Every forever home has its own story.
[Drew] Yeah, and we can't wait to help tell it.
It's been in my family for generations.
-Let me smash, let me smash. -[chuckles] Yeah.
-[man] This is the next step -[woman] The next chapter in my life.
-[Jonathan] Love it. -Woo!
After you. Welcome home.
[woman] Oh, my goodness!
[man] Look at this!
-Oh, wow. -[laughs]
Let's go.
It feels like home.
-[groans] -[all laughing]
Come on, let's have a group hug.
[all laughing]
You know, sometimes you just see people
and you know they're good people.
Nick and Nina are a sweet couple.
We met studying abroad in Madrid, in college.
We've been together for 13 years,
we've been married for six years.
16 months ago we had twins.
Our daughter's name is Stevi and our son's name is Antonio.
-Twins are the best. -Twins are the best.
-Shall I say that twice? -Yeah.
-Twins are the best. -Yeah.
Actually, as twins, we should say it in harmony.
[both] Twins are the best.
-[babbles] -[squeals]
We're currently living in about a 980 square foot condo with four people now.
-[Nina chuckles] -Yeah, it got very crowded overnight.
[Nina laughing] Yes.
-We need out. -We were ready six months ago.
-It's, yeah, it's a long time coming. -Yes.
[Antonio] We're gonna move i to Nina's childhood home.
Almost every memory that I have growing up
obviously comes from being in this home.
When my parents first moved here from the Philippines in 1986
this was the first home they bought,
and they bought it with the intention of it being their forever home.
-Hi. -Hi, this is my...
Hi, this is my mom, Chiqui.
So, my mom is extremely excited about us moving in.
I'm excited for the twins. Mmm.
Oh, my gosh, Chiqui has got a big personality.
-Say hello, Chiqui. -[Nina laughs]
-Hi. -[Nina laughs]
My father passed away about five years ago.
That's when we started having the conversations.
My parents have owned it
for, you know, more than 35 years and it shows,
so there's definitely change we'd want to make to grow into it.
My grandparents actually moved there when I was one years old.
Both my brother and I grew up in that home our entire lives.
My kids will be the fourth generation to live in it.
[babbles]
I've only known this space as it is,
and so it's really exciting for the potential of seeing
built for us and for our future.
-Hey. -[all] Hey!
-How are you guys? -[Jonathan] How are you?
-[Nick] Come on in. -All right.
-We're not selling anything so don't be afraid. -[laughs]
-All right. -Wow.
I am noticing
-[Nina] A little cramped. -some cramp in this.
-A little tight, a little tight. -Yeah. [chuckles]
What are your memories growing up in this house?
Some of my favorite memories were probably in this room.
Every Christmas, we would wake up in the morning,
and we'd come in here,
and my dad would stand, like, right about here with the camcorder,
and they would line up all of our presents ridiculously
-[Chiqui laughs] -like a wall,
and have us, like, sit and pose in front of it
It was, like, an hour of torture
-before we could actually open them. -[Drew] 20 minutes of photo
-before you're allowed to open anything. -[Nina laughs]
-[Chiqui] Exactly. -[Nina] Exactly,
and then they'd just record the whole thing.
but I think, you know, that's some of my fondest memories here,
and then we also always had family coming in and out.
We were, like, the stopping point
-for all of our family. -So close to the airport, you know?
-[Jonathan] Yeah. -[Drew] Right.
Is it nice, though, for you? What's it like to have your kids moving back in?
Oh, my God, it's so exciting.
Just the thought of having the house
come to life again, so to speak,
with the grandkids, and the noise, and everything, it'll be wonderful.
We'll give you just a test of what's to come with your twins.
-That's be great, actually. Yeah. -Love it, yeah. Can't wait.
[both shrieking]
-[indistinct] -[all laughing]
-Oh, one step. -[Jonathan] So, have you actually done
any renovations at all?
Because it looks to me like this has probably been this way
-for quite a while. -It was.
The only thing was I added that room at the end.
[Jonathan] Are you wanting u to allocate budget to that right now?
Or are you thinking that's something down the road?
-[Nina] Something down the road, yeah. -[Nick] Yeah, second phase.
But definitely keep the mirrors
because it's Nick's favorite part
-of this room. -[Chiqui laughs]
Wait, please tell me you're joking.
It's that modern flair that I'm looking for,
-you know? -Definitely gives it some character.
No, can't stand them. [laughs]
[Chiqui] When I bought the house it was there,
and I have a lot of tchotchkes?
-Tchotchkes? -[both] Tchotchkes.
-[Drew] Tchotchkes, tchotchkes. -Tchotchkes.
So you want to display them
but not necessarily on this shelf?
-[Nina] Right. -[Chiqui laughing] Correct.
[Jonathan] A lot about this house is stuck in the 80s,
-like the sunken living room -[Chiqui] Oh, my God.
-[Jonathan] It was such a hot trend - [Nina] Drives me crazy
for quite a long time,
and then people realized everyone falls on their face.
[all] Yes!
-Huge tripping hazard. -And I've seen it.
I remember her falling on her face once,
and it's, like, such a vivid memory that just was so scary, so...
If there was a sunken living room I would find my face on it.
If Jonathan had a shaved head
you would see all of the scars and bumps
from him hitting it on things or falling on things.
It's not a pretty head.
We kind of envision this being, like, the adult living room,
and then if we could fit a home office for me this would be awesome.
You literally want to take, like, half of this as an office
-and then have half of it as your living room? -If that's possible.
