Renovation Realities

Josh Hissong is an accomplished kitchen designer living in Spokane, Washington. So naturally when he bought his dream fixer-upper home, he decided to start his renovations in the kitchen. With help from interior design student and friend, Genevieve, this project was just destined for greatness...right? Setbacks ranging from broken windows to using the only kitchen floor-plan to start a fire after the power goes out plague this project from the very beginning, bringing Josh to the early realization that this renovation is going to be anything but easy.

Vincent Schilling shares a small home in Virginia Beach, Virginia, with his wife, Delores, and their always stylishly dressed miniature Chihuahua, Sophia. Delores is out of town for a few days, so Vincent has concocted a plan to renovate their unsightly kitchen as surprise for her when she returns. He's solicited the help of his mother-in-law, Sharon, for his culinary facelift. Working with a budget of $8000, Vincent and Sharon plan to gut the kitchen entirely and start from scratch. The only problem is, neither Vince nor Sharon have one iota of experience with home renovations. Thanks to some pesky plumbing, uncooperative tools, and lots of heavy lifting, Vince and Sharon are constantly under the gun to finish before Delores arrives home. To make matters worse, minutes before Delores is due to walk through the door, the duo suffers a setback that leaves Vincent fearing that, if he doesn't finish the project before she walks in, he'll be spending the rest of his life in Sophia's tiny little dog house.

Kevin and Rachel Rich live in a home they purchased six years ago from his parents. In fact, Kevin grew up in the house, and together, he and Rachel share it with their three young boys - all of which are under the age of 10. But for all the home's great memories, the space is entirely unsuited for the needs of the Rich family. The couple's plan to make their home more livable: tear down a wall separating the kitchen and dining room, build a faux beam, and install a new front entryway. The overall effect, Kevin and Rachel hope, will not only increase the value of their home, but greatly improve its flow. As the renovation begins, the Rich's battle a broken trailer, job interruptions, their kids, and eventually, each other. As they near the end of their renovation, the Rich's finally succeed in installing their new front entryway just as the weather dips below freezing and nightfall sets in.

Nancy McFarland and her daughter, Melissa, have just bought a dilapidated Victorian home in Georgetown, Kentucky with the plans to renovate and move in as soon as possible. The only problem is that Nancy, a real estate agent, can sell a home with the best of them, but she has no clue how to work on one and Melissa has even less experience. Disregarding their lack of skills, they decide to start their renovation by tearing out the ceiling and replacing all the windows in a huge turret overlooking the front of the house. But just as quickly as they begin, they find themselves overwhelmed by dangerous working conditions, intense physical labor, and a handful of windows that refuse to cooperate. In the end, they are forced to return to work with about half of the job complete and are unable to move in.

Potential is what architect Cheryl Obert saw in her 1925 Craftsman-era home when she purchased it more than four years ago. With the help of her partner, Jess Heidorn, the couple went right to work, completely remodeling their home's upstairs bathroom. This project, however, not only took months longer than expected, but also included a few miscues and missteps along the way. Now, with the heartache of their last remodel job a thing of the past, the couple are finally ready to tackle a new, more ambitious project together: to completely gut and remodel their outdated kitchen in a week. As the renovation gets underway, though, the scope and scale of this job becomes painfully obvious as each day brings with it a series of new and unforeseen challenges. Battling a gas line problem, a missing kitchen cabinet, and wet drywall mud, the couple struggle to stay on schedule and under budget. Eventually, and with tensions on the rise, Cheryl and Jess come to the agonizing realization that this project is going to take far longer than either one of them ever expected.

Eli and Heather Cockrum have a laundry room in their garage, but they have no way of accessing it from inside their house. So, they've decided to renovate their dining room and create a stairwell leading into the basement. It's an extensive project, but they're confident they can get it done in just a few days. That is, until they are plagued with multiple set backs ranging from mismeasuring a support wall and saw dust shooting into Eli's eye, causing him severe pain. Finally, when they realize the stair spindles are too tall, they decide that their renovation is over...for now.

Matt Askland and his girlfriend, Debbie McCool, recently purchased a dilapidated rental property just outside Phoenix, Arizona. From the outside, the small stucco rancher looks almost livable. But step into the kitchen, and it's a whole other story. It's in such bad shape that Matt and Debbie have to rip everything out, literally down to the studs, and start all over. In just a few days' time, Matt and Deb need to rewire the entire kitchen, hang new drywall, install cabinets from floor to ceiling, and get the new appliances into place. Unforeseen delays, surprise electrical issues, and shady businessmen all threaten to derail the project from day one. But Matt and Deb are determined to finish, even if they have to make some difficult-and expensive-compromises along the way.

