[Alison Victoria] Tonight on Windy City Rehab...
This is the worst one on the block.
There's really no beauty, but there can be.
-You're a GC, right? -[Austin] Yes.
-It's nice that you're a GC that's GC-ing his job. -Yes.
Yes.
Austin and Katie found this house in Forest Glen.
But, unfortunately, this floor plan is the worst that I've seen.
The only way you enter the laundry room is through the powder room?
-[Katie] Yes. -No.
I have to reimagine this first floor and second floor.
This guy has his own studio.
[Alison] This is just one of the 12 projects I'm doing.
The fun stuff is bringing in the beauty with these special pieces.
I need an artist and carpenter, so I had my team sift through resumes.
Today's gonna be rapid fire.
I wanna see what do ya got.
About, not less than 55, not more than 65.
[man speaking]
[Alison] So, I just designed this, and now we can't do it.
I'm not here to just select your cabinets.
-This would be the coolest thing we've ever made. -Could be.
[Alison] I'm here to design.
[gasps]
That is the most incredible thing I've ever seen.
-Are you excited to be done? -Yeah.
-You're tired. -Yeah.
It's much better with you designing than me.
-We did it together, though. -[Austin] Yeah.
-And we did it right. -[Katie] Yes.
[upbeat instrumental music]
[Alison] It really is a charming neighborhood.
I just love all the houses, the little bungalows.
I love it. That's probably why you fell in love with it, right?
Yeah. Still in Chicago, but doesn't necessarily feel like you're in Chicago.
-Exactly. And that's why people come out here. -[Katie] Mmm-hmm.
I'm out in Forest Glen. It's really a cool location.
Like, trails, hiking trails, but it's still the city.
Plus, you've got the forest preserve here.
-Yup. -[Alison] You don't have any houses in front of you.
-[Austin] We didn't wanna move all the way to the suburbs... -[Alison] No.
...but feel like we did.
-Got a suburban vibe. -[Austin and Katie] Yeah.
We wanted more space, and we wanted an actual house.
We were in a condo prior to this, so it was on the third floor.
So, we had three flights to walk up with our two little kids,
and we were just done with it.
So, we found this place.
[Austin] Our criteria was that we wanted to live next to a park,
and this is one of the greatest parks on the edge of the city limits.
We want curb appeal, because this is the worst one on the block.
-Sorry. -Agreed.
-Okay. 'Cause it's just there's nothing to it. -[Austin] Yeah.
[Alison] Maybe we add the really cool round window to the top,
-'cause everything's so square, blocky. -[Katie] Mmm-hmm.
[Alison] Color, obviously, has to go.
-Green. -Yeah.
-We'd be open to color. -[both] Yes.
When... Ideally, when do you wanna be in?
-[Austin] January. -Oh!
Okay, well, let's go over the scope, though. But I wanna see inside.
The house is stucco.
It's so unattractive.
There's no depth.
There's really no beauty, but there can be.
Oh, God, yeah. This is really charming.
-[Katie] Mmm-hmm. -[Alison] This front spot,
we could paint these and make 'em really good.
-[Katie] Yeah. -[Alison] Then, you come in this.
-This is the new entry. -[Katie] Yes.
[Alison] When you walk downstairs, what do you see?
-So... -These here, these are just supports.
[Austin] The load-bearing wall.
-These are just temporary supports in the way. -[Alison] Yup. Figured.
We already removed the load bearing wall,
so we're gonna do a bunch of steel.
-[Alison] Okay. -You can see the posts that we put in the wall already.
-[Alison] Yeah. Yeah. -So that we can get an open floor plan
-'cause this wall-- -You're a GC, right?
[Austin] Yes.
It's nice that you're a GC that's GC-ing his job.
Yes.
[gasps] Guys, can we do a stained glass window here?
What if we got rid of this one and did a big round?
-That sounds awesome. -Yeah?
-Yeah. -This is a money shot.
And this is staying.
-[Katie] Yes. -[Austin] Yes.
Yes.
-I'd pay big beaucoup bucks for this bad boy. -[Katie laughing]
-[Austin] That's been there for a while. -It is gorgeous.
Okay, so this is nice and open.
Do you have floor plans on you?
-Yup, they're over there. -You do. All right, I wanna see this.
Okay. Lot of questions. You don't have a pantry,
so you've gotta make sure you've got ample storage.
You don't have ample storage right now.
I don't have two kids and I want a pantry.
You... No.
Is this what you're assuming is your massive mud room?
-[Katie] Yes. -That's a lot of wasted space.
[playful instrumental music]
Yeah.
The only way you enter the washer-dryer laundry room is through the powder room?
-[Katie] Yes. -No.
[Katie laughing]
-What is this? -That's a microwave.
How would you put double doors there...
-[Katie chuckles] -...if you have a microwave sitting on a shelf?
Just open the doors, use the microwave.
[chuckling] No.
Can I just play around with this?
Because I don't love it.
And I don't think you're gonna love living in it.
And this house is so special.
It is. It's really cool.
There are a lot of things that we didn't necessarily consider or think about.
Right now, we're living in a two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment.
That's our investment property, so we're paying two mortgages right now
and just wanna be done.
