Original subtitles

Hip, hip, hooray!

Get away!

Yeah! Get away!

Marie and Leonard's cottage

has stood for 20 years untouched.

Oh, this is starting to fall apart down here.

So we're helping them build back their love for this place.

With a creative touch...

More is more with this property.

Injecting color and flair will revive this space.

I love it! I love it! I love it!

And once we're done, it'll be a cottage they embrace.

Wow.

Oh, my God!

I'm deep in the northern woodlands.

For many, this is an enchanted place

where they come to relax,

but also to connect with nature.

And that leads me to my first vacation house rule...

Do your research.

In peak season, a vacation rental in this area

averages $600 a night.

If you rent it out for half the year,

it could bring in over $100,000.

And today, I'm meeting with Marie and Leonard,

two health care professionals

with two kids who live very busy lives.

But it's their cottage of 20 years

that's in critical condition.

There's a ton of untapped potential here.

And I think with a little bit of imagination,

we can create something magical.

-Hi, Scott. -Good to see you.

So this is the place.

Tell me about it.

Well, I've always loved outdoors.

And it's just such a nice spot and area here.

I tried camping with Marie,

and she really didn't like that.

And when she was pregnant with our daughter, Alexandria,

I thought it'd be a good time to kind of see

if I could convince her to buy a cottage.

-You bamboozled her. -Yes.

He totally tried to convince me.

We saw this one.

It met our budget at the time.

Like, we were only 28.

-So... Yeah. -Wow.

It's really been good for us.

But we've now gotten busy.

It would be nice for other people

when we're not here to come and enjoy it as well.

What about the rental income?

- What will that mean to you guys? - -Huge.

We have two children.

They don't like spending as much time here anymore

because they're older, the cottage needs work.

And we have three dogs now, too.

Oh.

We'd love for the place to still feel comfortable,

relaxed, and folks with pets or dogs can enjoy it as well.

So pet friendly is important.

Oh, absolutely.

But we really need your help because it's kind of

in the same state as when we purchased it.

Cottages are a lot of work.

And if you don't keep up with it,

it becomes less appealing to go to.

And to be honest, it becomes unrentable as well.

It's not a place I would rent, right?

So I'd like it to be a place I would rent.

That is a statement right there.

Sounds like you need to fall in love with the place again.

I do.

I've never really been that outdoors kind of person.

And I think with it being all fixed up, you can change me.

All right.

My first impression is slightly confusing.

I feel like I'm at the side door,

but I'm not even sure there's two doors.

So which would you call the main entrance?

That's one of the entrance doors.

There really is no defined entrance.

Let's go inside one of these doors.

Oh, I was not expecting that.

This is the front entrance, huh?

It's more of a mechanical room.

You've got the electrical panel here.

There's a bunch of plumbing running through.

It's not appealing.

So let's get inside and show me to the good stuff.

-All right. -Here we are.

Oh, here we are.

Okay.

So you're now entering the lower level,

which is usually reserved for the children.

Look at this light fixture.

It's like a shot ski.

Leonard thought that was really cool.

I actually thought it was really cool back in the day

when I was 27.

We don't use this entrance, I'm assuming,

out towards the lake.

It would be nice to use this entrance,

but it's been blocked off and boarded up.

Bit of a bar over there slash furniture storage

slash life jacket spot.

It could be a much better use of space.

Okay.

Hold on a second.

What is going on there?

That window is shared between the two rooms?

Yes, it is.

These are tiny rooms.

They are.

Yeah, and you're really jamming the bunks in here.

In general, this lower level

is one of the worst uses of spaces

I've ever seen.

Oh, okay.

You're using this room for tools and storage?

You need a shed.

Most rooms are the last place you'd ever want to go.

And this is the bathroom.

Whoo. Ooh...

Okay, this is looking a little worse for wear here.

Ooh, look at that.

Oh, wow.

Oh, so this is starting to fall apart down here.

Yes.

When Marie and Leonard bought this property,

they were well aware that it needed some work.

And now 20 years of delayed renovations and maintenance,

it's really starting to add up here.

Upstairs.

So upstairs.

So this is the kitchen.

Yeah.

Oh, this is the other door we saw from outside.

Yes.

Hey, Leonard, can you open that bottom door for me?

I like these handles.

They're very low profile.

Yes.

They broke off.

They broke off.

The color is something else in here, too.

Rust.

Leftover paint.

Oh.

It's the very... Who's got anything to give us

to put a kitchen together type kitchen.

Yeah.

Lots of room for a dining room and a good size living room

here as well.

This is the view out here, huh?

Yes.

How do you get out there, though?

Yeah, there's no deck on that side.

They've done this really heavy corner with the wood stove.

Over here...

Let's see. What's in this room?

