Honest Renovations (2023) s02e01 Episode Script

Let's get started.
This is Honest Renovations season two.
We want exciting. We want sunshine.
I'm Jessica.
Sashay. Shantay.
I'm Lizzy.
Woo, woo!
JESSICA:
We've been friends for years,
and we've really bonded
over our love of design.
Boom.
We're both parents,
and one thing that we know for sure
is that raising a family
is hard enough as it is.
(screams)
ERIK:
There is definitely not an adult space.
Your home shouldn't make it harder.
So, you cannot keep your eye on the kids
-when you're doing laundry in here.
-While you're in here, yeah.
That's a problem.
As your family grows, your needs change.
Oh, my gosh. Come on. Okay.
Yolanda is sharing the restroom
with our three kids.
Ow, you stepped on my toe.
I'm on tons of medications.
Water eases pain.
I take a lot of baths.
-JESSICA: This tub is tiny.
-LIZZY: So small.
-CLIENT: Yeah.
-Let's get up to your waist or something.
-CLIENT: (laughs) Yeah.
JESSICA:
And your home should change with you.
I just don't know where to start.
That room is out of control.
I know it's best that I get the space
cleared out for me and the baby.
LIZZY:
We're here to make the good change.
-I'm ready.
-LIZZY: Good.
We're good at coming in
and giving you things
that you don't even know you need.
JESSICA:
Demo day.
That means we get to tear it up!
With a little design help.
This is a game changer.
We can not only change homes.
The cloud is moving. I can see the light.
-Damn, that's deep.
-(laughing)
JESSICA:
We can change their lives.
-What?
-Oh, my God.
JESSICA:
Your home should be your sanctuary.
This is so beautiful.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
CLIENT:
I can't believe this is our house.
-I feel like grown-ups for the first time.
-WOMAN: Yeah.
Oh, my goodness.
LIZZY:
It's a whole new start.
Thank you so much.
Things are looking up ♪
No turning back ♪
This road's going one way ♪
I'm on the right track. ♪
We are going to see the Carpenter family.
The Carpenters are a big family.
Big family. There are four kids
under the age of six.
JESSICA:
And there's
three of them that are the same age,
-which is wild.
-Triplets!
ELLIE: Can you play with me, Mommy?
KRISTEN:
One sec, okay?
Can you ask Gray and Ellie if they're
gonna have pizza lunch at school?
Hey, Gray and Ellie
-Pizza.
-Pizza?
-Yeah.
-Okay.
-I'm Kristen Carpenter.
-And I'm Erik Carpenter.
And we live in beautiful
Santa Clarita, California.
KRISTEN:
We live with our four kids,
our triplet six-year-olds,
Gray, Tate and Ellie
and Ivy, who's two.
We had a long fertility journey.
We lost five pregnancies.
And when we found out
we were pregnant with the triplets,
we just thought we might
get one take-home baby.
We never, ever thought
that we would have three take-home babies.
This is the first time
we're sitting together
as a family, all five of us.
And then, of course, we had Ivy.
Ivy!
Bonus baby. Surprise!
(laughs)
-What's a lion say?
-(roars)
KRISTEN:
We haven't slept for six years.
We're tired, but
-It's all worth it.
-Yes. (laughs)
ERIK:
The kids are so unique. We just try
and foster their individualism.
Ivy, she just came out smiling.
Yay. I did it.
-And she's kind of in charge of everybody.
-Yeah.
She tells them all what to do.
(screams)
ERIK:
She's a comedian.
Everything she does is to get us to laugh.
What's inside there?
Mad spiders in my ears?
KRISTEN: Gray wants to be an army dude,
and he takes his spot
very seriously as the eldest.
This is the attack battle.
KRISTEN:
Ellie, uh, was the second born.
Ellie, what shoes
are you gonna wear today?
-Can I wear my white ones?
-KRISTEN: Yes. Yes, you may.
She loves to dress up.
She acts like she's a teenager already.
Here is chocolate milk, Daddy.
And third born of the triplets is Tate.
-That is not real chocolate milk.
-Yeah, it's paint water.
KRISTEN:
I've never seen a kid his age
create art the way he does
and be so serious about it.
Learn how to draw.
Tate was diagnosed
with autism spectrum disorder.
KRISTEN:
His brain works differently,
and it's perfect the way
-it works.
-Yeah, we wouldn't change
anything about him.
-KRISTEN: Yeah.
-ERIK: I don't think it's a disorder.
I think it's something
that makes him unique,
-Yeah.
-and he takes special care sometimes.
Mommy?
Yes, Tate. I'm in the kitchen.
It's really hard
to operate in the house the way it is.
(music playing)
ERIK:
Yeah, this is him.
One sec.
There is definitely
not an adult space for us.
(kids screaming)
The kitchen's been kind of cut off
from the other room.
-The playroom, especially.
-KRISTEN: Definitely causes issues
when we're trying to get stuff done
and the kids are in there
fighting or playing.
Hey, guys. What's happening in there?
(laughing)
And it's not ideal for Tate's situation.
Mommy.
He's extremely upset when he can't
see any of his family members.
Mommy, where are you?
KRISTEN:
Probably the most inconvenient thing
is the laundry situation,
which is in the garage.
ERIK:
Just leaving four young kids
by themselves in the house
Ivy, what are you doing?
isn't ideal.
Please help us, Jessica and Lizzy.
-(speaks indistinctly)
-KRISTEN: Who's gonna go get it?
Who is it?
LIZZY:
Oh.
Oh.
Yes.
(gasps) We did it!
Hi.
-ERIK: Open the door.
-LIZZY: Can we come in?
ERIK: Hi.
-Hi.
-Hi.
KRISTEN:
Come on in.
-I'm Lizzy.
-KRISTEN: Hi. Thanks for coming.
