‘Bargain Mansions': Tamara Day brings zen energy to her home renovation with shou sugi ban technique

Season 4 of HGTV’s hit renovation show ‘Bargain Mansions' is back with a second episode and host Tamara Day and dad Ward Schraeder are ready for another challenge. The father-daughter renovators hit the road to reach a 1984 modern house with 3,600 square feet that Tamara bought for $220,000. 

The house was centrally located in Kansas City where the host is based out of. One of the highlights of the house according to Tamara was the zen garden. “You can vibe really good here,” she explained to her dad as Ward sits in a meditative position. She told her dad she wanted to renovate the house with Asian elements that she loves and give the house a “burnt cedar wood” finish or the “shou sugi ban” effect. 

For Phase 1 of the renovation, Tamara wanted to spend not more than  $45,000 to renovate the sitting room, kitchen, living room and the outside. For the sitting room, she wanted to make an open storage cabinet with a nook in the middle of it which would be a nice place to sit and read as it overlooks a great view. The space would be updated with modern lights and a dining area. For the kitchen area, Tamara decided to remove the hardwood countertops of the kitchen islands and bring it to the same level and replace it with soft white tiles. She painted the walls sage green to match the green cabinets, removed the wall cabinets that were too big and made the place look cluttered and replaced it with open floating cabinets. 

With eight weeks in hand, Tamara and her team start working on the zen garden. She arranged a custom made water fountain for the garden made of flex stones, she got the outside of the house painted in dark brass undertones. With an already existent Buddha statue and a wooden seat and shed for meditation, the outside of the house was ready. Tamara wanted to have elements of shou sugi ban on the outside and in the entryway to marry the outside to the inside in a way that gives off the Asian aesthetic all over the house.

Inside the living space, Tamara redid the fireplace and decorated it with white color themed furniture with bright detailing and modern lighting to brighten up the space. The outside turned out the way she had anticipated. 

Catch 'Bargain Mansions' every Monday at 9 pm ET only on HGTV.