And to see different ideas is gonna be really helpful, and we're excited.
Kitchen cabinet-wise, what are you thinking?
We haven't really talked about a lot of finishes yet.
We like an Italian-Montana home.
-Oh, Italian-Montana. -[laughing] Yes.
Italy meets Montana.
Okay.
-I mean, it sounds fancy. -[Katie] Yeah.
And rustic.
And then, ah! I heard you do cabinets.
-Yeah, we do. -So, you can build 'em all.
-[Austin] We can. -You will.
-We will. -[Alison] All right, let me see upstairs.
This floor plan
is just probably one of the worst that I've seen.
Nobody should walk through a powder room to get to their laundry.
Nobody.
Wait a minute, what is this?
That's your closet?
I wear the same clothes every day. I got contractor clothes, so...
She has more clothes than that.
-She has a lot of shoes. -[Alison] Do you have shoes? You wear shoes?
-I do wear shoes -[Alison] Where do you put those?
Right now, not a lot of space anywhere.
-That's why it's in our mud room. -[laughing] Yeah.
All right, all right.
Austin seems like he did these plans
'cause he's a GC. It's what he does for a living.
He's also a man.
No offense, men, but...
just don't.
So, I have to reimagine this first floor and second floor.
-Look how much room you have in here. -[Katie] Mmm-hmm.
What do you need in a bedroom?
-[Austin] A bed? -[Alison] A bed.
-You don't need this much room. -[Katie] Okay.
-And, then, I'd like to do bathroom closet here. -[Katie] Oh, yeah.
[Alison] So, let's give you a beautiful main,
but let's also give you a main en suite and a closet.
-I'm gonna be a better husband than you. -[Katie laughs]
Ouch.
With the floor plan.
-You're gonna love it! -Yeah.
Moving from a condo to a house on a double-wide lot,
you get used to small and just start thinking, "Small."
[Katie] It goes back to the budget to see what we can do,
but I'm excited.
[Austin] Yeah, very excited.
Nervous, but excited.
Where are you at budget-wise
to do all this work?
$350,000 was our overall total budget for everything.
Well, we're about $100,000 in with the demo,
-and there's asbestos. -[Alison] Got it. So, the hundred's out?
-So, you got $250,000 left. -250.
Okay. It's a tight budget.
Well, let me work my magic with my team
and, then, get back to you with floor plans.
-I think that's... I mean, that is the start. -[Katie] Mmm-hmm.
I'm gonna blow your minds. How about that?
-Yes. -Yes!
[energetic instrumental music]
[Alison] Hello!
-[Austin] Hello. -Hey!
Coming back to meet Austin. Had to fix this layout.
Last time I was here, I kind of was poking fun at him.
But I really meant it.
What are you doing?
Okay, let me show you what I've got,
because the last time I was here, I told you
-I wanted to play around with this area back here. -[Austin] Mmm-hmm.
And, then, I wanna play with upstairs.
-We want you to have more. -Okay.
[Alison] So, this is where the big changes come in.
So, now, you walk into the kitchen.
Remember before, you'd have to walk through your powder room
-to go through to your laundry? -[Austin] Yeah.
[Alison] Now, the powder room is its own room.
This laundry room should move into the mud room
so it can give you a big walk-in pantry.
And, then, with this new layout,
with the kitchen, mud room, and the office.
I think that you're just gonna be happier with this layout.
It's gonna look so cool.
I promise you.
All right, so, if you remember,
no one needs this amount of space.
Here is thoughts on the bedroom.
Half the size of your bedroom, which makes more sense.
And then, boom, you've got a humongous walk-in closet.
Now, you've got pocket pockets, so you close that off.
And, then, you go into the main bath.
-I love these pocket doors. -Isn't it great?
So, the room feels like one giant room when they're open.
-[Alison] It's gonna be beautiful. -[Austin] Yes.
[energetic instrumental music]
[Alison] The floor plan is locked,
and Austin's guys are making the framing changes happen.
[Austin] That 80 inches. Then, another 40-inch window here.
It's something we can achieve if...
[Alison] And, on the outside,
Austin is having to spend a lot of money repairing that stucco,
which is in really rough shape.
And the old windows are coming out, and I'm adding a round window to the top
to help with the curb appeal.
[energetic instrumental music]
-Fredrick! -[Fredrick] Hi, there!
[Alison] I'm meeting with Fredrick.
Every time I go into the shop, I'm happy,
'cause we get to design, we get to dream, and voila!
I have art.
I got a lot of projects.
-[Fredrick] Okay. -A lot.
But I wanna go over my first one. My favorite one.
One huge round window
at the landing of their stairs.
53-inch round.
-We've never done that. -That's big stuff.
My vision from the beginning was to do this big, beaming sun.
A little Frank Lloyd Wright-esque.
There's little circles in there.
-[Fredrick] Are there? -[Alison] Yeah.
How about we just call him?
'Cause if he doesn't say yes, we can't do the project, obviously.
-'Cause it's his house. -[line ringing]
-[Austin on phone] Hello? -Hey.
-[Austin] Hey. -Hey, real quick.
So, I'm designing this big, big round.
Are we dead set, then, on the sun?