-Yeah, I mean, that would be perfect. -[Drew] Okay.
You realize you're asking for your cake
and you want to eat it, too?
-I do, yes. -Right, yes.
-Okay, moving on. -[all laughing]
Is this a really important area for you?
Do you need a bigger table? Big family get-togethers?
Honestly, we'd love to just expand that way, open up the kitchen.
-Yes. Yeah. -Make it into, like, one big zone.
Oh, wow, so more kitchen space, less formal dining?
-[Nick] Totally. -[Nina] Yeah, it'll be nice to have enough chairs
because it's a big family,
but don't need to be sort of a formal separate space.
-Whoa, Chiqui just rolled her eyes. -Mom don't look happy.
-[snickers] -What's going on?
-[laughs] -You don't like that idea?
No, I'm good with it.
You know, it's just hard for me to let go sometimes.
I like to think we're pretty good with change. [laughs]
-I think I'm fine with change. -Yeah.
-It's a little harder for me but I'll get there. -[both laugh]
-Definitely harder for Momma. -[laughs]
You want to make sure you're utilizing every space fully.
I kind of agree with you. The kitchen's sort of in the middle here.
You could tuck it over.
The only problem you'd have is this room over here.
-We'd have to close this off. -[Nina] Yes.
If, all of a sudden, this is gonna be closed off
you could move the kitchen all the way over.
This would transform the kitchen space.
-[both] Yeah. -And so this wall then would go
-because if you're expanding the kitchen... -Yes.
I love the idea of having a breakfast bar,
-but not inside the kitchen -Yeah.
-where you're, you know, just taking up space in here. -Exactly.
-Why so low? -Well, and, oddly,
-Low and tight. -this is where we used to eat,
like, every single day growing up.
This is where we actually ha our family dinners.
-Why is it so low? -Yes. We're short people.
-Well, I don't know. -[all laughing]
-It was built in. -Yep.
-Yeah. -That doesn't make it right.
[all laughing]
[Jonathan] Would you want to lose the walls toward the front as well?
Or keep the separation of the hallway,
which would probably make sense?
[Nick] We want to keep some walls for art, too.
We've been collecting contemporary art
-for, like, a little over a decade. -Wow.
-[Nina] Yeah. -So white tones for the walls and everything
would be fantastic.
[Nina] Nick loves modern. I still like it to feel a little bit warm.
Wood trims, white countertops would be beautiful.
-Your mom had that multigenerational home. -Yeah.
-I mean, your grandparents were in the house with you, -Exactly.
and now you're gonna have that same thing again.
-Grandma's in the house with your kids. -Yeah,
and I think it's what my dad always would have wanted,
-so it'll be perfect. -[Chiqui] Yeah.
I've been alone now for almost six years.
Tony passed away. It'll be six years in October.
That was a tough time for me.
I had just had my grandson, my first one,
and my husband passed away within five days after he was born,
so it was so unexpected
and [sighs] the worst day ever, for me.
It just was really hard for me to get used to living by myself
and kind of scary.
-I mean, I've had enough years being alone now, -[Drew] Yeah.
and it'll be nice to have some life and noise.
Knowing that your mom's been here
for quite a few years by herself,
-for you to come back in... -I think it's just really special.
-[Drew] Yeah. -Yeah.
Do you remember talking with your dad
about renovations you would want to do with your husband?
-About... -He just used to be like, "Move in.
Don't you love this space?"
-Like, he... -[all laughing]
Yeah, we never quite talked about renovating,
but he certainly would have loved
having us just move right in, so...
For sure, for sure.
So, how about over in this space?
I mean, another living room with those same terrible shelves.
[Nina] Yes, because why have one when you can have two?
-[Drew] Yes! -[Chiqui laughs]
[Nina] This is where we always played, growing up as kids.
So it's where we envision it being, sort o
-the kid-friendly family roo - [Nick] Yeah.
[Nick] We'd love to see a bigger sliding door,
something that'll let more natural light in
and give more access to the backyard,
make it more of a flow.
We definitely want to focus on renovating the downstairs.
It's the space where we congregate the most as a family,
and it's really segmented right now,
so we know that, with the brother's help, we can open it up a lot
and make a great space for our family.
I love it. I love this house. And I agree, we'll focus on the main living areas.
[Jonathan] I could level out the floor in the living room
and take down the wall between the dining room and the kitchen.
I'll relocate the entrance to the addition at the back
which would give us way more wall space
to add cabinets and applianc to a brand new kitchen.
In the end, you would have clear, open sight-lines
to keep an eye on the twins
-[Nina] Yeah. -[Nick] That would be great
What are you thinking for your reno budget?
-220,000. -Yeah.
-Okay, that's a good budget. -[Nina] Yeah.
I want to take you for some inspiration.
I want to get an idea
of what that gallery contemporary feel is that you're looking for.
And I still want to make sure that Chiqui feels at home as well.
-[Nick] Absolutely. -Perfect.
-[Chiqui] Yay! [chuckles] -[Nick laughs]
-How do you feel? -I feel excited.
[Jonathan] Yeah? What's happening?
Oh, I'm trying to loosen up the boot.
-You got, like, a full on Elvis Presley thing. -[laughs]
-Uh-huh. -[Chiqui] There you go.
-You know, I am from the era -I'm gonna get this house all shook up.
where we used to, yeah.
[Jonathan] I'm looking over there
and I'm wondering what she's doing.
I'm like, "Is she so excited she's dancing?"
No, it's just her boots are too tight.
