Even for a veteran contractor like Bryan, knocking down a house is not as straightforward as it appears. Can Bryan control the building of his dream home from spiraling into a nightmare?
With the house’s foundation set and the wall framing on deck, the construction site is quickly transforming from a two-dimensional design plan, to a three-dimensional-dream home. On site, Bryan is battling issues like running out of materials and conflicting opinions with his wife Sarah concerning the exterior finishes for the house. Off site, Sarah has also recruited Bryan to help build a stage for her dance studio’s end of season recital. See how Bryan copes with the overwhelming demands and whether he gives in to the temptation to give up before he’s barely begun!
After the house is framed, the mechanicals of the home are ready to be roughed in and installed. Even with Bryan’s pick of trusty tradesmen by his side, a recent change in plumbing code is throwing a wrench in plans to forge ahead. Any delay drives cost upwards and with time ticking away, the house now more than ever demands Bryan’s full attention. But a previous commitment to Habitat for Humanity pulls Bryan away from site leaving his apprentice Adam to prove to Bryan that he can be trusted to oversee the site while his boss is away. Things don’t go according to plan and Bryan returns to a huge dilemma that takes priority over building his house.
Though the elements have been against Bryan, he still plans on surprising his wife Sarah with a pool in the backyard. But can he keep his savvy wife from catching on?
During a routine walkthrough of the house, Sarah and her designer Rebecca suggest switching the layout of the house, a change Bryan strongly disagrees with. The overwhelming pressure mounts and things are about to hit a wall.
Now that the drywall is complete, Bryan is looking forward to begin work on the outside of the house. But when Bryan realizes the measurement of a concrete footing is off, his plan to build an elaborate deck doesn’t go as smoothly as he had hoped. Bryan’s stress level soars when he realizes there has been a delay in ordering interiors and he puts more pressure on his wife Sarah and designer Rebecca to get moving. Things get a lot tenser when Bryan takes matters into his own hands and a tiny bathroom tile causes some big headaches.
Bryan and Sarah have to face up to the financial realities of building a house, creating tension in the Baeumler household. Meanwhile Bryan has a whole backyard to landscape. Adam gets a lesson in how to build a fence while Rebecca finds ways to cut Sarah’s spending. It all ends with a stunning reveal of the backyard and a lesson learned on budgeting.
Bryan and Sarah plan their ideal Kitchen, but things don’t go according to plan when Bryan discovers how much Sarah spent on the appliances. Adam learns how to install hardwood flooring, and then learns how to pull it all up again as Bryan discovers a serious flaw. To make amends Sarah helps Bryan install the backsplash.
Bryans gets to do his space in the house, the basement or as he calls it the “mancave”. Not content with the usual big screen TV , Bryan installs a huge projection home theatre, complete with retractable screen. He also builds his own private steam room, using soap stone and a lot of Adam’s hard labour. Rebecca helps Sarah choose colours for the walls, it almost goes according to plan.... almost.
Bryan's done with the downstairs and now he can start work on the final part of the house the master bedroom and ensuite. Once a huge fireplace is installed, Bryan and Adam get work tiling the bedroom wall. While Sarah and Rebecca try and sneak a paint colour past Bryan.
One space that Sarah and Bryan didn’t agree on was how the laundry room should be laid out, Rebecca has to referee, while Bryan has to figure out how to fit the oversize washer and dryer with the standard size cabinets. The stair case arrives and Adam, gets to install glue down wood floors. It’s also time up on the rental home and Bryan Sarah have to move into the in-laws.
The house is almost done, the front yard and the garage are the last places to be finished, but Bryan is going away and not going to have time to complete the space. Sarah comes up with a plan to surprise Bryan as long as Adam agrees to help.
After six months, it's all done. Bryan and Sarah walk through the house and reminisce about the good and the bad times. We see room by room the incredible work done by Bryan and his team
Bryan has been bit yet again by the building bug, but his excitement may have gotten the better of him this time!
The build has just begun and two of Bryan’s worst fears are becoming a reality – rainy weather and plan changes!
Burning the candle at both ends has taken its toll and Bryan’s down for the count at a critical stage in the build.
Bryan’s other commitments are pulling him away from progressing at the cottage and the build can’t stop despite Bryan’s absence.
Being near water at the cottage is normally a good thing, but not when it’s raining and your roof hasn’t been framed.
As the build moves closer to the end, war wages between Bryan and Sarah as decisions on interior finishes need to be made.
Sarah’s initial reluctance to build their cottage in the wilderness is proving true, as the wild life is becoming too close for comfort.
Sarah and Bryan choose a mural for their Great Room that could end up being a great disaster.
The sheer amount of work to install the live roof weighs down Bryan, almost literally and things aren’t moving as quick as he wants.
Bryan is worried when transporting custom materials on site almost breaks the bank.
Breaking the potential bad news to Sarah might be Bryan’s biggest challenge yet.
Snow and heavy rain put a wrench in progress as Bryan’s big sprint to complete the deck - the last major project of the build - comes to a screeching halt. Sarah has a huge surprise for Bryan that changes the game.
Lots of last minute touches pull the construction crew in all directions as both Bryan and Sarah need all hands on deck to finally finish the cottage. Bryan and Sarah do a final walk-through and recount the most memorable moments of the build.
Bryan convinces Sarah to uproot the family and move to the country.