-[Austin] Do the sun. -We're doing the sun! Okay, good.
[Austin] Can you text me the cost?
So, figure about, not less than 55, not more than 65.
[Austin exclaims]
-Yeah. -[Austin] Umm...
Let me try to think about it really quick. I'm, uh...
Of course.
-[Austin] Okay, thanks. -Okay, bye.
Now, I'm gonna translate that for you.
-He will not say yes for that price. [chuckling] -[Fredrick] Yeah. No.
He's not gonna say yes to that price.
Then, what can we do to minimize the cost?
Once the actual design is done,
and we step back and look at it,
that really is gonna tell me, truly, what dollars and cents.
I think what we do is we just...
We'll get different colors.
-Yeah, this one. -[Fredrick] Okay.
[Alison] This is the big son.
All right.
This bin over here has 100-year-old stuff.
[Alison] This is all just old stuff?
-[Fredrick] Yeah. -[Alison] Yes.
Fredrick starts pulling out all the good stuff.
100-plus-year-old glass.
Beautiful colors that you'll never see, ever!
So, we're starting to pull this palette together.
And then we'll call these our vibrant sea colors.
One, two, three, four.
Look at this sun beam.
Yes.
This is really pretty. He has to do this now.
-[chuckles] -Look how pretty it is!
So, when you walk into the house, that's the focal point.
-[Alison] So, you walk in... -Yeah.
[Alison] When you go left,
the landing to the stairs, it's huge.
And that big window is there.
It's a pretty strong statement.
-[Fredrick] Yeah. -Yeah.
This has to happen. This window is such a statement piece.
This window is truly what's gonna bring this house together.
They're gonna see it every day, the sun coming through.
I mean, it is...
This is a piece of art.
This would be the coolest thing we've ever made.
It could be.
[Alison] This is quite the palette.
[Fredrick] Yeah.
[cell phone ringing]
[Alison] Okay. We'll just see.
Yup! He said he's... He can't do anything.
He can't... He can't do this.
"I just signed on for $25,000 stucco repair."
So, I just designed this, and now I can't do it. So...
I'm here to design.
I'm not here to just select your cabinets.
The fun stuff is bringing in the beauty with these special pieces.
This window is worth every penny.
If they don't do it now, they're never going to.
So, I just designed this, and now we can't do it. So...
I mean, maybe I'll just send him a little video.
Maybe that'll inspire him.
-[upbeat instrumental music] -[line ringing]
-[Austin on phone] Hey. -Hey.
-[Austin] How's it going? -I mean, it's going.
-It's going. -It's going.
Yeah. I mean, this window is, you know,
a real statement piece in your house.
[Austin] Right.
-Okay. Well... -[Alison] All right, let me--
[Austin] ...let's do the window. So...
I can give up the landscaping and try and do that myself.
Yeah, give up the landscape so you can do the window
and, then, do landscape another time.
-[Austin] Okay. -Yeah.
Landscape can wait. This window can't.
You can say that you'll do it down the road,
you're not going to
[Austin] Just give me the best possible price.
For sure. Always. Always.
-[Austin] Okay, thanks. -[Alison] Okay, you got it. I'll let you know.
-[Austin] Bye. -[Alison] Okay, Bye.
We got ourselves a window.
Thank God,
'cause this is gonna be my real masterpiece with Fredrick,
'cause he will pull it off,
and it is going to be unbelievable.
[upbeat instrumental music]
Framing continues over at Forest Glen.
We can take this inch and a half here.
To this direction.
-Right. -Yeah, yeah.
[Alison] And Austin's guys are vaulting that front bedroom ceiling
to give it a more chalet feel.
The budget is so tight,
so Austin's gonna do a lot of the work himself.
-Hello! -[Austin] Hello.
Is chivalry dead?
-[laughs] -May I take that for you?
-Very good. It's not dead. -[laughs]
-[gasps] Is this green? -[Austin] Yeah.
-That's a nice color. -Shut up.
God, that's so sexy.
That is the most beautiful green.
So, that could be the island.
And, then, everything else would be the white oak.
For the kitchen backsplash,
I wanna run my scalloped marble green tile
all the way up to the ceiling with a metal hood.
We're gonna do white quartz countertops around the perimeter
with a giant live edge slab for the island.
-Yes. -Yeah?
-[Alison] Yes. -Yes.
I just need to blow his mind, because I wanna elevate it,
I wanna make it a little more sophisticated,
I want that refined, rustic look.
This would be cool if you match this color for the main bath.
We're gonna go with a deep blue cabinet
and a fan mosaic tile on the vanity wall to lead into the shower.
The shower is gonna have the larger scale marble tile.
And, then, we're gonna add this towel niche with shelving.
You hear me keep saying refined, rustic.
That's what I wanna see with your house.
A cleaner look.
All of a sudden your ugly house
is gonna be the greatest looking house.
-Isn't it? -Yeah.
It's gonna be like you're living at Sundance.
[instrumental hip-hop music]
Austin doesn't waste any time, and I love that.
He's already started to build the cabinets at his shop.
His guys also added the new round window in the landing
that we're gonna add that beautiful stained glass to.
They are pouring the concrete footings in the basement
to support the steel beams holding up the new open concept living room.
