Sarah jumps into the real estate market to show you how to buy a fixer-upper and make it the house you want right away. The ultimate renovator's dream is elusive ? good bones, the right price and location are everything. With her discerning eye and a solid real estate agent in tow, Sarah finds the perfect disaster and readies herself to polish this diamond in the rough.
Overgrown and unloved, no one can remember when Sarah's backyard has seen better days. Sarah, Tommy and landscape designers work hand in hand to resurrect this hardscrabble plot into a chic low maintenance space for year round enjoyment. Increased privacy, new plant material, cedar deck and stylish outdoor furniture make the most of the yard you've paid for!
The kids' bedrooms in Sarah's House are plagued by awkward layouts and sloped ceilings. A shoestring budget challenges Sarah to transform these tricky spaces into dream escapes for their pint-sized occupants. It means spending limited funds where they're needed most, both behind the walls and on the fun and funky decor.
A dingy bathroom, dim hall and a pokey room jump from tired to inspired! Sarah captures every last inch of unused space, re-working the hall, gutting the bathroom and creating a lofty kids' lounge and study, with a constant eye on her pocketbook. The end result: affordable, functional amenities that are versatile and grow with the children!
Functioning as den, home office and guest bedroom is a tall order for a tight space. Sarah creates a stylish room with a versatility that can rise to any duty thrown its way. Eliminating coved ceilings, selecting large-scale furniture and a sunny color palette are clever design decisions that prove a small room can be big on style and serve almost any need.
A bland master bedroom gets a wake up call! Sarah doubles the size of the space by knocking down the wall to an adjoining room, and bricks up a never used window to create a long enough wall for the bed. This new layout also captures a lounge space and walls of his and hers' closets. Lush textures and colors, more light and sparkle make for a masterful bedroom retreat!
A dingy kitchen and a dirty bathroom become a beautiful master bathroom. Sarah unites these two wretched spaces, cleans them up and creates one gorgeous, stand-alone oasis. Windows, doors, floors and hallways are moved to make way for a luxurious, peaceful space without going over budget. From the rough comes this diamond of a master bathroom.
A dark, cramped living room and foyer do nothing to add appeal to Sarah's House. Sarah reconfigures the entire space, giving it the grandeur it lacks. Walls come down, the stairway opens up and inefficient doors and windows are torn out. Even a fireplace that cannot be removed gets a new lease on life. This living room becomes a fitting showcase for a house with such lineage.
A drab kitchen and mock tudor dining room do nothing to arouse the palate. Sarah knocks it into a vast, contemporary kitchen and dining room. Insider tips on finishes, craftsmanship and details help you to create a timeless place to cook and entertain. Sarah gets the most wow factor from every dollar, making this kitchen a showcase in every way!
Low ceilings, chopped up rooms and mold would turn most potential homebuyers away, but not Sarah! However, her visions of a high and dry family space quickly turn to nightmares when costly structural work must be added to the basement renovation to-do list. With the budget compromised, Sarah works to make this family entertainment level work on a tight budget!
A kid-friendly landing spot and a user-friendly laundry room are high on this house's priority list. After a full basement excavation, Sarah carves out well-organized, highly-functioning service rooms for the entire home. Little money sparks big ideas to maximize every square inch of this new home operations centre.
Choose the worst house on the best street' is good real estate advice and one look at Sarah's choice shows she listened. Outdated windows, a listing porch, dry rot and an old retaining wall must be addressed to increase safety and curb appeal. Budgetary constraints, bad-weather conditions and the interior house renovation all take priority and push this makeover to last on the list. There is definitely a swan lurking inside this ugly duckling!
The dust has settled and Sarah is the proud owner of a brand new house! Sarah has proved that through solid planning, wise spending and a sense of humour that she can make a difference to her home. Tour the entire home from top to bottom, learning added perspective on decisions made. What did the experience mean to Sarah, what can it mean to your own renovation?
Sarah Richardson embarks on the most challenging project of her career.
Sarah and Tommy squeeze practical style from two small, neglected rooms.
An absolutely bland, beige and boring master bedroom is transformed.
Sarah renovates the bathrooms.
The unused basement is turned into a multi-purpose suite.
Sarah makes every nook and cranny accountable by incorporating hidden storage.
Sarah steps up to a large yard untouched since the house was built.
Sarah and Tommy set a budget challenge to bring an unused space up to the demanding specs.
Sarah makes a family room that serves a multitude of purposes.
A dated living room and entryway get a modern appeal and flexibility.
Sarah and Tommy tackle the kitchen and dining room.
Sarah modernizes the house's exterior by replacing a tangle of trees, adding a skylight to the carport and color tinting the brick.
Agents tell Sarah how much the house is worth now.
Sarah wants to bring functionality and style to the entryway.
Sarah uses fabrics and flea market finds to add charm to bedrooms.
Sarah and Tommy update a bathroom with a new floor, fixtures and a shower.
Creating a cook's kitchen from a group of mixed rooms.