LIZZY:
Nice to meet you.
Having Jessica and Lizzy
come kind of remodel it,
help us organize, is thrilling.
Ooh, that was good.
KRISTEN:
The fact that they're both mothers
is so amazing because they know
what a family needs
to be successful in
every aspect of our lives.
Who wants to sit in between
me and Jessica?
-ELLIE: I do.
-You do? Come on.
-Everybody Oh, let's get everybody.
-Oh, whoa, whoa.
-Wow. Four kids.
-Four
little kids, all talking
on top of each other.
Oh, my goodness. You took off your socks.
And I can see these little toes.
They're all so sweet, but I've got to say,
it's kind of overwhelming.
And we're just visiting.
It seems like it went from, like,
no kids to all the kids.
KRISTEN:
Yes.
-ERIK: Yeah, three at once, yeah.
-Because they're all really close in age.
Yeah, we had four
in three and a half years.
-Wow.
-ERIK: And when we bought this house,
we only had the three, the triplets,
and we didn't have
another child in the plans.
-Surprise!
-ERIK: Yeah.
JESSICA:
Yeah, but I mean, even three at once
-is a-is a situation.
-It's a lot. It's a lot.
JESSICA:
How much adult time do you guys get?
-Zero.
-(laughing)
ELLIE:
Mommy, I'm in charge of my lunch.
Mommy!
-What are you doing?
-(laughs)
ERIK:
We've given up
everything for our children.
We feel like we want them to have
a happy life and be comfortable.
-(shouting)
-KRISTEN: Shh.
We have to be quiet. Daddy's working.
(kids laughing)
There's a lot happening
because you guys have four kids.
-JESSICA: You have four kids.
-LIZZY: Under the age of six.
And which one of your kids
needs a little more attention?
-Tate.
-JESSICA: Tate.
-LIZZY: Tate.
We call him Baby C.
He's the third triplet.
-Okay.
-The third triplet. Yeah.
He's also, like, really intelligent
and he's really thoughtful and sweet.
-ERIK: He's overly aware
of situations as well.
-KRISTEN: Yeah.
Parenting them, you know,
they're triplets, so
-But they all have different needs.
-ERIK: But they have diff
-Yes.
-KRISTEN: Very much so.
-Right.
ERIK:
And some of them don't understand,
like, why do we have
does Tate do certain things
-JESSICA: That are different?
-Yeah.
-JESSICA: Interesting. Okay.
-LIZZY: He has different rules.
-Right.
-Yes.
Tate really likes
everything to be in order.
All of his markers
have to be in a certain order.
And all of his toys,
which is hard when you have
three other kids that don't understand
the order that he's trying to instill.
They need to start
really putting their stuff
-in an organized space,
-LIZZY: Right. Okay.
-and that's our goal.
-And they are the age where
they can start doing that.
-KRISTEN: Yeah.
-LIZZY: This is a pretty big room,
but it's all really playroom
outside of this couch, right?
ERIK:
Right.
And question:
do they use both spaces, like,
constantly throughout the day?
No. Ivy still does
that little area by herself over there.
And then this is more the
-So this is tiny tot town over here.
-KRISTEN: Yeah.
Well, until that becomes a fort,
which they often do.
Gray and Tate will build
They'll take all the cushions from there,
-make a giant fort.
-JESSICA: My son does that.
-I like it. I like creativity.
-Yeah.
That usually stays up for a couple days,
which makes that room
-not usable for anything else at the time.
-Unusable. Unusable.
-Right. Of course.
-Yes.
-Of course.
It feels a little bit like
you're constantly in, like,
kid zone.
Um, and so, for me, it felt like war.
(screams)
-Who are you at war with-- the kids?
-Yes! Just, like, their stuff.
-Wait a minute.
-So much stuff!
Is it y'all against them?
-It's me against their (bleep).
-(laughs)
(kids scream, laugh)
(kids scream, laugh)
LIZZY:
You need space for you guys.
That's where I'm getting, I'm like,
-"Where's the adult time?"
-Like, we need a little, like,
adult space.
-Where's the grown-ups?
-You know?
I feel like it's hard to get clarity
and connect with your partner
in that space.
-It's so hard.
-Like, how?
-How can you even
find the energy to connect?
-Yeah.
-Everywhere you look.
-Everywhere you look,
you're reminded of
-"We have four kids!"
-Yeah.
-ERIK: This is our kitchen in here
and our dining area.
-LIZZY: Okay.
So, this layout--
it feels like this does
block you off a little bit.
-Yeah.
-Do you like this wall?
But do you like the separation or
would you rather be able to see through?
No, you know, it would be better for us
to be able to watch them at the same time.
It's really hard to
get things accomplished in the kitchen
where we can't see each other
and Tate can't see us.
Tate, you like these?
-Yeah.
-KRISTEN: While all the kids are
in the other room, with…
You're always
running back and forth,
and-and it stresses Tate out.
ERIK:
Because it's like a little cove,
you can just kind of get into the stove
and just hide and listen to all the chaos
and not see what's happening.
Now, the way the house is set up, there's
too many blockers.
The kitchen is blocked off.
There's, like, weird walls
that are blocking off spaces,
and you can't really get that flow-through
that is really desired in this house.
This feels like another living room.
Yeah, this is-this is
kind of where we hang out.
The playroom will often vomit into here
-with stuff.
-(laughing)
And then, you know, like,
my cleanup thing is I'll grab toys and
-or kick them over here.
-JESSICA: Uh-huh.
And I always say, if they're
on the other side of the threshold
-and they're in that room,
it's cleaned up.
-LIZZY: Right.
Where does, like,
I don't know, laundry happen?
KRISTEN:
Uh, here, here, but the actual
-laundry? Uh, over here.
-JESSICA: Yeah.