And once that steel beam goes in,
they can finally start removing those temp walls.
[hip-hop music continues]
I got a ton of projects.
I need an artisan carpenter who can see my vision,
make it come to life.
-It's your time. -It is my time.
[Alison] Ari is retiring.
It's one thing for me to find really cool pieces,
it's another thing for me to have somebody
who can help me build those pieces into the hardscape of a home.
That is what sets us apart from a lot of other people.
So, I had my team sift through resumes.
This guy's learning how to weld.
[Alison] Go through portfolios.
This guy has his own studio.
[Alison] Find the best of the best. Narrow it down. Give me four.
We invited the top four to meet us in person.
I wanna see them at work.
I want to condense a project into competition style.
I wanna see what you got. How do you do with pressure?
And let them be creative, with a little direction from me.
-Hi, guys. -[Julius] Hello.
-How are you? -Good. How are you?
[Alison] Good. You guys excited? This is so fun.
I'm Alison. This is my best friend, Britt,
who is now gonna be working with us.
Kristy is not only my friend, but she's my lead designer.
She knows what we need and what's gonna help the company, too.
We have 12 projects, so it's gonna be the most amount of projects
we've ever taken on, and we have strict timelines and budgets,
and we need to stick through that.
With so many projects. That's why I think we might need two.
Today's gonna be rapid fire.
You guys are making one of my favorite pieces, a pier mirror.
I'm always putting them in my houses,
and I just wanna see what type of custom builds
you can do in just a few hours.
You're gonna shop inside of Rebuilding Exchange.
So, they have reclaimed wood and old cool pieces.
Wow us.
-You ready? -Yeah.
Four hours. Time starts now.
Go, Go, go, go!
[instrumental hip-hop music]
[Danny] I'm excited. I'm nervous. [exhales sharply]
A little bit of everything. But, overall, I'm feeling confident.
I've been a woodworker full-time since about 2010.
I quit my job at Target.
I've been doing woodworking ever since, and I absolutely love it.
Two more pieces to cut.
I wanna work with Alison because
there's so many possibilities of different designs
and projects that we can accomplish together,
and make a renovation even more beautiful.
-This is my section, man. -[laughs]
It's definitely different working with other guys
in the same space I'm supposed to be competing against.
But everybody's in their own lane. They all have their own style.
I would describe myself as a multidisciplinary artist.
I was working corporate and I was doing outside sales.
Eventually, I lost my job.
I was trying to figure out what to do. Bought some furniture and refinished it.
Turned out I liked it, so I... [laughs]
I did it again, and I did it again. That was ten years ago.
Alison is driven,
and I just wanna be around people that are driven
and passionate about what they're doing.
[epic instrumental music]
[Keith] Even though we're using really old stuff,
my goal is to make a pretty solid piece that looks new.
When I went to college, I got a fine arts degree,
came up here, pursued sculpture.
And, then, '08 happened.
So, we went more of the design cabinet-making way,
and that's where we are now.
[David] My background is in corporate America.
I don't have a background in woodworking.
Around 2012, I took it on as a hobby.
Once the pandemic hit
and, then, my girlfriend said, "Hey, you're pretty good at this type of stuff.
Why don't you give it a shot?"
And so, now, here I am.
This is my shot.
[instrumental hip-hop music]
I was looking for something that can help me achieve a nice, beefy mirror.
I found some cedar, which is not really... You know?
Usually, we use it for outdoor stuff.
But, hey, it can work. And it's a tongue and groove,
so it's gonna really help me time-wise, connecting.
And it's been great so far.
[saw buzzing]
[Keith] It's a big endeavor in four hours.
But I think the material is really great.
Key was finding a solid wood door
that I knew was gonna be straight, relatively usable material,
with minimum reclaimed screws and nails in it.
[energetic instrumental music]
I'm more of a "Let's see it, let's plant it on the fly, and let's wing it."
And, then, if it turns out well, it turns out well.
I'm gonna do my best, though.
I'm rushing. You know, we're running out of time.
[saw buzzing]
-[glass breaking] -[all exclaiming]
[David] I was test-fitting the mirror to the back.
I nicked the corner of it,
and it just shattered.
-How's it going, boys? -[David] Not good.
It's not going... Why?
-[David] I broke the mirror. -[Alison] Oh, no.
-[David] Yeah. -It's not over till it's over.
-It's over. It should be over now. [laughs] -No.
-[glass breaking] -[all exclaiming]
[David] I broke the mirror.
-[Alison] Oh, no. -[David] Yeah.
Well, it's not over till it's over.
-[David chuckles] -You know what I mean?
-It's over. It should be over now. [laughs] -No.
I know what it's like when you can't get out of your own head
and out of your own way.
-How's it going? -[Danny] Hi. Pretty good, thanks.
What's your plan?
I love Art Deco.
-And, so, I wanted to go for an Art Deco-style mirror. -Okay.
-You're on the right track. -Thank you.
[Alison] Yeah.
-What is this? -A little piece of brass.
-[Alison] You found it? -Yeah, you said you wanted a little bling.
It'll be nice. That way, when they hang up their keys,
-you know they're not beating up the door. -Okay.
