It is a... It's a lot of house.
Yeah. It needs a lot of work.
[Alison] There is so much potential in this beautiful,
dilapidated building.
And we're gonna have a lot of people looking at it
because we're renting it.
-You called the right person. -We called the right person.
[Alison] Back in April 2022,
I started one of the most ambitious projects in my career, Monroe.
It was built in 1885,
and it's one of the oldest, most run-down houses I've ever worked on.
Mike and Jim wanted to turn it into a short-term rental.
They're best friends and developers
who looked past the leaks and the rot,
and saw the potential of this classic old Chicago house.
We want to preserve what is old and beautiful
and hold on to all that Chicago charm.
But we ran into problems from the very beginning.
What do you mean, "permit"?
Like, as in "they don't have a permit"?
[man] Well, we haven't started because of that.
[Alison] Weeks turned into five months.
Monroe sat there and I just couldn't get straight answers out of these guys.
When do you think you're getting a permit?
-That's... that's what it's all dependent on. -[Mike] That's... that's our--
-[Alison] Have you submitted for a permit? -[Mike] No.
No!
What's been happening over the last three months, though, Mike?
I'm super confused.
This is the time to let them know,
"I'm so sorry. We're not gonna be able to help you."
It's bad for business.
Time to cut ties.
It is so hard to walk away from a project like this,
but I have to move on.
Hello!
[Mike and Jim] Hey, Alison.
-Long time, no see. -[Jim] Long time so see.
-How's it going? -Good, good, good.
-Good to see you. -Thank you.
-[Mike] We're all excited. -I'm excited.
-Nice to see you. -Hey. Nice to meet you.
[Mike] This is Tommy. Tommy is our GC.
[Alison] Six months later, I get a call from Mike.
He's like, "we got our permits.
Would you come back?"
I am a glutton for punishment.
I am back at Monroe.
Well, talk to me. I mean, obviously, I noticed the windows.
-This is all new. You poured all this. -[men] Yeah.
-[Alison] Awesome. -We completely demolished and replaced everything.
[Mike] We got tuck-pointing off, and new roof is on,
took up the slab, so we're ready to start demoing the rest of it.
Ultimately, waiting for approval
from the building department
because of the landmark status
is what took a long time.
And then by the time we got our permit,
it's coming on in winter.
So, you know, we got going on the interior,
but now we're able to get on the exterior.
We're close to downtown, we're close to the United Center.
You can walk to the West Loop restaurants.
You can get to a lot of things, so we're looking to get
a lot of people coming, and we want them to tell their friends
if we're gonna get top dollar for our vacation rental.
-Awesome. Time to bring the beauty back, right? -[both] Yeah.
-[Alison] Right? -That's right.
It's been a long time coming.
-Enter Alison. [chuckles] -[Alison] Ah, I know.
-[chuckles] -If you want me to do this,
you have to let me have complete design control,
obviously, within budget and all that.
-Yeah. -But you're hiring me 'cause you trust me.
So, trust my vision.
Don't push back.
-Let's move forward. -[Jim] Okay.
-I promise. -And we're looking to work with all your people?
-Yeah. Kristy, Christine. -[Jim] Kristy? Yeah.
It's gonna be great. We're hiring someone else,
bringing someone else on the team.
And we're gonna have some fun, special stuff, too.
-[Mike] Especially with the fireplaces. -I know.
I can't wait to see those.
-We can move fairly quickly, so... -I wanna move fairly quickly.
What are you looking at from today, timewise?
I think we are ready to be done...
by August 1st.
-Does that sound good, Tom? -[Tommy] Yep.
So, October?
-August 1st! -[all laughing]
[chuckling] Okay, sure.
Sure you are. Cool.
And I am six-feet tall.
Listen, I'm not gonna hold anything up.
We could order cabinets, like, in next week.
Tile could be ordered next week.
Everything could be moving. We're just gonna do it all.
It's gonna be great.
-Okay. -Yeah? All right, show me inside.
-I wanna see where everything's at. -All right. Let's take a look.
[Alison] Yeah. We're keeping these, right?
-[Mike] Yeah. -[Alison] Good, good.
It's gonna be so beautiful.
First, I wanna ask this,
where did the old stairs and stuff go?
And this was one of my favorite moments right here.
The sun was coming in,
the old newel post, the old railing.
We're keeping this.
I go shopping for these things.
-You know, I take something like this... -[Jim] It's yours.
-No, it's yours. It's yours. -[laughs]
This staircase is just beautiful.
So what happened with this?
Is there anything that we could salvage?
We saved the newels, the spindles, railings.
-We saved all that. Yeah. -[Alison] We did?
Are you cool with bringing that back?
-Yeah, we'd like it to look like it should. -Good.
Normally, I would never, ever, ever
go back to something.
I'm a move-forward kind of girl.
I mean, this is my dream.
Right now, I'm looking at three beautiful fireplaces that I can design.
-[Mike] All right. -[Alison] Yeah. Check, check, check. Yes.
-[Mike] And then we have the one upstairs. -[Alison] The one upstairs.
The pink one.
But this house is special.
It's really special.
To be able to get my hands on history like this,
I don't get to do that a lot.
And this house is a real gem.
And I just... I couldn't help it.
-Layout-wise, we're not changing anything. -Not changing much. No.
-You've got our floor plans. -Yep.
-Framing is up. -Yep.