Just stick on to the middle one of them, close it.
[grunts]
-[laughs] -You're doing good, Chiq, you're doing good.
-There you go! -Yeah, look at that!
-Woohoo! -Woo!
Pull the trigger.
You're an animal.
-[gasps] -Wait. Just so you're protected.
-[all laughing] -[Nina] Perfect.
[laughs] You looked like you were having fun.
-You did. -I was.
-[both] Yeah. [both laugh] -Watching you guys destroy everything.
-[Nina] Woo! [laughing] Oh, my God. -[Drew] All right.
I got here.
There we go.
-Ah! -[cheering]
-There you go. -Woo!
-Love the disco ball wall. -[Nick chuckles]
-Okie-dokie. Lots more to do in here. -[Nina chuckles]
What would you say is the most fun memory?
-Family dinners. -[Nina] Yes.
-My mom cooking. -I was just gonna say.
-Bita cooking in the kitchen, for sure. - [Chiqui] Yeah.
I noticed if you open this cupboard here
-there's instructions on how to Heimlich someone. -[Chiqui and Nina laugh]
How long has that been there?
-That's been there for a good 25, 30 years. -Yeah, I mean,
-as long as I can remember. -Okay.
Yeah.
-[coughing] -[laughs]
-Get in there. -[laughs]
-Excuse me. -[laughs]
She never read the poster, all right? There's no way.
[grunts]
When we are done in this kitchen,
I'm putting a new updated chart about how to do the Heimlich,
and the first row in it says,
"Don't let Chiqui do the Heimlich." [chuckles]
One, two, three.
-[chuckling] Oh. -Oh, whoa!
Hijole!
Yeah!
[both] Yeah!
-I've never seen anyone so excited -[Nick laughs]
to see through a wall.
Woo!
-Little more. -[shouting] Yay!
-[all laughing] -Come on over here.
How does it feel
knowing all of a sudden you can see into every room?
-It's so different. It's weird but I love it. -Yeah.
[Jonathan] So many generatio have enjoyed this house,
and my hope is that generations more to come will have that same enjoymen
Why don't you guys call it a day?
-Okay. -Nice work. I'm glad everyone got to flex a little muscle.
-Maybe, Chiqui, if you just take this with you. -Oh, yes.
[Nick and Nina] Oh, definitely.
You need to practice.
-Study up. -[all laughing]
-Are you ready? -Yeah.
[Drew] Nick likes modern, clean lines,
Nina tends to be more on the traditional warm side,
so I think I have the perfect spot for inspiration
that will speak to both their styles,
and even inspire what they want to do with their art collection.
-Awesome, thank you. Cheers. -Thank you.
You don't have to go to a home to get inspiration for your house.
You can pull it from anywhere.
[Nina] No, I love the wood accents.
I think there's a lot of white and gray playing together
which looks really nice as well.
-[Nick] The stucco detail's super cool, too. - [Nina] Yeah, yeah.
Would you say that you like this stucco look
a little more than, say, your current fireplace?
-[Nick] Yeah, just slightly. -[Nina] Definitely better than the brick.
-[Nick chuckles] -[Drew] Yeah.
-More than I thought I would like it, actually. -[chuckles]
This is actually surprising for me.
I thought you would want more traditional tones
because you said you're traditional.
I thought I was.
I guess I'm learning the more I see some things
that I might be open to something else,
-Okay. -but I definitely thought
I was more traditional than that.
So maybe what we're gonna say is you're both modern
-with a tiny traditional twist? -[Nina] Yes.
Or at least just warmer tones
-worked in. -[Nina] Definitely warmer.
And the warmth of the wood is gorgeous
because it doesn't feel traditional
-in the old granny way. -[Nina] Right.
-[Nick] I love it. -Your mom's traditional
-[laughs] -is maybe a little different
-from your traditional. -Very different from my traditional.
-Okay, good. -Yes. [chuckles]
[Nick] I think this will look gorgeous around the kitchen.
I mean, I love that look and I think it does help break it up, you know?
-Yeah. -Keep your eyes on the art on the wall,
-and then keep it more warm for Nina's style. -Yeah.
-I don't want it to feel too cold. -Yeah.
I like a little bit of that look
but still bringing in the warmth,
-so that would be great. -Okay.
Another question.
The backsplash, I love the look of this.
Is that too bold for you?
-[Nina] It's a little too lo for me, personally. -[Nick] Yeah.
-[Drew] Okay. -[Nick] I like something a little more subtle.
-[Nina] Yeah. -How about for countertops?
Do you like a little bit of color there as well, or?
[Nick] I like the light, personally.
[Nina] Yeah, I like light, too.
Okay, I know what you want.
-[laughs] -Whip around. Come into the gallery.
-Beautiful. -What do you think? Cool?
-Yeah. -Very cool.
[Drew] We want to give you as much wall space as possible for your art.
I feel like in our condo
it's just, because it's so tight,
it just feels like it's piece next to piece, next to piece.
-So if we could... -[Drew] Oh, yeah.
-[Nick] A less cluttered loo -If we could feature, yeah, less cluttered,
-and feature some of the big pieces -[Drew] Right.
that we love that would be amazing.
I know you want a bit of an office space.
-Yeah. -What are you seeing
for the divide?
Because it's not a massive area,
and if we do a solid wall to divide
it's gonna feel like the skinniest office you've ever had.
Yeah, and I think one thing that I really want, too,
is feel like I'm sort of sat apart
and I have work space that's productive,
but I can still see what's going on.
You see what they have over there?
