Original subtitles

Alison: Tonight on "windy city rehab"...

This is awful. From here in,

it does look very, like, murder-y.

-Ugh. -It's soaking wet.

I don't think this is gonna be savable.

Donovan: We can't take this entire house down.

Alison: I'm hearing two different stories

on something that is structural.

I'd be lying if I said

I felt good about continuing this partnership.

All I want to do is get ahead, and I can't.

I'm just constantly stopped.

♪

I am alison victoria.

Chicago is my city.

I was born and raised here,

and now I'm rehabbing houses with my crew.

This is what I love doing, to build a house

that looks like it's been in chicago for 100 years.

Does it look amazing out there? -Oh, yeah.

Alison: But it is not for the weak.

I'm working on so many projects at the same time.

That's just how this business is.

It's gonna cost us additional $25,000.

Anything at this point is coming out of my pocket.

This is not a test that I will fail.

I got it.

Bigger risk...

It's in my brain and in my blood to design.

...Bigger rewards.

-It's perfect. -This is gorgeous!

-Oh, my god. -Look at this.

Woman: It's amazing.

♪

♪

what's up?

I think I have a good one for us,

but we need to act quickly

because they're about to put it on the market.

Broker called,

said that they'll give us first shot at it.

Okay, where is it? It's in ravenswood.

I haven't done anything out there.

It's a cool area.

Yeah. It's a two-flat right now.

I think we can actually get this one

for under $500,000.

That's way cheaper than normal.

But the only thing is,

they're probably gonna go to market this weekend.

So we got to get over there. There's a lot of competition.

It's getting really hard to buy the stuff.

So we've got to get in early before other people get to it.

Text me the address and then I can probably meet you there

in like 45 minutes.

Yes, I'll see you there in a little bit.

Okeydokey. Okay, bye.

Sometimes, when the brokers know each other

and they know they're gonna bring a buyer

who's a cash buyer who doesn't mess around,

they'll keep it off the market just to get an easy deal done.

But we've got to make sure that we're not overpaying, as well.

♪

so, today we're headed to berenice.

It's a little further north than a lot of our properties,

but a lot of good restaurants and bars.

It's just a really great family area.

It's a quiet one-way street,

potential single-family renovation.

We're gonna be the first ones to walk through the property.

At first glance, on paper, it looks like a good deal.

Alison: There's a ton of opportunity

when you look at a house like this,

and you just have to look at the houses surrounding it.

So, this is the one that needs the love.

It's the only one, actually, that needs love.

So why would we not?

What?!

This is a funky street.

Yeah, it's a short, little one-way street.

Driving here, everything's kind of like

that cottage style.

Everybody's doing it.

You just have the same look everywhere.

This one's the only one that isn't.

But I don't see anything I love on the exterior.

There's not much to write home about.

I think the main thing that I'm nervous about

getting into a quick deal

is not knowing how much the construction's gonna cost,

just because it's not a fully masonry building,

which a lot of the ones that we renovate are all masonry.

So there's definitely some unknowns

that are gonna come with this property.

It's got the faux, you know, stone, clearly over brick.

It's not in good shape.

I mean, it's got a great, great yard.

This is pretty big, and it's quiet.

I kind of like it.

Right now, it's a two-flat with a basement.

We'll turn it back into a single-family.

It's not a big rental market area,

so single-family is the way to go.

I mean, it needs dimension. I do like this pop-out here,

but we need to do, like, a really cool overhang,

something like that.

Alright, let's go see it. Alright.

Donovan: We really have to quickly get a handle on

what the construction costs will actually be.

At least it's different.

Ahh.

I mean, this is, like...

Whew! Very '70s.

Alison: I mean, it is '70s throwback.

Draperies and fabric wall coverings.

This is awful.

We found some stuff. Found some crutches.

Hey, these are old-school.

Let me see if these work for me,

'cause they don't work for you. Let's put it this way.

You know I'm in the market for crutches.

Recently, I had a small fracture

to the sesamoid of my right foot.

It's a dying of the bone.

So I have been looking for crutches.

And I just --

you're trying to do a crutch fight? [ chuckles ]

like, I'm in it alone.

Alison's like 4'2",

so there's not too many sets of crutches that work for her.

[ laughing ]

I don't know.

I don't think any of these walls,

interior-wise, will stay.

This is old-school layout, but this is a real opportunity

for us to do an even cooler opening,

we got good ceiling height.

Great ceiling height.

Alison: Powder room -- old-school, like, plastic tiles.

Oh, my god. Do you think this works?

This is, like, the oldest scale.

Alright, everyone knows you can't wear a purse

when you take your weight.

Oh, god. That went up a lot.

[ gasps, laughs ]

clearly, it's broken.

Tell me if this is accurate.

Do you think that's accurate?

I do, actually.

-Oh, no. -[ chuckles ]

she says it's broken,

but I think she just lies about her weight, you know.

The coat weighs 10 pounds.

Uh-oh.

122!

Hold on. Let me do this.

Yeah. 160.

You're stupid.

I didn't hold the ledge. Everyone saw.

♪

oh, did you see this little unit back here?

It's kind of cute. Oh, my god.

I like this. Oh, look!

This hardware is sick.

You can't find stuff like this anymore.

Okay, well, nothing stays here.

Okay, question for you --

do you think you'd go out with this sucker?

Donovan: I checked the footprint online

and we can do an addition if we want to.

I would absolutely try to get us like another 10 feet.

Sure. Addition on this, opening this up.

This becomes the main level.

Go outside?

[ windchimes tinkling ]

oh, I hate wind windchimes! You know what?

This is my least favorite thing ever.

♪

[ clattering ]

holy moly, look at that garage!

That's coming down, obviously.

Then this whole thing gets removed

and then we go all the way back.

So crazy, isn't it? So like...

Like, from here in, it does look very, like, murder-y.

Doesn't it? Just like...

It's almost like a movie set.

Alright, let's look upstairs.

These stairs aren't to code, either. No!

Oh, it goes up another level, too, huh?

There's an attic up there.

Same layout.

Tiny little room. Not sure what it is.

How many bedrooms? Ideally, we want four, right?

Three. That's it?

Well, that's pretty typical.

Pretty in pink.

And brown.

And the bathroom's probably not gonna lay out right here.

No. Pantry.

Weird long closet. Closet.

Ooh! Another very cool stove.

These are really old, man.

A million bucks says this works.

[ whirring ]

nice! See?

Okay, so this will be a single-family,

meaning all bedrooms are up here.

Try to get 3 1/2 baths with the powder downstairs.

If we're going out another 10 feet on this, that's --

we should have plenty of room. ...Doable.