Ooh!
Look at this.
Look at this!
[Julius] It's a competition, right?
[Alison speaking]
-[Julius] Yeah. -[Alison] What?
Okay.
All right, I'll leave you guys alone.
They're sweating, and they're not eating lunch.
These guys are really working... hard.
So, I'm just trying to give them their space.
And, then, time's up in, like, an hour and a half.
I'm gonna give you my take.
And, then, I'm curious on your take.
Keith, pristine, professional craftsmanship.
I've never seen anything so clean.
-He picked a door. That's what he went out there and got. -[Kristy] It's clever.
It is clever.
-He'd give you his time. -Yeah.
We need clever.
If this fits,
I think I've finished.
-Okay. So, the guy in the back with the glasses... -[Alison] Danny.
...super cool. I really like him,
creative. I can't wait to see it.
A lot more things are going out of my head, but... [chuckles]
most of all, this finish needs to dry. [chuckles]
And then, Julius...
[mechanical tool whirring]
-He did all the reeding himself... -Yeah.
-...which is badass. -Very cool.
Every time you walk by, it just looks cleaner and more refined,
and something that people are gonna be comfortable spending
-this type of... -Very high quality.
-It looked like high quality. -Yeah.
Time constraint was a challenge, you know, but... [chuckle softly]
um, overall, I feel pretty good about it.
David doesn't look like he works well under pressure.
He does seem to be stressing a little today.
-Yeah. -This has been a lot.
-Yeah. -[Britt] He looks stressed.
[sighs in frustration]
I don't want this to be on the floor.
I don't want to break in someone's home.
-It's shoddy work. -Okay.
-It's not my day today. -Why?
Eh, you know, the clock was running down, and...
-Yeah. -...I'm, like, gonna try to do some of these quick fixes,
and it really didn't work out.
It only made it a little bit worse, so...
It's not my best showing. I know I can do a hell of a lot better.
Don't beat yourself up.
David had a bad day.
[grunts softly]
[Alison] I feel bad, but I'm so grateful
that he came out.
Okay... Let me see.
Keith went and got a door,
and deconstructed the door.
Your craftsmanship is beautiful.
-[Keith] Thank you. -I love the stain
because it's black, but you still get that grain...
-It's a nice feature. -The depth of it.
-I think it looks beautiful. -Thank you.
Danny! This is cool.
This is so cool!
-The detailing, the softness... -[chuckles]
...this bow-tie look.
It's crisp, it's cool.
Finished product is awesome.
Awesome.
It's so my style, right up my alley.
Oh, Julius...
You are speaking my language.
-Okay. -This is so cool.
[Julius] I leaned into it and decided to go rustic,
-and it worked. -Yeah. Are you proud of this?
I'm... I am... I'm... I'm proud of it.
Well, I'm really impressed.
-Awesome. -Really impressed.
He took this old wood, planed it down,
routed it, and gave me this reeded look
that was imperfect but perfect.
And then did the gold leafing over it
to give it that real antiqued look.
Why would I just pick one?
All three of them showed me today that they have what it takes,
and that they're eager and they're hungry for it.
I have projects in mind for all three of these guys.
I want to get them working as soon as possible.
Austin has blown me away as the GC.
The new fireplace is in.
[abrupt drilling]
His guys are already finishing with drywall,
and laying down the flooring in the bedrooms.
-All right, let's pick the paint color now. -Okay.
I know we talked about green.
-Like a darker green? -Yeah, I want to go with green for sure.
I love this. I really do love that.
One of the things that he said to me from the beginning was,
"We hate the look of the outside."
There's a way to make it look better with paint.
Let's do this.
Back her up.
Backing it up.
[Austin] I think I like darker,
because especially, you know,
-as it gets... it wears... -I love dark. Would you want to go
-one more down? -Yeah.
[Alison] If you are ready to take that risk,
-I'm into it. -But maybe not that green.
[Alison] What if you do basil?
-Oh, yeah. Basil probably would work. -It's really cool.
All right. Let's do it basil.
-Whoo! Yes! -Done... Done, settled.
-Austin? -Do my whole house.
We're best friends.
Hi, Fredrick!
-[Fredrick] Hello there. -How are you?
-[Fredrick] Better than ever. -Good to see you.
-Looking good. -You feeling good?
I do stained glass with you all the time.
I've never done anything like this.
-I have been dreaming of it. -All right.
Okay, I'm gonna just sit right here
-and you can do an unveiling for me. -All right.
I never get things revealed to me, so this is really cool.
Oh, my...
Oh, my... hell.
Look! Austin's gonna freak out...
in the greatest way.
I've had so many people come in
and look at this. They were freaking out.
[Alison] It's better than I could have ever expected.
[gasps in awe]
This piece is going to be unbelievable.
Austin and Katie are going to have something that no one has,
right smack in the middle of the house.
And I am blown away.
-[Alison] Look at that. -[Austin] That's soft maple,
so it has more of the streaks
-in it. -And look at this beautiful detail.
[Austin] I even like the natural color.
-[Alison] This one's a winner, for sure. -Yeah, it's cool.
We are going to find some slabs.
I had this idea of doing these really cool, thick, live edge slabs
in the main bathroom for towels and all that.