-A lot of the rough is up. -[Alison] Yeah.
It needs to be connected to the basement...
-Okay. -...because we're waiting for the water line...
-so they can't really seal anything up yet. -Yeah. Yeah.
[Alison] Yeah, I've already designed the house once,
so we're just gonna pick up where we left off.
You walk into a formal entry
with a grand staircase,
and just off of it is the sitting room
that leads back to the kitchen and the powder room.
The kitchen layout, nothing's changed.
Everything's centered on this arched window.
So I'm gonna put sconces on the left and right,
and completely clad the wall
with my emerald green backsplash.
The cabinets are gonna be in a darker stain
with gold hardware.
And we'll do white countertops with the waterfall edge.
You want the moments where people wanna take a photo of it...
-[Mike] Yeah. -[Alison] ...take a picture in front of it.
-This is gonna really be a destination. -[Mike] Yeah.
Let's go upstairs.
-All right. -We'll see it
-I'm really beyond excited about this one. -[Mike] So are we.
[Alison] This is one of my favorite ones to design.
-I'm not leaving it to you guys. -[Mike chuckles]
Each room is going to feel really cool with pieces and parts that get brought in.
I want there to be several moments in this house,
places people wanna take pictures of.
I think people are gonna, you know, hashtag it.
Okay. Oh...
I remember this...
arches.
-This beauty. -[Mike chuckling] Yeah.
[Alison] There's something really, really gorgeous about this as it is.
Not that I would keep it that way,
-but there's just something beautiful... -Yeah.
[Alison] ...about the old brick, and the crackling paint.
It's crazy cool.
-It's yours. -[Alison] I know.
-[chuckles] -I know.
This is gonna be the beautiful little retreat area.
We're gonna open up that ceiling in the main suite
all the way to the skylight
and add stained-glass windows.
We're gonna pull off the old mantle.
It's just way too beat up to save,
and then add some really beautiful crown molding
to bring your eye out.
They're rentals, so we wanna make sure each room has something special going on.
-Yeah. Cool. -[Alison] A piece that's the focal point,
-and also a conversation piece. -[Mike] Yeah.
-That's why this one's my favorite. -It's much fun.
-[Mike] 'Cause you can do five, six different things. -[Alison] Yeah.
The layout on the second floor hasn't changed,
so there's still two bedrooms in the back
that share a bathroom,
and a big main suite
with an en suite looking out over the street.
I want all of us to go over this budget, lock it in.
That way, we can just pull the trigger on all the orders.
-[both] Sure. -[Alison] Cool.
-How much money you got? -[laughs]
-I'm trying to get more money. -Yeah?
[Mike] Yeah, we're... we're doing the loan.
We were probably in the $700,000 range at the beginning.
We knew it probably wasn't gonna be big enough.
But we're looking to add about another $250,000 to the--
-[Alison] So, about a million all in? -Yeah.
Yeah. Still not enough.
-[Mike] That's right, but-- -[all laughing]
I told you.
The guys have to get this budget locked and loaded.
I need to know the exact numbers.
We need to start going through it line item by line item
to see what is left for me.
I'm ready to pull the trigger.
[mimicking gunshots]
It feels like Mike and Jim are super motivated this time around.
Their guys have already started backfilling the basement
with mud and gravel,
and pouring an entirely new slab.
-Hi, boys. -[both] Hi, Alison.
-How's it going? -Good to see you.
[Alison] Look at you guys. You look like you got your little homework out.
[chuckles]
Did you end up getting the increase with the loan?
-[both] Yes. -[Alison] Okay, good.
-Yeah. -This is really huge news. Congratulations.
-Thank you. -That's awesome.
So how much did you end up getting the increase for?
An additional $261,000.
$261,000.
You have one spreadsheet of the actual budget breakdown.
Light fixtures, $4,000.
That's low.
Front entry doors, $6,500.
-The front doors are the most important. -Most important.
But we also want to make sure that we're factoring in
-the cost of the door, and then to retrofit it... -[both] Yeah.
...and all the work that will go into it.
And when you put carpentry in here,
is that carpentry for the specialty items?
-The newel posts, and the balusters... -Right. Yeah.
-[Alison] ...and-- -Some of the possible doors
that you were looking to maybe re-use?
Yeah, yeah, yeah. This is good. This is good.
You're thinking. You're getting ahead of it.
Okay. These are not bad numbers.
These are great.
-This is really helpful. -[Jim] Right.
-You guys can keep all this. -All yours.
-Oh, me? -Sure.
I get to keep 'em?
-Yay. -[Mike] I already memorized it. I don't need it.
-[Alison] You memorized this? -[Mike] Sure.
-You want me to test you? -[Mike] I do. Yes.
-[Jim chuckles] She called him on it. -Okay.
[chuckles]
How much did you put in for tile?
-$1,500. -[Jim] $1,500.
[Alison] Nope!
Two grand.
How much did you put in...
for hardware/cabinet poles?
$1,000.
-[Alison] $300. -[chuckles]
How much did you put in for light fixtures?
$800.
[Alison] You put $1,000.
Okay, well, listen, it was a big win today.
A lot of losing for you.
-But we're winning 'cause we're back together. -Yeah.
The house is moving.
-Yes. -[Alison] The permits are in.
We're off to a good start.
You are not, but we...
-collectively, are off to a really good start. -[both chuckle]
[Alison] Work's continuing over at Monroe.
