The Property Brothers Reveal One Tiny Upgrade That’s a ‘Big Deal’

Drew and Jonathan Scott know that even the best laid plans can change. And the latest “Property Brothers: Forever Home” proves that a renovation is often required to keep up with the times!

In the “Honoring Lola” episode, Drew and Jonathan work with Charisma and Eric, parents of three who moved from Chicago to Las Vegas three years ago to live with Charisma’s mom, Lola. Sadly, Lola passed away right as they were moving in, and Charisma and Eric suddenly found themselves in a new city and in a big house that didn’t feel like home.

Now, it’s up to Drew and Jonathan to update the home to make it more appealing and functional for a family with three busy kids—all on a budget of $125,000. Here’s how the Scott brothers fix up this dated house, which might inspire some makeovers around your own abode.

Flooring is one of your ‘biggest investments’

Charisma and Eric bought this house, in part, because Lola liked it so much, but it doesn’t quite fit their tastes.

For example, Charisma hates the tile floor because she says that it never looks clean. She wants something that will look good even if it’s a little dirty, and will last a long time.

So the brothers install plank-style porcelain, which has the durability of tile but looks like wood. The only problem: They’re not sure how to install the tile. While they’d usually line the flooring up with the front door, this entryway is positioned differently from the rest of the house. So if the tile runs in line with the door, it won’t align with any other walls.

“Flooring install is no joke,” Jonathan says. “This is one of the biggest investments in any home, so getting one you love and installing it correctly, it’s a big deal.”

The brothers decide to align the flooring with the living room wall, which means it will line up with most of the walls in the house. This flooring may not be laid in the traditional way, but it looks amazing throughout the house.

Bring the eye up with the right light fixtures

When Drew and Jonathan first walk into Charisma and Eric’s house, they’re impressed by the beautiful high ceiling in the entryway and living room. In fact, Eric says that this grand ceiling is one of the things they like most about the house.

The Scott brothers decide to highlight the high ceiling by adding a beautiful chandelier in the living room. The black lighting fixture draws the eye up, showing off the high ceiling (now painted a bright white) while also complementing the gray decor.

When the renovation is finished, Eric notices the new light.

“I love the chandelier, too,” he says. “There was nothing here before, so it just helps bring attention to how high the ceilings are here.”

Create the perfect mantel by aging wood

Eric and Charisma want their family room to be warm and inviting, but with a stone fireplace, the space just looks dated. The brothers decide to update the space by giving the fireplace a clean new look, installing elegant tile and built-in shelving.

Still, the best part of this fireplace has to be the wood mantel, which looks rustic and old—but is actually brand-new!

“This solid piece of wood is going to look awesome,” Jonathan says of the new mantel. “But to make it special, I decided to torch it to really give it that aged feel.”

Jonathan torches and sands the wood until it looks like a 100-year-old piece of reclaimed wood, which would ordinarily come with a big price tag.

Coordinated colors help with flow

With a beautiful fireplace mantel installed in the living room, Jonathan now wants to stain the kitchen pantry door a matching dark shade. However, the dark stain doesn’t seem to work in the otherwise gray kitchen.

“Hey, what can I say?” Jonathan says. “I tried something a little different with this door, and it didn’t work.”

This kitchen has a lot of gray tones.

While he wanted the door to stand out as a statement piece in the kitchen, he decides that the dark stain may be too bold. He paints it dark gray to match the vent hood, and it ends up looking great.

Match your backsplash to the counter slab

When Charisma and Eric moved in three years ago, they tried to pick a kitchen backsplash—but couldn’t decide on one. So they compromised and put up two different designs (both his and her choices). By now, both look dated.

Drew and Jonathan want to take out these two tile patterns and replace them with one beautiful backsplash both Eric and Charisma will love.

The brothers choose quartz countertops and decide to run that same material up the wall as a backsplash. The brothers know that this look will stay in style for a while, and the quartz will be easy to clean.

“It’s a modern look using a timeless material. That’s about as low maintenance as a backsplash can get,” Jonathan says.

By the end of the brothers’ latest renovation, this family has a great place to remember Lola as well as a fun place to make new memories.