And then he was like, "Well, what if we do more,
and put it on the mudroom benches?"
I love that he's still open to that idea,
because, you know, at this point in time,
he's a little stretched with his budget.
[Austin] Wow.
I like that. Is that poplar?
[Austin] That's mahogany. That's what the doors are.
So, I could stain it the same color as the doors.
Is that a crime?
Yes, yes. Absolutely.
We're not gonna stain it.
[Katie] Maddie, are you ready to test out the paint?
-Yes. -[Katie] Okay.
-This is heavy. -[Katie] Yep.
Ma, I want to paint the walls.
[Katie] Okay, let's go paint the wall.
[Alison] Austin's team keeps making awesome progress.
[drilling]
The round window upstairs is in,
and Austin has clad the entire front room in cedar
to give it that Park City vibe.
The cabinets are going in,
and they're installing all the shelving in the walk-in closet.
-[indistinct chatting] -[drilling]
[man] There we go.
[Alison] And they're building a metal firewood holder down the side
of the fireplace.
[sparks crackling]
I mean...
Am I in Aspen?
[Austin titters]
-Hello! -Did you... Was this just, like, a...
"Okay, let's clad it all in wood"?
-Do you like it? -I love it!
This is like a cabin.
This is exactly what you love.
I walk in. It feels like I'm in a chalet.
And these are really fun things that Austin's doing
on his own.
I think he thinks I need to hold his hand more than I do,
but this is proving that I don't.
Wow. [gasps in excitement] Yes.
-[Austin] Your window? -Are you... uh...
[Austin] Nice.
You're gonna have an Instagram moment there.
[Austin] Have you seen my floor?
-[Alison] No. -Oh, my gosh.
Oh, my gosh!
-I just-- -He's, like, the male version of me.
-[giggles] -...I was going to do brick, unfinished,
-and then... and then I just saw these. -Ooh. Oh, come on!
-[Austin] Do we want it to match the floors? -Yes!
-[Austin] Okay. -Get the door this.
Get the chalet this.
[gasps] Cool!
This looks awesome. I didn't know you had it done already.
-[Austin] This is very rustic, but it's perfect. -Why... It should be rustic.
-The whole look we're going for... -Yeah.
-...refined, rustic.
It's cool, right?
God, it's cool.
I really love Austin.
I'm having so much fun with him.
But he looks disheveled.
I've never seen his hair like that.
It looks like a big mushroom.
You need a haircut.
-[laughs] -You're top-heavy now.
I've lost my hairstylist.
-It's been going real bad for me. -[wheezing laughter]
She got rid of men's haircuts.
You know, I used to cut my dad's hair.
-Yeah? -Yeah. And my brother's.
If you want me to cut your hair, I could cut your hair.
Do you have time for a haircut tomorrow?
Yeah. I'll be there at 11:45 sharp.
[Alison] Are you serious?
I made that whole thing up.
I think I remember watching my sister cut my dad's hair.
And I never did.
-I'm expecting a professional... [laughs] -11:45,
-I'm putting you in. -[laughter]
-[chortles] -[Austin chuckles]
You are gonna look awesome.
I spent my morning looking up
[laughing] how to cut a man's hair,
because I'm about to...
[bleep] his head up. [laughs sheepishly]
[Austin] Ah, [sighs] I did not think
that she was serious about cutting my hair. But here I am.
[Alison] Okay. I'm so excited for you.
You're my first ever client.
[groans softly] All right. I'm excited.
[laughs nervously]
-[Alison] It can't get worse... -Mmm.
...from what you have.
-[laughs] -It probably could.
This is not great.
-Mmm. -This is more like Teen Wolf...
Yeah.
-It's a little overgrown. -...if you're going for that vibe.
-[Alison] All right. -Just go against the grain.
-[Alison] "Against the grain"? -Yeah.
[electric razor buzzing]
-I know what I'm doing. -[giggles]
[continuous buzzing]
What's the worst that could happen?
[Austin] Just don't cut me.
-This is seriously amazing. [chuckles] -[chuckles]
[laughs in delight] I'm just in awe.
I don't have to blur my background anymore
-for Zoom. [laughs] -[laughter]
-You don't have a style right now. -[Austin] Mmm-mmm.
You... called "shipwrecked" or something. I don't know what you call this.
But, God, you've got a lot of hair.
-Hey, do you know that old-timey barber saying? -What is it?
What's the difference between a good haircut and a bad haircut?
-Two weeks. -Oh.
-[giggling] -I'm usually covered in dust, so...
I think you're more of a Clark Kent.
-Really? -Yeah.
I think you look fantastic.
I wouldn't even go back to work. I would go party.
-Just go party? -[chortles]
-I have a meeting at 2:00, so... -Cancel.
-[laughter] -Cancel it.
Moving day at Forest Glen is right around the corner.
-Austin's building shelving for the office. - [tool whirring]
-[hammering] -[man, distantly] One sec.
[hammers]
[Alison] The rest of the flooring is going in.
The mudroom's getting tiled.
[electric saw buzzing]
They're welding the hood,
and putting finishing touches on the island.
Austin has been busting his ass, working around the clock
to get this house finished on time and on budget.
