'Property Brothers: Forever Home': The duo turn a fourth-generation Toronto based house into a modern home
On the newest episode of 'Property Brothers: Forever Home', on June 10, viewers saw the twin brothers use all their expertise and a lot of muscle to help renovate Toronto couple Graham and Nicole's house that was built in the '50s by the latter's grandfather. The couple resides in the house with their three children and Nicole's mother. The property has been in the family for four generations and carried a unique primitive footprint before the makeover. The couple wanted the brothers to help them update the house and bring in Scandinavian elements to it. They wanted them to marry the older elements and characteristics with a modern contemporary design, suited to their tastes.
After speaking with the couple and examining the house, the brothers had their work cut out for them. Nicole and Graham had $1,60,000 to spare for this makeover. Their wishlist included more upgrades in the kitchen as they spent a lot of time over there and they mentioned that increased functionality would work to their benefit. Two-tones cabinets, large kitchen island, tiles backsplash in the kitchen, lighter colored hardwood floor in the kitchen, a family room, upgraded fireplace were some of the things that they wished for. The kitchen overlooked a scenic landscape but the windows were leaky. There was also a chimney in the kitchen placed right above the central counter and the brothers noted that if a taller person had to stand near the counter, they'd have the chimney sticking right in their face. Adding to that the couple expressed that they always thought about a higher ceiling in the kitchen as they love open spaces. The house had a unique and beautiful terrazzo flooring in the foyer and the brothers offered to add tiles bearing the same design in the walls of the kitchen. They also offered to create a larger dining space for the couple but these additions could've set them back by $175,000. The couple however settled with the original plan that gave them everything that they needed and fit right in their budget.
The renovations went on for eight long weeks. The brothers stayed true to their promise of not eliminating the character that the older elements bring to the house. So much so that they took pieces of the dark hardwood floor that were to be replaced with a lighter one, to create a mosaic pattern. In the middle of it, they placed a piece of wallpaper that was laid in the '50s and hung it on the kitchen wall and the final reveal not only blew the socks off of the couple but also their kids and more so Nicole's mother who had lived in the house since she was 10. The couple was most happy looking at the family room and the upgraded furniture and the added storage space for their kids' toys. Their extended family came in shortly for a get-together and they couldn't help but marvel at the turn that the house's decor had taken.
'Property Brothers: Forever Home' airs Wednesday nights at 8 pm only on HGTV.