-Is there a basement -yeah, we can see the basement.

Think this takes us down. -Yeah.

Oh, yeah.

The only thing that concerns me about finishing it

is just that we have a brick foundation, and realistically,

we have to dig it out, you know, 18 inches.

So maybe it's an option, or no? Sure. Yeah.

Adding a basement in berenice is gonna cost a ton of money.

But I feel like when you go to sell it,

that's where you make up. -It adds a lot of value.

I mean, we typically have a bedroom down there,

wet bar, family room.

I mean, it can add anywhere from 800

to 1,500 square feet to a house.

Ooh, look at this. What is that?

Oh, it's an old woodworking table!

Like, old-school.

I have no idea what I would do with it, but it's cool.

Here, put that in. I want to clamp it up.

Hunh!

-Okay. Wow, you did it. -Amped.

I feel like this could be used somewhere,

at least a part of it.

So cool.

Listen, three bedrooms upstairs,

possibly three bathrooms upstairs.

If we could add another bedroom down here

and do like a real basement that's finished,

what are we looking at?

Well, I'm hoping we land

at around $464,000, $465,000.

That's so cheap.

Well, that's why I wanted to come here quickly.

I think with the basement and all the other work,

even if we called it $600,000,

we're all in at just under $1.1 million.

And then we sell for over $1.3 million.

So we have a minimum of a $200,000 profit.

Hopefully more. If you can get that number,

I'd love it. Okay.

-You'll call him today? -I'm gonna call him right now.

Alright.

♪

alison: So, we ended up spending a little more

and bought berenice for $487,500.

And now we're ready to turn the ugliest house on the street

into the real standout.

I already know the facade's coming down

and I'm gonna replace it with a modern outdoor look

and add an overhang for a really grand entrance.

Faux turf and evergreen plants

put the curb appeal over the top.

And curb appeal in this neighborhood

is just like any other neighborhood --

very important.

Coming inside, the living room

gives that bay window a real presence,

and just past that is the dining room and the powder room

that's gonna feature a vessel sink

and a reclaimed vanity that is perfect for the space.

Then you walk into this gorgeous kitchen --

big, huge island, great lighting,

and over-the-top range.

I'm also adding a chunky mantel to create a real living space.

And across from that, ari's gonna beef up the storage

with a retrofitted cabinet and open shelving,

which is right next to a stunning marble fireplace.

It's patinaed, it is weathered,

and it is gorgeous in its detail.

Then you've got the cozy family room

that leads down into the basement,

and then we're doing an addition on the back.

I can get a big family room, wet bar, an office, a bedroom,

a full bathroom, and a second laundry room.

But I wanted this sophistication on the inside.

On the top floor, we're gonna have

three bedrooms and two bathrooms at the back of the house,

a master suite and en suite with a huge marble shower

and tub area enclosed in glass.

And you fill your tub from the ceiling!

And a walk-in closet

with a repurposed center island for storage.

And you got the real estate in there --

you can still walk around and it's still very comfortable.

♪

so, we like to get as many of our people

in the properties before we start,

because if there's any issues that might occur,

we like to know about them as soon as possible.

So ermin's going over to berenice to check out

just some basic potential issues and just kind of snoop around.

Alison: So, I want ermin to go through this,

like, with a fine-tooth comb.

I rely on his expertise because it affects the budget heavily

if there's something that hasn't been accounted for.

♪

2x4s? 2x4s.

Look at this, begi -- the water damage here.

♪

it's soaking wet.

Soaking wet.

Can you just try to remove this part here?

Let's see right here if it's the same thing.

Yeah, we really have to pretty much reframe entire home,

or otherwise, this is not gonna be safe to anybody.

I have to make that nice phone call

to alison and donovan. Go ahead!

Knock yourself, man.

They will not be happy about it.

Everything is about the budget,

and but we got to make a phone call to find out.

[ ringing tone ]

donovan: Hey. Hey, donovan. This is ermin.

What's up? I'm here at berenice. Right now,

we have an existing here that's pretty much --

how old is this, like 80, 90 years?

But all the walls are not straight.

The walls are 2x4s,

and they are already in bad shape,

and then also taking water to the siding.

We cannot leave them like this.

I don't think this is gonna be stable.

We really have to reframe entire new home.

Well, we can't take this entire house down.

♪

♪

it's soaking wet.

Soaking wet. [ ringing tone ]

I'm here at berenice. Right now,

we have our existing here that's pretty much --

how old is this, like 80, 90 years?

But all the walls are not straight.

They are already in bad shape.

Donovan: Well, we can't take this entire house down.

I've framed homes of this size in 2x4 before,

so we have to figure out

how to brace them and reuse the 2x4s.

We didn't buy this building to tear it down.

We bought this building to renovate it,

and gut renovate it,

so that's what we're gonna do.

If the walls are open now,

I want to meet you there on Monday.

That's not a problem. Alright. Sounds good.

Okay, let me call alison now.

[ ringing tone ]

alison: Hey. I'm here at berenice,

and after I open the walls,

I find out that the walls are in a bad shape,

and also we will have to replace the joists

on the first and second floor.

I really just need to get down to money.

What would you have to add to the budget?

That's all I need to know.

What I think has to be done is gonna cost us additional

around $20,000 to $25,000.

It's not good news.

I just have to be a little smarter with the floor plan

and I have to save money on the addition.

Donovan: You know, "whole thing has to be torn down."

the whole thing this, that.

The worst thing you could imagine

is what he's going to come up with.

We had assumed to do a lot of work here,

but if we're going to spend money,

I want to make sure that it's smart money being spent.

♪

alison: So, while we wait for ermin to arrive and determine

what needs to be done with the framing,

I've got ari coming by to save all the historic items

in this house. Time to demo this piece.

I mean, it's like old-school cabinetry,

and, like, the wallpaper and the carpet --

everything's original.

So to demo this one, I want to be meticulous.

I want to go through this, like, with a fine-tooth comb.

Ari, you haven't seen any of this stuff. No.

Oh, these are in great shape.

The cabinets are. Yeah.

All metal. Can I take these?

You want them all? Yeah.

So you'll take these.

So we'll salvage this for sure.

And then I thought you might like something in this room.

Go around the corner.

I don't need it to put back in the house.

So this one's all yours. The more you take, the better.

♪

got it?

[ grunts ] there.

That's one way to take it out. Yeah, there you go.

That might have been the easiest demo ever.

♪

what's this?

Dinner napkins in avocado green!

The stoves, both of them, upstairs, downstairs --

-taking them? -No.

I'm gonna sell them. -Okay.