The broken tiles have been pulled off
that pink fireplace in the main bedroom.
And some rough-ins have started,
which is a lot further than the house progressed the last time.
This is the little old-lady room.
Big shopping day today.
If I could just go with Kristy and knock things out.
It's really pretty and old.
Hey, you know what? This could be...
the one at the entry
to do candles in
because that's not gonna be a functioning fireplace.
[Kristy] Yeah, I think, the color, 'cause they have the mahogany floor.
I think that'll tie nicely in with it.
-[Alison] I like that. -We don't usually do mahogany, so...
[Alison] I know. At least, we got one mantle.
That's good.
Then I see these amazing doors.
They're just beautiful. They're not super old,
but they are perfect for the space.
Monroe's very formal,
and I like the idea of separating the spaces.
That does close things off, though,
quite a bit if they went here.
[Alison] Yeah, but it would be cool.
-Into the kitchen! -[Kristy] We have that arch window here.
And then if they hinge it, that these can flip all the way--
[Alison] 'Cause then people are in the kitchen, and they're hanging out,
and then people are hanging out here, talking,
then this closes off and you could have people in the kitchen.
-I like it. -Yeah, I like it. They're gorgeous doors.
[Alison] Yes.
Okay.
-Monroe's gonna be cool. -[Kristy] Yeah.
[cell phone ringing]
-Hey, Tommy. -[Tommy] Hey, how are you?
-Good. How are you? -[Tommy] Can't complain.
-[Alison] How's it going over there? -[Tommy speaking]
-[Tommy] Uh-- -Wait. What? Hold on. Hold on.
[Tommy] The lender froze the fund.
-Uh-- -Wait. What? Hold on. Hold on.
They said that they got a loan increase.
Already done,
and through underwriting.
So, it doesn't make any sense.
[Tommy] No, that makes no sense because this fund is still under review.
What are you talking about?
Three months ago, I met at a cafe with the boys,
and they're telling me that the bank approved it.
-[both] Yes. -[Alison] Okay, good.
-Yeah. -This is really huge news. Congratulations.
When the bank approves it, that means...
that draw should be funded within seven days.
They definitely needed more than they had in the actual budget to finish the house.
I don't know if they're having cash flow issues or what's going on.
All right. Okay, so what does that do for you, then,
while the bank is looking to increase the loan?
[Tommy] Um, when it comes to the MEPs,
there's not been anybody.
[Alison] And why has nobody been there
to do any mechanical, electrical or plumbing? Why?
[Tommy] Because of the fact that there's no money.
Because they can't get deposits.
[Tommy] Correct.
[Alison] All right. I gotta call Mike.
I'll get back to you right away.
-[Tommy] All right. -[Alison] All right. Bye.
Come on.
These guys aren't gonna shoot themselves in the foot again.
Mike. Mike. Mike.
-Mike. Mike. Mike. -[line ringing]
No, no, no. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt.
It's a big thing to do.
-Hello. This is Mike. -Mike, it's Alison.
Hi, Alison. How are you?
Hey, we met at the cafe
two-and-a-half months ago.
And you guys got the loan increased by then, right?
You already had it? It was approved?
[Mike] Well, it was approved. They hadn't yet officially funded,
and they were the doing cross-collateralization liens
for other properties and things, so that's where it left,
but, uh, it's approved and, basically, ready to go.
[chuckles softly]
[chuckling] Mike...
I didn't know you meant they actually haven't gone to underwriting.
So, okay.
I mean that... in my opinion, that is losing some months right there.
Tommy just called me and said nobody will show up to the job site
because they can't get paid on the draw.
[Mike] We've got people coming.
They know they're waiting for the draw.
[Alison] Monroe is at a standstill.
Last time I was like, 'Ugh, I'm concerned."
This time, I'm just like, "Okay."
Not my problem,
but it is my problem.
Because, once again, I'm already paying my team to design the project.
When is the loan being funded?
[Mike] Next week.
I think we'll be all ready.
I think the carpenters are planning to start as well.
So, we're gonna hit the ground running.
All right.
Good talk.
-[Mike] All right. Thank you, Alison. -Let's hit the ground running.
-[Mike] Yep. -All right.
[chuckling]
Let's hit the ground running,
two years later.
[laughs]
It's so funny. It looks exactly the same.
[Kristy] Maybe there's more progress on the inside.
-Or any progress. -No, not from the call.
It has to move. This is strike two,
if there's a strike two.
And also, I don't know about a three.
[Kristy] No, it's not fair to you.
-No. -[Kristy] So, no. You need answers.
And just say, "Guys, what is happening?"
"What's going on?" Okay.
All right. Wish me luck.
Nothing's moving. So three months, bye-bye.
The only reason I'm here
is because I'm in love with this house.
-Hi, guys. -[Tommy] Hey, what's up, Alison?
-[Mike] Hey, Alison. -[Tommy] How are you?
[Alison and Tommy] Good to see you.
-[Alison] How are you? -Good to see you as well.
How are you? What's with the--
-We've known each other for ten years. -[Mike] That's right.
That's how long this project's been going on.
What's going on with the loan extension?
That's the big thing.
-Friday is funding day. -Signature Day.
-[Alison] It is. -And then the draws start coming next week.
-So probably we might be talking about it in a month? -No.
-You really think so? -Yeah. Yeah.
-Okay. -Yeah.
