‘The Nate & Jeremiah Home Project’ Returns With a Trick To Double Square Footage—No Addition Required
HGTV
The second season of “The Nate & Jeremiah Home Project” finds married design duo Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent back on the East Coast, delivering homes “that feel exactly like the people who live in them,” says Brent.
“We help figure out what matters,” says Berkus. “Because filling a home with things that have meaning is the most important part.”
In the season premiere, “Home Is Where the Art Is,” they head to East Rockaway on Long Island to meet Lisa and Mike and their four kids.
“That’s a lot of kids in one little Cape Cod house,” says Berkus, stating the obvious.
A small Cape Cod that houses sixHGTV
They don’t have room to build onto the house, but Berkus and Brent see potential in reorganizing and redesigning the existing space—all on a budget of $180,000.
As they share their expertise, you might be inspired to put some of it to good use in your own home. Check out what Berkus and Brent taught us this week.
Let designers know who you are
Working with clients to discern what’s important to themHGTV
Many people are intimidated by working with designers and are afraid to assert their own wants, needs, and tastes. Then, when the project is finished, the clients are stuck with something that feels like someone else’s home. That would never happen with Berkus and Brent.
“One of the most important parts of our process as designers is to actually walk clients through their belongings as we tour their homes,” says Brent. “It helps them decide what’s really important to them, which gives us more insight into who they are as people. And unless we know who they are as people, we can’t do a good job designing for them.”
With Lisa and Mike, they find that the children’s artwork, a bookcase Lisa’s father made in high school, a curio cabinet passed down from a grandmother, and a couple of horseshoes, among other things, are invaluable to the family, so they will find space for them in the new design.
Finish that basement
One corner of a finished basementHGTV
Many houses built in the ’50s on the East Coast have full basements that the builders left for the owners to finish.
In Lisa and Mike’s case, the basement is where they store bicycles, toys, sports equipment, and the like. Yet Berkus and Brent know this space could be so much more. It has a high ceiling and plenty of windows that fill the space with light; it also runs the entire length and width of the house. Since they can’t build out, Berkus and Brent decide to build down and finish this massive basement.
“What we’re doing is addressing the layout in a way that doubles the square footage that they’ve been living in,” says Berkus.
“And they don’t have to add on,” says Brent.
The finished product does wonders in terms of giving everyone more room to roam. Still, we have one question designers never seem to answer: When you redesign storage space so that it becomes living space, what do the homeowners do with all the stuff they stored there? Guess it’s time to declutter, too.
Open shelving in the kitchen looks nice, but there’s a catch
Kitchen with open shelvingHGTV
“Open wood shelving would capture that warm, country feel,” says Brent as he discusses kitchen design plans.
That might be true, and it’s also true that open shelving in a small space makes the room appear bigger. But when you have a small space and a big amount of stuff, is open shelving always a good idea?
You can’t throw mismatched dishes, glasses, or dry goods in a cupboard and just close the door. Everything on those open shelves is on display. So it had better be perfectly arranged at all times—with nary a sippy cup or chipped plate in sight.
All in all, we’re not sure if Berkus and Brent are being all that realistic, but here’s to hoping this family of six can keep that chic look together.
Certain flooring helps hide dirt
Perfect kitchen flooringHGTV
Brent shows Berkus some variegated colored stone tile for the kitchen floor.
“I love this,” says Berkus. “You know what else I like about this stone? I like that it is not a uniform color, and so I think that for a busy, active family, it doesn’t have to be always spotlessly clean. Since this is the main thoroughfare, I think this is a really good choice.”
Once it’s laid, he likes it even more.
“The nice thing about a floor like this with all the different tones and colors is that it’s really very forgiving,” he says. “Even in the wintertime. These are things that are meant to stand the test of time, and the test of the four kids.”
Don’t forget to pad your renovation budget for surprises
A wall that has unexpectedly rottedHGTV
When adding a bay window with a seat to the dining room, Brent and Berkus find that the wall of the house under the window has water damage and mold, so it will need to be repaired. Furthermore, the siding that went over the damaged part was of the old aluminum variety that couldn’t be matched, so they’ll need to replace all the siding on the home’s exterior!
It will cost an additional $5,000. Luckily, these homeowners are prepared for the unexpected, and have budgeted extra cash. Let this be a lesson for the rest of us that, as you make a budget for your remodel, be sure there’s a decent contingency allowance built in of at least 5% of the total estimate. After all, nothing ever goes exactly as planned and extra expenses always pop up.
Nonetheless, once these designers reveal the results of their work, it’s all worth it.
“Holy cow!” Lisa exclaims. “I’m so happy. I mean, happy doesn’t even describe it.”
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