The Brady House Renovation Is Done! But Can You Spot What’s Fake?

HGTV; realtor.com

The transformation of the Brady Bunch house is finally complete! After a mere four episodes, the finale of “A Very Brady Renovation” reveals the fully renovated house in all its groovy ′70s glory. Hats off to the HGTV reno team and now-very-much-grown Brady “kids,” who worked hard to turn back the clock!

In the season finale, titled, “A Sunshine Day on Clinton Way,” the renovation team tackles the entryway, plus the bedrooms of Mike and Carol and their oldest son, Greg (who bunked down in the love-beaded attic).

But they’ve had major challenges. For one, since this show’s interior shots were filmed in a studio rather than in the house used for the exterior footage, renovating the latter to look like the former has been tough. For one: This house has no attic! So where the heck is Greg supposed to sleep?

With the pressure on to recreate one of the most iconic homes in TV history, read on to find out how they finish off this renovation in style—plus some hard-won lessons about renovations we can all take home with us.

Welcome guests with a great entryway

Right off the front door, the Brady house has stairs leading up to the master bedroom and down to the rec room. This is problematic for two reasons.

First, those stairs don’t match the Brady entryway fans remember from the show, and two, the dark hand railings and the twisting passageway are an awkward eyesore. While most homeowners want their front doors to open onto living areas with stunning sight lines, this cumbersome staircase is not the best look for welcoming guests into a home.

“It’s the first thing you see when you come through the door, and it’s 100% all wrong,” Mike Lookinland (who played Bobby Brady) says.

Getting rid of it is definitely the right choice, Brady house or not. So Jasmine Roth, a designer who stars on “Hidden Potential,” replaces the strange passageway with a cleaner look by opening the space and hiding the staircase around the corner. In the end, it makes for a more wow-worthy entryway, which any Brady would be proud to come home to every day.

There’s a lot wrong with this busy entryway.

HGTV

Painted white brick is a timeless, great look

When working on Mike and Carol’s bedroom, the reno team has to get creative with the layout. In the house’s existing master bedroom, the door to the bathroom isn’t on the same side as it was in the show. So the team has to make a new entryway in the correct place and cover up the old one.

But one area where they’re in luck is with the walls—one of which is white painted brick. Yes, Mike and Carol’s bedroom had this look, but it’s still popular today. And we can see why: This small hint of brick gives the room some texture and a little something extra, stylewise, without being overwhelming.

The white brick wall helps pull this bedroom together.

HGTV

Transform a space to suit your needs

In this episode, the team is determined to create Greg’s room in the attic. But building an attic from scratch would be impossible without changing the house’s iconic street view.

So, the team decides to turn another space into Greg’s would-be love den: a ground-floor den that was once a carport.

Turns out that over the life of the house, this space has been used in many ways—first, as a carport, then as a rec room, then a bedroom. It reminds us that we should remain open-minded about a room’s purpose and know that it can always be changed—this time into Greg’s hideaway from the rest of his siblings.

A great headboard can make or break a room

There are so many iconic touches in Greg’s bedroom: The bead curtain, the old-fashioned radio, even the pillows on the bed are memorable. But one major feature that brings this space together is the large headboard.

This large wooden piece catches the eye with its classic look, but it’s also functional, allowing for storage of favorite knickknacks above the bed. It also splits the room in a way that gives some much-needed separation to the large room.

This room wouldn’t be the same without the wood headboard.

HGTV

Can’t add a real window? Build a fake window instead

Everyone loves brightening a dark room with a window. Unfortunately, the team can’t add an actual window to Greg’s room, due to its layout. Still, it gets the same fresh-air feel by adding a fake window instead!

This works out well, since the window on the Brady set was fake, too. But Lara Spencer from “Flea Market Flip,” and Barry Williams (who played Greg Brady) still work hard to make the window look as real as possible. For one, they fill the frame with a real picture of the sky and a tree outside the house; they also put lights around the frame to make it look as if the sun is shining in. It drives the point home that a little light and some outside scenery can really improve a room, even if, in this case, it’s just an illusion.

So, is this ‘Very Brady Renovation’ up to snuff?

By the end of this episode, both Mike and Carol’s room and Greg’s attic are looking groovy indeed. And with that, the renovation is officially complete—and looking amazing! The HGTV team, neighbors, and even the University of Southern California marching band join in for a fun, music-filled housewarming party.

Feeling sad that it’s all over? You’re in luck: More of the Brady House is coming soon with a new show, “A Very Brady Renovation: Behind the Build.” Stay tuned for more! 

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