Are you seeing something like that
that would go all the way up to the ceiling?
[Nina] Yeah, I think all the way up would be awesome.
-[Nick] That would be perfect. -[Nina] Yeah.
If we add a little contrast it actually might look even nicer.
-If the walls are white, what if the glass -[Nina] Mmm-hmm.
we could do a black metal frame,
like, some sort of a rod iron frame
-[Nina] Oh. -that has a bit more
of a New York contemporary vibe.
-Yeah, love that. -We would love that.
-Love, yeah. -That would be beautiful.
Okay, well, come on over here and grab a seat.
Is there anything else that we haven't discussed?
How about some concrete slab flooring in the house?
-What do you think? -Oh, absolutely not.
[both laugh]
We've learned I'm not as traditional,
but I'm not ready for concrete floors.
Hardwood would be nice.
Do you want a lighter or darker tone,
or something in the middle?
I think lighter,
-Middle? -something in the middle.
-[both] Yeah. -Okay.
-That would work. -Okay.
I didn't quite know, between traditional and modern,
what Nick and Nina were looking for.
But in here, the white countertops, the wood detail,
the stucco on the gallery walls,
this all really speaks to both of them,
and I think I have found their perfect mix.
-Once I saw the address on Santa Monica Boulevard -Yeah.
-I thought it could be anything. -No, you suspected.
Yeah, maybe it's a coffee shop
-or a gallery, or something like that. -Yeah.
I feel like it turned out to be
the perfect inspiration space,
-actually, yeah. -Definitely.
I'm not selling lemonade but I have something a lot prettier.
-It's okay. You do what you need to do. -Thank you, that's me.
-[laughs] -Chiqui got me a chair
so I can take this all in from here.
Oh, look at this, and gifts for me?
-Yes, absolutely for you. -Oh, thanks, Chiqui.
Chiqui is here to help.
It's her house, too, and we want to make sure we get input from her
so that everybody is happy with this generational home.
-The house... -Ah, ah, no peeking.
-Yeah, no, yeah. -Oh, dear.
-So, what do you think? -Of your fancy shirt?
Of my fancy chair.
I think it's pretty cool. Is it an old family heirloom?
-Yes, it is. It belonged to my mom. -It's a little...
I feel like it would be cool if we refinished it.
-Oh, it'd be perfect. -Brought a little fresh life into it.
With what we're looking at inside,
where we're keeping a lot of the tones very simple, very clean,
the natural wood tone would pop.
Well, that's good. It'll work nicely.
What other stuff can we get from you to give to Nick and Nina?
Well, I have a lot of knick-knacks,
but they're not awfully fond of them.
You shared your house with Nina for so many years,
you've raised her, and now they're gonna share this place with you,
-so it has to work for all of you. -Correct.
I like the white cabinet.
I think they'll really like this.
Yeah. And then you can always do something a little more interesting
-with the countertop. -Ooh.
-How pretty is that? That would be... -Yeah, I think that's perfect.
This hardware is stunning,
and I think that the black accent
is exactly what they want to have.
-They would love this. -[Drew] Yeah.
I mean, from the inspiration tour,
it was almost sort of like a New York loft feel.
It was a lot of black and white,
that monochromatic kind of a flair,
and they wanted to keep things simple, nothing too busy.
So for the backsplash, what do you think they would like?
-So on here. -Yes.
So almost like a, kind of, splitting the difference
between the white and the gray
-on the counter. -I think so.
-I think that would be very nice. -Yeah.
There you go.
-Could you picture Nina-- -Hold on, did you just hand model it?
-I did. -That's...
Can you pass me that whole door over?
Look at what this looks like.
You have the hardwood, you have the decor,
you have everything coming together.
Now, all of a sudden,
-it starts to feel like a beautiful space. -Yes.
This is great.
Between the home tour and then you being a part of the design choices here,
I think we've really nailed their style.
-Yeah. -So thank you.
You're welcome.
-Okay, there's one more chair so we'll grab that. -Okay.
-See you, Chiqui. -All righty, see ya.
-So then I go in the house next? -No, not a chance.
Okay, mission accomplished.
We're definitely gonna keep the color palette neutral,
so that all of Nick and Nina's colorful artwork
and Chiqui's tchotchke's can steal the show.
Try and say that three times fast.
[both] Chiqui's tchotchke's, Chiqui's tchotchke's, Chiqui's tchotchke's.
[Jonathan] To give this growing family
the access they need to the backyard,
we're gonna be adding a huge set of sliding doors
Amit and I are getting rid o
the bars on the backslider and the window.
We want to make sure that we can open that space up,
and something that I think will transform
how they use their indoor outdoor space
is having this massive slider.
One, two, three.
[grunts]
[groans]
How cool would that be for this to all be...
-That's gonna be spectacular. -Pretty great.
Kick it.
One, two, three. Oh, my gosh.
[laughing] This door. It does not wanna go.
But we'll get it off, and it might be easier for the window.
We'll just take the whole thing
with the stucco when we do it,
but we'll get there.
[Jonathan] With demo just about done,
we can get started on construction.
Since the entire back wall of the house is loadbearing
and we're gonna be adding a big glass sliding door,
we're cutting holes in the family room floor
so we can dig down and tunnel sideways
to install our loadbearing footings.
It's not so simple to add an entire wall of glass doors,
so it's a good thing they have a healthy budget.
I love the fact that Nick and Nina
are trying to create this amazing family home, this family space for twins,
and we will.
