[Alison] Tonight on Windy City Rehab...
- Look at this. - [Levi] Yeah, right?
- [Alison] Classic Chicago. - [Nicole] It is.
- Levi is going to be the GC. - [Levi] The owner GC.
[Nicole] That's why we can build our dream house.
[Alison] Levi and Nicole are this adorable couple
and they need my help.
You sound sad.
Our contractors abandoned the whole foundation project.
[Alison] I don't want my client to be left in the mud.
We need to figure out what happened.
- [phone line beeping] - [chuckles]
He's a piece of [bleep]
I'm not getting anything.
[Ryan] Unfortunately, bad news.
There's no rebar from what we can tell.
I don't just let things like that slide.
We got screwed over real bad.
Money is just continuing to just bleed out.
- Oh geez! - Sorry.
I'm looking at that price and I can't do that.
Stop looking at the price. There's a million mantles.
- $275? Do you like that? - Boom.
[Alison] I'm not gonna let anything like this slide for Levi and his family.
[voice breaking] I just want to get it done for my family.
I know this is terrible.
You're going to get your dream home. I promise.
Look at your new house.
Oh my God. Who's house is this?
[upbeat music playing]
[Alison] This is Chicago's Oak Park neighborhood.
It is the first neighborhood west of the city.
It's got great schools and parks and restaurants.
Frank Lloyd Wright is one of my favorite architects
and he's built so many beautiful homes out here.
So it feels really good to be doing my own projects in this area.
Hi, guys.
- Hi. - How are you?
- Good. - Hi. Welcome.
It's beautiful.
- Thank you. - [Alison] It's very city-like.
- [Levi] In the suburbs, right? - [Alison laughs]
- Welcome to our new home. - Yes.
- I love-- New old home. - New old home.
- I know we're in Oak Park, but this is classic Chicago. - [Nicole] It is.
- [Alison] That window could be something super cool. - [Levi] Right?
Yeah. I got a lot of ideas out here already.
- Oh my gosh. - Good.
All right, well I want to see inside.
- Look at this. - Yeah, right?
- Big open box. - Yeah.
It was a two flat. It was two apartments.
But we really envisioned a single family home.
[Alison] The existing two flat was move-in ready.
But it's not move-in ready for a family who needs a single family home.
So this was a full gut job.
And, you know, they're fully demoed.
Whatever ideas, we just talk to our architect and he put it all in.
- So you have your architect. - Mmm-hmm.
And what about a GC?
- Levi is going to be the GC. - The owner GC.
- Oh. You got balls. - Yeah.
- [laughing]
I've done it before in our previous buildings.
Where we live in right now.
That's why we can build our dream house 'cause of three kids, that's it.
- So that's what this is then. This is your dream home. - Yes. Yes.
Levi and Nicole, they've got three kids
and they bought a two flat in Oak Park and they need my help.
They know what they want, but they're not really great with the design.
They have an architect, but they need more.
They want me to make it into what I would do if it was my own.
What is that?
That used to be on the second floor.
It's an original.
- Have you heard of pier mirrors? - [Nicole] No.
So that's what it's called. This was the old mirror
that would be at the entry typically.
This is old school.
But I know this is gorgeous and I know we want to use it.
- Yes. - Good.
[Levi] This is the kitchen area here.
- [Nicole] The family room. - [Levi] Dining, yeah.
Family, dining.
- So yeah. Right. - Kitchen.
But we're gonna have a study here, a bathroom,
- and then a foyer. - [Alison] Powder room. Yeah.
So the basement's gonna have that additional bedroom,
- full bath, right? - [Nicole] Yes.
The first level for me, the kitchen and the family area,
would be the focal point of this house.
[Alison] It should be.
[Nicole] That is where we're gonna spend majority of the day.
I need to figure out though this kitchen.
So there's gonna be a wall right here.
Putting a wall here. So that's closing this off.
That's not ideal.
There's a better way to do this.
So what I would do is I would give you
- a bigger island. - [Nicole] Bigger island.
[Alison] Of course we know we need the study closed off.
What's this space look like to you?
We were thinking like an old fashioned dinette.
So there's the stairs here.
It goes outside, there's a mudroom.
Can I take this wall
- and give you a really cool built-in wall? - [both] Yeah.
- [Alison] Your family room is a big deal. - [Nicole] Yeah.
So the stairs are gonna be right here.
This is so tiny.
- Your sofa would be like, right here. - Right.
This is how close you would be to every--
- This is all you got. - [Nicole] It's tight.
[Alison] Is any of this submitted to the building department?
Yeah, this is all approved.
Can I reimagine this?
- Yes. - Yeah.
Good. Let's see if I need more on the upstairs.
- Alright. - Yeah.
[Nicole] Every house that we've lived at, it's always like,
"This is the space we have. Let's make it work."