The ranges, you know, I know somebody

is going to appreciate those pieces,

but I also know they're gonna pay me some money, you know?

♪

the minute we walked in this house

and I saw that piece in the basement,

I immediately just thought -- ari.

I don't know why, but I just thought

you were gonna love it. Oh, whoa!

The guy loves woodworking.

It's like he lives and breathes it.

Wow. This thing's killer. Whoa.

Yeah, this is probably

1840s, 1850s. It's gorgeous.

Like a kid in a candy store.

This is mine? Yeah!

I should have put, like, a bow on it or something.

Yeah, right? This is awesome. This is the best present ever.

These are called bench dogs here.

You put a piece of wood in here and you clamp it together

and it holds like doors and stuff together.

If somebody were to just say "bench dog,"

I would immediately think, like, a dog

that loves to sit on a bench.

Like that, like that.

Then you close it like this.

He's, like, happier than I've ever seen him.

Like a brand-new toy for me.

So, while ari goes through the rest of the house,

donovan and I have to meet ermin about the framing issue.

Ermin always drops these doomsday scenarios on me.

So today we're gonna do some further investigation

to these exterior walls in the current structure

and open it up, see what we find.

-Okay. -That's 2x4 exterior walls,

which are not gonna be good.

Yeah, but those are the dream 2x4s.

I mean, those are when 2x4s are actually 2x4s.

Listen, I know per code we can keep the current 2x4s.

The studs that I have seen,

there's no issues or evidence of dry rot.

Your joists right now on the floor,

it's a 2x8.

I have to do the open-web trusses.

We have to have the wall to support that.

Which means you have to do this.

I have to do this.

We're getting in there and immediately, you know,

donovan's like, "no, we don't have to."

and that's where this dynamic is a little confusing.

And all I need is facts.

Donovan: I'm sure that some of the framing

is probably not perfect over the years,

but I think it's more of a repair some of the structure as we go,

and not redo the thing completely new.

We should be able to keep the sheathing, though.

Oh, sheathing, I'm not gonna keep that,

because you're already taking the water.

Well, yeah, but sometimes the sheathing can be really good

'cause it's -- I mean, it's 100 old.

But still we really have to do two exterior drywalls.

Alison: I'm hearing two different stories

on something that is structural.

♪

♪

oh, sheathing, I'm not gonna keep that

because you're already taking the water.

Actually, the house already took the water on it.

Alison: I'm hearing two different stories

on something that is structural.

I'm trusting ermin's expertise here.

So are you gonna intertwine a 2x6 wall

within the existing wall? Yes.

Then you're setting your open-web trusses

on that new 2x6 wall.

Yes. We're gonna sister the new wall with this one.

Oh! Oh, okay.

We're gonna sister them and have them straight

and that's how it's gonna be done. Okay.

Alison: He's simply doing an additional structure

to support the new floor joists.

We will be getting a pretty much like 99% new home.

Right. And I will have the straight walls,

not you yelling at me like,

you know, "why my kitchen is leaning?"

if I see one uneven floor or wall,

I'm gonna freak out.

And you get to do what you need to do.

Yes. Alright.

I feel good about that. I agree.

You're walking a house with your business partner,

who's the general contractor and the developer.

He should know what's going on with this home structurally.

Why would you just not do it right from the beginning?

Let's be in the business of making money, okay?

Not wasting money. Alright, we're good.

Alright, let's start. Let's get the guys.

So now it's demo time.

Donovan: Demo is probably a good two or three weeks here.

Just, I don't want to rush it.

Structurally, I'm not totally sure about it.

There's definitely some unknowns

and there's a lot of things that could go wrong.

♪

♪

alison: There was a stop work order that was issued on berenice.

When they opened up the walls and the floors,

there was, like, a lot of rotting wood.

So, rotting wood is dangerous.

Somebody could get hurt and fall through.

So that stuff had to be removed, which was originally

not in the scope of work for him to demo.

How much is that gonna cost in time or holding up things?

That obviously is the last thing I want to see.

Now we're at a total standstill.

♪

alison: There was a stop work order that was issued on berenice.

Securing it up? -Yep.

These bottles are not safe anymore.

That obviously is the last thing

I want to see now.

Here we are. We're at a total standstill.

It seems to me like it's a lose-lose situation.

So, ermin's removing rotting wood,

which was a safety concern while doing demo.

All of a sudden there's an inspector coming out

and there's a stop work order. I have to be way more involved.

I'm working with the architect. I am revising the permit set.

So with the city, I'm doing that.

And now we just have to make it right.

Everything done. But quality and safety

is more important than pretty much anything.

I know. I'm not an architect.

I'm not a licensed gc, but I don't cut corners.

It's your name on this job. It's my name on this job.

And for me, I kind of just want it to be our names on this job.

This may have not been the lane that I wanted to be in,

but I'm in it now and I'm staying in it.

And I'm the one that's gonna be responsible.

I just want this orange sticker off.

Yep. I feel like we're going to go faster,

but we're gonna do it safer and smarter.

And I don't want to see any of these signs ever again,

me neither.

We needed to go then get the full blueprints

and amend the permits.

This stop work notice has halted everything.

♪

I'm just doing anything I can to move things forward

with no idea when we're going to get this permit.

So it's shopping time, looking for some pieces for berenice.

The design in that area architecturally

is very specific, very, like, cottage style.

It's like the only one that's not that style.

So I'm a little torn right now in what direction I'm going in.

One little piece can inspire the entire place.

This is a very different kitchen for me at berenice.

I'm gonna do old-school,

where I'm not keeping this open floor plan.

I'm closing it off from the dining room.

Wow. I want to have something cool there

for like spices.

Like, this is exactly what I need.

I'm not gonna try to have my kitchen look shiny and new.

I want it to have some real character,

whether that's with color or the actual cabinet.

Man: This is louis the xiii style.

I think it was made early 19th century. Wow.

But it looks earlier.

So it's all geometric and rectilinear,

but being french, they can't help themselves,

so they still have some curves.

So it's the kind of french armoire

that appeals to modernness. Yeah.

It's all pegged together. These are pegs.

It's unbelievable. The craftsmanship is beautiful.

This cabinet is perfect for this kitchen.

It's something I know can fit into my space

and serve as a perfect pantry.

How much is this piece? How about $1,600?

Yes. I love saving the artifacts.

I do, too. I love it. Thank you.

You know, my powder room in berenice is very, very small,

but I definitely still wanted some sort of storage in there.

So, I see this piece.

It's definitely not something I would normally look for.

It looked like a side table, but something stately about it.

[ cellphone ringing ]

-hi. -Hey, I found this.

