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HOME NEWS

Property Brothers: At Home premières on Feb. 17. Check wnetwork.com for details.

FIVE MINUTES WITH JONATHAN & DREW SCOTT, THE PROPERTY BROTHERS

FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS, we’ve watched Jonathan and Drew Scott work their makeover magic on the homes of ordinary Canadians, but this spring, W Network has a twist in store. With the Feb. 17 première of Property Brothers: At Home, the talented twins take on a reno unlike any other: their own pad in Las Vegas, where Jonathan (above left) sidelines as an award-winning illusionist. “It really does show our fans what they’ve been asking for: what we would do to our own place,” says Jonathan. Having just wrapped filming in Las Vegas, Drew and Jonathan returned to Toronto to chat with Canadian Living about real estate, return on investment and renos of the bathroom variety. — Brett Walther

How much should you budget for a full bath renovation?

Jonathan: The cheapest bathroom makeover I’ve done was around $3,000, but I’ve done them all the way up to $30,000. Drew: Yes, it varies from one property to the next and where you are in Canada. We shot in Vancouver for Property Brothers, and in Vancouver and Toronto for Buying & Selling. Both are very expensive markets— Vancouver even more so than Toronto.

How can you tighten up your budget?

Drew: You don’t have to go top-of-theline on all materials. You can save money by shopping online or at some of the bigbox stores for things like premade vanities that come with countertops.

What’s the biggest mistake people make when they renovate their bathrooms?

Drew: Taking a space that’s really cramped and simply replacing the materials. Even though it feels new, it still has a bad layout. If you’re going to renovate, decide if you need to reconfigure the bathroom to make the most of the space. Even in a tiny bathroom, you can shuffle things around to make it feel like you have more room, without putting in a pedestal sink, which is useless for storage. Jonathan: It’s also a bad idea to get rid of the tub if it’s the only one in the house. Even if you don’t use it, when you go to resell, you’ve eliminated all of the buyers who want or need a bathtub. You might think it’s a quick-and-easy fix to put it back in, but buyers don’t see it that way! If they walk in and there’s no bathtub in the house, they’ll walk right back out again.

BESPOKE ON A BUDGET

Between the elegant carpentry and the Italian marble countertop, it’s hard to believe this prefab beauty isn’t custom-built. Malaga four-door vanity with undermount sink, $929, rona.ca.

FOR THE FULL—UNCENSORED!—VERSION OF

OUR CHAT WITH DREW AND JONATHAN, GO TO canadianliving.com/propertybrothers.

WEEKEND UPDATE BRANCHING OUT

Creating storage sometimes requires a bit of lateral thinking. With this chest of drawers already packed to the max, we expanded its capacity by installing a series of hooks and baskets on the side panel. In addition to providing clothing storage, this customized cabinet now serves as a place to stash jewellery, scarves and all the clutter bedrooms collect. — Brett Walther & Aurelie Bryce

Sveio five-drawer chest, ikea.ca. Twig modern wall hooks, liscious.com. Tote baskets, lovelldesigns.ca. Lattice BP3504 wallpaper, farrow- ball.com. Positive Slant carpet-design squares, flor.com.

GUEST EDITOR

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CAUGHT ON TAPE

Painter’s tape isn’t just for protecting trim; it’s also the secret behind this ’80s-inspired abstract art. Home & Garden director Brett Walther and guest editor Gail Vaz-Oxlade share the step-by-step instructions for designing your own cost-conscious canvasses at canadianliving.com/diyart.