that are specifically designed for extra noise reduction,” he says. That way, “Drew can quit chirping about the airplanes being a distraction. This is going to be a game changer.”
Built-ins are better
Elegant built-in bookshelvesHGTV
Jonathan wants to do built-in shelving on both sides of the fireplace but hesitates when his contractor estimates that they will cost $10,000 to $15,000.
Still, the custom built-ins have more of the “wow” factor that buyers want, his contractor tells him.
Jonathan agrees and ponies up.
“We went for the custom bookshelves at $10,000, and they look spectacular!” he exclaims.
Which twin wins?
Jonathan stays on budget and spends $80,000 on his front entry and living room renovation.
Drew ends up spending $90,000, which is $15,000 more than he’d estimated.
But as we all know, staying on budget has no bearing on who wins the challenge. It’s all up to this episode’s judges, who are David Bromstad of “My Lottery Dream Home” and Kendra Wilkinson of “Kendra Sells Hollywood.”
Deliberating in Drew Scott’s eclectic living roomHGTV
Knowing full well how much Bromstad is drawn to the eclectic, Drew decorates in full-blown color and pattern. Meanwhile, Jonathan’s designs are cozy yet elegant and classic.
In the end, Drew wins this week’s challenge.
His reward is driving a Rover replica, like the ones on Mars, at the famous Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
As the loser, Jonathan has to build an incline, with sand and a shovel, for the Rover to traverse. He vows to bring his A-game to the next competition.
The post The Property Brothers Take On Their ‘Wildest Renos Ever’ in a New Season of ‘Brother vs. Brother’ appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.