When Bryan excavates his first bit of earth, he hits a major snag and the project comes to a halt.
Bryan starts to lay the foundation for the addition onto the back of the existing home and realizes tying in both structures is not going to be easy. Bryan keeps some key details from Sarah and commits his biggest fowl yet!
Bryan is used to working against the elements, but the timing couldn’t be worse when he has to leave town for work. Mother Baeumler is forced to battle Mother Nature on her own that almost brings the house down.
Sarah recruits the help of a designer who has the difficult task to make both Sarah and Bryan happy. As the demo gets deeper, Bryan realizes country living could bite him in the butt.
Sarah changes her mind on a design finish that sets Bryan back in a big way. The plan to make progress on the addition while living in the existing home gets derailed when major repairs to the old house take priority
As the weather turns colder, Sarah and Bryan’s relationship goes up in flames as they butt heads on features in the Great Room and Kitchen.
A freak ice storm derails all work on site as the Baeumlers just focus on keeping warm and cleaning up the broken trees on the property. Bryan pushes to get to drywall stage, but Sarah changes the electrical plan in the Master Bedroom for the fourth time which makes Paul their electrician want to throw in the towel.
Bryan continues to deal with the perils of the long and cold winter, without an end in sight. The Baeumler family takes the kids away for Spring break, but learns a hard lesson - when Bryan’s away, Mother Nature will play.
Winter may be behind them, but Spring showers have rained all over Bryan’s parade as water may have permanently stained the limestone on the exterior. Bryan wishes he could slam the door on a purchase Sarah made. Plans are underway for a big and unexpected surprise for Bryan that he won’t ever forget.
Bryan bites the bullet and takes care of some major work on the existing house that ends up with some stormy results. The addition is ready for hardwood flooring, but Bryan may not be ready for the bill.
Six weeks late, the main floor tiles finally arrive for installation. Sarah micromanages Bryan on a feature wall detail in Quintyn’s room. Bryan learns the hardway that annoying things happen in threes when Sarah, his electrician and a temperamental machine ride his patience.
Resolved to never have another leak in the old house again, Bryan re-does the entire roof, but has to beat an impending rainstorm that’s moving in fast. A sudden and unexpected trip pulls Bryan off site for a week. When Bryan returns Sarah and Adam show him the fruits of their labour with some sour results.
Bryan pushes Sarah and Trish to finalize the tile floor in the wine room, but he realizes things are quickly unravelling. Tired of changing things after the fact, Bryan takes matters into his own hands.
Bryan’s used to Sarah’s changes, but can’t believe the paint in the butt he’s experiencing upstairs. The team pushes to finish the second floor, but the light at the end of the tunnel fades quick when Sarah has to re-pick design finishes at the eleventh hour.
In the interest of being done, Bryan makes the final call on finishes without Sarah’s input, which doesn’t go over well. The Baeumlers reveal their finished main floor and revisit their best and worst moments of the whole build.
Fresh off the completion of an incredible addition in the country, Bryan itches to keep the renovation momentum going. Rather than take a much-needed break, Bryan instead breaks into the untouched existing house without Sarah’s full approval. Bryan’s pricey vision for a vaulted ceiling over the foyer doesn’t sit well with Sarah whose design budget is being kept on a tight leash.
As Sarah and Bryan try to nail down the layout so they can frame and get to the drywall stage, Sarah and her designer Trish have a big fit over a tiny powder room. Just as they think they’re back on track, Bryan and Sarah go on a family vacation only to come back to yet another problem, this time at the hand of their electrician.
Feeling good about getting to the drywall stage, Bryan is adamant that they keep the build moving forward. The only problem is the powder room is stuck at the studs stage because Sarah is dragging her heels on choosing a vanity. Bryan's frustrations hit an all time high when this small powder room becomes a powder keg.
The project really opens up as Sarah and Bryan break down the last wall between the old and new house. Bryan finds time for an old project close to his heart and tries to make progress on it without Sarah finding out.
Lots of progress on the interior and warmer weather has Bryan thrilled he can begin work on the exterior landscaping. In the past, Sarah has been hands-off on making design changes on landscaping, but this time when she gets involved Bryan ends up paying the price literally. Bryan finds out Sarah’s keeping secrets from him and his frustration grows when he finds out about a plan for an indoor tree.
Bryan finds time to work on his own projects including one that Sarah doesn’t know about. Just when they thought they were past having issues in the powder room, Bryan discovers the hard way that when it rains, it pours.
Furniture starts arriving at the house as Bryan has to stay strong while he braces for what arrives at the house. Issues come up at the eleventh hour as Sarah’s chandelier in the front entrance makes Bryan hangry!
After three long years, Bryan and Sarah wrap up the build and complete their forever home. The show journeys back to where the series began as Sarah and Bryan reflect on the build’s best and bumpy moments. The end gets a little sweeter when Bryan plays a prank on Sarah.
Elana of HGTV.ca visits Bryan Baeumler's new house of House of Bryan fame.
Part 2 of HGTV's Bryan Baeumler's tour of his recently completed dream home.
Blogger Elana of HGTV.ca tours Bryan Baeumler's newly finished "dream home", with an appearance by Sarah Bauemler.
HGTV.ca blogger Elana wraps up her tour of Bryan Baeumler's new home, with a walk-through of the downstairs.