So this is our bedroom.

What I do like is they've done the pine on the ceiling.

So that's a little bit interesting.

But then the rest of the space kind of falls flat, right?

- Yes. - Okay.

All right.

I mean, a little bit rundown, a little worse for wear,

for sure.

Then there's another bedroom

on the other side, similar size.

Yes.

We do have a bathroom over here.

Okay.

Wow.

We have every color of the rainbow in this place.

The green paint got done with the orange sherbet.

-It's around the same weekend. -Yeah?

Same weekend?

Well, it's good to know you're not afraid of color.

This bathroom has seen a lot of traffic.

But I think it's hitting a dead end

when it comes to its life expectancy.

This is supposed to be our Muskoka room.

-It's kind of a mishmash of various uses. -Things come in here.

This is where the vacuum is stored.

But this is also access to the deck out here.

- Correct. - Yes.

Oh, gosh.

Unfortunately, the deck does feel

a little compartmentalized over here,

like an afterthought off the side of the sunroom

rather than a destination.

Yes.

This deck is falling apart.

And it's hanging on by a thread.

So Scott, this is our walk down to the lake.

Really tucked away in the woods here.

When you're out here,

you just feel like you're by yourself.

Oh, here we go.

Oh, this is a cool spot.

So the lake here is really pretty.

That's a nice piece of waterfront.

It's hard to tell with the snow,

but what's the condition of the dock?

- A little rough. - All right.

Well, if you're doing the trek down to the water,

it should feel worth it.

You need this to feel like a destination,

to draw guests down this long, whimsical path.

So in terms of a theme,

I like this idea of lots of acreage.

You take a journey down to the lake.

But I also think that you've attempted

a few different colorful and interesting ideas,

and I want to kind of expand on that.

So with this property,

we're thinking whimsical woodlands.

-Okay. -Amazing.

That sounds cool.

So there's an energy to this property

that drew you in in the first place.

For sure.

It's just tired and expired,

so we want to rejuvenate it

with a little bit more of maturity,

but still that fun energy that people are looking for.

-That would be amazing. -Yes.

We like fun.

So to take the property from what you bought it at 20 years ago,

which it still is today, to what it should be,

here's what I'm thinking.

To create an impressive entrance to this cottage,

we're going to get rid of the second floor door,

replace the old deck, change up the siding and windows,

and add a portico so there's no confusion

when guests arrive.

Inside, we'll close up the mechanicals,

finish the mudroom, add new flooring throughout,

and turn the two tiny bedrooms into one exciting room

that doesn't need to share a window.

The living room area will be refurnished,

and we will unblock and upgrade the patio doors.

The bar and storage room will turn into two bedrooms,

one with custom bunks or maximizing capacity.

We'll relocate the old bathroom

and add a dog wash station

to expand the rentability

by making this a pet-friendly property.

Now that there's only one entrance to the cottage,

we're going to change the direction of the stairs

so guests can head straight up from the entrance.

With three bedrooms downstairs,

we're going to turn one of the bedrooms up here

into an ensuite for the primary room,

and we'll give a full makeover to the existing bathroom

and adjacent bedroom.

We're going to completely redo the kitchen

so that the design is cohesive.

In the living room, we'll replace the heavy wood stove

for a sleek fireplace flanked by two new windows

to bring in more of the outside.

And we'll add large sliding doors

that lead out to the now wraparound deck

that hugs the updated four-season space.

Since the lake is a bit of a walk away,

we'll add a sauna and a cold plunge

so there are activations close to the cottage.

Now, I also have some exciting ideas

for the journey and destination down by the lake.

Are you excited about that?

-Super excited. -I can't wait.

Look at his face.

We're just like, wow.

-You're getting giddy. -Yeah.

You're going to have a property

that allows for pets, which is a segment

of the renter population

that has very little options, to be honest.

Plus, the design is going to stand out.

So I think this property could command $600 a night.

-Whoo-hoo! -Wow.

-That's incredible. -I know.

I didn't think we'd get that much.

That brings it up to this area's average rental rate.

And if you're renting it out by the week,

that's $4,200 a week.

And half the year could bring in $109,200.

That is amazing.

Are you ready to make it happen?

-Let's make it happen. -Let's do it.

Okay, then let's walk back

through these whimsical woodlands.

Today is day one at Marie and Leonard's,

but we're a long way from a whimsical woodlands.

First things first, we need to make some layout changes.

Primary bedroom, we're smashing through the wall

to the guest bedroom beside it.

We're going to make that all one primary suite.

Much better.

Kitchen layout is completely changing.

There's some old busted cabinets.

They've got to come down immediately.

Downstairs, we're going to blow out

the wall between those bedrooms and the hall.

And instead of having two tiny bedrooms,

we're going to have a beautiful big bedroom here.