Okay, so…
-JESSICA: Okay.
-KRISTEN: I apologize. It's our garage.
-JESSICA: Do not apologize.
-KRISTEN: And it's a mess.
So, you cannot
keep your eye on the kids
-when you're doing laundry here
-While you're here. Yeah.
Yeah, and that's a problem because
the two-year-old could get into anything
-in there, and also,
-Yeah.
Tate has this anxiety about not knowing
where either of his parents are,
even his siblings.
ERIK: I know you can't see them
right now, come on.
Where are they?
ERIK: They're out
They're here, come here. I'll show you.
When we come out here
to do laundry, he really
Stresses out.
Mommy?
Hi.
Sorry. I didn't tell you
I was doing laundry.
He's special
and gifted, and he's amazing,
but it also means
we have to live our lives a certain way
to kind of make sure
that he feels comfortable.
KRISTEN:
It's hard to see him with stress.
-You know, it's hard for your mom heart.
-JESSICA: Yeah.
-He needs to see you.
-He gets really upset. Yes.
-Yeah.
-Okay. That's good to know.
-Yeah.
It's just, we are so focused on the kids
-and raising them and just providing a…
-KRISTEN: Mm-hmm, yeah.
-life for them.
-There's a certain amount of,
like, parent guilt that comes
with having multiples, you know,
because you just feel so bad
that they have to share you.
And they share everything.
ERIK: This is about
the only thing that they have
that's totally theirs right now.
And, of course,
Ivy sits in them all the time,
so that's kind of gone
out the window, as well.
One thing that would be
really important to us is them having
anything that they can call their own.
Any time you have a lot of kids
who are the same age,
you want them to feel like
they have their own space.
And I think in this house,
you don't feel that way.
So we have, you know,
-I think, a lot to think about.
-A lot of work.
Thank you guys so much
for doing this for us.
We really, really, really appreciate it,
and we know we need it, you know?
Sometimes you just need, like, some
some support, and we're here
to support you,
-so we're so happy.
-It's hard to see the light
when you're in it,
it's hard to see the light.
-But there is light
at the end of this tunnel
-JESSICA: Yes, there is.
-We promise.
-Thank you so much.
-All right.
-All right, so we have some friends,
-uh, that are here with boxes.
-Who are here to help us.
-That's right, we're gonna get you…
situated.
-And we're gonna get you packed up.
-Okay.
-JESSICA: And any great photos?
-I love family photos.
-LIZZY: Yeah.
We haven't really
had much time even to put
family photos up bec… just because we're
so busy. Like, we have a box of
-You still have them?
-I see here, I see there, there
-We've made a small attempt, but it's…
-JESSICA: But if you have
if you guys have any
that you haven't gotten
-framed, put that
-Yeah, that you haven't
-put that in a box.
-framed yet, put that in a pile for us.
-Definitely. We'll do that.
-JESSICA: All right, cool.
-Okay. We'll see you guys soon.
-Okay.
-Thank you so much.
-Thank you so much.
-Yeah. Okay.
-Thank you so much.
-JESSICA: Movin' up.
-KRISTEN: Bye.
-Bye.
-KRISTEN: Kids.
-ELLIE: What?
ERIK:
Time to move out.
KRISTEN:
Time to pack up all your things.
ELLIE:
For real?
Sweat on my face ♪
Feeling my heart
as it's starting to race… ♪
-(screams)
-Tate.
Tate, can you please
stop taking stuff out?
Just put it in. Okay?
This is what it takes… ♪
ERIK:
How many purses does one girl need?
Another purse? Let's donate that.
This is how you're made, yeah ♪
Yeah ♪
Fight through the pain,
heading to the top ♪
Never quit the game, never ever stop ♪
Hold on to the fate. ♪
JESSICA:
So, the Carpenter house-- we should
definitely try
and open up the kitchen, but
But that's why I feel like
we should knock down the wall.
-You want to be able to
-Well, we have to see
-get visual.
-you know, get into all of the walls.
So I think we need to call Tinku because
we need to figure out
what steps we need to take first
before we knock into this wall.
You know how I love to shock myself
when I hit a wall.
Mm-mm. I do not want none of that juju.
Tinku is our go-to general contractor,
and we go, literally, way back.
I've known him
since he was nine years old.
Actually, I've known him since I was
nine years old and he was eight years old.
-What? I mean
-Yes, facts.
So because of that,
and because I'm so close to Jess,
-he's kind of like a brother to us.
-Mm-hmm.
TINKU:
Hey.
-Hey! Hi.
-JESSICA: Hi, Tinku.
We wanted to call you really quick
because we want
to take down that wall
at the Carpenter house.
We thought about it last night.
And we really want to see
if we can eliminate
that wall so we can see
straight through the house.
We just feel like it'll be a much
better visual for her, for the family,
Especially when she's in there cooking.
Yes, we want to knock it down today.
We're on a time schedule.
Okay.
Okay, well, will you walk us through
and tell us what we need to do?
Yeah, for sure, but I'm a little nervous
that there's gonna be
plumbing in that wall.
What if we just make small holes?
And don't go too far into the situation?
-We got it.
-All right, good luck.
Bye.
I know. We'll let you know how it goes.
-I'm gonna blame you.
-(laughing): What?
If we hit a pipe.
-We're not gonna hit a pipe.
-Okay.
Mommy, are we there yet?
JESSICA:
What's their address?
(Lizzy laughs)
Put it in the GPS.
-I think we're in the area.
-Oh, no.
LIZZY:
Oh, wow. Look how they have cleared
-out this space.
-They have cleared out this space.
-They went to work, which is great.
-They went to work. Yeah.
-So now we have
an empty space to work with.
-Now we have an empty space.
We have to just
I need this to be out of here.
I know. 'Cause you know what?