It's like an oval side table.

This was made in 1930.

I was thinking, like, this would be kind of a cool,

like, powder room sink for berenice.

Kristy: Oh, that could be awesome.

I know, but I don't know if it fits.

29" wide by 18 3/4".

Actually, it's almost perfect. I love it.

I've got to add a marble top to it like a remnant.

So, that's my goal with this.

Feeling inspired for berenice,

but we have no idea

when we're gonna get this [indistinct] lifted.

♪

something seems wrong, and it's concerning me now.

We have got to get this figured out

because I can't afford to just have this project sitting.

So, I was traveling for work

and I actually found out through the media

that donovan's license for his gc company

and his development company was suspended.

That's a massive, massive problem.

Berenice has been sitting for months

with no one working on it.

The deputy commissioner made it very clear

that donovan hadn't gotten inspections

or final inspections

on 20-plus projects that he did

before he even met me,

and I knew that it was now everything's under a microscope

and that orange sticker went up.

And that is what happened on every single project.

Damon, augusta, berenice.

And this isn't my world. Like, I'm just doing my best

to get up to speed, but it's so hard

when your business partner's licenses are suspended

and he can't do anything.

And it costs money.

So it's either chipping away at your profit

or it's completely taking your profit away.

It's like every single corner that I turn,

it's like boom, stop, boom, stop.

And it's like, why? What?

What happened?

All I want to do is get ahead, and I can't.

I mean, orange sticker

after orange sticker after orange sticker.

♪

♪

alison: All I want to do is get ahead, and I just can't.

I'm just constantly stopped.

I mean, orange sticker

after orange sticker after orange sticker.

Because of all of the delays,

we just have a lot of expenses --

interest carry, taxes,

insurance, utilities -- the whole thing.

And all of those are expenses that you can't not pay.

And they just continue to add to the bottom line.

We have to get this figured out fast

because I can't afford to have any projects sit

let alone berenice.

Now everything's under a microscope.

All you can do at this point is move forward.

Honestly, donovan and I are just in a really bad place right now.

I'd be lying if I said I felt good about this partnership.

The worst part is that I just can't seem to get answers.

Like, I don't know what I need to do

to help solve these issues.

Thank god I have ermin.

So, now I am doing anything that I can

to remove donovan from berenice legally --

like, to remove him completely from the project

because these issues with the city,

they're getting worse and worse and worse because of him.

♪

♪

I have to keep these projects going and on track,

and I'm just scrambling to keep my business from going under

and scrambling to clear my name

and make things right.

And me and my team are just doing everything that we can

to solve these issues.

So, ermin had a big meeting

with the building department

about all of these stop work notices

and about him becoming the general contractor

in lieu of donovan.

But we don't know when we're gonna get the permit back.

My one true escape is design

and getting back to that, getting back to what I love.

These are cool. So I want to be creative.

I need ideas. Get me in a space

where I'm inspired

to do this type of work.

But the whole time I'm shopping, that's all that's on my mind

because I know how important this meeting is

for both of us.

Hi.

So he ends up walking in... How'd it go?

...And I could see just his little smirk.

Come on. You have to tell us.

What, do I have to tell you? 100%. We've all been waiting.

They will insure the permit for these violations we have... Okay.

...And then after we get the permits...

So you can stay on the permits

and the blueprints for augusta,

damon, berenice, and carpenter? Yes.

Then what? Once we get those,

then you can do winchester. Then we apply and do whatever we want.

You swear? Yeah.

Do you feel good? Of course.

Are you being serious? Yeah.

This beacon of light!

Alison: So, today was good news

because we got the a-okay

to keep these projects moving.

We're gonna build. I told everybody here.

We're starting to build again.

Berenice we should get Friday or Monday.

Okay, okay. Two weeks out, we should get all permits.

[ indistinct ] we're starting Monday.

We're gonna do this. We're gonna do this

and make it right.

Nothing is going to stop us.

♪

berenice had a stop work order on it for a long time,

and the minute that we got the permit

is really just the minute we started going.

That's a green light for me to prove

how great I can be with my team.

♪

framing is just beginning.

Seeing this thing framed and taking shape,

knowing that it's being framed correctly,

I'm very excited to see this go in.

I just want to make sure everything's being done right.

It has to be perfect.

♪

♪

ermin and his team have just been, like, rocking and rolling,

getting this thing framed

and ready for the next inspection.

Time is of the essence, and we've got to get it done.

♪

♪

so, we've already paid out so much money on berenice,

and that stop work notice cost a lot of time --

four months almost --

and time is money that's gonna add up in the end

and put us over budget.

♪

so, donovan never showed a garage in the plans,

which means I had to get the architect

to do the plans for the garage and then submit for permits.

So there's another delay.

And if I can't knock the garage down,

ermin cannot do the addition. So we really are

kind of building half a house right now.

It just feels like this process is always like one step forward

and like five steps back, and it's super frustrating.

With all the setbacks, there's so many unknowns

that I'd start making up these stories about what could happen.

And ultimately, I can't control what is going to happen.

I can just do the right thing every day

and just hope for the best.

That's all you can do at this point.

I have no choice but to take the bull by the horns and just go.

I have to finish it.

♪

alison: So today, ermin got the permit for berenice.

It's been nine months since berenice started,

and after all the delays, because of the stop work notice,

we've just had to make up for lost time.

So, the electrician started all the recessed lighting,

and that awful exterior facade is finally coming down.

Super ugly. It's got the faux stone,

and then you just have all the siding.

All of that gets removed,

and then we're replacing it with hardie board,

which really matches the style

of most of the homes in this neighborhood.

Hardie siding is made out of fiber cement,

so it's really durable

and it gives me that wood look that I'm after.

So, that's all going up.

We got the permit to demo the garage

and a really-needed break in the weather.

So the guys are gonna take that down.

And with the garage gone, we can finally start excavating.

This should be a 12-month build.

Will it be? Working at this pace,

we actually have a chance to make up time.

♪

so, I'm going to do a check-in at berenice.

We are ready to do the addition.

I don't know where we're at with it, though. Ermin.

Some of the problems that I saw in the beginning

when we open up the walls,

I'm not gonna not pay attention to those things.

That might not be my world,

but these are my homes.

You can bet that I'm gonna ask way more questions

about these issues. Digging out the back now?

Yeah, we did dig out the back

waiting for the inspection for the concrete footing.

Got it. Then you put the footings...

And then we frame for the foundation wall.

Do you know when the inspection's gonna happen?

We're expecting them next week. Okay.

Alright, but the framing in here is looking good.