But nobody's starting until then.
-Right? -Until middle of next week, probably, right?
'Cause of the overnight trucks.
Yeah. We'll get the trucks by Wednesday.
Yeah, exactly.
[Mike] We've got the lumber waiting for 'em.
-So as soon as they start-- -Okay.
[Mike] It's downstairs already.
[Tommy] Yeah, we have the material waiting.
-We'll be done end of October. -End of October? Yeah.
[mumbling] Probably... November. Early November.
[chuckles] I bet. What did I say?
-You said December? -December.
I'll pull the trigger on the cabinets
as soon as the draw funds.
-Okay? -Okay. Sounds good.
I found one mantle here.
Because this one's not gonna be a working one,
we're gonna put candles in it.
-Are you ready to see your new doors? -Yep.
[Alison] This is a framing change,
but this is gonna be a real cool moment here.
[Tommy] Where are they going?
I'll tell you.
Right here.
These teardrop doors that I got...
They're gonna be beautiful.
And we do the iron glass...
-The whole wall? -...with these doors.
Yep. It would be all here.
-I'll show it to you on the plan view. -[Tommy] Okay.
[softly] This is a really good idea.
[in normal voice] It's here, but now it creates
-layers to the house. -Okay.
What is the answer always?
I love it.
Good. That's A-plus for you.
What's the answer always when I go, "This is what we're doing"?
-I'm in. -Yes!
-Mine is -That seemed real staged.
[both chuckles]
Mike is always so even keel.
I don't know if that's how this guy is, but bravo,
because I am a stress case.
As far as the stairs,
we're hoping that whatever design it's going to be,
it's gonna probably come through your carpenters.
[Alison] But you have the original newel post?
I don't think we have them.
I think when they tore the stairs out,
-they tossed 'em. -[Alison] But that was the first thing we talked about.
The first thing we talked about was
-"Don't throw these out." -Right.
You threw this out?
Well, I didn't throw it out.
Look how beautiful this was!
You said you were saving those for me.
Look how beautiful this was.
You said you were saving those for me.
All right, well, that's a real bummer.
I'm not gonna lie. That's a real bummer.
Now I have to try to recreate that look
with the budget that they have.
You want that look? Okay. Well, it's gonna cost you money.
That's not me going over budget.
-Let's just, so I've got this understanding. -[Mike] Mmm-hmm.
-[Alison] What's next? -Rough framing.
When does that start?
-When you get money. -Yeah, hopefully next week.
So, it's all about the money. It's all about the draw.
Yeah, laborers wanna get paid. Yeah.
So we're looking at another month
-for rough-ins? -Yeah.
There's a lot to do, hoping to finish by January.
-I know you're being optimistic, right? November. -Yeah.
[Alison] I know you're being even more optimistic,
but I'm gonna just be realistic.
What can be happening? What can you pay out of pocket
that you can reimburse yourself for on the draw?
You have an entire fascia that's falling apart, and that's rotted out.
What's the plan with that metal work?
I have a subcontractor to come out and quote it up.
-Can you get him to quote? -[Tommy] I could. Yeah.
But, like, now.
The plan is this,
I'm gonna say what the plan is.
I'm not listening to these two anymore.
While we wait for that bank draw,
Mike and Jim are gonna try
to keep Monroe moving as much as they can.
Hey, look at this transom.
Does this compete with the detailing of the windows
that are already on the three seasons room?
[Alison] No, I don't think so.
Monroe is one of 15 projects that I have going.
I need more people on my team
because it has just been me and Kristy for ten years.
That's my design team.
-Those are awesome. -That's cool.
-It's kind of cool. -I think it's cool.
[Alison] Kristy and I cannot do this by ourselves anymore,
so I'm looking for design assistance.
How I met Brett is one of those random stories
that was just meant to be.
Do you wanna do bathrooms?
-Kitchen main space. -Kitchen!
[Alison] He's new to the design world,
and he happened to be following my work for years.
And then I happened to move down the street from him.
So, when I moved into my house,
Brett brought me some cake pops as a housewarming.
After that, he came up with his resume.
When my team told me that Brett is the best-qualified,
that they met him and loved him,
I said, "Okay,
Brett is gonna come in, and he's gonna be able to help."
This could definitely be an option
for one of the million bathrooms.
I've been working with Alison now for a couple of weeks.
It's definitely been a whirlwind.
What are you?
Monroe is a really exciting project for us.
Kristy is the lead designer.
There are a few design elements
that she asked me to help out with.
We need to find tile for each one of the bathrooms.
But we also really wanna make
each one different, and its own space.
I feel like a lot of people would walk right past this.
It would be a dream to be a lead designer
on one of Alison Victoria's properties.
Mike and Jim need all the help they can get.
Hmm.
Let's see what Alison says.
[Alison] Not much has happened in almost four months.
Their money is still tied up, so materials aren't coming in,
and no one's installing them 'cause they're not getting paid.
So even though work is slow, I'm still pushing ahead.
Okay, the staircase.
This is not grand anymore.
It was grand. In fact, it was the coolest thing.
I'm meeting with Sergey. Sergey and I worked together
on an unbelievable custom cornice
for my Winchester job.
[Sergey] This is the actual finish, the color, the sheen.
-[Alison] Wow! -[Sergey] That's exactly what it's gonna look like.
-[Alison] Wow, wow. Wow! -[Sergey] We cleaned the edges off,
-and then it's nice and straight. -And it's matte.