It'd be really great for her
to be able to see into
-that space.
-That space. Yeah.
So
you know what we have to do, right?
Do you think there's, like,
a joist or a beam
or, like, a support beam or something?
I don't know. And also the waterline.
Do you think these gl-gloves
will fit my nails?
-You know how I feel about my fresh set.
-You always have a fresh set.
You know, it's a-it's a problem.
Listen, any time you're talking about
knocking down walls,
you have to consider electrical, plumbing.
There's a lot that can go wrong right now.
-Facts, facts.
-And if you hit that wrong spot
and bust a pipe… (short chuckle)
-(imitates explosion)
-It's not good.
We're talking "cost you
thousands and thousands of dollars"
not good.
-JESSICA: Get a hammer.
-Oh, wow.
Jessica, small. What the
You just literally start swinging.
Jess, sto
I just need to
LIZZY:
Oh, my God. Are you kidding me?
-JESSICA: Get a hammer.
-LIZZY: Oh, wow.
-Jessica, st
-I just need to
You know what?
I just want to see.
I'm just praying, I'm just praying
that she doesn't
hit anything that's gonna
cost us more money.
This is called being proactive.
No, this is called
being willy nilly, Jessica.
Do you think there's
(whispers):
Do you think there's rats inside?
You gonna find out.
I went in soft enough,
-but hard enough to get through the wall.
-And constant.
-Boom, boom, boom
-JESSICA: Because you have to get
through the wall, you have to literally
-break through drywall. It's a situation.
-Boom, boom.
Basically, we have to prove
-to Tinku that
-This is possible.
this wall can come down.
Wow.
Wow. I'm so glad
I have my glasses on around you.
Did you turn off the electricity?
Do you see these lights on?
Do you see all these lights on here?
And you asked me
if we turned off electricity.
I just feel like we shouldn't hit
Jess. Jess.
That was satisfying.
All right, well, it looks like we're good.
We're in the clear.
-Looking good.
-Yeah. We don't have to reroute
any pipes, I don't think.
We can break down this wall,
which is great,
because this is the information
we needed to do our design meeting.
-I love being right.
-(chuckles) I know you do.
♪
I just wanna ♪
Feel ya ♪
I just wanna feel ya ♪
I just wanna. ♪
-JESSICA: The Carpenter family.
-LIZZY: The Carpenter family.
Once again, this is a full home.
It's like one of those stories of, like,
when you think you're done and-- surprise!
-Another one!
-JESSICA: Another one.
There's a lot of space for children.
You walk in immediately,
-and it's, like, bombarded with kids zone.
-And it's, like, kids zone.
LIZZY:
And then you turn the corner,
-and it's kids zone.
-JESSICA: And it's more kids zone.
So, I think for us,
the design challenge is
spaces for kids zone
versus family zone,
-where adult things can happen.
-That's right.
'Cause I feel like the Carpenter mom--
-Miss Kristen--
-I know.
I don't think she gets
a lot of alone time.
I think we have to make
the time that she is
in the home as enjoyable as possible.
-And efficient.
-And efficient.
The walls in this house are wild.
-This layout. Let's take a look.
-Yeah, the layout, as well.
This layout is wild because
as we see it now, this is full wall.
-Full wall.
-So we don't see anything through here.
The problem with it is
when her son is looking for her,
and he's in a playroom here
Mommy?
he can't find her.
Remember, we opened up this wall,
so we're good to take this down.
Which means we can open up the kitchen
to the front living area
and give them a more open floor plan.
So that will give Erik
and Kristen full eyelines to the kids
on both sides of the house
while they cook.
Basically, by doing this,
we're eliminating a ton of storage.
LIZZY:
We are. Hmm.
But we can add an island.
-Yeah.
-That can give us storage.
And help with what we've taken down.
JESSICA:
Okay, so we can move the refrigerator
to the side wall
and then put in a huge island
in the middle with lots
of counter space and more storage.
Right now their laundry is in the garage.
JESSICA:
Yeah, it's over here. That has to go.
What if we get rid
of this random shelving unit
between the kitchen and the living room?
So we can bring the laundry from
the garage into the main living space?
LIZZY: Yes. And that way,
Kristen can keep an eye on kids,
and they can keep an eye on her.
If this is the family room,
maybe we convert this to the dining area.
I love this.
So, if we move the dining room
to the other side of the kitchen,
we can bring more adult space
to the front of the house,
which is what you see when you walk in.
And then this wing can really
-be dedicated to kid.
-Right.
-And then storage in this area
is gonna be key.
-A must. Key.
What's nice about moving the kid zone
into the living room
is we can add built-ins
around the fireplace
for tons of storage for toys and games.
LIZZY:
And then maybe some built-in desks
where the kids can work and create.
Tate-- he loves blue.
Least favorite is pink.
Gray loves green.
And then Ellie--
her favorite color is pink and white.
-Loves all things girly and cute.
-That's funny.
-So she likes everything that they hate.
-They Yeah. (laughs)
Sounds about right.
JESSICA:
So, we can customize
their cubbies and desk areas
based on their favorite colors
and interests.
That way, each of them have
their own individual spaces,
which will encourage creativity,
independence,
but also help maintain organization,
which is huge with four kids.
-Okay, cool. You ready?
-Great. Yeah.
-Let's do this.
-Let's go, team.
-I'm grabbing my tea.
-All right.
Oh, you got your tea? I got my tea.
Tea time.
BOTH:
Ah!
Oh ♪
We're living it up ♪
Oh ♪
Can't get enough. ♪
Tinku. Okay.
Wow. This is a difference.
So, with the wall gone right now,
we can get them an open concept.
Before they had walls up,
and so you're constantly blocked
from every angle,
which presents challenges for the family,
for her, for Tate,
being able to see his mom
and where she is at all times.