Seeing as I usually am the one closing down the bar...

...this one's shutting down for good.

Every inch of this property

is undergoing a complete overhaul.

We're going back to the studs on this one,

and I'm clearing out as much as I can

so that Debra and I can do a nice, clean walk through

and come up with the perfect game plan.

And that brings me to my second vacation house rule...

Plan your design.

Hello.

-Hello. -Hi!

- Welcome... - Wow.

...to the whimsical woodlands to be.

This is not very whimsical.

It's not very... Well, you know what?

Some things are whimsical.

Look at this.

- Ski light. - Ooh.

-Ski light. -Oh, my God.

We're going to replace that

because this isn't a ski chalet.

So we're going from the ski light vibe...

To something fun and colorful.

Ooh.

You know, something that represents our whimsical theme.

Marie and Leonard are fun, so we're going colorful.

More is more with this property.

My color palette will include playful colors

like pink, yellow, sea foam, and purply blue.

With whimsical textures and patterns,

this cottage will transform

into the perfect enchanted escape.

More is more.

Uh, but first, less is better.

I pulled out the bar, as you can see.

Great.

It was a waste of space.

So now we're going to have a nice, awesome family room.

Again, color, color, color.

And I was thinking, because we're losing the bar--

Yes.

And this is going to be a really cool hangout space,

once we flip the staircase,

if we have some extra storage underneath,

maybe we do a little bit of a wine cellar moment.

For me, changing the staircase direction is...

A step in the right direction.

- Ooh. - So imagine over here, bathroom and a guest suite.

-Mmm-hmm. Yeah. -Perfect.

Kitchen's a bit difficult. I pulled off this side.

Yeah. Kitchen.

Oh, we got big plans for the kitchen.

It's going to be one of those...

Whoa.

-Whoa. -Wow.

Wow.

-Whoo! -Whoo!

- Kitchens. - Kitchens.

I would really love to wrap cabinetry along this wall,

this back wall, and this wall.

So it's a really big, beautiful U-shaped kitchen

and an island here.

Right? Entertaining and colorful.

But intentional colors that work with our theme,

not colors from leftover paint.

So blue mixed with natural wood tones.

-Keeping it whimsical with the colors. -Yes.

And keeping it woodlands with the wood tones.

-Exactly. -I like that.

We're ditching this kitchen.

We are ditching this kitchen.

Because we need to be...

Enriching.

And when guests get here,

they're going to be...

Itchin'.

To get in the...

Kitchen.

Oh, wow.

Dining is staying in the same area.

New floors throughout.

Beautiful, sandy color.

I love it.

-It's gorgeous. -That'll be nice.

How about the living area?

Okay, we are going to center a linear fireplace

and flank it with two new windows.

That'll be nice, because it'll square off the room.

Totally.

-Perfect and inviting. -Yes.

Oh, it's already opened up.

We're getting there.

The primary bedroom is expanding.

And we're getting an ensuite where the middle bedroom was.

What a bedroom this is going to be.

This is a huge space.

Gorgeous.

And I'm thinking accent wall behind the bed, vertical slats

or crazy wall paver.

But something really, really bold.

That would be nice.

Like a red or a blue or a high lacquered purple.

Like crazy.

-What? -Yes.

This is going to be one of our most extensive and vibrant

transformations yet.

When you get here, you might think

you're arriving with a lot of energy,

but you won't even be ready for it,

because this design is going to...

Blow your socks off.

-Isn't it knock your socks off? -Yep.

Blow your...

There goes your socks.

Coming up...

The whole idea of flipping the staircase is for better flow.

What we don't want is another wall.

Here we go. Moment of truth.

There's a lot of work going on

at Marie and Leonard's property.

And we are still far away from becoming a whimsical woodlands

but we are making progress.

We have gutted the entire lower floor.

We are starting with a brand new layout.

Now, when you walk in,

we're going to have a proper mudroom

with separation from the rest of the space.

We're redoing all the plumbing.

We're putting up all new walls, insulation, vapor barrier

to ensure that we're building this place to last.

The two tiny bedrooms that were sharing a window

is one big, beautiful bedroom with lots of space.

That's going to be perfect.

The only thing that's going to look better

is when we pull this staircase out and put the new one in

going the other direction.

The whole idea of flipping the staircase

is for better flow.

What we don't want is another wall.

So we're putting in a triple beam,

which is going to pick up the load.

And let's do a couple of taps to get these joists up

to the right height, and then we'll pin them in place.

We're going to shim everything up, get those floors level.

Ready?

Three, two, one.

That's it.

That looks good.

Let's pull this temp wall out.

Here we go, moment of truth.

There we go.

And now with this opened up, we take out the old staircase.