But now she's more like, "No,
let's make this space for what you want
- and not to just make it work." - Right. Yeah.
[Alison] Okey-doke.
- Okay, we're up. - Okay.
- [groans] - There you go.
This is where you get to flex your muscles.
- Yeah. - [chuckles] Yeah.
- Doing this job. Puff up. - [grunts]
- [Alison] You would enter the stairs here. - [Nicole] Yeah.
[Alison] You'd have the hallway.
Four bedrooms, three bath.
This bedroom should be beautiful and feel spacious.
- Yeah, that's what I'm saying. - Right?
I was just thinking about the dollar signs and just kind of mounting up,
but, you know, the main focus is to just get functional for the family.
What is your budget, all in for this entire single family?
$250,000.
So the budget is $250,000.
I'm gonna tell you right now that's not enough money
and it's not as simple as just,
"Hey, let me make it pretty."
This is let me completely reconfigure your floor plans
so you live better.
And the fact that they've already done this once before,
very cute, but it's like you're about to do it again
and you're about to do it again in an bigger way.
Today, I'm gonna meet with Kevin
who is the architect on the project
to talk through some of the changes
that I discussed with Levi when I walked with him.
- Obviously you know the house. - Yep.
I want to make sure that I fully understand what possible for them.
- So we're going to use that pier mirror. - [Kevin] Okay.
[Alison] It didn't feel like there was even a spot for it.
- [Kevin] No, 'cause the closet was up there. - [Alison] Yes. So it was like,
okay, how do I make something here where it's like this entrance
that feels like a real vestibule.
And I think we all came up with the idea
that like the stairs just don't work where they are
because right now we have the stairs here.
- Yep, closing off that window, I think. - [Alison] Right.
But I think it's not allowing me
to get them what they really want
which was the family room.
Moving the stairs is the biggest change
because that is going to create more space for us
to kind of play with that plan.
So you walk into this beautiful entryway here.
[Kevin] Nice formal entry.
[Alison] So stairs here, and then powder room.
So the end of his study is here.
But if I have this study wall, now I have a family room.
- I want to do bookshelves here. - [Kevin] Okay.
- It's a functional living room now. - [Alison] Yes!
And then, I want to give them a banquette here.
[Kevin] Yeah, just opens everything up then.
That whole side's wide open,
they got the open feel that they want.
[Alison] And a huge island.
So you walk up to the second floor
that used to be a separate unit.
But to convert this into a single family home,
we're gonna add four bedrooms, three full baths,
laundry room and a big closet for Levi and Nicole.
You know, the good thing is the changes that I'm making
are not going to affect the budget.
It's just really resubmitting to the city
and the time that they're going to pay the architect
to redo these plans.
But I think it's just... It's the best time to do this.
It's the right time to do this
because you can't go back and fix wrong like that.
So the revisions to the plans won't affect the addition
or foundation under the back porch,
so Levi is going to get the project started in the basement.
[Levi] I just wanted to meet with Alison today
on some major issues with this project.
[Alison] Levi and I got on the phone and he was not the same Levi.
I could tell that he was just defeated.
And I just said, "Let me come out and see you."
- Levi. - Hey.
Hi.
- You sound sad. - Good to see you.
Frustration, anger and all that.
So a few weeks ago, we had our contractors come by
and pour the foundation in the back porch.
But come to find out they may not have put rebar or steel in the foundation.
- You see this concrete foundation here? - Yep. Yeah.
- [Levi] That was the last day they were here. - [Alison] Right.
After that, nothing.
No communication, nothing.
Abandoned the whole project.
- And that was a month ago. - [Alison] Okay.
If we find out that there's no rebar in this foundation,
then we have to tear it up and redo it.
And it's just time and money that I do not have.
I'm just overwhelmed with all this, you know.
[voice breaking] I just want to get it done
for my family so we can move in here,
but then, you know, someone comes in
and takes advantage of the whole thing.
Hopefully, we'll get it... We'll get something done.
[sniffles] Excuse me.
So they did the underpinning, which is the foundation for the whole building
- that supports it. Right? - Yeah.
We haven't confirmed it yet, but it doesn't seem like
there is any rebar inside that foundation.
I could just tell. Like, a lot of head scratching
which was like, authentic, like, I don't know what to do.
I would assume if it's not in there,
- this has to be ripped up and redone. - Right.
- They left some spaces that are open... - Okay.
...that doesn't have any rebar in there.
We have to find out what the solution is.
- [groans] - Next thing you know winter is here.
- And we're still in mud. - Right.
And that's not where you want to be.
- Do you have their number? - I do.
- [sighs] - [phone ringing]
- Hello? - [man on phone] Yeah.
My name's Alison with Alison Victoria Interiors.
How are you?
- [man] Good, how's it going? - Good. Good.