Having dated since they were in their teens, Andrew and Emily Oppenheim probably know more about each other than the average couple. Less than two years ago, the couple married and immediately purchased the home of their dreams: a two-story brick colonial, equipped with a large pool and a fabulous kitchen. But for all their home's posh amenities, the Andrew and Emily have one major problem with their property - their tiny master bathroom. In fact, the space is so small that Emily is forced to use the home's much larger hallway bathroom. In order remedy the situation, Andrew has devised a radical plan: to completely gut the home's master bathroom and extend it into their existing closest space. The result, Andrew and Emily hope will not only increase the overall value of their home but more than double the square footage of their master bathroom. As the renovation begins, the couple battle injuries, building inspectors, and their own inexperience in construction. Exhausted and overwhelmed by their project, Andrew and Emily eventually decide that what looks good on paper, doesn't always translate well into reality.

Lauren Cooper recently moved into a new house just outside Houston, Texas. She's already been hard at work making the place her own by painting walls, updating fixtures, and adding new furniture throughout. The one caveat to creating her dream home is her nightmare of a master bath. With the help of her boyfriend, Ben, Lauren plans to gut the entire space and start all over. From the drywall and tile to the sinks and whirlpool tub, the young couple has troubles from the start. Ben's inexperience, coupled with Lauren's volatile temperament, proves to be an explosive combination from day one. Tensions rise and fall with every major trouble and minor success. The renovation reaches a boiling point as the couple realizes they have definitely taken on more work than time-and their motivation to finish-will allow.

When Chris and Monica Hinson purchased their Ranch-style home in 2004 it looked the perfect space to raise a family in. Six years and two kids later, the Hinson's still love their house but due to the needs of their growing family, they're ready for a renovation. Their plan: to completely remodel their outdated kitchen in order improve the overall flow of the home. It's an ambitious project, and with less than a week to complete the job, everything has to go smoothly in order for the Hinson's to pull this renovation off. Unfortunately, just as the renovation gets underway disaster strikes as Chris and Monica destroy an appliance and their two-year-old son comes down with a sudden illness. Coping with these unexpected events, their own construction inexperience, and the pressures of the project, the Hinson's struggle to keep their project on schedule. With only three cabinets hung by the last day of their project, Chris and Monica come to the painful realization that their dream of a new kitchen isn't going to become a reality anytime soon.

Lia and Brandon Ballentine have spent the last three years updating their charming hilltop home. Unfortunately, their kitchen is still stuck in the dark ages. Between the dozens of cracked floor tiles, lack of a dishwasher, and exposed electrical wires hanging out the walls, Lia and Brandon are in desperate need of a renovation, but as Lia and Brandon start to tear their old kitchen away, they expose many of their home's deep-dark secrets. Layer upon layer of subfloors, countertops that refuse to go without a fight, and a sink that absolutely will not budge consume the couple's valuable time and energy. Even though Brandon and Lia keeping laughing through the pain, this renovation leaves the two wondering if they'll ever get to cook in their own house again.

In a few short months, Chelse Nieri and her fiance, Scott Stevens, are getting married. While they're both excited, Scott has one big promise to fulfill before he and Chelse walk down the aisle together: to build a spacious new deck for their home. If that wasn't pressure enough, Chelse and Scott have a cookout planned at their home in less than a week, so it's imperative this deck gets built - and fast. As the renovation begins, Scott and Chelse struggle to complete their project as they battle incessant rainfall, fatigue, and their own incompetence. In fact, Scott is so overwhelmed with the project at one point that he temporarily walks off the job site leaving Chelse in charge of the project. Exhausted and tired, the couple install the last deck boards of their porch as guests arrive for the cookout. Though their party is ultimately a success, their porch - lacking both steps and a railing - is proof that Scott has a lot more work to do between now and his expected wedding date.

Randy and Kristin Neal are leaving life in the suburbs behind to be closer to the city. They purchased an older home and from the outside, the house is nothing less than charming. Sadly, the inside leaves much to be desired and in need of a renovation overhaul. Their renovation plan is to start with the kitchen, but as with any older home, there are surprises galore-and not the fun kind. From the beginning, there are major issues with their wiring. Add to that a huge load-bearing wall that Randy's trying to tear down and relocate, and this job quickly becomes more than the couple can handle. Randy's otherwise mild-mannered temperament quickly reaches new heights-and stays redlined throughout much of the renovation and unfortunately for them, just as things are starting to look up, the house puts up one last fight, leaving Randy and Kristin to ponder if living in a house possessed is really worth escaping the burbs.