We'll give them the sight-lines,
we'll give them the beautiful finishes, we'll make it all safe,
and at the end of the day
they'll have that added bonus of knowing
that Grandma's close by.
-Oh, my gosh. -Oh, my God.
-Hello! -Oh!
-Hello. -[laughs]
-Hey, what's going on? -[laughs]
I always thought it would be cool
to have a tunnel to your neighbor.
-You get to, like... [groans] -Exactly.
Oh, my gosh.
You got the wall down.
[Jonathan] Oh, my gosh, we got a lot down.
-[Nick laughs] -[Nina laughs] That's true,
-there's a lot more than tha -[Jonathan] How do you feel
-[Nick] This is crazy. -[Nina] This is incredible.
[Nina] It already looks lik such a different space.
-[Nick] Yeah. -[Nina] It's gonna look amazing.
[Nick] I was having trouble envisioning it, like, completely opened up.
-This is awesome. -[Nina] I know. This is so cool.
What's up with the holes?
Yeah, is Drew hiding in one of 'em?
-Drew, come out. They caught you. -[Nina laughs]
-Drew is off on Daddy duty. -Awesome.
So I am gonna carry the brunt of the work for now,
and then Drew will join back in as we keep going.
Sounds great.
[Jonathan] The holes are actually for the footing
so we can put in that big slider in here.
-We have to put in two posts -[Nick] Ahh.
-footings underneath that, -[Nina] Ah, okay.
and they're massive footings
-to make sure that the house is rock solid. -Awesome.
[Jonathan] We got walls out floors mostly up.
It's definitely a step in the right direction.
I trust that you're going to love both options.
-[Nick] I think so. -And, honestly,
it's whatever is most important to you, that's what matters.
-Okay. -Sounds good.
So option one,
you would get this incredibly beautiful space
that functions so much better for the entertaining that you guys want to do.
With the disco-era mirror wa already gone from your living room,
we are ready to give your fireplace a major makeover.
We're gonna widen the entran to your living room,
freshen up the front entry staircase
and level the floors
which will be a mid-tone hardwood throughout.
Nina, I can build you a home office
divided by a half-partition wall
with glass panel above
so you can still keep an eye on the twins.
With the wall down between the kitchen and dining room,
and that door to the back room relocated,
we can flip the current configuration.
Imagine the amount of perimeter cabinets
and appliances you'll have.
We'll add a large island
with a sink and breakfast bar seating.
The new dining area will be located just off the kitchen
for a nice entertainment flo
We won't be taking down all the walls
because we know you want space for art.
The large sliding doors that we're adding in the family room
will help illuminate your pieces
and, of course, add tons of natural light.
Floating shelves and custom cabinets
will help tidy the twins' toys away.
Option one comes in at your max budget, $220,000,
would take eight weeks to complete.
How would that feel?
I think that's gonna be life-changing for us.
That space is exactly what we need for the twins, honestly.
Yeah. We've just been in such a tight space
so that exact description is what we've been dreaming of.
And I feel like, too, with that really weird,
low peninsula that was here before,
it'll be so much easier for Chiqui
-to give me a terrible Heimlich Maneuver... -Yeah!
...on a proper high island.
-Exactly right, yes. -Yeah. Good.
Option one would be incredible,
but knowing that you have twins,
and twins continue to get even more expensive,
option two's probably gonna be incredibly enticing.
Option two would still be an incredible space for entertaining.
Same beautiful kitchen.
Same amazing living room with the connectivity to the yard.
Really the only difference is
we'd keep your living room as a beautiful, dedicated family space.
We would not level out the floors,
but we would add a touch of luxury
with a gas fireplace insert
and a nice seating area by the front window
instead of a separate office
which would set up somewhere else in the house
By doing that, you're actually saving $12,000
-and I can finish it two weeks earlier. -Okay.
Wow. I mean, $12,000 is a lot of money.
It would also be cheaper if we don't bother filling these holes in.
We could do that.
So, what would you like to do?
Option one or option two?
[both] Option one.
What... Not even gonna think about it.
Spin, spin, spin!
All right. Okay. Exciting.
-It'll be worth it. -Awesome. Yeah.
I'm excited with their choice.
I know this is gonna be an amazing forever home.
And it's one of those stories where you could never buy another house
that has the history of this one.
-Thank you so much. -Thank you so much for everything.
-You're very welcome. You've been grand. -[Nina] We're so excited.
Back in the hole for me.
All right. [grunts]
I'm so glad they chose to raise the floors,
level everything out,
because with this footprint it actually makes things better to be level.
We're putting in a rebar.
We're epoxying it into the existing slab.
When this is poured and levelled up,
it will never move.
The nice thing, though, is it actually makes our new surface
closer to the opening for the fireplace.
So we'll just do it flush with our flooring,
keep everything nice and seamless.
-It's gonna be great. -Yeah, it's gonna look amazing.
Squeeze them in their little office over here.
All the things we're adding are just gonna make life easier for them.
The transformation at Nick, Nina, and Chiqui's home is well underway
and today is all about concrete.
We've already tied in all the rebar,
so now we are ready to pour
Raising the floor in the living room
allows us to get rid of the trip hazards
like the old fireplace heart
The convenient thing about concrete subfloors...
They're self-levelling.
And now we can fill up the trenches we dug for the sliding door footing
It's been a busy couple week getting the floor levelled
and waiting for the concrete to cure.
And today, we're rerouting the plumbin
to give Nick and Nina and Chiqui
a large kitchen island with a sink.
It's a huge upgrade over the cramped kitchen they had before.