We put in the new one that's going the right direction.

It's going to flow real nice, even though we're

in the middle of doing a ton of work,

and we still have a ton of work to do,

feeling confident about the new layout.

And the vision is coming together.

Today I am meeting Matt to talk about custom moldings

for Marie and Leonard's whimsical woodlands.

I am working on a custom hood for the kitchen.

Right.

And then on the other side of the room,

we have a fireplace.

And I was thinking it would be really nice and cohesive

to have the same material on both.

Tie them together.

-I need some custom moldings. -Okay.

Marie and Leonard are really fun.

They're edgy.

They're ready to push the envelope.

And so I want to do something that's different

that ties into the woodlands theme.

There's different wood textures.

It's a full wood. It's lightweight.

It's a nice, tight reading detail, right?

Yeah.

There's about a quarter inch.

And then we have a little larger option next to it here,

Three-quarter.

Oh, I like that, too.

That's really nice.

And then there's this one, obviously.

Yeah, it's basically the reverse of the other ones.

This one's a little bit of a concave.

-Okay. -Yeah.

I am loving the fluted moldings.

I feel like there's a whimsical element,

which really ties back into the design theme.

For cleaning purposes, this one may be

the better choice for a hood.

Yeah.

You know?

I cannot wait to see these pieces installed.

Marie and Leonard have an enchanted walkway

from the cottage to the water side.

Unfortunately, there are no features

once you arrive at the lake.

So we are bringing in a very unique, a very large piece

of the puzzle to make sure that this property stands out,

gets noticed, and gets people really excited.

And that leads me to my third vacation house rule...

Get noticed.

Bring on the new dock.

Unfortunately, there's no way to get a dock this size down

to the shoreline from the road.

We don't have the room.

However, the lake is frozen.

So we're going to take this across the lake.

Now, everyone's a little worried

that the dock might be too heavy

and it might break through the ice.

But the good news is it floats.

This isn't your standard dock

because we have modified this dock

so that it can accept a big fire pit.

We've got a modular stone system which is going to protect

the rest of the dock.

And I think this is going to be awesome.

Can't wait to light it up.

Coming up...

You have to pick a tile.

I did, and I picked every color.

It's a busy day at Marie and Leonard's whimsical woodlands.

The old exterior of the cottage

was starting to show neglect.

So we're taking all the old siding off, doing some repairs.

We're starting fresh.

This puny, limp deck needs to be removed.

We're building the new deck structurally sound

with new footings.

And we're expanding on it so it wraps all the way around

for everyone to enjoy.

It's a beautiful day to get a new door.

We're installing our brand new 12-foot double slider

super slick doors.

Good on the right.

Good on the left.

Get this pin in place.

Look how good this is.

So much brightness.

Oh, yeah.

These new oversized doors, which act as a window

to the whimsical woods outside,

allow the inside and the outside to be connected.

I love it! I love it!

I love it!

I love it.

Love.

It.

People want to be here to be outside,

not just look outside.

And now they can do that.

In the primary bedroom, we're doing something very cool.

We are using MDF strips

to give us a bit of a fading effect.

I think this is looking pretty cool as a feature wall.

This will act a bit like a headboard.

We're filling all the holes.

We're sanding everything down.

We're priming it with a good sealant primer.

We're going to paint it so it feels like a feature.

This is the whimsical woodlands.

We need to do something different here.

And this feature wall is different.

I'm really happy with the way Marie and Leonard's property

is turning out, especially the exterior.

We now have a well-defined entry

with a brand new entrance door.

The portico, it feels substantial.

It's exciting.

It draws you into the proper entrance.

And for the perfect finish, the entire exterior

is getting re-sided.

Really pops in the woods here.

So it feels like you've discovered

this whimsical property.

Board and batten's looking good.

-A couple more pieces. -Yep.

The changes we have made already make this place

feel way more inviting.

But it is a testament to how much energy

has gone into this property.

And I cannot wait to see

what Debra thinks of this place.

This is gorgeous!

Love the dark, dramatic charcoal siding

with the black windows.

The door.

It's like so heavy and beautiful.

It has a gravitas to it.

I love it.

Let me show you what's going on inside.

Oh, I love this configuration so much better.

Yeah.

Staircase coming up to the living room

makes so much more sense.

The directional change in the staircase, brilliant.

Gosh, it's so beautiful.

- You're happy? - I love it.

All this natural light pouring in, the beautiful view.

This is awesome.

What more could you want?

It's got glow. It's got flow.

It's got...

Mojo.

Fireplace is going over here.

I got the gas line run.

-Everything pretty much ready to go. -Yeah.

So we'll have the feature wall with the fireplace,

the two windows on either side.

-I love how it anchors that, right? -Mmm-hmm.

Check out the bathroom on the left.