Hey, you were doing some work for my client.
I'm designing the home for him.
And I wanted to know what happened
with the basement with the pour.
Do you know who Levi is?
- Uh yeah. - He's told me that he just can't get answers from you.
So we would love to know. I mean, we're trying to figure it out.
Obviously I don't want my client to be left in the mud.
I'm standing here in the basement
trying to figure out what happened.
[man] Yeah, uh, can you call me back in 20 minutes?
No, I can't call you back in 20 minutes.
Sure, bud. I'll call you back in 20.
You're not gonna [bleep] pick up.
We need to figure out what happened.
[rustling]
- [phone line beeping] - [chuckles]
- He's a piece of [bleep] - [groans]
If he's doing this to you, he's doing it to this to so many other people.
- [Levi] Mmm-hmm. - [Alison] So...
- I can't sleep. I can't... - No, no.
I'm losing sleep over this because I don't know what to do.
We're gonna get this resolved. We're gonna get this fixed.
And I'm gonna try to get someone out here this weekend to look at it.
Cutting corners isn't gonna work,
not when it comes to foundation
and underpinning for a basement that you're digging out.
Having given this guy $20,000.
I know this is terrible.
And I've been where you are, so we're gonna figure it out.
- Kristy's already on it. You know what I mean? - Mmm-hmm.
You're not gonna sit in this anymore.
And we're gonna take total advantage of these beautiful months
to get this stuff done, get this moving,
I don't care if I have to pay for it.
You're going to get your dream home. I promise.
[upbeat music playing]
[phone ringing]
[Ryan on phone] Hello?
Hey, Ryan. It's Alison Victoria.
I'm dealing with a bit of a nightmare
and I hope that you can help me.
I just left this job. It's Oak Park.
Whoever did the concrete for him before has completely screwed him.
They were doing the underpinning.
They left like, three sections not poured
and there's no rebar in those three sections.
But I would assume that there wouldn't be rebar
in the other walls that are poured.
[Ryan] Yeah, that's awful.
I would love any advice or a recommendation.
Sure, yeah. No, absolutely.
I'll get somebody out there to scan the walls,
figure out what we're dealing with
and see what we can do to remedy this situation.
You are a lifesaver.
[exhales] Thank you, thank you, thank you.
While we wait to get the concrete resolved
and find out how much it's gonna cost,
it's time to get working on the design.
- Alright, you ready to go shopping? - [Levi] Yeah.
- I know it's your favorite. - Right?
[Alison] So today I'm meeting with Levi.
Welcome to my playground.
[Levi] Wow. This is your playground?
I mean, it is a lot.
- You don't have a mantle, by the way. - I do not.
Your family room you have a fireplace.
And we're putting the television over it.
- You remember the-- - 2,500 bucks.
- Oh, don't look at the price. - That's not $250.
So... It's not $250. It's $2,500.
- Jeez Louise. - Well, come on now.
All right, so can we be in your house for a sec?
- Yeah? - [chuckles]
What is wrong with you today?
I'm looking at that price and I can't do that.
Stop looking at the price. There's a million mantles.
I'm just having you picture.
- Yeah. - Is your wife, like married to a fireplace?
- She's not married-- No, she's only married to me. - [Alison chuckles]
I really should just be doing this by myself.
He's not into it.
[exhales] Wow factor.
Like, look at this guy.
This is $525.
Sure.
I can't read you today.
This one's even better the price.
- $275. Do you like that? - Boom.
Okay. Better than $2,500.
- It is. - Okay.
- What about that door? - Damn.
I was already looking at that door.
- You were? - I was.
That's a wow.
Maybe the main door.
Change your front door.
Sure, why not?
You're not questioning your lawyer
and you're not questioning your doctor.
So don't question your designer.
Please, give me that.
All right, so we need to be thinking about built-ins
'cause for me to have like, Ari build something
from scratch is gonna be really expensive.
- A bookcase, right? - Yeah, look at this.
This would go on top of this.
I love the mirrored backs because it opens the space up.
$675 for the entire thing.
Do you know how much Ari would charge if I had him build something from scratch?
You'd be at like, six, seven grand.
- Oh really? - Oh God, yeah.
- Geez. - Yeah.
Sold.
- Great. - Yeah.
Junk.
God, where is your wife? [laughs]
Right?
[Alison] You know price is a big deal.
We need to make sure that we're kind of
looking at things that are in his price points.
- [whispers] Yes. - Yes.
That's what you say, yes.
[electronic music playing]
[Ryan] So we're here today to check the underpinning
to see if there was rebar installed as per the contract.
[radar beeps]
Right now, he's using the penetrating radar
so that it can scan the concrete
and it'll be able to pick up any bar that should be there.
It would show us where this layout is.
Yeah, it's not looking like I'm getting any bar.