-[Sergey] Yes. -That's what I wanted. I want it to be matte black.
This looks so good.
So I thought, if anybody can recreate
what once was...
it's him.
'Cause I want this go back to being a grand historic entryway.
-Okay. -[Alison] And staircase. It has to be.
-Look at those newel posts. -[Sergey] Yeah. Hand carved.
-[Alison] All hand carved, right? -[Sergey] Correct.
This was the newel post here.
I mean, just stunning, stunning woodwork.
Could you possibly recreate this?
I don't have anything for you to mold.
-We would use the pictures... -[Alison] Okay?
...and basically, guess on the sizes,
which is what we do every day.
-We call it historic replications. -[Alison] Yeah.
-We can get, I'd say within 90% of the original. -Really?
So, the question is,
do you guys want this replicated in fiberglass
or stick with that wood?
-Fiberglass. -Fiberglass? Okay.
[Alison] Yeah, I'm gonna have wood treads.
Actually, that might look cool.
-If the treads and the risers are all wood stained... -[Sergey] Right?
...and then I paint the handrail, spindles, and newel posts,
then it would look like, "Hey, this was the old one.
-[Sergey] Yep. -We painted it to modernize it a bit,
-and at least we have that charm." -Okay.
Get a little contrast.
-That could be a really cool contrast. -[Sergey] Yeah.
-Actually like that. -[Sergey] I like it.
[Alison] Both of us love to do that historical restoration.
We share that love.
So, we're gonna make sure it looks perfect.
Hello, boys.
[Mike] Hey.
-[Alison] Hi, hi, hi. -[Mike] Good to see ya.
Oh, stairs.
So, I met with the guy
who does all the replicas and everything.
He's gonna make it look
-exactly like the stuff that got thrown out. -Sounds interesting.
[Alison] Exactly.
Okay. All right.
Where are we at now? What's going on?
[Mike] We're just waiting on the rough for--
-'Cause the basement's framed. -[Mike] Yep.
-[Jim] We gotta get the inspection. -...
We're waiting for them, like--
We don't have an inspection yet on the framing?
-No. -[Alison] Why?
[Mike] Tommy would know why, I don't...
-Well, where's Tommy? -He's sick.
[Mike] You can get him on the phone. [chuckles]
Come on, Tommy.
Nothing's done.
Last time I was here, I was in the basement.
They said that they were gonna frame.
Once they were done framing, boom!
Rough-ins and we're moving.
[line ringing]
-[Tommy over phone] Hello? -Hey, it's Alison.
[Tommy] Hey, Alison, how's it going?
Hi, real quick.
I'm here with the boys, just going over design stuff.
But my question is, what is happening? Why?
I thought we were doing the framing,
and then we were going right to roughs.
[Tommy] Yeah, yeah.
So, we have the HVAC guy I believe is coming this week.
And then next week,
the plumber's running back and forth a little bit.
[Alison] The guys said you were waiting on inspection.
-So, which one is it? -[Tommy] Framing.
So, when is your framing inspection?
[Tommy] I would hope within the next 14 days.
It's like, "Do you like me?"
That's what I wanted to really know.
Like, do you like me, guys?
Are you mad at me?
Is there some sort of resentment?
What am I doing to not gain
and get the respect that I deserve
with the communication that I need?
Let's play a fun game.
-All right. -Okay. Ready?
At the same time, when I say "three, two, one,"
we're all gonna yell out a month
of when we think it's gonna be done.
-You ready? -Yep.
-Tommy, are you ready? -[Tommy] Yep.
Three, two, one, go.
-March. -[Mike and Tommy] December.
-[laughs] -[Jim] December.
[Alison] I said March, he said December.
We all said December.
You three said December.
-I keep coming to the house, it's the same. -Yep.
I never get an opportunity to do a house like this.
So, when I do, I am not turning my back on it.
All right, guys, well, that was a fun game.
Tommy, feel better.
-Everybody communicate without me more. -[Tommy] Thank you.
-Please. -[Mike] Will do.
-Oh, I'm begging you guys to talk to me. -[Mike chuckles]
Never had to do this. Okay.
If they don't start communicating with me,
I swear to God,
I'm gonna have to start reprimanding them like children.
Isn't that what parents do?
I don't know.
It's been 11 months
since I picked this project back up.
From what I've been told, the bank loan went through.
The subs are paid, they're all back on the job.
Drywall's finally going up.
They also acid washed the brick on the fireplaces
and the mahogany flooring
that Mike and Jim salvaged is going in.
The exterior is such a mess,
especially that rotting cornice.
I want the guys to have Sergey and his team fix it.
They're gonna use a 3D scanner to scan the original cornice
to create a digital model,
and they're gonna remove the old one.
-[Brett] Let's do it. -[Alison] Stained glass day.
I'm excited.
I would love to know
how to make a stained glass window.
So, now I'm checking this off my list.
I decided to bring Brett and Kristy.
I wanna do a little team building,
and I think it's really important.
This house is, I think,
maybe the oldest house we've done.
It's asking for stained glass.
These are gonna be these four little windows in the main bedroom.
[woman] Excellent.
So, the first step, I'm gonna show how to make a template.
[Alison] Okay.
[woman] Those exterior lines.
So, we're gonna stay on the line, okay?
You guys struggling?
I'm flying through this.