Yeah. Oh, this looks great.

It's a good layout, right?

Oh, yeah. This is nice and spacious.

You can see where the shower is going to sit over here.

Yep.

And then we got to get the tile up on the wall.

You have to pick a tile.

I did.

And I picked every color.

So 60% of the wall is going to be a white.

The remaining 40% is going to be a mix of these colors,

and it is going to be installed random.

Your idea with the tiles is different.

But this is whimsical.

It's supposed to be the whimsical woodlands.

I know we haven't done this before,

but I think it's going to be so cool.

It's going to be whimsical,

and it's going to be fun and colorful,

but we're using some gold fixtures

so the design is still sophisticated and luxurious.

This is going to be interesting,

and this is going to be fun.

You know what else is interesting

is the dog wash downstairs.

Oh, that's going to be fun.

Do you want to see those panels you ordered?

Yes. Absolutely.

So it's nice when we've got

a family like this who have pets

that they're welcoming other people's pets as well.

So your furry family can also vacation with you

and have a good time.

Oh, excellent.

Our Muraluxe panels are going in.

-Oh. -The dog wash is coming along here.

Gorgeous.

Looks like a jumbo terrazzo.

It is jumbo terrazzo.

I actually gave a picture to Alex and his team,

and I was like, I'm envisioning this for the dog wash area,

and they were able to make it all come to life,

which I absolutely love.

So it's completely customizable.

You can do any shape and size.

It's very cool and seamlessly put together.

There's a UV coat applied on top of it

that we developed at Muraluxe.

It's durable, can last forever.

Your dogs will have fun in it.

That's good because in a dog wash,

things can get pretty ruff.

When you're washing the dog,

it's not just, wow, it's bow wow.

Coming up...

Here take this.

Okay.

-Take these. -Oh.

1,700 feet of glorious lights.

The vision is starting to come together

at the whimsical woodlands.

On the lower level, we've laid all new flooring throughout.

The mudroom is coming together.

Patio doors are in.

The custom bunks are being built,

as is the wine cellar under the stairs.

On the second level, we're installing the kitchen.

Tiles are being laid in the bathrooms,

and railings on the stairs are being placed.

Outside, the deck has been rebuilt,

and the sauna is being assembled.

We are getting close.

Marie and Leonard have had this property for a while,

but they've struggled to come up with a vision.

And now, we're executing so many upgrades.

I want them to feel invested

in the new iteration of this property.

And that leads me to my fourth vacation house rule...

Thanks for coming to help me today.

I thought, as we transform this property

into more of a whimsical woodland,

I wanted to get you reengaged

'cause I know that you've struggled with this property.

You've struggled loving it.

I've had mixed emotions about this place.

Well, let's get you excited about it.

Here, take this.

- Okay. - And take these.

Oh. Okay.

Here's my thought process,

The waterfront here is special,

but it is a bit of a hike to get down to the lake.

And so we want to create a meandering pathway

down to the water.

Today, Marie and Leonard are gonna help me build

a couple of planter boxes

which are gonna act as decorative anchors

to a couple of tall posts,

which will mark the entrance

to the walkway down to the water.

And then we're gonna have lights strung

-all the way down to the dock. -Nice.

I like that.

Seventeen hundred feet...

...of glorious lights!

I've built, like, four or five of these.

We need to do eight of them.

This one,

that's how it looks there. That's how it looks there.

I'll just put it there. You're building the exact same thing.

I know that for Marie and Leonard, they want to be able

to enjoy this property

without the financial burdens

that come with owning a vacation property,

so we're setting them up for success,

so they can continue to build memories

with their family here long term.

So, Leonard, what is your, like, dream for this property

for the next ten years?

I would love to see

my children get reengaged

with the outdoors and the property,

how they were when they were younger.

I feel like he almost got teary-eyed there for a second.

- Oh, yeah. Yeah. - He probably did.

The property has some significant meaning to us.

We've spent a lot of quality time here with the family,

and our children growing up over the years,

so, yeah, it is emotional.

Memories are priceless for your family,

and for future guests.

I would suggest you put a guest book here.

And I will take a picture of the message

that people leave in the guest book,

and then I will email it to them,

reminding them to rebook next year.

And it's like, "Hey, in case you want to add to the guest book

-another memory next year..." -Mmm-hmm.

"...remember what last summer was like."

-Nice. -I like that.

I have to say, Marie and Leonard stepped up to the plate.

They have rolled up those sleeves,

and they have crushed this project.

Bingo!

Now, we're not only gonna have the best waterfront,

but you're gonna give your guests

a well-defined way to get there,

and every time you walk down to the lake,

you're gonna say, "Hey, Leonard,

look at these beautiful boxes."

Good job, mama.

Good job!