So I would get a little blip here
and it would show me if there's a bar here at 12-inches on center
and, you know, you would be good.
But I'm not getting any bar right now.
[radar beeps]
[Ryan] The concrete is just one piece,
but the rebar is the secondary piece
to give it the structural reinforcement
for holding up the whole house.
- Yeah, not getting anything. - That's not good news.
[Ryan] That's not good news.
It'll be no easy task to go through and remove
all this concrete that's been poured.
Re-pour it, re-form it bucket by bucket.
[Facetime ringing]
[Alison on phone] Hello. How's it going?
[Ryan] So we just finished scanning a bunch of the wall sections
and unfortunately, bad news.
There's no rebar from what we can tell.
I would almost 100% say they need rebar on this structure.
I mean, it gives it the strength to hold the house up.
I have no idea what...
Obviously what this would even cost or what this looks like time-wise.
[Ryan] Yeah. Unfortunately, you can't really get any machines down here
so it really all has to be done by hand.
Now a couple things. We got a contractor we're gonna talk with
who does this type of work, get his opinion
and also go back and check with Oak Park
to see if rebar is required in underpinning.
So those are kind of the next steps.
[Alison] Levi now has a reputable contractor lined up
to do the job the right way.
It's costly, but it's the foundation for the entire house,
so it's important.
[phone ringing]
- [Levi on phone] Hi, Alison. - Hi, Levi.
- [Levi] How are you? Good. - I'm good. How are you?
So okay, what's the timeline?
[Levi] So we are in the process of switching
the licenses now with the permit.
And then we'll move forward with Don.
He said he can start on Monday.
- So... Yeah. - Yay.
It should be done within maybe late next week
or the early of the following week.
Okay, well I'm really excited for you.
- We will overcome anything and everything. - [Levi] Okay.
[saw whirring]
[Levi] Things were not going where we wanted to be,
but now we've turned the corner
and, you know, we're back on track.
Having the concrete done in the basement
and having it inspected and passed by Oak Park
has certainly decreased the amount of stress
that I felt a couple of months ago.
I guess in the end it's gonna be worth it.
[jazzy music playing]
[saw whirring]
[Alison] Levi is GCing his own project,
but he's also doing a lot of the work himself
so he can keep the budget down.
So that actually helps me so I can bring in
those beautiful specialty items
that really make the house stand out.
[sighs] This is my wife's closet.
All this for a closet.
[sighs] Crazy.
[hammering]
[clattering]
[Levi] So today, I would like to show Alison the progress
that we're doing with the framing,
how everything is partitioned off
where we can actually see the room...
Come a little bit alive with the skeleton.
- Hello. - Hi. How are you?
I'm good. Look at you with your new stairs.
- [Levi] Right? Yes. - [Alison] Very impressed.
- You weren't kidding with these guys. - [Levi] Yeah.
The patio doors out on the back are gonna be at the end of the month.
- The sliders? - Yes, the sliders.
- The fridge is coming today. - Oh good.
- And what do you think about this? - Beautiful.
[Alison] The pier mirror we're going to paint black.
- Yeah. - Go figure. And we're gonna put it here.
- I want to see upstairs. - [Levi] Yes.
- I have not seen this. - Okay.
Now, one step at a time.
You know me, inappropriate footwear all day long.
Wow.
This is my daughter's room.
- Bathroom. - Yeah, big bath.
- Bed's gonna go against that wall. - Mmm-hmm.
- Awesome. - Yeah.
- Taking shape. - Right?
- Does that make you feel better? - A lot better.
- I can sleep now. - [laughs] Yes.
- This is the main bedroom. - Look how big.
- Does it feel good to have a bedroom this big? - Yeah.
- Bathroom's here. Shower. Closet. - Shower.
- This feels good. - It does.
Even the basement's framed in.
- Wow. Look at you. - Right?
[Alison] So now you've got a beautiful repoured basement with rebar.
It takes a very strong and special person
to GC their own project.
And it was a bit of a hurdle,
but we're here and I'm proud of him
and it feels like we're on track.
Now I'm feeling like the red flag is like, me.
'Cause he's moving so fast that I'm like, "Okay, wait.
I don't want to be one of his subs that holds him up."
That'd be a funny turn. I help him and save him,
and then I completely screw him
'cause I can't get cabinets on time.
Work on East is really picking up.
The carpenters have started framing the addition.
Electrical, plumbing, they're all roughed in.
Insulation's being installed,
and the appliances and cabinets have been ordered.
So, we're two months out from Levi's move-in date
and it is go-time.
So, today, I am meeting with Levi
and we are tile shopping.
So, you can go with the cookie cutter look
and you can go with something that's very builder's standard,
and I'm not about that.
Let's find something gorgeous.
- So we wanna elevate the house, you know? - Yeah.
Understanding what that looks like with the budget
and still, like...