I think the open concept would
just help their family a lot.
Tinku.
TINKU:
Yeah?
-Hang on.
I'm just finishing the water lines.
-LIZZY: Hey, where are you?
-Are you above me?
-Yeah, I'm hooking up the water lines.
-Where are you? Oh. (laughs)
-What are you doing?
-I thought you were below me
that whole time.
-(laughs)
I'll come down. Give me a second.
So, a lot has happened.
-Yeah. Looks good, right?
-Right?
-I-I mean, it looks great. However
-Good to see you.
what is this?
♪
-This is
-Why is this still here?
-'Cause that wall's gonna stay, sadly.
-What do you mean?
We-- Jess and I, literally,
-we did all this.
-I know.
I know,
but I don't think you got this far.
So, this is holding up
the peak of the house.
So we can't remove this.
It's load-bearing.
-So this is load-bearing wall.
We can't take this down?
-Yeah.
No. And we can't take this one either.
-So these two are gonna have to stay.
-Come on. Are you serious?
So, now we have a big post
in the middle of our kitchen,
not to mention the other wall
that's like some other structure
that we can't take down, too.
-So, there's nothing we can do?
-There's nothing we can do here.
We put the header in.
This is pretty much as big as we can go.
(sighs)
-LIZZY: Tinku
-TINKU: Yeah.
Why do you always do this to me?
Because you come in and you're like,
"Just open everything up,"
and it doesn't quite work that well.
We literally came in
and figured this already out.
-You and Jess, right? Yeah.
-Yes. Yes.
We based our whole design
around this wall.
This is the whole point
of her being able to see out,
see the kids at all times,
and especially for Tate
to be able to see his mom.
Now we have to go
back to the drawing board
and see if there's some sort of alternate
that we can come up with.
You're a dream killer.
You know, I guess I just prefer
general contractor,
but all right.
-LIZZY: Bye.
-TINKU: Yeah. I'm going back to the attic.
♪
LIZZY:
We have to redesign Carpenter.
-Why? What?
-Yeah.
-No. No.
-Yes. Yes.
-Can't take down the wall now.
-Oh, really?
-Why?
-Because it's a load-bearing wall.
(groans)
So we have to figure out how
we're gonna switch this up a little bit.
This wall can't go.
This wall can't go.
What? Not that one either? (groans)
LIZZY:
Which means not only can we not take
the entire wall down like we wanted,
but there's no more room for the island,
which was supposed to help
with the storage we were losing
by opening up this wall.
-Hmm.
-So
we have to find some sort of compromise.
They have four kids.
They need storage.
Okay, as much as I hate
losing the big island,
since we can't move the load-bearing wall,
I think lower cabinets along this counter
totally helps with the storage issue.
LIZZY:
We still get to see
through into the dining room,
-which was the whole point
in the first place.
-JESSICA: Yeah.
-Nice. All right.
-Done and done.
-So you're cool with that? Great.
-Yep.
This was the easiest design meeting
we've ever had.
Go back to work.
Ooh, ooh ooh, ooh ♪
Ain't nobody like me,
ain't nobody like me. ♪
LIZZY:
Okay, we're looking for all the things
for the Carpenter family.
-Cabinets. Tile.
-Cabinets. Tile. Slab.
-And we need a slab.
-Yes.
LIZZY:
Doesn't this feel like you're at,
like, Disneyland?
JESSICA:
I love this place.
LIZZY:
Let's do cabinets first.
-JESSICA: Shaker's my fave.
-LIZZY: Yeah.
-So it's not bland.
It gives a little bit of style.
-A little something something.
By shaker,
you mean this nice little insert.
I like it a lot.
We wanted to go with shaker cabinets
because it's a classic design,
and they're really sturdy,
so they can withstand the test of time.
-JESSICA: This is pretty.
-LIZZY: That's pretty.
-It's more traditional.
-This is actually really pretty, too.
-This one.
-Yeah. Let's put this out.
-This one's kind of cool.
-The shiny one and the matte one.
LIZZY:
Yeah, that one for sure.
So, even for the tile, I would go more
towards the lighter shades.
Not only do we want to
literally open up the kitchen
for the Carpenters,
but we want to make it feel bigger.
JESSICA:
If we add lighter tiles,
it will just help make
the whole kitchen just feel bigger
and brighter and airy.
Can you reach that?
-Nope.
-Hmm.
If you would jump up, will your feet hang?
From the back side?
-Can you?
-(straining)
Never mind, just never mind.
Never mind.
-You know what? You really are
-That was exhausting.
-LIZZY: I do like this a lot, though, too.
-I like the character here.
-Me, too. The imperfection. Shiny.
-It feels something a little timeless.
Then, which cabinet are you thinking?
Close your eyes. Which one?
On the count of three. One, two, three.
Okay, cool. So let's land here.
Let's find a slab.
♪
Ooh, look at all the slabs.
JESSICA:
So, we have gray.
-Yes.
-We have a similar square tile.
All right. I like this.
-I love this zone.
-What about this?
It just feels like it's
-It feels too porous for you?
-Yeah.
On top of it having to look beautiful,
we don't want to pick a slab
that's too porous
because it's too hard to keep up.
And with four kids, you know
they've got some spills going on,
so it has to be super easy to maintain.
LIZZY:
Mm-hmm. Form and function, baby.
Form and function.
I love this,
but it's like a little too much
BOTH:
Brown.
LIZZY:
The only trick of it is, on a countertop,
it's not a small piece.
Whatever you pick,
it's going to be
a large part of this kitchen.
-I like this one.
-They're all pretty.
-Everything's pretty.
-They're all actually beautiful.
-I agree.
-So you can't go wrong.
-This one feels like a good pick.
-Yeah.
Nailed it.
♪
LIZZY:
Tinku.