Some of our painters have been working
through the night without sleep.
It's a lot of blood, sweat, and time.
Every resource that I've had, I've put into it. So,
we are all completely, completely exhausted.
It's gonna take me months
to sleep this one off.
[sighing] Ah...
[Alison] Huge shopping day today.
I can just go with Kristy and start buying things
for all of my clients.
Whatever inspires me and whatever I can find
for each space that might be perfect.
This has been here for a long time.
[Kristy] What about Austin's closet?
-For his wife's little makeup? -Yeah.
[Kristy] The big round mirror, I mean, can you imagine--
-Yeah. -...just getting ready for an event?
Well, this is so fun.
You could do a little sconce on each side
-for ultimate makeup lighting. -Yeah.
[Alison] Let's phone a friend again.
-[cell phone rings] -Okay.
[ringing continues]
-[Austin] Hello? -Okay. I found something for Katie.
Okay, look at it.
Ooh! Yes.
I think Katie would really like that.
[Alison] Hello!
[Austin] Hello.
[Alison] Look at that island.
That is a one of a kinder right there.
I mean, listen, you own a cabinet shop.
-Yeah. -You've got to show off.
You... This is you flexing.
-Are you... Are you flexing now? -A little...
-[Alison] Are you? -Yeah.
A little bit?
This looks ridiculously good.
You can never cut on this.
[Austin] I think we can finish it
without it looking like that's a finish.
-[Alison] Keep it looking like this. -Yeah, I know. I would like
-to not touch it. -Well, I am beyond in love.
My next kitchen, you can do.
Okay. I heard stained glass is here.
-It's down the basement. -[gasps] Well, go get it.
-[man] You good? -Yeah.
-So I'll go up first. -[man] Okay.
[Austin breathily] Thanks.
This is gonna be the most beautiful thing I've ever done.
-[Austin] Can you help us orient it? -Of course.
-[Austin] So, the sun is top left. -[man] Yeah.
[gasps]
[Alison] Now, we need to go clockwise.
Look at this! Right there.
-[Austin] Right there? -Right there!
-[Austin] Good? -That is the most incredible thing I've ever seen.
-Let me check it. Like... -God, this house...
This... You drive up, and you just fall in love with the house,
because you can see all the cedar in there.
Total city log cabin.
-[chuckling] -Look at this. It's so beautiful.
[gasps] Yes. This color is beautiful.
[gasps] You did a high gloss on this thing?
That's what you told me to do.
I didn't know you would listen.
I listen to everything.
Yeah, you actually do.
This looks stunning!
And then, what about hardware?
-Brass. -Brass, for sure.
The piece that we found from Salvage One,
the makeup vanity for Katie,
is better than I could have ever expected.
Doing it in a high gloss gave it this Art Deco look.
And we built it into his custom closets that he built himself.
[breathily] Phew!
Yes! Look at this!
-[Alison] It's perfect. [gasps softly] -Yeah.
Now, if that isn't a statement,
I don't know what it is.
I can't get over this.
-Are you excited to be done? -[Austin] Yeah.
-You're tired? -Yeah.
-But are you happy? -Yeah. I mean, it's... it's awesome.
It's beyond awesome.
Listen, the craftsmanship is beautiful when it comes to the cabinetry.
You are killing it.
The details are so perfect.
I know you're exhausted, but it's worth it.
-Every second. -Well, I... I always think about
-how I wasn't even going to have this room. -Yeah.
But, that... Yeah, that was clearly an oversight.
-[whispering] Yeah. -I was going... I was going cheap.
-[whispering] Yeah. -This is much nicer.
-She's gonna love this.
[Alison] There are so many details to finish at Forest Glen.
The beautiful pendants in the kitchen are going up.
The fireplace stone surround is in.
And I am loving my green scallop backsplash in the kitchen.
We kicked Austin out, and my team is racing
to make sure everything looks perfect.
-Don't look. -[chuckling] Okay.
-Ready to see your new house? -Yes.
Open up.
Oh... my gosh.
-It's done! I know! -[Alison] I'm really excited for you.
-[muffled] This is... -[Katie] Thank you for all your help.
-This is going to be amazing. -Oh, my God. Thank you for doing all of it.
-[Austin] Yeah. -You killed it.
This is your little cabin in the city.
This house was truly an eyesore on this street.
The floor plan before would have been the worst layout
for any house.
And now, it's the shining star.
-[Katie] I think it's awesome. -Yes.
[Katie] It's amazing.
This is the nicest house on the block.
You're just tired.
-Yeah. -[laughs]
-Do you want me to slap you and wake you up? -Yeah.
You haven't seen anything?
-No. I have not. -Okay. All right, You look...
-Just look down. -Okay.
[Alison] We'll just have you close your eyes.
All right, turn around. See your new...
-Oh, my gosh! -...chalet.
It feels very warm, very mountainy.
-Yeah. -I love it.
[Alison] All clad in wood.
-It's very refined, rustic. -[Katie] This is amazing.
-This is only the beginning! [laughter] -This isn't even your...
-You're not even in the house yet. -I know!
[Alison] I mean, it's your masterpiece.
Okay, I'm excited.
Come on in.