A wide, connecting hallway becomes a family dining room.
Designers want to connect a new-build space to the original farmhouse with fixed elements.
Sarah and Tommy transform children's bedrooms in a girls versus boys competition.
Sarah expands a bathroom that services a master bedroom and two children's rooms.
A bright, wake-me-up space is inspired by an antique quilt.
After seeing how the farm's exterior has come together, Sarah finally learns how much value her hard work has added to the once modest farmhouse. A quartet of real estate agents tours the farm room-by-room, commenting on what they like and what could be improved upon. Will the value exceed the total house purchase price and renovation?
Sarah Richardson takes to the suburbs. Her goal: to show you how to make design choices in a new build home to end up with a more personalized and desirable place to live. Sarah tweaks the home’s layout with the developer and then she and design sidekick Tommy Smythe pick exterior finishes. As the house is built they learn valuable lessons on how choices made early on can have huge impact on the final outcome.
In the developer’s original plans the living room in this large suburban home was chopped into two small rooms. A floorplan tweak results in one larger, formal entertaining space scaled to the size of this home. Sarah Richardson and design sidekick Tommy Smythe create two distinct seating areas that seamlessly mix new and vintage furniture, while tipping their hat to a focal fireplace. It’s all placed against a fresh and bright paint scheme.
First impressions mean everything, and Sarah’s House does not disappoint. Sarah Richardson’s goal is to create style, sophistication and impact in an entryway, mudroom and powder room that tease expectations to the rest of a typical suburban home. She and design sidekick Tommy Smythe use colour, materials and furnishings that play off connecting rooms, provide practical storage solutions and make a design statement!
Sarah Richardson sets out to create a dramatic kitchen that works in both family and formal settings. To do this Sarah and design sidekick Tommy Smythe must devote a larger than anticipated chunk of their upgrade budget to the cause, but still must strike a balance between higher quality fixtures, vintage finds and additional smart spending solutions. The result is a kitchen that slips easily from harried family breakfasts to loungey gatherings.
The challenge? Create a family room that is comfortable, beautiful and neutral – the inspiration being caffe latte. After a slight floorplan modification in the new build house Sarah Richardson and design sidekick Tommy Smythe search out pieces that serve the many needs of a family space. Seating, storage and entertainment play a role in a room that bridges the kitchen and dining room.
Colour, pattern, texture and lighting all help to make what is often an orphan room feel connected to the rest of a typical home. Sarah Richardson adds drama to the space with among other touches crown moulding, chair rail and grasscloth wallpaper. She and design sidekick Tommy Smythe search high and low for furnishings that bring an historic appeal that welcomes all in a lighter, more contemporary way.
It’s a lesson in creating a kids’ room that has style and can grow with the child. Sarah Richardson and design sidekick Tommy Smythe use a fun polka dot fabric as jumping off point for a space that is light, bright and inspiring. Painted vintage furniture and other finds help to prove that there is more than one way to achieve colour and fun in a young person’s space.
Sarah Richardson carves a dedicated craft room from the blank canvas of bedrooms in this new build suburban home. Sarah’s design vision of “stylized lab” is molded from a space that can easily revert to a bedroom if the need arises. She and design sidekick Tommy Smythe find innovative, practical work surfaces durable enough and the right height for crafting. Storage also plays a huge role in a space where imagination takes flight.
Greys and blacks find their home in a blank canvas boy’s bedroom. Sarah Richardson kicks off the design with a zigzag fabric that inspires the rest of the finds – an Edison bulb light, wooden spool dresser and charcoal chair round out the sleeping area. Sarah and design sidekick Tommy Smythe carry greys into an adjoining bathroom through tile and vintage lighting.
Sarah introduces romance to this large, builder beige master bedroom. Sarah kicks it all off with botanical inspired fabrics and prints, fresh crisp paint colours and wallpaper on a feature wall. A vintage desk, dresser and other pieces also add personality to the room. A pair of columns form the piece de resistance, positioned in such a way as to delineate space and provide further decorative impact.
The oversized master ensuite in this new build suburban house is proof that you can have too much of a good thing. Sarah Richardson’s challenge is to use the money she and design sidekick Tommy Smythe saved with standard finishes in other parts of the home to introduce marble and other natural stone elements. A freestanding tub and separate shower stall plus unique accents and accessories also help create a master ensuite befitting a custom home.
An all purpose room the entire family can enjoy. Sarah Richardson invested a serious amount of her upgrade on a basement walkout to the backyard, and ups and ante by combining a series of small boxy rooms into one multi-purpose destination. Bold colour, a Persian rug and versatile furniture layout make it a true recreation space – pool table and flat screen TV included.
Most new build homes come with little more than a patch of grass and struggling sapling. Sarah Richardson revises the front-scape of the custom suburban home with plantings and accessories that convey a “been there all along” appeal. A trio of real estate agents tour the home and assess Sarah’s and design sidekick Tommy Smythe’s work – did they spend their upgrade budget wisely?