The Property Brothers Help Grandparents Finally Find Their Forever Home

Much to their surprise, Karen and Rick sold their Nashville home the first day it was on the market, forcing them to rely on the hospitality of Karen’s mother while Jonathan and Drew searched for their forever home.

After Karen’s elderly mother spent months hosting family get-togethers, these Property Brothers clients want to take pressure off and take over the entertaining in their new home.

Since Karen’s a city girl and Rick is a country boy, their split the difference with this close-to-town home that came with over an acre of land, perfect for keeping farm animals…and grandsons busy.

When Jonathan and Drew got their hands on this property for US $540,000, the ceilings were all different heights and a few of the walls where completely mirrored.

Karen owns a decor shop in Nashville so had a very clear picture of what she wanted her dream home to feel like – French country charm with rustic floors and space for entertaining, but not too big it becomes a burden.

With its wide-plank flooring, white quartz countertops and multiple eating areas, Karen’s new French-inspired kitchen is formidable – and ticks off a lot of must-have boxes.

At first Jonathan was planning of refurbishing the original cabinets to save the clients some coinage, but Karen really wanted new white shaker cabinets and more budget was brokered to make it happen.

Having a workable kitchen with plenty of places to sit and enjoy the company of her grandkids was a must for Karen and was fully realized in Jonathan’s renovations plans.

Pulling a bright turquoise glass tile for the herringbone backsplash was a bold design move but one that paid off when this brand-new kitchen was finally ready to receive its new owners – they were thrilled.

Creating a top-notch gathering place wasn’t easy for this old home – Jonathan had to add a vapour barrier underneath the entire floor and layer on another half-inch plywood to the tune of US $4,200.

Since the original ceiling came in at varying levels, Jonathan got his crew to open up the ceiling right to the roof of the house and engineered a beam to span the width of the living room.

Jonathan turned to Karen’s décor store for decorating inspiration, discovering her love of blues, greens and handcrafted pieces that packed serious country charm.

When Karen saw the progress of the Property Brothers’ renovation of the house, she exclaimed: “It’s better that I could have imagined that it could have looked like.”

Black and white photo portraits of Karen and Rick’s four grandsons – Jacob, Mason, Cohen and Logan – highlight what’s truly important to this family-orientated couple.

Karen and Rick wanted spaces for entertaining that were large enough to hold their expansive extended family but weren’t too big that they’d be a hassle to keep clean.

Deciding on engineered hardwood throughout gave this semi-retired couple the rustic look they were hoping for with the easy-care they needed.

A small writing desk provides the perfect spot to tackle correspondence and also display beloved antiques and objets d’art.

When Karen and Rick asked for a ground-floor rec room for their grandkids, they didn’t know how far Jonathan and Drew would go to create the perfect play room for the kids (and adults).

The original family room was jokingly called the “goldfish bowl” due to its plethora of sunlight-refracting glass doors. To tone down the glare, Jonathan removed half of the doors and installed new windows in their place.

With a renovation budget of US$220,000 and a construction timeline of 8 weeks, the Property Brothers gave these busy grandparents a comfortable, country-chic place for the entire family to gather and enjoy each other’s’ company.