You know, there's a way to mix and match things.
- So, there's a lot of tile. - [Levi] I know.
- See, I love something like this. - Ooo!
- Right? That's really cool. So, like... - Yeah.
...I would run the entire main bath floor...
- Okay. - ...into the shower.
- So it's really seamless, right? - Yeah.
Gives it a little more of an antique look.
What are you envisioning, or, if anything?
- No. I don't have any vision right now. - [Alison chuckles]
- Well, that's why I'm here. - That's right.
This is really nice.
What do you think about that?
[both chuckling]
That's like a expensive laugh?
- [Levi] Mmm-hmm. - [Alison chuckling]
[Levi] Do you get a discount on this one or no?
- Yeah, of course I get a discount. - Cool, okay.
[Alison] You know, I think Levi's overwhelmed
because he has a lot going on.
When you're GC'ing your own project
your wheels are turning and turning.
[Levi groans] My drywall just came in.
- Oh, God. How much? - $25,000.
What did you think it was gonna cost?
Well, $20,000.
- [Levi laughs] - [Alison] So you're $5,000 over.
- Well. - [Alison] So do some negotiating.
- [yawns] We'll try. - Well, what are you gonna do?
Pretend I'm the drywall guy and I just gave you the price.
- The price is $25,000. - [Levi groans, inhales]
That's your negotiating?
You're just gonna take a deep breath?
- I don't know. What would you do? - [Alison laughs]
Honestly, you know what I would do?
I would say, "How can we make this work?"
They'll probably let me buy the supplies, which is fine.
See? So that's why we need to make sure
- we're picking some stuff that we're saving money on. - Yeah.
There's still a lot more to do on this job,
so I'm just trying to chip away at it.
All right.
Boom.
[Alison] Out at the farm today, checking in.
I wanna do something that's really cost-effective for Levi.
I told Ari on the phone, I'm like,
"Listen, I have a client. We don't have a big budget.
Please help me come up with something creative
but that looks like a million bucks."
- What do you got? That's the stuff you're... - Ow! Okay, this is that
- pole wrap stuff I told you about. - You were talking about that,
- yeah. - I mean, it's like... It's in every big box store.
Do they really just wrap poles with this?
[Ari] Yeah. That's what it's for. Basements, right?
We should start doing that for your houses.
- Wrapping poles? - [Ari chuckling] Yeah.
That's probably gonna be the end of my career,
- if that's what I do. - [Ari chuckling]
Here's the deal with this house.
I told you about this guy.
- [Ari] Yeah. - He's such a sweetheart.
He is GC'ing his own job.
He got screwed over real bad and, you know,
- money's just continuing to just bleed out. - Just...
But I was thinking about the hood. I'm like,
- "He can't spend that much on the hood." - Yeah.
- So this is the box. - What size is the range?
- Is there... Add an extra... - 36.
So this is bigger than the range, which is fine.
Uh-huh. Uh-huh.
Can we make it a little smaller?
Just slice it as a box.
- Oh, jeez! - Sorry.
- Shoulders. - [Alison] Careful!
[Ari laughing] It just gave right out.
- [Alison] And you just sliced through that. - [Ari] Look at that.
- Bad Shoulders, they call me. - Yeah.
- My arms get stuck sometimes. [chuckling] - Oh!
When I was bouncing,
a guy took my arm like this, like, three guys,
- and bent it like this over here. - Yeah, why?
- Back in your bouncer days? - [Ari] Yeah.
[Alison] Ari, how many girlfriends did you have back in the heyday?
- [Ari laughing] - Back in the Bob Wheeler days.
- I'm not gonna say. - You were just...
- Yeah. Trouble. I was trouble. - ...ploughing through Chicago.
- [Ari] Trouble. - [both laughing]
- [Alison] We're talking over 1,000. - [Ari laughing]
[Alison] Look at you!
[Ari laughs] That was like 50 years ago.
That guy
had a really good time.
I've had, like, five boyfriends.
Loser.
Maybe this is my year to just get to 10.
[all laughing]
So, what do you think of that? Looks cool.
[Alison] This is a cool idea. Cost-effective,
- very modern. - [Ari] Easy.
Love, love, love this look.
We're literally gonna wrap a box of plywood
but some metal underbelly on it for the heat
stick the insert in there,
and stain it and call it a day.
Checking in on Levi.
There's tons of progress.
The main bath is really coming along
with most of the tile installed.
He's got all the pieces that we bought.
So every single piece,
like, he needs to know exactly what we're doing.
Hi!
- [Levi] Hi! - It's a little smoky in here.
[Levi] Yeah!
- How are you? - What are you doing?
You're doing all of it yourself?
- [Levi] Yep. - Such a DIYer.
Can I ask you about the front door?
This style, yeah?
- This style's perfect. - Okay.