[Alison] Okay, I'm trying to-- Now I'm gonna compete.
Mr. Young Eyes.
Yeah, that's what it is. Your eyes are younger.
Okay, pick your color.
Let's do it.
[Brett] Kristy, go ahead.
-Oh, please-- -Oh.
I'm going blue.
[Alison] I'm gonna do...
[Kristy] Yeah, I'm gonna do blue too.
Do little cut here.
-Keep going. -[scraping]
I love that sound again. That's a good sound.
Okay,
-[clangs] -Yep. Looking good.
-Oppa! -Mother f...
God! Okay.
-This is very exciting. -[both laughing]
[humming]
-[glass shatters] -[woman laughs]
[gasps]
[softly] It's gonna look so good.
[Brett] I love this.
This is so cool.
The fact that something that I created personally
is gonna be immortalized in a historic Chicago home,
it's a dream come true.
[Kristy] Hopefully we can come back in a decade and drive by,
and it'll still be there.
It's huge.
This is the most fun part.
[woman] Let's take a look. [chuckles]
There you go.
Look at that one now.
Nice.
Okay, looks good.
It does look like a mustache.
[woman] It does.
[Alison] Doesn't it?
Am I in the right spot?
-[Brett] Yes. -[woman laughs]
[Alison] I never thought I was gonna say this,
but Monroe is actually getting closer.
They're building the new stairs,
the mantles are all starting to go in,
and work has started on the glass and iron kitchen doorway.
Hi, Sergey.
[Sergey chuckles] Hey.
[Alison] Looking good.
-[Sergey] Good to see you. -[Alison] Thanks, good to see you.
[Sergey] You too.
It's nice to roll up to Monroe and see the crane.
That's a big difference.
-Oh, you got the corners. -We did.
[Alison] Oh, those are so pretty.
[Sergey] Got the corners
and hopefully we'll get that whole entire front elevation done
with the cornice as well today.
We went up there with the machine,
3D scanned the whole thing,
-so that it's 100% to what it is before. -Accurate.
[Sergey] Yeah.
-[Alison] Not a difference. -[Sergey] No.
-[Alison] Just new and sturdy. -[Sergey] That's right. And fiberglass.
Wow.
But it is a huge step for Mike and Jim
to actually bite the bullet and make a huge investment
with the new cornice and the exterior
because that is not cheap.
Ooh.
What's up, Mike?
Hey, Alison. Welcome.
-We're moving. It's going. -It's going.
-[Alison] Finally. -[Mike] Yeah, we got a lot of people here today.
-It's just, it's great to see. -[Alison] Yes.
-Today needs to happen. -Yep.
-[Alison] It's so pretty. -[Mike] Definitely a lot nicer.
This is gonna be great.
And then we're bringing it into this beautiful modern state
with these doors. Alazar.
-[Alazar] Alison. -[Alison] Unbelievable.
[Alazar] Looks good, right?
[Alison] It's so beautiful.
[Alazar] Wait till you see the arch up there.
[Alison] I can't wait to see the arch.
Alazar is putting in
the beautiful glass and iron partition and door
between the hallway and the kitchen.
Alazar is somebody who I worked with years ago
to do this beautiful separation of space
at my evergreen house.
And everything's just stark white,
and then you have this black iron and this glass.
Very contemporary vibe.
With the arch door, It's perfect.
Kristy's coming with the paint deck.
-We'll do everything today. -Okay.
[Mike] These floors are so red.
Mike, I've never done red like this before in my life.
If you'd checked with me,
I would've told you absolutely no on that.
That's blood red stain.
Looks like somebody's blood was used to stain the stairs.
So, we're gonna go ahead and make sure
everybody knows it's clear that you picked it.
[Alison] These floors are so red.
Mike, I've never done red like this before in my life.
If you'd checked with me,
I would've told you absolutely no on that.
So, we're gonna go ahead and make sure
everybody knows it's clear that you picked it.
[Mike laughs]
Our mahogany floors have lots of reds,
- oranges and browns. -[Alison] It's, it's very red.
I saw all of it.
The whole point is there's a deep, deep contrast now
- between the old new floor and the new truss. -[Mike] Yeah.
-All right, let's go see upstairs. -All right.
-[Alison] You wanna do the stained glass? -[Mike] Yeah.
-I got 'em right here. -[Alison] Ooh.
-Yes, hello. [chuckles] -[Kristy] Hi.
-How cool are these? -[Kristy] They're here.
[Alison] Hey, not bad for amateurs.
-Right? -[Mike] Yeah.
Okay, let's figure out placement.
I wanna see...
-color wise. Here. Here, Mike. -[Kristy] Like, which order?
You can give me and then stand over there.
Ooh.
Maybe those switch.
[Kristy] Yes, those switch, 'cause it's...
[Alison] Color, color, color, color.
Love this.
Like that.
Yes.
Oh, 'cause now you get a little hint of the blue.
-Yeah, I think they're perfect. -So pretty.
-Let's put 'em up. -[Kristy] Yeah.
-Here, why don't we go up and you guys pass 'em up? -Sounds good.
Cool moment to know that I made one of those with my very own hands
and that it's gonna be installed for,
I hope, 100 plus years in this house.
Ooh.
And then 100 years from now, somebody's salvaging it,
finding it in an antique store, full circle.
That would be awesome.
Now there's so much visual appeal in a room
that once probably had it and then was stripped of it.