And obviously, this is all

the double wall properly done now. Yes. Yes.

Supports the beam, and everything's just done per code. Yes.

There are no cutting corners.

You know, seeing this thing framed and taking shape,

knowing that it's being framed correctly,

you know, doing it right.

Right, I can't wait.

Maximum three?

Brand new roof. Yeah.

Putting a whole new roof on

from front to back,

you're cutting down on any mistakes or problems

that might happen. And again, not cutting corners

because I don't want to say any more.

Alright, call me if you need anything.

Not a problem. Thank you. Okay, bye.

So now that I've checked in and made sure

that were on top of everything, I need to go do what I do best.

I need to go shop for all those special pieces

I want to bring into the house.

♪

so today, I'm looking for a really specific piece.

Hey, aaron?

-Yes? -Question.

Alison: I'm looking for a piece in a master closet,

and I've got space to do, like, a center island,

but something where you could put, like,

your jewelry or accessories or like a belt.

How about a small pet?

What do you want, a gerbil drawer?

Yeah. Yeah. [ chuckles ]

I mean, this is kind of cool.

Sunglasses... Jewels.

Let's keep going. More jewels, jewels...

More jewels. ...More jewels,

more jewels, watches. That's a lot of jewels.

I have a lot of jewels.

-Now, what about one? -That's cool.

What if you do, like, hats, belts?

Severed limb? Oh, my god.

What is this thing? -It was used to hold money

and, I believe, valuable papers.

I think this is the piece 'cause it's not gonna

obstruct the closet space. You can navigate around it.

What's it made out? Is it also -- [strains].

It's hardwood painted

and then the feet are cast bronze. [ gasps ]

and to have that piece be fire engine red.

Not what I was thinking. Then, I can always paint it

another beautiful color.

So you have $600... Hmm.

How about $400?

Come on, go half.

For you? Yeah.

'cause it's your day? Yeah.

Okay. Halfsies!

It's coming home with mama.

What are you doing, hiding this for me?

I was sorting through coffin plaques.

This is a coffin plaque?

It would go on a coffin.

How would you like to be remembered?

What would you put on that plaque?

Probably just "you're welcome."

♪

alison: Just like ermin expected, we passed the inspection

and now we can actually pour the concrete for the addition.

So it's just like -- it's go time.

♪

inside, the plumbers are doing all the rough-in

on the upstairs, and there's just so much activity

going on at berenice.

So, after all of these massive delays,

ermin's guys are just committed to getting the house done,

and that means so much.

You know, they're framing the addition

even with all the snow.

Ermin: Yeah, for the past eight months,

we had been delayed here,

and now we are kind of catching up on everything

because we don't have any more days to lose.

Even today, we have a snow,

but the guys still come out to do the work

'cause we want to catch up on the days

and just want to be done.

♪

♪

alison: Last thing that needs to be framed is the garage,

and that is scheduled to be done by the time we start drywall.

Berenice is a big build.

This is going to become a almost-4,000-square-foot house.

So, digging the basement out by hand costs about 10 grand,

and it's gonna take even more days

because it's just more labor.

I mean, this is a big, big project.

♪

berenice check-in.

So now the addition's on and it's gigantic.

This is the family room, island here.

Coming through here,

more of a formal sitting room up front.

It's not full open floor plans. It's defining spaces.

Come up stairs,

nice little landing,

master bedroom -- perfect size.

I'm glad that I relocated the opening.

That way you could actually have a tv wall

and still enough room for that really cool piece

that I found as the center island in the closet.

So I'm just so glad all around things evolve

and all of a sudden, it truly does look like $1 million.

♪

the entryway is next.

So, the front porch is such a focal point for the curb appeal

in this neighborhood. It's gonna blend,

but it's certainly gonna stand out at the same time.

Perfect job. When it looks

just like your rendering, you know they're doing it right.

So even though we're back in business on berenice,

we still have a ton of issues because I have no more money

and there's no more time. We've lost time.

Now we got to make time up however we can on this project

because it's all you can do.

So, we're insulating right now.

We're getting the inspection after that,

which means we go right into drywall, and drywall

means that after all the delays that we've had on this one,

we're finally almost there.

♪

work has been nonstop.

I just decided that I'm gonna take a little road trip.

So today, I am visiting ari at home.

He moved out to wisconsin with his family.

-Hey. -Hello!

Ari: Welcome!

You guys left the city!

To the farm. Hi! To the farm.

-Hi. -Hi.

This is awesome.

Alison: I mean, of course I want him closer to chicago

because that's where we do all of our work together.

But then you get here and you just -- I get it.

Alright, show me around. I want to see it. Let's go check out the goats. I think they're over this way.

These are the ones that fall down? Yeah, the fainting goats.

The fainting goats. I moved into a farm house

location out in wisconsin.

Less money, less traffic.

I can focus on my craft

op! He just fainted. See him? Where?

Oh, you alright? Is that bad for their brain?

See, fainting goats.

That's just how they are?

They get paralyzed for like a minute.

See? Hi guys.

To be here kind of on his turf feels good.

-Want to go see the chickens? -Yeah.

That is quite the coop. Yeah.

-Oh, is that the bird feed? -Come on, chickies!

That's our chicken feeder. That's so nice

you bring it out in the tractor, or the dump truck.

Sorry, I got to get it right.

Oh! [ laughter ]

let's go check out the pool.

Of course ari dug his own pool out.

So I got the whole thing.

It's like a firewood heated pool, of course,

'cause that's ari.

He's just constantly putting in, like, old scraps of wood

in there to keep the pool hot.

And then, out there's our one-acre garden

that we're starting to work on,

and we have tons of asparagus.

We'll take a walk later and you can cut away a ton. I'll cut it.

I can't wait. There's thousands of them out there.

-I love it. -Let's take a walk to the barn.

Ari's got all the pieces here for the berenice house,

and so it's kind of like make sure that we've got our heads

kind of wrapped around what we're gonna do.

This is the kitchen pantry.

So, this is sitting front and center.

So then what you would build is the top piece

that goes to the ceiling

and then you're gonna have to figure this out.

You're gonna have to take the crown off of this

and somehow add to the top and do a cool design here.

Do these need to be like pull outs?

Is this the hide kitchen and stuff?

I mean, it's just for additional storage.

I feel like that's not how I wanted this to shine.

Let's talk about this.

You know, we just started talking about it

and where it was gonna go

and how it was gonna get incorporated,

and it just wasn't feeling right -- something about it.

What if we did something like this?

What if we just did like a base cabinet?

Yes, and then open shelving. Yeah, open shelves.

So this pops out more,

this sets back, big, chunky shells.