We're also taking this opportunity
to update all the electrical and HVAC
something that has not been done in this house for decades.
Everything is now up to modern-day code.
I wanna make sure this house is perfect from the inside out
for even more generations to come.
We're also installing a new beam
in the opening for the sliding glass doors
which will bring in much-needed light for the family room.
So, I'm on my way back to the jobsite when I get a call.
[Amit] Hey, Jonathan. How are you doing?
Good.
I can't even think of the last time somebody called me...
"Hey, I've got good news."
It's always [blows raspberry].
[Jonathan] Right.
Like a main stack? Do you have a picture?
Not ideal and it is not gonna be easy to resolve.
What's the solution?
Can we just kick it off to the right a little more or...
What do you think?
When it's the main stack,
you have gotta, like, core out the slab, shift things over.
You've gotta go into the ceiling,
do new structure.
I mean, it's just a total pain.
And then you also think, "Where do I move it to?
Can I just shift it over a little on this side?"
No. In our situation, I've gotta go to the far side of our opening
and so it's just... It's an incredible amount of work
and it's gonna be very expensive.
What's the price tag?
Ow!
That's not good.
[groans] Be positive.
The opening...
How big that front entry will feel now when it's done...
It is worth it.
It's just... It's a hard pill to swallow.
Let's just do it.
So go ahead. Cut the slab, cut out the pipe,
shift it over and then we'll figure out
how we're gonna offset that cost, all right?
Thank you.
What's your thought on how we wanna terminate our glass?
Nick and Nina chose option o
because they want a home office integrated into the living room.
A half-partition wall will allow Nina to keep an eye on the twins
This office nook is a really unique feature
and it's actually coming together really cool
It was either gonna be a really oversized front room,
or a good-sized sitting room
and an office space which they critically needed.
So I think this was the right decision
and I can't wait to see it with the glass in.
[chef's kiss] It's gonna be beautiful.
I'm just gonna run down to the basement,
see if we've got any extra equipment, so...
Rerouting the plumbing stac
to expand their living room entrance
required trenching, welding and reconnecting the main waste line.
It was an unexpected cost,
but we'll find a way to balance the budget for Nick and Nina.
Having this really wide opening now
between the front entry and the living room
means you can now showcase
all this beautiful work that we're doing in both spaces.
When a space is closed off, it's almost a shame
because, you know, when you walk in the front door,
you wanna see where you put the money.
Another place we're putting money
is redoing the stairs in the front entrance.
Nick and Nina prefer modern, clean lines
and a new staircase will have a big impact
when you first walk in the house.
With the walls gone, the place looks massive.
Today is all about plaster and sanding.
We're gonna be keeping the walls white
to showcase their art collection.
I love how level all the floors are now.
It makes so much more sense.
You know, that was a point in time
where everyone wanted the sunken living room.
But then we realized
there's always that person in the family who trips on everything.
So this'll give everything a nice, level finish.
Floors will tie it together
and it'll be as safe as can be.
I'm going with engineered hardwood in a mid-tone color.
It's durable, easy to clean
and will hold up to the traffic of the twins and their toys.
Drew and I know very well that's double the wear.
[both] There you go. All right.
-Oh! -Yeah!
Close the doors.
-Bam! -They meet. Get out of here.
-Ah! -Night and day.
It needs to be cleaned a little bit.
There's some poop on it.
[Drew] This is great.
I mean, so much more inviting to the backyard than the old doors.
-The bars. Argh! -Yeah.
[Jonathan] Taking those out
cutting those massive holes in the slab,
pouring those footings to support this new wall of glass...
This is incredible.
[Drew] This is a dream spac
and they're gonna love all the natural light pouring in.
Nick and Nina love that stucco look
from the coffee shop we toured for inspiration.
[Jonathan] So we are replicating that on the fireplace
with a beautiful, textured plaster finish.
Oh, look at it!
That is so gorgeous.
-How beautiful. -Look at that.
[Jonathan] It's so funny, you know...
It does not take much to reimagine
what is the most prominent feature
when you walk into a space.
But this will be gorgeous. Finish it with the mantel.
It has a bit of a ruggedness to it, but it's clean.
So that's why I'm thinking we sand down the mantel.
[Drew] Mmm-hmm.
I'd rather we have a stain finish that shows the grain
than a painted finish.
This family home is going through a major transformation,
so I think that re-finishing and re-staining the mantel
is a great way to pay respect to all the memories that Nina and Chiqui have here.
Plus, it's gonna bring that warm, traditional look that we know Nina likes.
[Jonathan] You got a lot of stripping to do.
We need to get all the paint off of this, so...
Why do I have to get all the paint off of this?
I have other things that are really, just...
Always an excuse.
[Drew pretends to cry]
[Jonathan] It's great to se Nina, Nick and Chiqui's new kitchen
finally coming together.
Instead of full-custom kitchen cabinets,
Nick and Nina approved me switching over to semi-custo
to help make up for the plumbing overage in the front entry.
We're giving them double the prep space
and these beautiful light quartz counters.
We're going two-tone
with the lower cabinets in a natural wood tone that Nina likes.
Drew ended up doing a great job stripping down the mantel
and now we're staining it a contrasting color
to the plaster fireplace surround.
These chairs are family heirlooms,
so it's fitting that they're destined for the family room.
When Nina, Nick and the twin move in with Chiqui,
it'll be two more generation making new memories here.
Nick and Nina can't wait to get out of their cramped condo
and I'm sure Chiqui is looking forward
to finally having a full house again.