Yeah, you take an old door like this.
- It's just intricate and gorgeous. - And it's black.
And then you do a really clean handle
- with a new dead bolt. - All right.
[Alison] And that front door,
- your neighbors are gonna love you. - Yeah.
[Alison] Do you love the cabinets?
[Levi] I love the cabinets.
[Alison] They're so beautiful and soft.
[Levi] Nicole loved the cabinets.
[Alison] Aw, thank you for trusting me on it.
I did not expect to walk in
and see the kitchen cabinets assembled.
Look at this!
[Levi] It's crazy.
- [Alison] Crazy cool. - [Levi] Right?
And that's why these pieces have to be black,
because think about how stately that is.
- Wow, yeah. - Right?
And just, like, the colorway of these cabinets is so soft.
It just goes with the home.
We're not trying to go super contemporary.
I want these really pretty, traditional elements
and I think, with this cabinet color,
just, like, warms the space.
And we got all the windows outside black,
so we're bringing that whole, like, feel inside.
We'll do... Are we doing black spindles?
Uh, yes, it's gonna be metal.
- Good. - All metal. It's black.
I mean, everybody knows the color for her.
People are, like, doing, like, drinking games to it.
Black and then black,
and then black and black and black.
When you're dealing with pieces like this, you have to retrofit them.
And so, if you're retrofitting a piece that is old,
it's impossible to do it
if you keep it in a stain grade.
And also black is beautiful.
It cleans pieces up, gives it a crisper look.
- And then, with the brass that's gonna be on. [exhales] - To feel... Oh!
- It's gonna be stunning. - When any man says that, I love that.
- Stunning. It's gonna be stunning. - Yeah. Yeah. Stunning.
[Levi] So, this... I don't know where this belongs
- because, obviously, it's not gonna meet the height. - Okay.
This is not gonna be easy to do,
but I feel like you're up for the challenge.
- Mmm-hmm. - [Alison chuckling]
[Alison] I would like for you
to cut down the base cabinets.
- What? - Yeah.
Cut it down, like what?
Just cut it down
so this fits perfectly
- to the opening. - [Levi] Oh!
What is 43 and five-eighths
- minus... - [Levi] 32?
[Alison] Yeah, just give me 32.
11 and three-quarters.
So we need to cut this 11...
- [Levi] Three-quarters. - ...three-quarters.
Okay, the way that I've designed the floorplan
is that your sectional
is gonna go like this
- and like this. - Right.
- So you're never getting into these anyway. - Right.
- And we put this on top. - Okay.
You're just lowering this. That's all we're doing is just lowering this
so we can accommodate these two layers.
These two layers are the most important layers.
- So... - These two are the reason I wanted you to buy it.
The length of this is... This is shorter than that.
- [Alison] Why? - 'Cause it is.
- [Alison] I didn't know that. - Well, it is.
I just... I made a mistake.
I didn't really look at this piece
and I didn't realize how it puzzled together.
65...
- [Levi] And that's 75. That's 75. - ...and five-eighths.
I still don't mind it.
But you want it on top of this one?
[Alison] Yes.
- [Levi] Okay. - [Alison] Why?
[Levi] Do you want it centered
- or do you want it... - Centered.
And also this is wider.
What?
The length of this... This is shorter than that.
[Alison] I didn't know that.
Well, it is.
And also this is wider.
What?
Deeper?
[Levi] It's deeper.
He's trusted me to this point,
but I think he saw me question myself...
Why are you doing, like, this, the rub?
- No, I'm just, I'm just... - It's like the thinking rub.
- [Alison chuckles] - I'm thinking with you.
- I'm done thinking. - Okay.
...and that is when I realized, like,
"I can no longer show any signs of weakness."
Cut it down, sheet it out,
flush it out,
center it, plaint it black.
Okay.
- How cool. - [Levi] Yeah.
You're making progress.
It has been such a long 11 months
on this East project,
and Levi's been in there getting his hands dirty
with his crew the entire time.
All of his sweat equity is gonna definitely pay off
and we're just a couple of weeks away from finishing.
Do you have any more black paint?
- I do. - Okay, let's paint that wall.
All the pieces from Reuse Depot are in.
The built-ins behind the sectional look really good.
It's just all coming together.
I got Ari, I got Nelson,
we got the hood going up.
[men grunting]
[Alison] I thought this could be a really cool,
modern look for the hood and very linear
and kind of bring the eye up and cost-effective.
It looks awesome.
Levi's here. We are just gonna knock things out.
Okay, it's hardware time.
Ooo, look at that.
[Alison] That is like jewelry.
That's like my bracelets.
That's like my necklaces.
This is the jewelry of your kitchen.
- Wow. - This is the real deal. Look at this.
- That goes there? - [Alison] Do not ever put 'em here.
- Always here. Always here, okay? - All right.