Coming up...

Scavenger hunt level 3.

-Moose. -Shooting star.

-Shooting star. -Werewolf.

- Werewolf. - Werewolf?

Where you gonna find one of those?

The Whimsical Woodlands project was special.

The exterior is beautiful, the property is gorgeous,

the colorful, beautiful interior,

I mean, it's stole my heart.

I like injecting color and pattern,

- Yeah. - ...but you've got to strike the balance.

You don't want it to look like a funhouse.

- No. - You don't want it to look like a circus.

- That's right. - -You want it to look like a luxurious balance.

-Look how much color you have right now. -I mean, you know...

-You were ready for this. -I was.

Whimsical Woodlands is a great theme,

and people are gonna have a great time when they're here,

but the real profit maximizer,

what's gonna get people to book the property,

-it's the activations. -Mmm-hmm. Yep.

We've got the hot fire pit, hot sauna.

Yes, and the cold plunge.

- You fill it with cold water... - -Yeah.

...and you put a lid on it.

Bada boom.

And when you're ready for your cold plunge...

You just go right in.

Would you do a cold plunge?

- Yeah. - You did it...

-Oh, there she goes. -Oh, yeah, right into it.

-Nice. -Yeah.

No, this is perfect.

A one-person cold plunge.

Give us a minute in the cold plunge...

...then I'll do 15 in the sauna.

I always say that going on vacation

is about letting people create

new content for their life,

- the stories they're gonna tell... - -Yep.

...family experiences they're gonna share,

and we want to make sure that

every part of this property

gives our guests the opportunity

for a new journey.

And that leads me to my final vacation house rule...

And because we have a nice little trail down to the lake,

we want even that part of the experience

-to be memorable. -To be fun. Yeah.

So we've lit it with the lights,

we marked it with the entrance posts,

-and then we built our little... -House.

Look how, like, colorful...

It's so fun.

I was thinking we could put some pens in here,

- pencils... - Yeah.

...and then our scavenger hunt.

I mean, if this isn't amazing for families...

We're done with the water,

we're done with the cold plunge.

We need to go on a little scavenger hunt.

What do you like to see on your scavenger hunt list?

Okay, so, I mean, we have different levels...

- Yes. - ...of ability here.

So, like, level one, which is basic entry,

-anyone can do it. -Like, a rock, twig.

-Pinecone. -Pinecone is good.

- Okay. - Okay, level two?

-We're talking mushroom... -Mushroom?

- ...butterfly. - Level three.

Ooh! A large bird.

What's on level four, extreme?

Definitely deer, moose...

-Shooting star. -Shooting star.

- Werewolf. - Werewolf.

Where are you gonna find one of those?

This is something I know that if I was here with my family,

this is something we would do,

so it's perfect for your guests' experience.

Love it. It's whimsical,

it's fun, it's colorful.

It gets you out, gets you active.

Guests are gonna love it.

♪ If you wanna have a great stay ♪

♪ Make sure you don't delay ♪

♪ Because the perfect day ♪

♪ Is here to stay ♪

♪ At the whimsical woodlands ♪

♪ Hip, hip, hooray! ♪

♪ Getaway ♪

♪ Yeah, getaway! ♪

Marie and Leonard have been waiting

for this transformation for a long time.

It's been promised to Marie for over 20 years.

I cannot wait for them

to see the transformation.

Marie and Leonard, welcome to the Whimsical Woodlands!

-Hello, -Oh, my goodness.

- Wow. - This looks amazing.

Wow. Incredible.

I'm so happy right now.

Now let's talk about the actual building itself.

Complete transformation.

-Do you remember the old siding on here? -I do.

I remember the old siding.

With the difference in color,

and we have a proper entrance now,

it just looks so good.

So now we know exactly where to go.

We know this is the main way in.

It feels inviting.

New set of stairs, new deck.

Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

It's... it's perfect.

And wait until you see what we've done inside.

- You ready? - I'm ready.

- I can't wait. - Come on in.

What?

Oh, my God!

What!

Oh, my God!

It looks so good.

I do not recognize this entrance at all.

Come on, remember, we came

- into that mechanical storage? - Yes.

The main entrance is pretty slick.

- Yes. - Yeah, and fun.

Look at all the colors.

You got the terrazzo floors.

- That's cool. - Yeah, pop of energy.

And you've got tons of storage over here.

-Beautiful. -Triple here, drawers underneath.

- Oh, wow. - I love that.

- If you are blown away now... - -Yeah.

...you better prepare yourself...

...for what's coming next.

-Okay. -Are you ready for it?

-We're ready. -Yes.

Let's check it out.

Oh, my God.

Wow!

I don't even know what to say.

I don't know what to say.

This looks so good.

Wow!