(tools clatter)
-TINKU: Hey.
-LIZZY: What's up?
The last time I came,
I knew we made some decisions,
but why is it like
nothing has really changed that much?
TINKU:
I mean, we ran the water lines.
Electrical's done.
Everything's kind of ran to the top.
-It's all connected.
-This looks exactly the same.
Just so you know.
I feel like we're not making any progress.
What's happening over here?
This is our pantry.
-Washer and dryer area.
-TINKU: Yep.
Washer and dryer is
going to be side by side.
-Right.
-So we can have a really beautiful
kind of tabletop on top of it, you know,
like a folding kind of station.
I mean, listen, I think that anyone
who is going to put their laundry
in your living room, you want it to be
as aesthetically pleasing as possible.
Side by side laundry is
gonna give you a nice reveal.
It's gonna make you feel like,
"Oh, this is pretty."
But that just makes this pantry
really shallow.
-All right, let's get the wall built.
I mean, let's see where it fits.
-Yeah.
-You want to see what it looks like?
-Yeah.
Tinku is the bearer of bad news,
so that's what I've come
to realize about Tinku.
He comes with love, but he never comes
with exactly what you want.
-Oh, wow. That kickback is strong.
-That works.
Oh, my gosh.
-Next one should be easy.
-Then what? Down here?
-Yeah, right there.
-Okay.
-Oh.
-That's one that's gonna go
through the wood
-and, like, into my knee.
-Oh.
-That wouldn't be good.
-All right.
-Okay. Are we gonna pick this baby up?
-Okay.
-Oh, here we go.
-I know.
Okay.
Oh.
All right. Oh, okay.
Okay, that's solid.
So, let me get this straight.
-This is a doorway.
-Mm-hmm.
Where is my pantry?
Right now we'll get ten inches.
-There's nothing here.
-It's a ten-inch shelf.
-This is ridiculous.
-Yeah, it's pretty small.
This is like, I can't even fit--
-I can fit jars, maybe, on here,
of tomato sauce.
-Right.
Like, that's where I'm at.
This is a tomato sauce closet.
So, if you want to have
a washer and dryer side by side,
this is what we're kind of left with.
If you go stackable, we can move this out.
You get, like, 22 to 24 inches.
That's not bad.
In this situation
we may have to be more functional,
and I think those are the choices
you have to make in design,
whether you lean fully into functionality
or aesthetically pleasing.
But sometimes you have to make a choice
of which one's greater in the moment.
But my fear is that we lost
so much cabinet space
-in the kitchen.
-TINKU: Right.
LIZZY:
And if I could give this family
more storage,
then it feels like
that's what we should do.
We're gonna have to pivot,
switch up the configuration of
the washer and dryer, and go from there.
You know, I feel like
every time I come to this house,
you leave me with decisions.
You just want everything.
You're like, "I want this."
-Oh, my God. You know what? I can't.
-"I also want"
LIZZY:
You're starting to sound
a lot like my husband.
We got what you want,
we got what you want ♪
We got what you want,
so come and get it ♪
We got what you want,
we got what you want ♪
We got what you want,
so come and get it. ♪
-Hi, family.
-ERIK: Hi.
-KRISTEN: Hi. Look.
-How are you?
-How are you?
So, Lizzy called, and we're supposed
to go meet her with all the kids.
And we're supposed to look good.
-Kristen, how are you?
-Hi. Good to see you.
We are excited.
-Yeah. Not sure what's going on, but
-Maybe they're gonna show us the house.
-(chuckles)
-I don't know.
Can I have a group hug? Group hug?
-Oh, my goodness. Thank you.
-Aw, nice.
Oh, don't leave. You know what?
You just made my entire day.
That just felt so good. All this love.
Is it hard being out of the house?
-No.
-No. Is it an adventure?
Is it? Well, you know what?
We're working on some
really cool things at home for you guys.
Are you excited to see?
Okay. Soon. Not yet, but soon. Okay?
But today I'm excited to see you guys
because one of the things
that you guys mentioned to me
and Jess was that you don't have
a whole lot of family photos,
and we want some special moments
to add to the house.
So, are you guys cool with today
-doing a family photo shoot?
-Right now?
-Right now. Are we good?
-(chuckles) Wow. Sure.
-Yeah. Yeah.
-You guys want to get some photos?
-I mean, everyone looks
too cool for school.
You look too cool for school.
Can I have a high five?
-KRISTEN: Yeah.
-Too cool for school.
I really wanted to surprise them
with a family photo shoot,
something that we can also
put up in the house
so they can always
remember this moment in time.
-Follow Lizzy.
-We're gonna go do our smiles.
You get so busy as parents,
and life happens.
Look, life be lifin',
and that's facts.
And honestly, taking a picture is,
most of the times, not a priority.
And so, that's why we're here,
to come in, and we're here to, like,
shine light on the things that
you're not able to do all the time
and that you really
don't have time to think about.
But that's what our job is.
Everyone, this is our photographer today.
-Hi.
-Can we say hi?
-Hi.
-Hi. Can you do high fives?
You ready
to take the best pictures ever?
LIZZY:
Anyone with small kids, it is impossible
to get them to look at the camera
for any long period of time.
That's why we gotta be
quick, fast and make it,
-like, fun.
-ERIK: Look at the camera.
Ivy.
Look at those beautiful smiles.
KAROLINA:
Yes. Ivy,
you're a model.
-Look at you. All right.
-LIZZY: You guys are all supermodels.
KAROLINA:
All right, now everybody do something
crazy with your arms. Go "Whoo!"
Like we're dancing. Yeah.
-Wow.
-Yay.
And then can we give hugs
to our sister and brothers?
Yay!
KAROLINA:
Oh, those are so good. Love it.
KRISTEN:
We're so excited to
have a family photo done.