Yeah, chunky shelf, chunky shelf.

We need a countertop.

And then lowers for extra cabinetry.

This is it.

Sitting down and sketching it out

and thinking about it, taking a minute,

I instantly felt really confident

and really happy about the hutch

and about the kitchen built-in.

This is the master closet island.

Paint it black, new hardware, okay.

This I'm gonna have ermin's people do

because this is the powder room sink.

He needs to retrofit it anyway.

Yeah, you just cut the drawers out. Correct.

So, they will do this. We'll put the top on,

I'll have my countertop people cut it down,

sink goes on, call it a day.

Alright, we took one of the old beams down from the house.

I'm always excited to try to reuse pieces like that

in my new designs.

It's gonna be like a cool, like, mantle for the hood.

You're just literally gonna cut it

and then you're gonna mount it.

And I thought we would do some...

Corbels? Yeah.

-So, that's it. -Alright.

Before you leave, let's get some asparagus.

Oh, god, I totally forgot. I'm gonna eat it all tonight.

I'm really big asparagus fan.

I love butter and I love lemon and I love salt.

So, I'm gonna go get a bundle of that stuff

and then I'm gonna put stuff on it.

-Those are good ones. -Oh, yeah, they smell so good.

I feel like it's like a scavenger hunt. Oh, here's a big one.

Look at that one right there. Look at this guy.

Okay. I mean, this is a bundle.

You said laura's got more for me? She's got, like --

I'll take a ton. [ chuckles ]

so I'm cooking tonight.

♪

yeah! Badass.

This is me.

See the resemblance?

We have no money and then you lose nine months.

That means everything is gonna be a loss.

That won't stack in front of it. Yeah, no.

[ bleep ]

♪

alison: Berenice day today, and this really is a dream home,

so it's really just go time.

In the next month and a half, we'll to go right into flooring.

The pre-finished floor that we're using here at berenice,

it has a wide link that helps the whole space look bigger.

♪

♪

alison: So, up in wisconsin,

ari is working on the built-in for the kitchen,

and that's already been through a couple of changes,

so what's one more change?

I decided last minute to,

shocker, paint it black.

I was struggling with this finish again

on the old unit and this hutch.

It was just too orange.

So I thought with the pendants

that I'm bringing in over the island

with some of the black accents throughout the house,

that just made sense.

He'll bring all those down to chicago in a couple of days

when we actually install.

♪

♪

so, cabinets are going in today,

and I have to maximize

every square inch of storage in this house

so I can get that $1.6 million asking price.

The second they're done, the countertop guys are coming in.

I went with a beautiful manufactured stone

throughout the entire house because it's a family home.

It needs to be low maintenance, but it looks gorgeous.

♪

so today is ari's install day over at berenice

I'm excited just because I felt like we made

so much headway at the farm.

So now to finally see these pieces going in

and to be part of making this mantel

that's gonna go above the hood, I'm just excited.

The old beam that ran in this house that we took out --

oh, that's the one I'm gonna cut?

That's in the garage.

And I want to use that as a big chunky mantel above the range.

That'll look pretty.

So I've always looked at photos

and admired photos of kitchens that look like living rooms.

So that's what we're gonna try to achieve here.

So this is gonna look like a kitchen range/hood/mantel.

It's almost like this is the future of kitchens, right?

That it's a kitchen, but you can't tell.

Yeah, well, everybody hangs out here.

Right. But it looks like almost like a living room.

Alright, so let's go look at the beam. Alright.

I need to cut it a little bit because it's like a monster. Okay.

I need to get some aggression out.

I need to just -- I just want to cut something.

Where am I cutting?

Right on that line there.

[ chain saw whirring ]

♪

yeah!

-Badass. -Yeah!

It felt good to have that chain saw in your hand.

It's empowering to be part of the process

to use this old beam from the original house

and to reincorporate it in a totally reimagined way.

So my thought is that

it's literally gonna be all the way.

You got to make this less deep.

That's just like -- how deep is this now?

I think was nine.

Ugh.

-Eight. -I don't want it that wide.

So what do you think?

I mean, proportion-wise, maybe five inches.

-4 1/2? -4 1/2? Okay, 4 1/2.

I can make corbels out of this piece, then.

Oh, you can do the corbels out of this? Yeah. Yeah.

When I was telling ari my vision,

I thought, "do I buy corbels?"

and he was like, "why even buy them?

I can actually carve them myself with the chain saw."

how cool is that, making a corbel out of the beam

to look like it's old.

So his idea I think is great.

I can't wait to see what it looks like.

♪

so this house is super special

just 'cause it's like paint on paint,

'cause I want to cater to the masses.

I want most everybody that comes to look at this

to love it and see a lot of character.

And people love black-and-white houses.

So I'm doing these cedar shingles

as this architectural accent

to the front facade of the house.

I know the rendering was more like chocolaty brown,

but it's like my eye is going almost here.

So I had ermin put a ton

of different stain samples together for me

to really show the grain of the cedar shingles.

Alison: The one on the right's got, like, green in it.

I don't know why I like this one.

And then over time, it will patina and age.

Yeah, you got to go with your gut.

Snap judgment.

I think it's gonna look killer.

Hey, question for you. Is that cedar underneath?

No, but I'm gonna stain that.

-Stain it this. -Yes.

Okay, I like the idea.

And that way you got paint, paint,

and then just this, like, beautiful, rich stain.

It's gonna look good.

♪

removing donovan from the bank loan

is like an added layer of protection

for my own business that I built from the ground up.

It took a very long time to get donovan off this house.

It was really, really, really expensive legally

because I spent a lot of time with my lawyers

drafting up documents to get him off the loan.

So donovan's still on other loans with me,

but berenice is all mine.

♪

I've got one more change for ermin on the front.

Now, this looks good.

My only thought --

the window above the porch has that hardie frame around it.

What do you think that is up there, five-inch?

Ermin: 5 1/2-inch.

Is there any more material

that we could actually cut down to three?

I want the same here, 'cause I feel like almost like this bay

is like so flat.

You just want to break that little bit.

I want to break it up.

Here we go. We have two pieces here.

Yeah, is this three?

Yeah. It's pretty much like a three-inch.

Can I see what it looks like?

Okay, I love that.

That gives it a little bit of depth.

It feels like a stronger facade.

Yeah. Can I come down now?

-You can come down. -Thank you very much.

♪

so when you have a project that you think is

only gonna take 12 months and you have a nine-month delay,

I would say that's probably the biggest nightmare.

So the budget was done by donovan and underbudgeted

on most line items having to do with construction.

