The Property Brothers Reclaim a Playroom So the Whole Family Can Enjoy It

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“Property Brothers: Forever Home” stars Drew and Jonathan Scott are experts when it comes to making more space for family in a home—but what about making space for extended family?

On the latest episode, “New Lease On Life,” homeowner Paola is living on her own now that her kids have grown up and moved out. However, her Toronto home is always filled with her kids and grandkids visiting. Plus, she’s always entertaining, often having all 25 members of her extended family over for parties.

Drew and Jonathan know they need to help Paola get a bigger space for entertaining—but it’ll require knocking down almost all the walls and starting from scratch.

Read on to find out the one inexpensive change the brothers make to create a better flow from living space to kitchen, plus, learn their trick for covering up a pesky stair bulkhead.

A large, front-facing living room

Before, this closed-off space was used as a playroom.

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When Paola first shows the brothers her living space, the brothers aren’t impressed. She has a whole room at the front of the house just for her grandchildren’s toys, and the unnecessary playroom takes away from what could be a big, beautiful living room.

Drew and Jonathan take down the wall that separates this toy room from the rest of the house and give Paola the option to make this space the new kitchen or living room. Paola points out that, during holidays, she’d like to have her Christmas tree at the front of the house, by the window. So, this front space turns into a large, welcoming living space.

Now, guests can walk right into this bright, welcoming living space.

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When the renovation is complete, the small, walled-off playroom is gone, replaced with a massive living room that both Paola and her grandkids can enjoy.

Cover the stair bulkhead with a bar

You’d never know this convenient bar is covering something up.

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A stair bulkhead can be a tricky thing to manage. Paola’s bulkhead is head space from the stairs going to the finished basement, and it currently juts out of the wall in her kitchen and takes up lower cabinet space.

Luckily, the Scott brothers move the kitchen to the other side of the house, so the bulkhead can’t take up cabinet space. But that still leaves one big problem: What can they do with the unsightly bulkhead?

With the new layout, the head space now lands in the dining room, so the brothers find a solution that will fit with the space. They create a bar area over the bulkhead that’s both convenient and beautiful.

A common color ties together two spaces

This dining room flows perfectly to the kitchen.

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Since Paola loves having all of her family members over for parties, she needs a great entertaining space that flows between the kitchen and living room. Of course, the brothers bust down some walls, making the two spaces feel much more connected. However, there’s one big wall that has to remain, so Drew and Jonathan have to find another way to connect these spaces.

Their solution? Matching colors.

With a good amount of gray in the dining room (in the dining chairs and the new bar area), the brothers make the smart move to carry this color into the kitchen. They give the island and lower cabinets the same gray they use for the bar, making the kitchen feel like an extension of the dining room (and vice versa), creating a perfect flow.

Use multicolored cabinets

These two cabinet colors work great together.

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When Drew takes Paola to tour a renovated home for inspiration, Paola points out how much she loves two-tone cabinets. Drew and Jonathan know they have to include some two-tone cabinets in the renovation, but they end up doing Paola one better.

They give the kitchen a big upgrade with sleek white cabinets up top and beautiful gray ones below, but they don’t stop there. Across from the peninsula, the brothers install a massive refrigerator (which is perfect for storing food before Paola’s family gatherings) and wood-tone cabinets to go on either side.

This third tone works perfectly in the kitchen.

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These three different cabinet colors go together beautifully, and they give the kitchen some extra dimension.

Wood floors instead of tile

While Drew and Jonathan do an amazing job giving this home the flow it needs, perhaps the biggest transformation comes in the floors.

Before renovation, the brothers take note of the outdated tile floors. They point out that the blue, textured design looks a little like a pane of glass over a pool of water.

Jonathan knows that installing hardwood floors can be an expensive upgrade, but these $7,000 floors make the space feel instantly warmer and more modern.

When the floors are finished, it’s a big improvement. Not only are the hardwood floors stunning, but the consistent flooring gives the home a graceful flow from entryway, to living room, to dining space, to kitchen.

Do the brothers deliver?

The brothers do an amazing job of transforming this house from a crowded, chopped-up space to the perfect party house. But did they do it all within budget?

Paola explains at the beginning of the renovation that she’s willing to spend up to $150,000, but the brothers tell her they can do it all for just $140,000. That sounds like a great deal!

However, on the first day of renovation, the brothers find that some rain has made its way into the basement and flooded it. While insurance covers most of the damage, the brothers realize that they should fix the plumbing in the basement so this never happens again. That plumbing upgrade costs $1,500, but it’s worth the price.

The brothers end up spending a total of $141,500 on this renovation. It’s a little higher than expected, but it’s well worth the price in exchange for peace of mind in the basement and an incredible transformation in the living space.

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