We've always had issues getting them all
in pictures together
and looking the same direction,
but for some reason, today,
-they're doing amazing.
-KRISTEN: Yeah, they're being so great.
ERIK:
Yeah.
High five!
Mom and Dad, let's get you
in there for some really nice time.
KAROLINA:
Let's do a little smooch
on the cheek, Mom, to Dad.
LIZZY:
Oh, I love that.
KAROLINA:
Oh, love it. So cute.
LIZZY:
No, now the other way around.
-Dad to Mom.
-KAROLINA: Other way around.
Let's swap it.
LIZZY:
Yeah, there we go.
ERIK:
Our whole life revolves around our kids,
so having someone
take pictures of us together
-is pretty meaningful.
-Literally focusing on us.
-Yeah.
-(chuckles)
LIZZY:
Oh, my God. You rock star family.
We love this.
When you guys come back,
you can see these beautiful pictures
up in the house.
-Isn't that so fun?
-So cool. It's so exciting.
Cute family photo is gonna go
front and center, baby. (clicks tongue)
Group hug, group hug, group hug.
Oh, babe. Oh.
Big mood ♪
Attitude ♪
And I'm positive ain't gonna lose ♪
It's a vibe, it's a mood ♪
And I'm feeling good, how 'bout you? ♪
-Wow.
-Wow.
-LIZZY: Look how much more open this is.
-JESSICA: Yeah.
LIZZY:
This looks great.
JESSICA:
It just already feels
so much more spacious.
Look at this. And you can see.
This is-- this is
the game changer right here.
-JESSICA: Yeah.
-The view here, there's no more
-blind spots.
-No. This is gonna be like
-an amazing dining kind of space
-Mm-hmm.
and more formal, adult space.
LIZZY:
Right. I do have something
-I need to show you, though.
-What?
It's a little deviation from
what we thought before.
-Okay.
-Follow me. Come, come, come.
-I love these cabinets.
-Come, come. Come, come.
Come, come. So, remember here,
we wanted to do,
in this area, the laundry.
-Yeah.
-And so, we wanted to do side by side.
Yeah, side by side.
So, we could have storage above.
Only problem with that was,
is that when we do
side by side, our cabinet
was only gonna be, like, eight inches.
-Oh.
-Which is like
Yeah, no. It's not a, it's not a thing.
That's like a spice cabinet maybe.
-Yeah.
-Right?
So, if we did stackable,
then we can move it
to 24 inches. So, look.
It's a little bit more than
a pantry now, though.
Now we have a full pantry.
JESSICA:
So this is now
-LIZZY: This is now laundry.
-Okay.
-So, we're able to add these here
-Oh.
-The cabinet. Okay.
-the cabinets.
Now laundry will be stackable here.
My biggest fear for the Carpenters is
that we don't add enough storage.
When we first came into this house,
the biggest underlying issue
in every single room
was not enough storage.
I mean, facts. Kids' stuff was everywhere.
JESSICA:
Everywhere.
LIZZY:
But if everything has a home,
it's a lot easier to keep things organized
and keep your space calm and clean.
JESSICA:
And I will not send
the Carpenter parents back into
a kid zone battlefield.
So, this space is like
-a little seating
-Mm-hmm.
You know, we can do, like, a little bench
with a little storage underneath.
-And because that pantry still feels
-Small?
-just not big enough for four kids
-Yeah.
this can be a floor to ceiling pantry.
LIZZY: Anytime we can give them
more storage is a win.
And we're gonna have to
order that, like, tomorrow.
LIZZY:
If we're gonna do that,
-we need to do it ASAP.
-Yeah.
-Time is ticking.
-Time is ticking.
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Ow ♪
Look out for the good times. ♪
So, I have some pictures
-that I want to frame.
-All right, perfect.
We're actually redoing their home.
-MARIBEL: Okay.
-And so we did a little photo shoot,
and so they are gonna be
so excited to see these pictures.
Do you have any theme
for the whole new renovation?
Anything in particular that you like?
Yes. So I know I want to
stick in the black color.
I'm just gonna grab a couple samples.
I definitely want it matted as well.
-Okay, so we're gonna go big.
-Yes, we're gonna go big.
Okay, perfect. This is something
that has a colored core, though,
but it's a little bit on the thicker side.
LIZZY:
So, I'm gonna try and focus on
black framing.
We're gonna see if we can matte it,
what thickness they have.
We're gonna play around
with a couple things.
-MARIBEL: It's a little bit
-LIZZY: Oh, interesting.
It makes it a little bit more grand,
-as well.
-I see.
So I'm gonna go ahead,
take a quick picture.
Oh, you took-- I was like,
where are you taking the picture from?
-(Maribel laughs)
-Oh, okay. Nice.
I love that.
The future is here.
MARIBEL:
So this is what we're gonna be looking at.
That's really beautiful, I have to say.
You know what?
Show me what this one looks like.
All right. Absolutely. I'm gonna go
ahead and put it down there.
-May I borrow it? Thank you.
-Yes, please.
It's also something that gives you
a little bit more contrast as well
on the, on the lighter parts, so
Yeah.
-I like this combination.
-All right.
MARIBEL:
So, it does take 14 days for us
-to actually complete for you, so
-Okay, great.
That should be perfect timing.
Today was a successful shopping trip.
It's time to get back to the house,
get everything on track.
Reveal day is coming.
("Do You Feel Ready" by Bamyasi playing)
Come on, tell me ♪
Do you feel ready? ♪
Do you feel ready now? ♪
Come on, tell me ♪
Do you feel ready? ♪
Do you feel ready now? ♪
LIZZY:
Okay, DIY time.
-Our favorite part.
-All right, so we're gonna do
-a custom bench.
-Yes, we are.
JESSICA:
We have our plywood.
