Help! I Wrecked My House, Season 3 Episode 9

Project Overview:

THE HOMEOWNER:

Miles

THE BUDGET:

$135,000

THE STORY:

Miles saw over 200 homes and put in over 20 offers before landing on his Laguna Niguel home. After purchasing the home, he started the renovation process to make it a more light, modern, and bright house. The renovation ended up turning into a real family affair, with his mom Linda helping him paint and clean along the way. During his nine months of renovations, he found tree roots under the floors (that he was allergic to) and many other obstacles. He even resorted to moving back into his parent’s house until his home was in more livable shape. His new house and renovations had become a huge mess with a lot of stress. Miles desperately needed professional help to complete his home. He even began to question his decision of buying the home in the first place, which I know means it’s time to make some serious progress by calling in the pros. This was a really big project that I knew I wanted to tackle to bring Miles some joy and peace of mind that he actually did make the right decision when he purchased this home.

THE PLAN:

I was impressed with how far Miles had gotten with the renovation process by himself, but it was important that we checked all of the work that had been done. He did expose the walls in order to avoid any surprises, but it turned out there were actually a lot of surprises. Miles had a clear vision, but he couldn’t create it by himself. I would come in and install new floors, drywall, baseboards, and paint the interior. I also relocated the washer and dryer to a spot in the entryway, created a functional living room and built out a guest room/home office. My team and I also tackled the bathroom renovation, an expansion of the kitchen. 

Miles described his style as bright, modern, minimal Scandinavian design meets California beach house, and we were going to deliver all that style, along with some bonus functionality. With only five weeks to complete this project, we put in a lot of long days and hard work.

The Inspiration:

The Kitchen:

Miles told me that he loves hosting Sunday dinners for his family so I wanted to make sure that his kitchen and dining room were set-up to facilitate these gatherings in a fun and functional way. He needed a larger kitchen, plenty of counter space, and a dining area in his new home to make hosting a breeze. I kept the blueprint the same, but updated it by painting the cabinets white and adding sleek black hardware.

I also added an island in the middle of the kitchen to provide more counter surface area, plus some additional storage space. I knew that a large, built-in side buffet was the perfect addition to Miles’ new kitchen because it would really consolidate all the supplies he uses for these weekly family meals. The buffet had white oak shelves, big drawers, and tons of storage for entertaining gear. I even took two drawers and divided them to create custom ‘dinner party’ storage that holds silverware, dishes, napkins all in one place.

Since we kept the existing kitchen countertops, it was important to find countertops for the island and side buffet that matched and looked like it was an intentional decision. I went with gray quartz countertops with white veining, which was the opposite of the existing countertops. Using the reverse of the existing countertops was a study in contrast that allowed each of the countertops to complement one another.

I knew Miles wanted a bright home so I loved the idea of brightening the kitchen with ferns catching the light in the greenhouse-style window. The white ceramic planters almost make it feel as though the plants are floating in the sun drenched window.

The Dining Room:

The dining room was an ideal size to host intimate get-togethers so I outfitted it with the very comfortable Goldenwest chairs from my shop and made sure to set a visual foundation with the Elliana rug under the table.

The honey-hued Slater dining table gave the room the warmth it needed to inspire good times and great conversations at family dinners. It also provided some continuity in the home because I chose the coffee table and end table version of the Slater table for the living room. You’ll see those shortly! As this room came together, I was so happy that hosting and dining were going to be a regular part of Miles’ week and that he now could get back to enjoying his home the way he envisioned when he first bought it.

The Guest Bedroom/Office:

Miles’ dream was to have an office and a guest room in the same space, and he mentioned a Murphy bed, so we just had to make it happen! Incorporating a built-in paired with the Murphy bed would allow for even more space in this room. It’s a guest bed when it’s pulled down, and when it’s up, it’s a nice backdrop for Miles’ work from home office. We added white oak slats next to the Murphy bed so you wouldn’t be able to tell there was actually a bed in that wall. Custom storage cabinets exist on each side of the bed, and everything is hidden. There’s closet space, shelves, baskets, and each nightstand pops open with USB cords for charging electronics. This is now a chic, bright, and multifunctional room for Miles and his guests.

The Living Room:

In the living room, we fixed the walls and flooring, and added some decorative touches the room lacked. We decided to make the fireplace the focal point of this space and it really worked out well with the best spot for the sofa placement. Adding unique design elements like the mounted surfboard and a well-placed mirror put a very Miles’ stamp on this room.

On the fireplace, we grouted vertical, neutral tiling all the way to the ceiling and included a wood mantle painted black. We kept the design simple, yet elevated in the light and bright style that Miles wanted to focus on.

Stairs:

Since these stairs were in the middle of the room, they really deserved their own special moment since they were the boldest architectural feature in the house. I wanted to intentionally highlight the staircase so I painted the entire staircase black, which looked great and provided just the right amount of contrast to the rest of the design in the house. We included floating treads all the way up and also painted them black. This staircase really sets the tone of the Scandinavian architecture Miles loves.

Adding some greenery and woven materials underneath the staircase brought some organic warmth to the area.

The Bathroom:

The bathroom project was the biggest question mark for me. It actually ended up being the expensive part of the reno, which is surprising given the fact that it was the smallest room we worked on. The expense came from having to rework the plumbing, which we didn’t expect. The end result was we had to skip the herringbone floors Miles wanted, but instead we were able to provide a beautiful and functional bathroom that was done correctly and that would last without any problems in the future.

I wanted to make this a modern bathroom with a slab backsplash, floating vanity, and floating toilet. We installed beautiful ceramic tile with a handcrafted feel that runs the entire length of the shower, and added gray square tiles on the floor. I added in marble with elements of gold and brown for a standout feature that would live behind the toilet and vanity. Everything on this bathroom wall is floating! It’s modern, fun, and unique. The bathroom had been a blemish on this renovation, and I really wanted Miles to feel excited and proud of this bathroom, knowing it was all worth it!

The Entryway:

Last but not least, the entryway! Miles really wanted his washer and dryer moved from the kitchen to the entryway. Luckily, they fit just right, and we added a door so the appliances were absolutely hidden since the door made it appear like it was just a coat closet. After the new flooring was installed, we added a rattan coat hook hanger and a rattan bench to reinforce the look. This was now a welcoming space into Miles’ new and vastly improved home, without a washer or dryer in sight!

That’s a wrap! I’m so grateful I was able to help Miles with his renovation. Now, he and his mom won’t have the stress of construction projects and unpleasant surprises. It’s a home he can be proud of, and a home he can gather with family and friends to make new memories and enjoy a beautiful and safe home.

I can’t believe there are only two episodes left of ‘HELP! I Wrecked My House’ Season 3. What has been your favorite episode so far? Don’t forget to tune in next week to watch– Saturday on HGTV at 9 p.m. ET.