Meet the Property Brothers’ ‘Favorite Design Decision’ That You Should Never Do, Ever

Meet the Property Brothers’ ‘Favorite Design Decision’ That You Should Never Do, Ever

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Drew and Jonathan Scott always try to give their clients beautiful homes with thoughtful touches, but on the latest “Property Brothers: Forever Home,” they really go all out.

In the Season 6 episode “Our Best Friends’ Reno,” Drew and Jonathan visit their old college buddy Jody and his wife, Mel, who have recently bought their forever home in Calgary, Alberta.

The couple have a healthy budget of $160,000, but early on in the renovation, Jonathan makes an expensive discovery: a whole lot of asbestos.

“There’s actually more asbestos in your house than I’ve ever seen on any project,” Jonathan tells the couple.

The brothers end up going $20,000 over their friends’ original budget, but they make sure that the whole $180,000 goes as far as it can.

“I am going to pull in every favor I can, do anything I can to stretch their budget to give them a little extra,” Jonathan says.

Find out how the Scott brothers deliver, with plenty of ideas you’ll be inspired to try around your own home—plus one upgrade we hope you never do that gives an unsettling glimpse into the brothers’ weird sense of humor!

A concrete fireplace gives a home modern flair

Drew and Jonathan love their friends Jody and Mel, but they aren’t thrilled with the design of the home they bought.

“Talk about a transportation back in time,” Jonathan says when he steps into the living room, seeing the old brick fireplace.

Of course, there are many ways to update an old brick fireplace—paint the brick, cover it in tile, add a new mantel, etc. But the brothers want to completely reimagine this fireplace with a modern industrial material: concrete.

“They did say they would love to do something very unique,” Drew tells Jonathan during their design meeting. “So a concrete finish, I thought, could be very cool.”

Jonathan agrees to the concrete design, loving the unique look. 

In the end, the new fireplace looks completely different. The concrete design gives the room a more modern, industrial look while the massive size makes a statement.

“This fireplace destroys whatever that old hunk of junk was,” Jody says when he walks into the room.

Skip Shaker-style cabinets in favor of something modern

Drew and Jonathan know that Jody and Mel will want a big kitchen to entertain, so the brothers flip the kitchen with the much larger dining area.

“The old kitchen in this house was just too old to upgrade, so we started from scratch and expanded the kitchen footprint into the old dining room,” Jonathan says.

To continue the modern theme, the brothers choose sleek kitchen finishes like clean white counters, a hexagonal backsplash tile, statement light fixtures, and modern cabinetry with a clean look.

“They do want it to feel a little bit more modern, so I don’t think they want to go for a Shaker,” Drew tells Jonathan as they look at design samples. “I think that slab would be much better.”

Trick out your built-in banquette with convenient features

Drew and Jonathan want to make sure their friends have a great dining space, as well as a perfect game table. They know that board game nights can get wild with Jody and Mel, so they go all-out with a fridge and bar setup, a magnetized chalkboard above the bench (perfect for posting scores), as well as plenty of storage drawers below the bench.

“We’re maximizing space by adding built-in banquette seating,” Jonathan says. “That way, not only is there enough room for big family dinners, but also for epic board game nights.”

While a simple built-in banquette makes for a great spot to gather, all these trimmings will surely inspire homeowners who want something a little extra.

Upgrade a bedroom on the cheap with a headboard wall

To upgrade Jody and Mel’s bedroom, Drew and Jonathan add an accent wall with applied moldings.

“Just the texture alone in this wall is going to do something special, which they’ll really like,” Jonathan says while putting up the wood.

“The headboard wall in the bedroom is going to be a beautiful feature,” Drew adds. “This is the kind of statement you want to see as soon as you walk into the room.”

The team paints the wall a dark, dramatic gray to give the room a cozy look. It makes a big impression while costing only $1,500, proving the Scott brothers really know how to stretch a budget.

Go for bold bathroom tile

Before renovations start, Drew and Jonathan know the primary bathroom will need a lot of work. When Jody and Mel bought the house, the attached bathroom was just a sink and toilet, with no shower or tub. So the brothers upgrade the en suite by turning the spare bedroom next door into an epic bathroom with two sinks, a private toilet room, a standing shower, plus a tub. To finish the space, the brothers decide on a modern black and white tile they know Jody will love.

“We were in a restaurant, and Jody pointed out almost that exact same pattern tile,” Jonathan says of the unique pattern. The simple but chic tile costs only $3,500 but it’s a great touch for this new, modern bathroom.

“It may actually be my new favorite tile pattern,” Drew says.

Show off your best mementos in a shadowbox

Jody and Mel are known pranksters, as are the Scott brothers! They explain that their friend group has been passing around an old cheeseburger ever since Drew gave it to Mel nearly a decade ago, not knowing she was a vegetarian.

“This cheeseburger is nearly 10 years old. It’s hard as a rock, but I don’t see any mold,” Drew says.

The brothers decide to make a special space in Jody and Mel’s house for the burger: a built-in shadowbox by the back door complete with an LED light.

“The light will always be on forever. It’ll cost, like, 25 cents a year to run it,” Jonathan says.

While (hopefully) others won’t want to store their old cheeseburgers this way, Drew and Jonathan show how easy (and stylish) it can be to store mementos.

“Of everything we did in the house, back here is my favorite design decision,” Jonathan says.

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