Our challenge was to create a forever home that works for everyone
and we hope we've accomplished that.
What do you think of this space?
[Drew] This is their vibe.
This is Chiqui's vibe over here.
I think it's sort of a blended style.
Actually, you know what? I think the lighter backdrop
really brings out the richness of the mantel. I like it.
It works. I feel that there's so much character in here
that is not what you see in a typical design.
Sometimes, when we finish a space,
but everything is new,
it always makes me a little fearful
that they're not gonna feel settled in the space.
Already... They were saying that they didn't have a lot of their art up
because they just didn't have anywhere for it.
This house is 100% ready for Nick and Nina and Chiqui.
[Drew] Oh, my gosh. They're gonna lose it.
Last night, our stomachs were in our throats.
We were...
Not nervous 'cause we were worried we weren't gonna like it -
we knew we were gonna love it -
but just all the nerves and the anxiety building up.
-I didn't get to bed till, like, 2:00, 2:30. -Yeah.
Not a lot of sleep last night. No.
-We're so excited! -You can sense the energy.
-I'm super nervous, actually. I don't know why. -Yeah. I am.
It's all Chiqui-tchotchkes.
-Oh, perfect. -Perfect.
You're gonna love it.
-Oh, my gosh. -Oh!
-Oh, my gosh. -Oh! That's incredible. Oh!
-You guys. -Things have changed.
[Nina] It's gorgeous.
-Oh, my gosh. -Oh!
-[Nina] Oh, my gosh. -[Nick] Oh!
That's incredible. Oh!
-[Nina] You guys. -[Jonathan] Things have changed.
It's gorgeous.
-Oh, my gosh. I love this. -[Nick] Oh, God. Oh, God.
-This is crazy, guys. -[Nina] Yeah.
-This is incredible. -[Nick] This is really, really, really good.
-It came out awesome. Unbelievable. -Oh, my gosh. It's stunning.
It feels so much more open.
It feels, like, a lot brighter than it was before,
-which was big for us. -[Nick] 100%, yeah. Huge.
This has been Nick's dream
-just to be able to feature a piece on the wall. -[Nick] Yeah. Clean walls.
Yeah. Show some of the collection Yeah. Yeah.
Is there anything that you're sad to see go?
Like Chiqui's, you know, shelving?
I mean, the mirror walls.
I'm a little sad you didn't incorporate them
[Drew] I took them home.
[Nina] I don't blame you.
It's so funny. Your reaction when you first walked in
was [shrieks].
Very literally, that was me.
Our goal was to try and make this feel inviting,
-feel like your home already. -[Nina] Yes.
And it's not often where we get
so many great photos and art and pieces.
Our hope is that, when you walked in here,
it instantly does feel like home.
It does. It really...
I mean, you guys nailed it.
It's so perfect.
-[Nick] It's everything we could've asked for for sure. -Yeah. Yeah.
-Thank you so much. -[Nick] It's perfect.
You worry about whether or not it's gonna suit everyone
and it's like... The minute we walked in, I knew it would
and that was just so special.
Check out the office.
[Nick] This is so sick.
[Nina] This is so cool.
Oh, my gosh. I love this.
[Drew] It actually feels so much bigger than it is
-because of the glass. -[Nina] Yes.
[Drew] I was gonna say that's the cool thing. It's a designer detail.
You get that privacy, yet you still have sight-lin of the kids
-when they're running around -[Nina] Exactly.
And I love the way this glass partition came ou
I mean, it's gorgeous.
-[Nick] It looks super cool. -[Nina] Yes.
But something else you didn't even notice.
We widened this so it's more comfortable getting in here
and there's no trip hazard because we raised the floor up.
[Nina] Oh, my gosh, we didn't step down.
-I didn't even... -[Nick] I didn't even think about that.
You don't want people to be like, "Oh, wow, this... Ah!"
-And then trip and fall. -Yeah.
-So much safer. -Exactly. Oh, yes.
The entire space is perfectly connected now.
I love the flow through here. It just feels like a place
-to bring family and friends over. -[Nina] It really does.
It's gonna be great for hosting.
And this looks like the same one.
-[Drew] It is. -[Nina] So cool.
[Jonathan] Yeah. We were abl to keep the existing mantel the corbels.
We gave it a new plaster finish just to brighten it up
'cause the brick was a bit too heavy.
But this is such an awesome feature now.
-Yeah. -Super clean. It's beautiful.
[Jonathan] It's nice to have a little bit of those memories.
-[Nina] Yeah. -[Nick] 100%.
[Jonathan] And then just the connectedness. That's the change
-that I think is the best. It's so connected now. -[Nina] Yes. Yes.
-It is perfect. -[Drew] I'm glad you like it I mean, you can see
when it means a lot to you like that.
Is it picturing the kids growing up, or...
I think so, yeah. I'm just...
Knowing it's a space where, you know, I grew up
and just spent a lot of time with family here
and to be able to do it again is...
-[Drew] Yeah. -It's just awesome.
[Drew] That's magical. That's magical.
You cannot replace those memories.
Very, very few people get that opportunity
-to keep a legacy going... -[Nina] Yeah.
-That's true. -...and you guys have that.
Oh, I definitely envision us being happy here for a long time.
My dad always would've liked for us
to, sort of, stay in this space longer and be together,
and so it's perfect.
Obviously, if you're gonna be entertaining,
you've gotta have a beautiful kitchen to do it in.
Oh, my gosh.