-[Mike] Yeah. -[Alison] God, it's gonna look good.
-Let's go downstairs. Let's make a list. -All right.
-[Alison] Okay. -We'll do it.
[Alison] If I'm renting this house,
I am living my best Chicago life.
You have all of it in this beautiful old building.
-Okay, so list wise, hearth material. -[Kristy] Nothing green.
No green.
That'll make the red pop.
You're gonna need a slab.
[Kristy] What if they have, like, half a slab?
But it depends on the size.
You said your fabricator is close.
-[Mike] Yeah. -Okay.
-[Mike] Yeah. -They've gotta have something in they're slab yard.
Ooh. [chuckles]
Look at that.
When you listen to us,
-this is what happens. -[both laugh]
When you don't listen to us, that happens.
Monroe is a labor of love for a very good reason.
This old house is not like anything
I get to do these days with clients.
And that makes me miss flipping,
that makes me miss what I used to do.
At this point, it's all hands on deck.
We've gotta finish Monroe.
Mike listened to me, thank God,
and painted those blood red stairs black.
And now, Sergey's guys are installing that beautiful new railing,
spindles and the newel posts.
Tile and vanities are going into the bathrooms.
In the kitchen, cabinets are going in
and they're installing that beautiful waterfall edge countertop
behind the island.
So, it's finally coming together.
Yes.
Black on black.
Monroe is actually almost done.
Who would've thought? Ten years later.
The stairs are night and day.
They were blood red,
and now they are black, stately and gorgeous,
and with the black,
it doesn't even allow you to think, oh, they made that new.
[Kristy] No, not at all.
Especially when you look back at historic photos of this,
you'd be like, "That's the same one."
[Kristy] It looks so good.
[Alison] The sun is shining, the house is almost done.
There's no more Monroe.
And I'm gonna be not just excited to be finished,
but so proud of what we've done.
-I love it. I love it. -Yeah.
-So, this is the hood problem, right? -[Mike] Yeah.
But I think we keep the stainless exposed and just let it be what it is.
A 100%.
Stainless exposed,
you have panels going on the fridge.
[Mike] The panels going on the fridge.
-[Alison] So, those will match. -Yep.
But if we have extra panels...
-We do have extra panels. Yeah. -[Alison] You do?
-Awesome. -[Mike] Yep.
So, then we do panels right above it,
and I think it'll look really pretty.
So, do we wanna cap the panel same
- so the crown goes across all of it? -[Alison] Yes.
-So it just disappears. -[Mike] All right.
[sighs] I can't believe we're even close.
How long has it really been?
-Four years. -When did we first meet?
Was it really or are you just making that up?
Three years?
When did we get your first plan?
-Probably it was 2022. -[Alison] When did we get here first?
Let's see what day.
-February 2022 was the first... -[Mike] See that?
February 2022.
-What's today? -[Mike] I got a whole year to go.
-First proposed plan. -February...
February 2022.
-We are in June of 2024. -[Mike] That's right.
Yeah, we're ahead of schedule.
[all laugh]
[Alison] From day one, I've said it.
This house is quintessential Chicago architecture and history.
And it has been brought to life by me and my team.
I'm so glad that Mike and Jim got their act together,
and that we could finally finish the house.
Even though my brain the whole time was telling me,
"let it go, let it go,
move away, walk away, walk away,"
my body was like, "stay, make it beautiful, fix it,
it needs you, it needs you."
And I'm glad I did.
That's exceeding my expectations.
[Alison] Look at it.
It's what you do, and you're very good at it.
And I'm so happy to have you as part of this.
[Alison] A project that has taken years is down to the last few days.
The new cornice is in. It looks perfect.
Inside, they're installing all the crown molding throughout the house.
And the sconces are going up in the bathrooms,
Then it's onto the finishing touches.
Things like cabinet hardware, backsplash tile.
[Brett] Yeah, those are okay. The pompous grass, no.
[Alison] And staging.
[Brett] This is going to actually be a rental property.
So, we are staging this one from top to bottom
just so that everybody can really get the idea of
the magnitude of this property.
So, I'm making sure that we have specific trees.
Oh, she's gonna love that.
Lots of greens,
really modern, sexy furniture that's coming in.
Let's see it because that might be a better contrast.
So, this is gonna be the first time
that I'm actually staging a property with Alison.
There's a lot going on.
Lot of moving parts with this one.
Seventeen years later. [chuckles]
Monroe is done.
Okay.
What we were working with before
is what made me fall in love with this house.
- You don't see these anymore. -[Mike] Yep.
[Jim] You know, it's 140 years old.
- Mike and I were just talking. -[Alison] I know.
[Jim] I mean, it's just amazing it's still there.
It's unbelievable.
It's been such an odyssey.
- It's been so long. -[Mike] We saved it.
We saved everything that we could.
- I love the original corbels that are so massive. -[Mike] Yep.
[Alison] The cornice was absolutely not gonna make it.
[Jim] But look how beautiful it looks.
[Alison] Sergey killed it.
[Jim] Great way to keep the history, but yet modernize it.
Yeah.
God, this looks good.
Good on Jim and Mike for taking a project like this on
and never giving up on it.
Finally.
Oh.
-Man, it's so good to see it like this. -[Mike] I know.
I can picture what this looked like before.
And even though it was a disaster,
it was a beautiful disaster.