Fresh, it's so much color,

it's whimsical and it's different.

We now have a double walkout to the lakeside

It's a lower-level walkout,

-but you were never using it as a walkout. -No.

There was stuff jammed up against the walls.

- Love it. - -It's absolutely beautiful.

The staircase has been flipped,

so now you go straight up from the entrance door.

So we've got the wine cellar underneath.

Oh, my goodness.

- I love that. - Oh, wow.

Many reasons to celebrate!

I can't stop smiling.

I can't wait for you guys to see what's behind all these doors.

In fact, I'm getting butterflies in my stomach,

I'm just feeling like I should release them.

There we go.

Oh, wow.

Oh, my God!

- It's beautiful. Yeah. Yeah. -It looks so fun!

Remember, this was two really tiny bedrooms

with those rough bunk beds in them.

And we did two windows,

instead of half a window.

This is a much more elegant room.

Super nice, super fresh,

young, vibrant.

It just... You feel good...

-in there. Yeah. -You do feel good in here.

There's good energy.

This light fixture was Debra's

design inspiration item.

She brought this, and she's like,

"It just has all the colors."

It's one of the first rooms that guests see when they show up,

so we decided to install it here.

There's still, like, an elegance to it,

so I like that.

- Oh... my God! - Wow!

Wow. This is out of a magazine.

It really is.

How cute is this?

The kids will love it.

This room was such a waste, just storing all those tools.

But now, we've got all this space,

the quad bunks,

so four kids easily can sleep in here.

And on top of that, the other storage room,

that's now a bedroom as well.

A queen size bed.

-So you have three bedrooms on this floor. -Oh, wow!

- Oh, wow. Wow! - It looks so different!

Oh, wow, this is so beautiful.

- Look at the tiles. - I know.

The tiles have so much character.

As the old bathroom,

- the tiles were falling off... - Yes.

...so we actually removed that bathroom completely.

Not only do you have a spa-like bathroom on this level,

but it's the double-shower power over here.

That makes so much sense.

There's so many little details that you almost have to just sit here

for 15 minutes to look at everything,

but it all ties so well together

that it just feels, like, right.

- Well, listen, if you wanna sit here for 15 minutes... - -Yeah.

-...we can leave you alone. -He will.

Ahh! Oh, my God!

The dogs will be so happy!

Look at that!

Beautiful.

- Oh, my God. - -Oh, my God, this is like the most gorgeous

dog-washing station...

...I've ever seen.

You said when we first met,

you said, "Something that's important is that

- our pets are part of our family... - " -Yes.

"...and we want other guests

to be able to celebrate their holidays

with their full pet-friendly families as well."

- So beautiful. - This is amazing.

So the image you're seeing is printed

on to these aluminum panels.

So they are waterproof.

They are rust-proof.

They are meant for all kinds of conditions.

Plus, they offer this really cool, seamless backdrop, right?

Having a spot that caters to families

that have dogs is very important,

and it's, uh, really made a big difference, in terms of the experience for sure.

Oh! Wow!

- Oh, my God. - -I don't even know what to say.

I'm gonna get emotional.

-So nice. -It looks so good.

It's so, kind of, warm, inviting, fresh...

modern... fun.

Wow.

There's a lot of history in this place.

When we bought it, we were still quite young,

and we've taken the kids here,

like, from the time they were babies.

So, yeah, it was kind of emotional to see the change.

- Get in this kitchen. - Oh, my God.

- Wow. - -God, this looks so good.

I love the windows, the color.

- Wow. - -We have a proper island, not a table.

Oh, my God.

This was cobbled together.

I found it at a garage sale kitchen.

- Remember that? - It was.

Now, it's a proper kitchen.

You've got the whole "U" shape with the island in the middle.

It's absolutely beautiful.

The range hood,

Debra sourced that material,

so we made a custom range hood,

and then we did a repeat on the fireplace

- on the other side. - Beautiful.

I love this.

So, are you gonna come up to the cottage?

-Yes. -Oh.

-Hey, hey. -Yeah.

That's what he's been dreaming about

-for 20 years. -Oh, my God.

I could totally have a girl's weekend here.

Oh, now you're getting kicked out.

Not only is she coming,

-you're leaving. -She's coming by herself.

Exactly.

The primary bedroom.

Oh, my God!

Wow!

-Wow! -Wow, it looks so good.

- The colors in here... - Mmm-hmm.

...the deep blue on the wall,

the pop of orange on the doors.

This room used to be flat,

and now it's colorful and exciting.

- This feels totally different. - -Yeah.

This feels youthful, vibrant...

- Bright. - I just love it.

Check out this bathroom.

Wow.

I don't even know what to say.