So, you know, when something's wildly underbudgeted

and then you lose nine months,

that means pretty much everything is gonna be a loss.

We have no money unless something magical happens.

♪

so inside, we've got the stair railings going in

and also the kitchen built-in.

Watch I don't trip coming in here.

So this is our top piece, right? Yep.

Okay, so that goes above.

Yeah, it goes up there, a tower.

I like this kind of rub. I would definitely do that.

But can you even do that to the top? Oh, yeah.

This mix of gray and brown, I think it's beautiful.

And plus, this is like pretty distressed, so...

-Yeah. -Why hide it, you know?

I don't want to hide anything.

And then those brass shelves.

Love these.

It looks like this unit really has been there forever.

Yeah, like, give me my first one there.

-And this is the top. -Yeah.

-Okay. -Awesome.

Alison: They look beautiful.

Little plant, a little art,

and then this becomes its own art piece in itself.

And it just -- I think it complements the kitchen.

I like this kitchen layout.

Right? It's a cool, different layout.

Yeah, it's way different.

Next thing for ari to do is split that beam in half.

This beam is massive. It's 8x8.

And I definitely don't need that kind of depth at all

because it's just gonna come out into the kitchen.

Whoever's, like, cooking would hit their head.

So I really need this thing chopped depth-wise.

I pictured this as like a mantel,

truly like a mantel you would see on a fireplace

with these full corbels.

And he was like, "if I can take some of the beam

that we don't use

and I can actually carve them myself with the chain saw,

that might be kind of cool."

two corbels.

First, the corbels get glued

and then screwed into the wall,

and then the beam goes up and on top of that.

Artwork.

So ari is an artisan.

He is a carpenter. He is a craftsman.

He is an artist.

Ooh!

-Little mini. -Is this me?

[ laughs ] I don't know.

[ laughs ]

wait, this is so cool.

Yeah, brass frame just like you ordered.

I love this! This is a big one.

A lot of people don't know that, but all of the art

in all of my homes is custom-made by ari.

This is me. See the resemblance?

I'm so excited to see how those paintings

are gonna look on top of that kitchen mantel.

-Too big. -It won't be able to stack.

I think went too shallow with the beam.

Too shallow? Yeah, 'cause I can't put, like, anything up there.

Oh. You said four inches.

We saved one beam from the original part of the house

and specifically for this mantel.

It's not like I can just, like, go get another.

Yeah, that looks stupid.

I mean, I don't even have enough room to put a plant.

One piece of art, but that just looks silly.

That won't stack in front of it.

[bleep]

hopefully it's not too big. It won't be able to stack.

I think we went too shallow with the beam.

So now it's just too shallow to hold anything.

So I just feel like I'm screwed on this.

That won't stack in front of it. Yeah, no.

[bleep] aw, man.

I mean, I don't even have enough room to put a plant.

I got no room up there. What if we come out here

with another plate on top?

Come out like three inches and then come right to here?

I cut the beam apart to make these, though. Yeah.

Is there any of those chunks outside?

They throw them all out? I don't know.

They're gone. I don't know.

I mean, it wouldn't look bad if you put a two-inch chunk on top,

come out like three inches and then come right to here.

I probably have something like this at the shop.

Okay. I wouldn't mind it.

That way I've got some sort of ledge.

I mean, I could do six inches. Mm-hmm.

And then come right to here to the edge.

Yeah. I think that'd look cool.

I think it'll look cool. It'll be chunky.

And it'll be -- it gives it dimension.

And then I can actually put stuff up there.

Yeah. Okay.

I know that whatever ari comes up with

is gonna look great, you know.

I know he's gonna make it right.

♪

so berenice is such an awesome street.

It's a one-way, really quaint.

Everything's walkable, and the neighbors

really take so much pride in the curb appeal.

And I love faux turf.

Having something stay green all year long

is what we need in chicago

because those winters are long and dark and miserable.

So why not brighten it up?

♪

this kitchen just still feels

like it's missing some character,

and then all of a sudden I thought about that trip

that I made to round top, texas, for this big antique fair.

I was overwhelmed.

Wait till you see the pen-- there's the pendant.

Oh, that thing's gorgeous.

How cool are those? Those are over the top.

And those pendants were the first purchase for me.

These are so cool.

And it was more of a last-minute decision to use it

in the berenice house.

Let me see the height on that.

I figured if I can bring in like a soft black color

for the pendants with that old antique cabinet

that ari transformed

into this new kind of coffee/wine bar area,

these are perfect.

I hit the jackpot with these suckers.

Okay.

-I love it. -That is max.

It's so beautiful. Perfect.

♪

the fireplace that I decided to do at berenice,

I found it in round top, texas, also.

-Oh, that's gorgeous. -I mean...

Right? That's the best one you've ever bought.

Hello. Whoa.

Another last-minute decision.

And those are those snap-judgment moments

for me that just pay off.

♪

painting time.

Master closet piece that I found for that center island,

it was not expensive.

But if anybody knows me,

you know I hate red a lot.

So I need to get rid of it.

But I knew that with a beautiful coat or three coats of paint

and some new cabinet hardware and a new top

that this could look like a million bucks.

So we're going with blue,

which I think will be just like a standout moment.

Whoa.

Better than red.

Those are those fun finds

where it's like I don't have to spend a lot of money

to make a huge impact

in a really important space in the house.

Yep, this is gonna take approximately 500 coats.

♪

it's a nut-bag day.

When it's like from the electricians

to the shutter guy to my landscaper, carlos,

to ermin and his guys and me and my team,

it's just a lot.

And I know it's like, "why do you do it that way?"

it's like, "why not?"

if you can knock everything out in one day

and all these trades have to be there anyway,

then you might as well get it done.

Coming to you live.

Alison: You're being pulled in so many different directions,

and if you don't keep your head on straight,

you're gonna lose it.

Maybe you're gonna lose your mind.

Maybe you're gonna lose time, maybe you're gonna lose money.

You got to breathe through it.

Sometimes you got to hide in the closet and scream.

♪ you got to breathe through it.

♪

okay, furniture is arriving, staging day,

which means we are almost done.

-Hi. -Hi.

♪

one will sit like this.

And one will sit like that.

Staging is so important.

If you're in this game and you're doing it right,

you better stage it right.

Help people envision their lives in this space

because it's gonna sell like that.

I think the tighter the chairs like this,

the better to walk around.

That's great.

You're loading furniture in.

You've got the cleaning crew coming in

to do deep clean from construction.

And then it's the accessorizing and making things perfect.

♪

I've been working on this project for a year and a half.

The roller coaster that I have gone through,

I have to put my emotions to the side.

