'Vacation House Rules': Scott McGillivray transforms a '70s lakefront house into a luxurious resort-style villa
Scott McGillivray arrived at a property located near Weiss lake where he met the couple, Jason and Jessica. The house was purchased by Jessica's parents in the 1970s and was turned into a duplex in 1989. This has been their family house for 44 years and counting.
Jessica's parents still owned the cottage which was shared between them, her own family and her brother John's family. The challenge was that the house was purchased in 1975 and when their parents leave the house to her and John, it is their responsibility to pay for everything. After looking at the property and knowing the history, McGillivray presented a realistic picture to Catherine. He told her that inheriting this space would mean $100,000 and capital gains to sustain the property would be difficult to afford. Jason and Jessica planned to seek Gillivray's advice on how they could rent the property for a certain period to bring in the cash and be able to keep it.
McGillivray clarified that the standards of rentals are high and a rundown place is not going to get them the tenants that they've been looking for. Later, McGillivray along with the couple went inside to take a better look at what he was dealing with. Cracked ceilings, one bathroom in a house meant for 10 people, two bunk beds in a cramped up room, a kitchen with no ventilation or prep and dining space were some of the problems that McGillivray took note of. Furthermore, the cottage also came with a large waterside deck. However, the space was not conducive enough for entertaining, meaning the biggest highlight of the house would also not be able to bring in the money from renters.
McGillivray came up with a plan where he wanted to keep the four rooms as it is but update them. He also proposed to turn the storage into a powder room for convenience, change the layout of the kitchen and add a window over the sink so that the water view could be enjoyed from every room in the cottage. He also planned on adding a pergola with a retractable roof in order to convert the naked lakehouse into a resort-style escape. The budget for all this was $75,000 and he also came up with a way for Jessica and her family to recover all that money.
'Vacation House Rules' airs on Saturday nights on HGTV.
