The Property Brothers Make Over the ‘Chaos Room’: Do You Have One, Too?

The Property Brothers Make Over the ‘Chaos Room’: Do You Have One, Too?

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Drew and Jonathan Scott know that a family home can be chaotic, but on the latest “Property Brothers: Forever Home,” they prove that it doesn’t have to be.

In the Season 6 episode “A Crafty Transformation,” they meet Lisa and Sean, a Calgary, Alberta, couple with three young kids and another on the way. Their dated house feels pretty crowded, but the family loves this place. Lisa says they’ve been living there for six years, and hope to be there for 60 more.

Drew and Jonathan have six weeks and $153,000 to make this house work for a family of six. Read on to find out how they renovate a house for a growing family, and get take-home tips for taming the chaos in any home.

Save room, with straight stairs

When Drew and Jonathan first step into Lisa and Sean’s house, they find themselves in a cramped entryway.

“It is the world’s smallest space, especially in the winter,” Lisa says. “It’s really hard to get people into the house, because you know—coats and boots.”

Jonathan knows that the key to revamping this space is reconfiguring the stairs.

“The bottom three steps are at a strange angle, so it eats up a lot of the room, and it makes the flow into the house really awkward,” he says. “If we can somehow straighten out that bottom portion, it’ll make a huge difference.”

Luckily, he is able to remove and reuse the existing steps, simply lifting them up and straightening them out. Then, the brothers finish off the look with a new handrail that has a simpler, more modern silhouette.

“It’s sleek and elegant, and it really represents that light and relaxed style that Lisa loves,” Drew says.

Built-ins can organize a chaotic mudroom

One of the biggest problem areas in this house is the laundry room, which also serves as a mudroom.

“The mudroom over here is what I call our chaos room,” Lisa says, as she shows the Scotts around the house for the first time.

She explains she’d like shelving and a designated space for each kid, but right now, the room is just crowded and a mess.

Luckily, Jonathan spots some dead space in the entrance to the mudroom and suggests using it for some storage.

The new cabinets cost $5,000, but they’re well worth the investment.

“We’re putting a massive amount of storage in the new mudroom, to make sure that no one calls it the ‘chaos room’ ever again,” Jonathan says. “This is going to be a complete game-changer for these guys, because they needed it.”

In the end, the mudroom has become a masterpiece of orderliness, with “lockers” for the kids, built-in cabinets over the washer and dryer, tall cabinets for coats, and a sitting space perfect for putting on boots. It’s an upgrade that will make a huge difference for this growing family.

Dual-level kitchen islands are dated and dangerous

In the kitchen, Jonathan guesses that the dual-level island can be a hazard for younger members of the family.

“Yeah, that’s what we call the concussion bar,” Lisa confirms.

The brothers replace the dated island with a new, single-level feature, with space for seating, and finish it off with a quartz counter that looks like marble.

Then, they add clean, white cabinetry that looks great with the new taupe-gray cabinets on the perimeter of the kitchen.

A banquette adds seating and storage to a dining space

When Jonathan and Drew first see the family’s dining area, it’s covered in crafting supplies. Lisa and Sean explain that the crafts often take over this space, even at dinner time.

“A lot of times, we eat on the floor, because it’s really important for us to eat together,” Lisa says.

Drew and Jonathan know this needs to change.

For one thing, they turn Lisa’s cramped craft room into a well-organized art space for the whole family. Then they upgrade the dining space with a built-in banquette that has convenient storage in the seats.

“This family used to have picnics on their kitchen floor every night, because their dining table was full of crafts,” Drew points out. “But now that all the crafting is going to be in the craft room, these guys will have a clear, beautiful table that they can actually eat on.”

A barn door provides privacy—when you need it

Lisa and Sean are excited at the prospect of upgrading the crafting room with storage, style, and an array of crafting bells and whistles. But Lisa explains that she probably won’t need one important feature: a door.

“I like having the ability to have the craft room open, so that I can make sure no one’s touching my craft stuff,” she says.

Still, the brothers know the family will probably want some room-to-room separation, so they decide to add a barn door, which, when left open, will keep the space fully visible from the living room. It’s a great touch that shows how a barn door can help keep two rooms feel connected, while providing the option for some privacy.

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