I have to be a rational businessperson.

Right now, today, and the way that the world is,

home is more important than ever.

Loving your space is what people want.

They don't want to settle anymore.

So designing a home that has it all

is exactly what I needed to be doing,

which is only going to help me sell a house like berenice.

There was a lot of evolution with this property,

and I love that part of it because ultimately it turned out

exactly the way that it was supposed to.

♪

so today, I am revealing my berenice house

to vince, my realtor.

So I'm really excited for him to see it.

I really need to hear what he thinks about the house.

What do you love?

Is there something else I should do?

Did you look at the comps?

And ultimately, what can I sell this for?

'cause I really want to start thinking about that price,

dreaming about that price, and getting it on the mls.

Hello.

Wow.

So vince arrives.

This looks incredible.

Vince sold this property to me. I'm giving it back to him.

And I just -- I can't wait to hear what the actual price is.

Let's talk about curb appeal, first and foremost.

I wanted to make sure that I was keeping within,

like, the look and feel of the street.

And I went with just a hardie that I painted.

I chose this really, really light gray.

I wanted just turf. It's green all year long.

And then just lining it with some plants.

The wood you put on the ceiling there, the entryway

really warms it up.

You do a beautiful overhang and all of the cedar shingles.

So I didn't want just siding and then windows.

I wanted, like, dimension. I wanted texture.

So this house isn't like any other house on the block,

but yet it still kind of blends in.

So now we have a great family house.

Let me show you inside, 'cause you're gonna get the full feel.

Wow.

Alison: Let me show you inside, 'cause you're gonna get the full feel.

Vince: This is an absolute one-of-a-kind house.

I've not seen anything like this,

and neither has anybody else, 'cause it's completely original.

Wow.

This looks really nice.

-Isn't this cool? -Oh.

♪

I like this. I like you come in.

You see the kitchen right away.

And I like being able to define the space

without actually closing it up.

So it's like you have this opening,

but it's still kind of a cased-type opening.

Yeah, sure. It's a different room.

And then you've just got these,

like, little corners that are saying,

"this is your front living room."

and then it separates it from the dining room but still open.

Yeah, I'm dying to see that kitchen.

Lead you. Come here.

Oh, wow.

♪

kitchens are really evolving right now

so that it truly feels like part of the living space.

Like, look at this island.

I always go, you know, with the manufactured stone for buyers.

They want something that's sustainable.

They want something that's going to be durable.

And then this was the beam from the house.

So that beam spanned the entire width.

That's so cool. Yeah, it's a good story.

I'll have to remember to tell people that.

Right. And it's like a mantel for your range.

And then ari carved those corbels

out of the beam with the chain saw.

-No way. -Yeah.

I need to make sure he's hitting those points in the description

when he actually puts this property up on the market.

-Tell me about these. -Okay, so these are awesome.

I found these in round top, texas, last April,

and they make sense now because we're balancing out

this kind of darker cabinet

and, of course, my signature brass shelving.

♪

so you got your powder room here.

The small side table looks killer in the powder room.

It really is the roomiest powder room I've seen in chicago.

Nice size, yeah. And then what I love, too,

is, like, everybody wants their family room right in the kitchen.

You're watching tv. You're hanging out.

Great room for a sectional.

This came from round top, texas, too.

I guarantee it's over 100 years.

Yeah, very cozy.

I love this piece.

Then flooring.

So this is the wider plank. I like the darker finish.

Rustic refined. Yes.

If you've got kids and you live in chicago,

you're gonna want a mudroom,

and that is where -- you know that this is a selling point.

Huge selling point.

You've got so much width back here

to put all your coats and tuck your boots.

Then we go down into the basement.

This is the perfect rec room/movie room.

Feel like you could put a projector up on the ceiling.

So this could be an office or a bedroom.

And now look at this yard.

Oh, yeah, this is nice.

♪

you can do dining. You can do lounging.

People want this to be just low-maintenance

and look great all year long.

♪

-go on up. -Upstairs.

Four bedrooms on one level.

Master suite in the front of the house

makes it feel way more private.

Vince: It's enough space.

People don't need oversized rooms with their beds in them.

They want the big closet and the big bathroom.

And that's exactly what I think we did in this space,

'cause this closet is beautiful.

Oh, yeah. This is nice.

-Ready? -Yeah.

Vince: Oh, yeah. It's a spiritual experience.

This is something else. It's like a spa in here.

Alison: The floors -- herringbone porcelain.

They look like wood.

Water closet here, so totally private.

Double vanities and this massive,

massive shower/tub area.

Two showerheads, one real rain head that simulates real rain.

But the best part is this tub.

You fill your tub from the ceiling.

This is your actual tub filler. Super cool. I like that a lot.

From the ceiling, and you just stay here for hours.

I mean, this is a spa.

People are gonna die for it. They're gonna love it.

And I think it's gonna be a huge selling point.

♪

then you go down this humongous hallway.

So this is the shared bathroom for the two bedrooms here,

and then there's a bedroom in the back.

That has an en suite of its own.

♪

[ laughs ] it's a big house.

So I looked at comps, and there was a house

that sold a couple blocks from here

for $1.55 million.

People weren't buying it 'cause it was cookie cutter.

Same size lot, same size house.

This is way better. This is new construction.

So we originally were talking about this house

$1.4 million, $1.5 million.

But now I genuinely think we can ask $1.65 million.

I mean, that's what I want. I was thinking $1.7 million.

But you know I tend to overshoot a little bit.

Yes, it's legit.

$1.65 million is where we should be.

We need a 3-d walk-through in a couple days,

and we'll be on the market right away.

I'll have everything ready. Just put the photos in. $1.65 million.

Alison: So bought berenice for $487,500.

The all-in renovation costs were $1,029,750.

And for a good reason.

The stop-work notice was a huge cost.

All the delays and the fines

and the legal costs because of that.

It's currently listed at $1,650,000.

And if it sells for that, there's a profit of $132,750.

This was a big project to be, like, standing here now

and saying, "I am going to make money, finally."

that is good business. That is how you do it right.

It is worth it because this house

is going to make some family so happy.

♪

on the next episode of "windy city rehab"...

I'm a showman.

It's my job to entertain the crowd.

Ah, this mitt's broken.

The countertop doesn't even fit.

It's measured incorrectly.

How do we cut something too small?

I make less money on this deal than you will.

I thought we ended this conversation.

-We're not ending it. -I'm done with it.

I don't care.

This was a big breaking point for me.

Half of the budget went to donovan's own company.

That means that's my money, too.

Those are my houses.

This is kind of the beginning of the end with me and donovan.