Brass. Clear. Yep.
- Yep. - Beautiful.
So, I have the whole family here today. The kids are here.
But I wanted to do something really special with them, so,
instead of doing my go-to stained glass,
I felt, "Let's have the kids do some glass painting."
You know, now that we have this really special front door...
- [all] Yeah! - ...then we have to make this window super special.
- He's gonna make the Philippine flag, he said. - [Alison gasps]
You are?
This is the creative freedom juices
I need to see, okay, kids?
- Who wants to start? - [boy] Me.
[Alison] Okay, we got one ladder here.
- [girl] Good job! - [Nicole] Good job!
[Alison] Good job.
- And you're gonna do a pretty butterfly? - [girl] Uh-huh.
[Alison] Yeah! We're gonna have a real masterpiece here.
That looks so good.
This is what we're doing?
- [boy] Yeah! - [Alison chuckling] Okay.
[boy] I think it's good.
He's happy.
I like the bee right here.
You think it's this?
- Yeah. - [boy] It's a thumbs up.
That's a thumbs up for sure.
Front door is in, looks good.
We need to paint it black.
It has to be stately,
it has to be beautiful
it has to match the window trim.
And then the countertops are finally getting installed.
They're this beautiful honed quartz
with this neutral veining.
And I'm gonna use the same slab material
to run it all the way up for the backsplash.
Ari and I are gonna go ahead and put up the pole wrap,
same material that I used for the hood,
behind the main bathroom vanity.
Okay.
I mean, this couldn't be stickier or...
[Ari] More Ari.
- [Alison] So Ari. - [Ari chuckles]
[Alison] All right, let's go.
So, getting that pole wrap up,
it looks so good in the main bath.
So, it makes you eye go up.
It's a little more of a contemporary feel,
but I think it works for this house.
- [Ari] Very cool. - [Alison] It's just a very cool idea.
The hood is next and I'm gonna use the same material
as I did in the bathroom vanity behind the mirrors.
There you go.
- [Alison] Good? - Yep, perfect.
- Cool hood, huh? - Yeah.
Cool concept.
Whose idea was that?
- Mine. - [Ari chuckling]
It's just all coming together.
And the next time I see it,
it's gonna be, like, staging time
and ready to just, like, reveal it to the family.
Look at your new house.
God, look at that. Oh, my God.
- [Nicole gasps] - Yeah! That's right!
I've been looking forward to this day
for a very long time.
I get to do a lot of homes
and I get to work with a lot of clients
and none of them have pulled at my heart strings
like this job and like this family.
I've never seen a husband or a father work so hard.
That's the beauty of this one.
And it's just turned out to be
the best project I've ever done.
- But let's talk about this first. Okay. - No. All right. Let's do it.
You had this home that was so gorgeous and stately
- and just had the bones of Chicago architecture. - [Nicole] Mmm-hmm.
♪ Oh♪
[Alison] Just a little bit of paint, a new front door
and some exterior lighting changes the game.
- And your house is gonna shine so bright. - Right.
I remember being in here...
- Yep. - ...it was totally gutted...
- Mmm-hmm. - ...and you told me you were gonna be the GC
- and I was like, "Hmm!" - "Hmm!"
[both] "Ha!"
I have never been more impressed with somebody...
- Wow. - Oh!
[Alison] ...ever.
- What! - You... Watching you, bro...
- You took something that you were, like, scared of... - Yeah, yeah.
- ...and then you overcame all these obstacles. - Mmm-hmm.
And I don't care if it was front door
or if it was that basement and that entire process,
and you just were like, "You know what?
- Where there's a will, there's a way." - [Nicole] Mmm-hmm.
And you never stopped.
You showed me what it's like
because I saw myself through your eyes.
- [Nicole and Levi] Aw! - Yeah. 'Cause I've been there
- and I've gone through that process... - Yeah. Yeah.
- ...where people have screwed me over, so... - Yeah.
- Oh, my God, we just started! Are you kidding me? - [Levi exhales] I know!
You made it easy because I knew that
you and your crew were, like, behind it
and was just, like...
- Aw! - ...part of it, so...
- Aw, Levi! - [Levi chuckling]
- [Nicole] He's crying. - [Levi chuckling]
- [Alison] Oh! - [Levi inhales]
Now you're making me cry. Now we're all crying.
- And there's gonna be way more tears inside. - Okay.
[Nicole] Let's go. Let's go. I'm so excited.
[Alison] Don't peek.
- It's Christmas! I'm so ex... - [Alison and Levi chuckling]
Okay. And look at your new house.
Oh, my God!
Whose house is this?
This is so beautiful.
- [Levi chuckling] - Oh, my God, look at that. Oh, my God.
[Alison] Look at this house.
- Look at the pier mirror... - This is... Oh.
[Alison] ...that you had.