-Yep. Our foam.
-We have our foam.
-Mm-hmm.
-Batting.
-Yep.
-And this is a curtain
-Yeah, how easy is that?
-that we're going to use as a material.
Yeah, that's right.
And you can use any curtain or material
-Yeah, you sure can.
-that's easy to clean, durable.
But think how much money you save
than going to do this,
than getting someone to actually make you
-a custom bench piece.
-Facts. Facts.
Let's do it. Come on.
Let's show everybody how easy it is.
So, we've already measured the length
and the width that we need for our space.
Then you basically have
to go like this, Lizzy. Look.
You go like that
to make sure that it's
-Taut.
-taut
-LIZZY: Like a baby's blanket?
-Yeah.
LIZZY:
Oh, yeah.
JESSICA:
Trim the sides before we add the ends.
LIZZY:
I think so. Seems like a lot of fabric.
I think this is where I stop and get tea.
-(laughs)
-Just FYI.
-It's like how you wrap gifts.
-Yeah.
This is where it's really gonna matter.
Yeah, exactly.
'Cause now this is our outer piece.
Taut, tuck.
Taut, tuck.
Staple, taut and tuck.
Keep it straight, Jess.
Are you going for a scalloped edge?
-I am going for a scalloped.
-Yeah.
Wrap the gift.
Pull it taut.
Mmm. My side look good.
Let's go take this in.
♪
-Cute.
-Yeah, it's cute.
JESSICA:
There's nothing that you need more in life
when you have kids than beautiful
-storage solutions.
-Let 'em know, Jess.
-Beautiful storage solutions.
-Say it again, girl.
-Beautiful storage solutions.
-Say it 15 times.
-Uh-uh-uh-uh. So fast.
-We're done here. Got it.
LIZZY:
All right, let's finish up.
-We got some things to do.
-Okay.
♪
Okay, we're staging.
Yay. Staging.
Whoo, whoo!
LIZZY:
All right.
All right, so we have
these picture frames.
LIZZY:
Pretty.
All right, this is gonna be
a cute little coffee station.
-Cute.
-Love this.
And these appliances are
-LIZZY: From AJ Madison.
-beautiful.
-LIZZY: They turned out so well.
-Yeah.
LIZZY:
And I feel like it matches
our hardware perfectly.
JESSICA:
Yep, it really does. Very excited.
I mean, the Carpenters
are gonna see their house.
They're gonna see that a wall that
used to be there is not there anymore.
We have nothing but secrets to share.
-Gray.
-A little stage for their name.
-Ivy
-Ellie and Tate.
So cute.
Hit me up with some pillows.
-Whoa.
-Whoa. That was aggressive.
With four kids, we packed that place
with storage in every nook
and cranny we could.
-Let's put their little names up.
-Ivy.
I have Tate's. I mean, think
about being a triplet, though.
It's just like they probably have had
to share every single thing
-Their whole life.
-their whole life.
-Yeah.
-They're gonna be so over the moon excited
-just to have their own space.
-Their own space,
their own cubbies,
their own little blankets,
their own little baskets for their toys.
LIZZY:
And it's named.
-This is their own personal space. Yeah.
-Like, they can have ownership. Yeah.
-I really hope
that the Carpenters love it.
-(bird screeches)
Is that a vulture?
Sorry, I got distracted.
-I really
-Oh, no, the sky.
Wait a minute. Hold on.
Let me stop 'cause the sky is blue.
Hold on. Oh, I'm back.
JESSICA:
I love this couch.
LIZZY:
Do you love it?
-JESSICA: It's so spacious.
-Look how big this couch is.
-It's huge.
-Oh, my God.
Them and, like, all of
their kids will be able to fit.
-All their kids.
-And guests.
-We worked so hard
-We did.
really trying to consider
all of their needs
and hopefully even needs
that they didn't even know that they had.
LIZZY:
We're good at coming in
and giving you things
that you don't even know you need,
because as parents of three,
we're outsiders looking in, and we see it.
Oh, man, they're-- All right, Jess.
They're about to be here
in, like, any second.
-Oh, really?
-Yeah.
JESSICA:
That throw looks a hot mess.
LIZZY:
Don't forget to do your karate chops.
-Come on. Come on. Hurry.
-All right.
It's really sweet being able
to remind people sometimes that, hey
-You matter. Yeah.
-you matter.
JESSICA:
As much as your life
revolves around the kids,
you still have to consider yourself,
and your space
should reflect who you are
and make you happy.
-Hi.
-ERIK: Hey.
-JESSICA: How are you?
-Good.
Oh, my gosh. Welcome home.
We're so excited and nervous.
-JESSICA: Yes, right?
-LIZZY: I know. I can imagine.
How are the kids, though?
Are they excited?
They woke up and were like,
"Is today the day?"
-Oh, I love this.
-Oh, my God. It was adorable.
They're so excited.
Ivy wouldn't have a nap.
Everybody's just super excited.
-Amazing.
-Oh, I love that.
JESSICA:
I'm so excited for you guys to
-show them the house.
-I know.
But first we wanted to show you,
'cause once the kids come in,
and then you're like right into
parenting mode, you know?
-ERIK: Exactly.
-KRISTEN: Exactly, yeah.
And so we wanted you guys
to absorb this moment and
Maintain the cleanliness of it
and organization.
Well, for 2.5 seconds,
but we've given some good tips,
so hopefully you guys like them.
-Great, great.
-Cool.
Are you guys ready?
-Yes.
-Yeah, we're excited.
-All right, go ahead.
-Let's do this. Go ahead.
Okay.
♪
(gasps)
-Whoa.
-Oh
Oh, my
KRISTEN:
What?
(laughs)
ERIK:
I can't believe this is our house.
KRISTEN:
This is crazy.
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