-All right. Don't look. -[chuckling] Okay.
Close them, close them, close them.
Okay. Ready to see your new house?
-Yes. -Okay. Open up.
Oh, my gosh!
This is amazing!
-This is seriously amazing. -[chuckles]
Oh, my gosh.
[Alison] This is yours. All your hard work paid off.
-This is awesome. -[titters] This is yours.
-Look at that view! -[chuckles]
- [Alison] Isn't that crazy? -[Austin] Yeah.
[Katie] Wow.
-[Alison] It's the coolest. -[Katie] Yeah!
[Austin] I was hesitant at first,
but after seeing it installed,
it's such a cool feature and so much color.
[Alison] We live in Chicago. You have the sun shining all the time now.
[Katie] Our kids are gonna freak out.
These doors gave us the arches that we needed,
because everything becomes so organic because of it.
[Katie] We said, "Italy," too,
and when we were in Italy, that was the one thing that I loved,
-was just the huge rounded doors in Italy. -Yeah.
So, I feel like that's brought that in, too.
-[Alison] That fireplace... -Yes.
...feels like we're in a mountain escape.
Really rustic look, but still super soft.
-My jaw is dropping for everything. -[chuckles in delight]
[Alison] And you get these different emotions as you go through the house.
That's when good design happens.
Because if you don't feel something,
then you didn't do it right.
And I feel like we did it right.
-Yeah. -It's really good.
[Alison] It's really good.
Detach yourself as the GC.
-I'm trying now. -Okay.
-Because I know you like... -Yeah. But I was
-here this morning, peeling. -I know.
-But take yourself out and be the homeowner now. -All right.
[Alison] We're not even in the best part yet.
Are you ready?
[Katie] I love it. [laughs in delight]
I'm just in awe.
[Alison] Now, you have everything
all in one, anybody's dream kitchen.
Look at this. Does it feel like it's your kitchen?
-No, this does not feel like my kitchen. [laughs] -[laughter]
[Alison] Look at all this space!
You have so much storage for anything and everything.
How would you ever get sick of this?
The arches came back from all the arches and the doors.
This hood is ridiculous.
-[Katie] Yeah. -It just looks so great.
There's so many places to look.
-Who has an island that's just a live edge? - [Katie] I know.
[Alison] Everything feels so warm, but then, it still feels so substantial.
Because you have all the elements of glass,
and brass, and black, and wood, and green.
It's unreal.
You pulled the green back in with the reeded island in the green.
[Katie] This is so cool.
-Isn't this amazing? -This is...
Hands down, one of my favorite kitchens that I've ever done.
I would live in this kitchen
all day long. It's so perfect.
-Welcome to your home... -Oh...
...office, mud room, laundry room.
[Katie] I don't have to blur my background anymore for Zoom.
[all laughing]
-[Alison] This is a home office. - [Katie] Yeah.
Thinking back to the original floor plan,
this is so much more functional.
I never imagined that we would live
-in a place like this. - [Austin] Just wait till it's covered in Legos.
[Katie laughs] I know! [laughter]
-[Alison] Aw. That's what makes it home. -[both chuckle]
Do you wanna see upstairs?
-Yes. -[Alison chuckles]
Here's your new... bedroom retreat.
Oh, my gosh!
-Wow. -[Austin] It's really spacious.
Yeah.
[Alison] This room was so big.
It's still huge.
And we have a big walk-in wardrobe.
[Katie] Well, without Alison,
we would not have had a closet,
we wouldn't have had a pantry.
What else wouldn't we have had?
-Sure. -[laughs]
Blame it on me.
Pocket door.
So now, you walk in, you can close your closet off.
All right, here's your closet.
[Katie] This is incredible.
And then look at what we did for you.
-[Katie] This is so cool! -This whole antique piece,
-you can do your hair and makeup here. -Yeah.
[Katie] I love it.
[Alison] Okay. Ready for your bathroom?
-Yes. -Okay.
-Welcome to your en suite. -Oh, my gosh.
Wow. It's unreal.
Look at the tile.
[Austin] Yeah, the mosaic tile.
And then you elevate it with the finishes.
The cabinet color is still in those rustic tones.
The granite has so much movement.
It's a great mix of masculine, feminine.
-And you have so much storage for towels. - [Katie] I know.
This is... This is so cool.
I'm very proud of Austin.
This is the biggest project he's done.
I can't believe that we get to call this our house.
[Austin] This is really fun.
It's much better with you designing...
-[chuckling] than me. [chuckles] -Thank you.
-We did it together, though. -Yeah.
The best part of it was the fact that you trusted the process.
-That's the coolest part. -He did tell me that was my birthday gift,
and my Christmas gift, [laughing] and my Mother's Day gift.
This is the greatest gift--
-Yeah. -...of all time.
Imagine what you're getting next year.
-[nervous and soft chuckle] -Am I getting a basement?
-[laughter] -[soft laughter]
-No, we don't have money-- -Yeah.
...for a basement. [laughs] We won't have money for a basement
-for a... -That's not next year.
...for a long time.
[Alison] It's been awesome.
-Yeah. -And I'm so happy for you.
-Yeah. [laughs] -This is the coolest house ever.