First of all, it's just one huge open spac
[Nick] I was gonna say. Exactly. You can see all the way over to there.
-This is incredible. -So much counter space.
[Nick] I love the detail on the side of the island here, too.
-And the appliances. Everything is beautiful. -Come on.
Gonna make such a huge difference for us.
[Jonathan] This was, obviously, the greatest of the transformations.
[Nina] Yes.
Swapping the dining room to the other side,
opening all of this up makes this truly the heart of the home
because you can see all areas from here.
[Nina] It is. I love that.
I mean, it flows perfectly into both spaces. It really is the heart.
[Nick] It's gonna be a great space for the family
And that's what we wanted.
With a big island so you guys can do some big entertaining.
[Nina] The island is... It's incredible.
[Jonathan] You do have a lot of storage.
Now you can always cook.
I was just making chicken noodle soup last night in our tiny kitchen.
So that is, like...
-It's gonna be incredible. -[Nina] Yeah.
-It'll be like a real... -[Nina] A real kitchen for grownups.
[Nick] Yeah. Adults.
You guys didn't even remember.
So this was open as well to that back room
which meant we wouldn't hav good placement for cabinets
So closing that off, continuing that cabinetry,
-but opening up the walls where it really matters... -Yeah.
...that's what was important.
-Oh, my gosh. -Everything looks so nicely tied together.
I know.
[Nina and Nick laughing]
[Jonathan] Is that your favorite piece?
[Nick] Yeah, it's one of our favorite wor for sure.
I love that you guys got it up in here. That's awesome.
[Nina] It's amazing that there's a wall space big enough to feature it.
[Nick] I know. I know.
You know what? Honestly, the scale is perfect for that piece of art.
It's super fun to be able to feature some of these things, finally.
-It's really cool. -[Nina] It's awesome.
[Jonathan] This house is a piece of art now.
It's not just what we hung on the walls.
-It literally is a piece of art. -[Nina] It is. It really is
[Nick] Looks so good.
Did you think you could actually get a formal dining area?
With a normal-height table.
[Jonathan] Yeah, exactly.
This feels like a much more appropriate place for your dining table.
And there is so much natural light.
Losing the wall between the old kitchen and the dining room
means all that light now floods through this spac
and continues right through to the sitting room.
[Nick] And not to mention the light from these massive doors.
-Oh, my gosh! -That looks so sick.
That came out so good.
[Nina] It's beautiful.
That living room area...
It's always been the area that we sit in the most.
But it was always so dark.
So the doors are just incredible.
They've brought so much light in.
And to just be able to go in and out of the backyard like that...
It's gonna be amazing for the kids.
Recognize that?
[both] They look gorgeous.
[Nick] They've cleaned up awesome. Totally.
[Nina] These chairs are actually from the Philippine from my grandparents' house
-[all] Amazing. -[Nina] Yeah.
-[Nick] Super fun. I love it -[Nina] So it's incredible
you were able to incorporate them. They look beautiful.
[Jonathan] When Chiqui brought those over, I was like,
-"Oh, this has to happen." Yeah. -[Nina] Yeah.
[Drew] You have Chiqui's blue and whites
and you have our blue and whites.
-[Nick] I think Chiqui's gonna love it. -[Nina] She is.
The blue and whites. Love the blue wall behind it
I mean, it's beautiful.
-But, wait. Do you guys love it? -We love it.
-There's no doubt. -It's incredible. We love it. It's our style
and I think Chiqui will still appreciate it.
[Nina] I can't wait to hang out in it.
-[Nick] Super clean lines. It's awesome. -[Nina] It's cozy,
which I why think, you know.
The clean lines, everything is a design we loved,
but I really wanted it to still feel homey and it does.
Shall we go get Chiqui and the kids?
-I think we should. -Yeah, let's do it.
[Drew] This'll be good.
Hey!
Oh, wow!
[Jonathan] What do you think?
-Oh, my gosh. -Oh, my God! Oh!
[Nick] Look at that.
Watching my mom come in the door...
I was nervous at first 'cause she always takes a second
to, like, absorb and warm up
But the second she started moving through
and she just took it all in.
And she was all smiles and I was just so happy to see that she was happy too.
That's her signature move.
[man] What is?
Yeah.
What do you think?
Oh, my God.
Why couldn't I have had this, like, 37 years ago?
This is... I mean, this is amazing. Oh!
I'm glad you like it.
We brought your design influence into the back area too.
-Oh, look at it! [gasps] -[Jonathan] But I do have one question.
-Does it feel-- -I see some of my blues and whites.
[Jonathan] Yes! We knew you would love that.
[Chiqui] It feels homey!
-This is where I spent most of my time before. -[Jonathan] Amazing.
-[Jonathan and Drew] Yeah. -[Chiqui] Oh, my God.
Doesn't it look incredible?
And the good thing is
from the old cabinets we learned CPR.
Then if anyone has an emergency while we're eating here...
-That's right. -Chiqui, how does it go?
Should be...
[all laughing]
Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!
[Nick] I love seeing the kids running around, exploring in here.
[Nina] Yeah, there's no containing them in here now.
It was worth it for sure.
I mean, the house is so brig
and the colors are wonderful
That kitchen...
I wish I had that kitchen 35 years ago.
-Beautiful. -It's amazing.
[Drew] So, Chiqui, what do you think?
I'm thinking another 36 years in this house
with the little kiddies and my beautiful daughter and her husband.
-[Drew] Oh, my God. Cheers to that. -It's gonna be fun.
-Cheers to that. -[all] Cheers!