On “Help! I Wrecked My House,” it’s always amusing to see how people rip apart their homes with no idea of what they’re doing, and then call in renovation expert Jasmine Roth to sort it all out.

In the Season 4 episode “Wide Open Spaces,” Marc and Chelsea of Rolling Hills, CA, have knocked out their fireplace and left holes in walls in their effort to improve their awkwardly laid-out house. Their hope is to turn it into a seamless, open-plan living space that they and their two young daughters can better enjoy as a family.

Roth thinks she can help them, but it’s going to take more than the $130,000 they have budgeted. They’ll need to move their kitchen, and the rewiring and repiping will cost at least $160,000.

On this rehab, Roth comes up with some vital lessons on what should, and shouldn’t, be done. Check out what she taught us this week.

An unfinished demo can be dangerous

Marc and Chelsea had begun ripping apart their oddly situated fireplace, but they had no plan for what to do with it once they were done. It now sits with its bricks and concrete partly pulverized.

“The dust is legit,” says Roth when she sees it. “You don’t want your kids to be breathing in dust, that’s for sure.”

Since the fireplace is dominating the wall and the space, Roth plans to eliminate it, and the homeowners are in full agreement.

Hardwood vs. LVP: Which flooring is cheaper?

The home has dingy, hardwood floors throughout that are in good enough shape to sand and stain to a lighter, more appealing color. But there’s also the option of replacing them all with luxury vinyl planking, or LVP.

Roth presents her clients with both options, as well as the pros and cons. Surprisingly enough, installing LVP is more expensive. That will cost $31,000, while sanding and refinishing the existing wood will cost $25,000.

“If it was my floor, I’d keep the wood and stain it silver gray,” says Roth.

Chelsea’s verdict is a bit of a surprise.

“This has been a really tough decision,” she says. “It’s hard to give up those hardwoods, but I think the vinyl planks are going to be more resilient, and I won’t have to worry about them scratching. I know it’s more money, but we have to go with what’s going to be a better fit and work long term for our family, and I think that’s going to be the vinyl planks.”

Roth reluctantly acquiesces.

“I really love these hardwood floors, and I’m sad to see them go. They have character, they’re real wood, they’re part of this house,” she says. “But you know what? At the end of the day, Chelsea’s the client, it’s her house, it’s up to her, and I do understand her reasons.”

Use butcher paper to experiment with the layout

Before demolition has begun to reveal the real square footage, Roth is worried.

“I’m concerned that we don’t have enough room for a living room here,” she says, gesturing toward the space she’d intended for that purpose. “The problem is, this is an apartment-size living room.”

This presents a problem as they try to figure out what size furniture will fit in the space. But Roth has an easy solution: A roll of butcher paper, which she cuts to the size of the furniture and lays on the floor where the furniture would go.

“Sometimes, the best way to figure something out is to actually see it,” she says. “And if it’s too small and the couch isn’t going to fit, I’d rather know now.”

Once the butcher paper in the size of the couches has been laid out, she decides to move the living room to a larger space in the house and relegate the dining room to the smaller area.

“This is what we have to do,” she says. “We have to flip the function of these rooms.”

It’s a good thing they figured all this out before ordering furniture—which could make that butcher paper the best 10 bucks they spent on this renovation overall!

Add texture with lighting

When it comes to lighting, Roth thumbs through a catalog.

“They have this very traditional style,” she notes, “so I feel like some of the more modern lights, the more geometric lights, that’s not them.”

Instead, she continues, “I’m drawn to a different texture. We don’t have anything that’s woven or rattan. That texture is what’s going to set this space aside from the rest of the house, so I’d love to see some bigger lights. It feels beachy, it feels traditional, it’s light and bright, just like Chelsea would want.”

This is a new one to us, but it makes sense. And once the lights are in, it’s clear they were a smart decision that helps define the space without being too modern.

Hardware is the heart of the kitchen

When working on the kitchen, Roth introduces another idea that seems surprising at first but makes perfect sense.

“The hardware, I would argue, is one of the most important parts of any kitchen design,” says Roth, as she works on installing pulls in the kitchen. “It’s the thing you notice. It also sets the tone for where this kitchen is going.”

Since Roth’s clients have a conservative style, she chooses classic hardware.

“This latch? It doesn’t get any more traditional than this,” she explains. “But the finish is modern. This kitchen, we wanted it to be transitional, meaning that it’s not modern, it’s not traditional, it’s somewhere in the middle. It’s amazing how just one little piece of hardware can change how you feel about a kitchen.”

How does Jasmine Roth’s latest renovation turn out?

Once Chelsea sees her newly renovated home, she exclaims, “I can’t even believe that this is our house!”

“It’s the connectivity that really matters,” says Roth. “You could have the most gorgeous house in the world, but if the floor plan doesn’t allow you to be together, it’s never going to be a happy time.”

“It’s so open, it feels refreshing,” says Chelsea. “It fits all of our needs now. I think it just allows us to spend more time together.”

The post The Most Important Part of the Kitchen? Jasmine Roth Has a Surprise for You appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

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