- Do you remember? - [Nicole and Levi] Yeah.
- These stairs were supposed to be over there. - [Levi] Yeah.
[Alison] So, by doing the stairs in this location,
we gave you more room over here, which you'll see,
but, like, to have a real, proper entryway...
- But look at your front sitting room. - Oh, my God.
- And the light that comes in when these are open. - I know.
[Levi] Right.
Come on, look at this kitchen.
[Nicole] It's so beautiful.
- This really does look like a million-dollar kitchen. - [Levi] Yeah.
Did it come out of a magazine?
[Alison] Look at your hood and how it pulls in
the veining from this countertop.
Oh, my God, we didn't even talk about the countertop.
And the gold pulls the gold back in from the hardware.
We went all the way up with the backsplash.
[crying] I can't believe this.
I can't believe this is my kitchen,
- that I get to cook my crazy food here. - [Alison laughs]
Did you see this?
Oh, my gosh. Ah!
This was the ugly piece thing that was in the middle of...
- This was the ugly thing in the middle of the room. - [Levi] This was,
this was, this was, like, the least thing
that I wanted to work with.
It was just kind of like, "Wow, where are we going with this?"
[Nicole] His hand wouldn't move to write that check.
- Yeah. [laughing] - It would not move.
- [Alison] It doesn't fit and-- - [Levi] It doesn't fit
- it's the wrong size. - [Alison] Yeah. It's not,
it's not as deep, but, you know what?
Those are those challenges that you overcame
- without me. - Right.
[Alison] I gave you the direction,
and instead of saying, "No,"
you just said, "Yes,"
and you made this work.
- You love this now, right? - I know. And look, it's so functional.
- Oh, yeah, it's my favorite piece. - It's your favorite piece?
It is. It is my favorite piece.
And that piece that was, right,
something he despised,
to now hear him say that it's his favorite piece,
it doesn't get better than that.
- Thank you for trusting me. - Oh, yeah.
Thank you for trusting my vision because
- this is how it comes together, you know? - [Levi] Mmm-hmm.
We're gonna live in a beautiful house.
Do you wanna go see your bedrooms?
- Oh! - [Levi] Yeah.
- [Alison] Come on. - [chuckling]
No!
Oh, my...
- Oh, my God! - Yeah! Ba-cha-cha-cha! That's right!
[Nicole] Elle is gonna go crazy.
Look at her view.
And look at her bathroom. She's like a little superstar.
- Look at the tile that we picked. - [Levi] Whoo-hoo!
- The tile shopping. - Oh, the tile shopping!
- That was a day. - [Alison laughs]
[Nicole] This is his favorite thing.
This entire process, he was like,
"I'm just gonna trust the process,
I'm just gonna trust Alison's vision."
- [Alison] Are you ready to see your room? - [Nicole] I'm so excited.
[Alison] Okay, let me close your eyes again. Keep 'em closed.
[Nicole] Oh, my gosh.
- Ready, Freddy. - Ready.
- Boom! - [Alison laughing]
- Hee-hee! - Goosebumps everywhere.
- [Levi] All this space. - [Alison] Look at this.
Your big closet for you.
- Beautiful, hon! - Ah.
[Nicole] Like, our bedroom right now,
Levi worked so hard
for the home we currently have also,
- but it's just a bed. - Yeah.
- No more just a bed. - [Levi] Mmm-hmm.
- Wanna see your bathroom? - I wanna see it!
- [Alison] Okay, you ready? - [Levi] Ah!
[Levi and Nicole] Wow!
[Nicole] Oh, my God.
This ties everything together, Alison.
My gosh. Oh!
Hon, this is the first time I am seeing this.
- No! - [Levi] Right?
- We can have a dancefloor here! - [Alison] Yes!
- We can make a TikTok video here. - [Levi] You know what?
- The kids can sleep in here. - [Nicole] Daddy, come on.
This is the biggest shower ever.
Look at this tile. Yes!
[Alison] Ah-ha, you trusted this.
For Levi to trust me, to trust the process...
Because I just watched this man
go through hell and back,
and when somebody messed with him,
it was like you were messing with my brother.
It was a massive hurdle.
[Nicole] This is so beautiful. I'm gonna cry.
This is so... I've never had anything this beautiful in my entire life.
[tearfully] No. There's so many resources that came in here, right?
- Yeah. - You and all the other stuff.
I just wanted to make sure that it wasn't taken for granted, you know?
- [crying] So I wanted to do the best that I can... - Mmm-hmm.
...to make it, you know,
the best for my family and...
- [children exclaiming] - [Nicole] Welcome home!
- [children exclaiming] - [Alison laughing]
[Levi] It's worth it. It's, uh...
Everything, all the hard work.
And the time away from the kids is just,
and Nicole and just,
uh, it's just worth it.