We had to reconfigure this entire space upstairs

because there used to be another bedroom here,

but we've extra bedrooms on the lower level,

so we're doing this elegant en suite bath,

but you've got a full tub in here,

a double vanity, toilet,

and a full shower.

Beautiful.

Oh, that's amazing.

Very fun, but still very classy.

I love it.

And across the hall, we have another bedroom,

very whimsical.

And a main bathroom for this floor,

again, very fun and ties into our theme.

My favorite new addition to your property...

Look at this.

We have a nice deck.

There was a window here and a window here...

-Right. -...and then this dropped down to below.

So you couldn't step outside

from the upper level.

This is where people want to hang out.

It's an extension of the living room.

- It looks great. - A new door into your sunroom.

- Oh, my God! Look at that sunroom. -Yes.

I will actually sit in there now.

Like, before, like, I didn't.

It was spooky before.

We can now walk all the way around the sunroom.

-It wraps around? -It wraps all the way around.

Oh, look at this!

How good is this?

Oh, I love it. That's perfect.

Yeah, you send the kids out here,

and you have all the adults at the dining room table.

You've got options.

Absolutely beautiful.

Let's head down.

This is the beginning of the pathway...

...but you also have all this covered area

- under the deck now. - Oh, my God.

It's a sauna.

Oh, yeah!

-Is that a cold plunge? -That's a cold plunge over there.

- Oh, yeah. - Oh, wow.

Oh, that's awesome.

This is amazing.

One of the other big elements why people are here

is to get down to the lake,

so let the journey begin at the beginning

of your whimsical walkway...

marked by our finely crafted...

...entrance posts.

So this is meant to define the space,

but also start our lighting grid,

which, as you can see,

does a zigzag pattern

all the way down to the lake.

-I love the lighting. -And to keep the journey

down to the lake a little interesting,

we've got the Whimsical Woodland scavenger hunt.

Oh, fun.

This is just a good activity

for kids and families to enjoy nature.

You know, "find a squirrel,"

"Can you find a bird's nest?"

"The grasshopper?"

These are all things that you can see on your pathway

down to the lake, right?

I think that's perfect for being at the cottage.

But I'm just gonna add one more on the bottom,

cash flow.

That's good.

We can check that one off the box real soon.

All right, let's head down to the lake.

I think the fact that there's so many different spaces

in the cottage now, like,

from the kids to the adults,

everyone can enjoy it.

Take a walk to your dock!

Okay.

It's a floating dock.

- There you go. - You got it.

It's totally re-orientated now

-'cause before, it was right there. -Yes.

Yeah, and it was sinking.

Yes, it was sinking.

This dock can stay in all year round.

- Okay. - -The reinforced pontoons,

the ice does no damage.

The perfect spot to just be floating on the lake.

We've done an inlay,

so you can have a fire pit on the dock.

-Oh, I like that. -No way.

It's so beautiful.

- Thank you, Scott. - Very happy.

-Thank you. -Very happy.

-Yes. Oh! -Don't leave him hanging.

So, your goals for this property

were to not only update it for your family,

so you can fall in love with the cottage

you bought 20 years ago,

but to be able to generate some rental income.

- Yes. - -The property, the way it is now

should be renting for...

$750 a night.

No way.

Absolutely.

Wow, that's amazing.

I think that's great.

And the total rental potential on this property annually

is almost $275,000.

-Wow! -Let's do another high five.

That's another high five.

So you've got a great place for your family,

you've got a great legacy for your family,

and you have an asset

because it's generating some income.

Are we happy?

-So happy... -Oh, my God, so happy.

- Speechless. - ...so, so happy.

-It's so beautiful. -Many years in the making,

and thank you for bringing our, kind of, dreams to life.

Um, no problem.

Let's head back up!

Sounds good!

Welcome to the Whimsical Woodlands,

where fun, imagination

and enchantment come to life.

Tucked into the woods, this captivating cottage

boasts five spacious bedrooms,

three modern bathrooms,

and a newly renovated kitchen.

Pour yourself a glass of vino from the wine cellar,

and soothe yourself in the sauna,

followed by a refreshing cold plunge.

Even your furry friends can indulge in luxury

with a dedicated dog-washing station.

If you're craving adventure,

embark on a scavenger hunt

filled with discoveries,

or just enjoy a romantic stroll along the scenic trail

that leads you down to a cozy fire pit

right on the water.

Don't delay.

Enjoy the whimsy of this magical retreat today.

The exterior of this property

is slightly mysterious.

You know what it reminds me of?

-Me. -Ooh!

-Well, you're fun and colorful on the outside... -Absolutely.

...and black like charcoal on the inside.

Heart of coal.

You have the dark, dramatic exterior--

-I'm very mysterious. -Very mysterious.

-And then inside... -You have the colorful,

-Fun. -...fun, so much energy.