It was screaming for help and screaming for love.
It's the reason I didn't walk away from it.
[Jim] I was a little worried about the black and white, too much of it,
-but it looks phenomenal. Looks phenomenal. -[Alison] Yeah?
-First of all, this one house that has a real entrance. -[Mike] Yeah.
[Alison] That has its own moment,
where you wanna stay here forever,
'cause you've got a sightline to everything.
[Mike and Jim] Yeah.
[Alison] And then this mantel. I mean, look at it.
It was, like, meant to be here.
[Mike] It's perfect.
[Alison] The stairs had a chunk left in it.
-[Mike] We didn't have much. -[Jim] It was only a small piece.
-[Alison] Yeah. We lost that. -[Jim] Yeah.
[Alison] So, thank God we had the photos.
And Sergey was able to match this almost completely.
-I mean, nobody would walk in and be like, "This is new." -[Jim] Yeah.
-[Alison] Right? -[Jim] They don't make 'em like this anymore.
[Alison] They don't make any of this like this anymore.
It's what you do, and you're very good at it.
And I'm so happy to have you as part of this.
We love doing it.
Kristy, she loves this house like I do.
So, we shared that interest.
Look at this.
That fireplace is perfect there.
[Mike] It's open on the first floor so people can congregate.
- Pick a fireplace and sit around it. -[Alison] Yeah.
It still encompasses and embodies
- the old school way of compartmentalizing rooms. -[Jim] Yeah.
[Alison] I love that.
Open enough, but still feels really cozy and homey.
And it gives me a very European vibe too,
with the crown molding and the white on white.
It's so perfect.
A lot of color on this floor.
- I know you're adamant on it. -[Jim chuckles]
I'm just not a red fan.
And then you come in here,
you've got a formal dining room.
If you're having a big group of people here,
spatially, you could do even a bigger table here.
-[Jim] Mmm-hmm. -[Alison] Massive table here.
And this fireplace, it's beautiful.
It was like, okay, let's paint it black.
It's gotta tie back in.
It does look so good.
And then this is,
-this is the kitchen. -Wow.
-That's exceeding my expectations. -Look at it.
[Jim] You look through the archway,
and the tiling looks so good.
The cabinets look phenomenal.
- And the countertop, I mean, it all plays so nicely. -[Alison] Yeah.
It just looks so rich in there.
[Mike] It's nice to have the arch theme carried throughout.
-[Alison] Yeah. -[Mike] That's very nice.
[Alison] We've got 'em in a lot of the fireplaces, right?
-[Jim] Windows, everywhere. -[Alison] Yeah.
Anybody that's walking in here is gonna go,
"Those doors are new. Those aren't from here."
But it's that really great mix
of old and new and modern and traditional
that works here.
That industrial take on it
is very cool, we're in Chicago.
It's part of the architecture of Chicago, and...
-[Jim] It is a mix. -[Alison] Yeah.
It's nice to see it the way she saw it.
We've got the old and new fused together.
We've kept really the aura of the house.
Couldn't be happier.
-[Alison] Wanna see upstairs? -[Jim] Yeah.
Look at this.
-[Jim] Oh, man, it's so open. -I mean...
[Alison] People who are renting this are gonna fight over this.
You can't help it.
You walk in, you see the stained glass that we made.
We got to learn how to do it.
It was such a cool team thing too,
for me and my team.
And now, we get to be part of the history of this house.
-[Mike] You're forever linked to it. -[Jim] Yeah.
[Alison] And this is mantle heaven for me.
-[Jim] It really is. -[Alison] They all came together.
-[Mike] Yep. -[Alison] All of them, and that is beautiful.
-It plays. -It fully plays.
-[Mike] Yeah. -And then, come into the bathroom.
- Look at that tile. -[Jim] Yeah.
-It brings the arches back out. -Yeah.
-[Alison] And in a very cool art deco way. -[Jim] Yeah.
-[Jim] It all works. -Looks great.
-Yep. -As usual.
[Alison] And we've the richness in the cabinets,
we've got a beautiful simple tile.
And then the penny round throwback.
[Jim] I love those, yeah.
- I knew that was gonna work really well there. -[Alison] Yeah. Yeah.
So, it took us almost three years to get this building done.
We want people to come see it, stay here,
show it off a little bit,
have some good memories with their own families and friends.
So, that's where we're headed next.
It came together.
-And I'm... -[Jim] Yeah, we're happy with it.
...so happy with this house.
It was a pain in my ass. [laughs]
But it's worth it because of how this turned out.
This is such a great house for anybody to rent.
And I hope now you're gonna get even more of a premium.
-Yeah. Yeah. -I think.
We will, definitely.
[Alison] Me and my team
put so much time and effort into this house.
It's very hard for me to walk away from this the first time.
Really hard, because I do love this city
and what it's known for.
I grew up driving these streets with my dad,
admiring homes like this one.
And I'm now fully ingrained in the fabric of this house
for the rest of time, I hope.
Coming up on Windy City Rehab...
[man over phone] I saw two properties recently,
had your name written all over them.
I'm still hungry to renovate on my own and do this on my own.
-No banks, no loans, nobody else. -Yep. Faster.
We can make a couple hundred grand.
On a flip.
And the only way I get to do that is with Lana.
[woman 2 over phone] They're backing out.
That's the only information I have on--
How can they back out of the deal?
I know, but how can they back out of the deal?