Jasmine Roth Reveals ‘One of the Worst’ Renovation Fails of All Time

In the Season 2 episode “In Over Our Heads,” Roth meets Katrina and Sam, a couple with big hopes for their Costa Mesa, CA, home. These two bought their fixer-upper three years ago, excited to roll up their sleeves and make the home their own. They renovated their kitchen and bathroom without a hitch, but when they tried to add a master bedroom and a nursery to the back of the house, they realized that they desperately need help. They give Roth a $95,000 budget, hoping she can take this project across the finish line.

From the start, Roth knows this isn’t going to be an easy fix.

“This is probably one of the worst cases of overambitious homeowner DIY I’ve ever encountered,” Roth says after touring the home.

Find out how Roth saves the day, and learn plenty of important lessons you might be inspired to try (or hire a professional to do) in your own sanctuary.

A slat feature wall can elevate a whole room

When Jasmine Roth sees the house, she’s surprised by how far Katrina and Sam got with their DIY renovation.

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When Roth takes on this project, there are a lot of problems in the house: The main bathroom toilet has the wrong plumbing, the foundation is uneven, and Roth isn’t sure if the new roof was built to code. Luckily, these issues can all be fixed, and once Roth is sure the addition is safe and sturdy, she focuses her attention on making the master bedroom a relaxing retreat rather than a construction zone.

Roth wants to make this bedroom feel like an elegant boutique hotel room, so she installs a fabric headboard and sleek built-ins. To make the design extra memorable, she installs a slat feature wall.

Roth and designer Candi create a beautiful slat wall.

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With lots of wood and some white paint, Roth creates an eye-catching feature wall that adds a lot of personality to the room. The project requires a lot of work, but Roth explains that this is a project homeowners could do on their own.

“Yes, it’s a really big wall. Yes, there’s some angles, there’s a lot of measuring, and it’s going to take some time,” Roth says. “But, at the end of the day, it’s strips of wood and paint.”

This slat wall is a simple DIY project for homeowners.

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Roth shows off the new barn doors.

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While the master bedroom and en suite bathroom are soon looking much better, Roth notices a major flaw in the couple’s design: Their bathroom is missing a door! Roth solves this major privacy problem with sliding barn doors.

“We should run a track right here and do two small doors,” she tells the homeowners.

While barn doors usually have a rustic style, Roth makes sure that these doors look a bit more modern by choosing black doors with black handles. These doors cost $1,800, but once installed, it’s clear that they’re well worth the cost.

Marble tile can look as good as pricey marble slabs

The bathroom was also unfinished.

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Roth wants to give Sam and Katrina an elegant shower with marble slab walls. However, she soon realizes that slabs simply aren’t in the budget.

Roth wants to spend only $22,000 on the bathroom, and using a big chunk of that on slabs “doesn’t make sense.” 

Still, Roth wants to give the shower a sleek look, so she installs the next best thing.

This shower still looks fantastic!

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“One of the ways that I’m going to make it feel really ultramodern is by having large-format tile in the shower that, when installed with really small grout lines, almost feels like [a] real marble slab,” Roth says.

When the bathroom is done, the shower looks amazing. The tile and installation cost a total of $9,400, and while that may seem steep, it’s still much cheaper than Roth’s original idea.

Add a makeup vanity for a luxe vibe

The makeup alcove is a nice touch.

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Katrina desperately wants a medicine cabinet in the bathroom, so Roth decides to do her one better by creating a stylish makeup alcove.

“We’re going to do a countertop, and then we can have a little stool underneath so she can actually sit here and do her makeup,” Roth explains.

Katrina is thrilled to have her own space to prep that doesn’t involve hovering over her bathroom sink.

Paint can make cheap storage look elegant

Roth and contractor Jac build a beautiful yet inexpensive shelf.

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With only a small slice of her budget left, Roth knows she’ll need to be smart when building storage in Sam and Katrina’s walk-in closet.

“I want Sam and Katrina’s closet to be stylish and sleek and really functional,” Roth says.

“That said, I’ve already spent $22,000 on their bathroom, so I don’t have very much money to spend on this closet,” adds Roth, who decides to build the storage herself.

Roth chooses a dark tone to give this closet an elevated look.

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While Roth says that built-ins can cost between $10,000 to $15,000, her basic shelves and closet rods cost only $2,500.

To finish this space, she invests in a custom paint color.

“In order to elevate the DIY on this closet, I’m painting the entire room,” Roth says. “The color detracts from the fact that I’m not using super-expensive materials, and it gives it a cohesive, luxurious feel.”