Bargain Mansions

Tamara Day gets the opportunity to renovate a French chateau she’s wanted to tackle for years. She finds that a recent renovation left the kitchen looking outdated and tacky, but she’s determined to create a home full of authentic details. Tamara and her dad go shopping for a Dutch door, then she restores plantation shutters to preserve the home’s vintage French e

Tamara Day continues work on a French chateau as she overhauls a large master suite covered in the tackiest wallpaper she’s ever ripped out of a home. She plans to move an entire bathroom to create an additional bedroom and extend a hallway with floor boards saved from downstairs. But to preserve a backyard kitchenette and cobblestone pavers, she will be forced to make decisions that may wreck her budget.

A previous contractor ripped an 1890s Craftsman-style home down to the studs before abandoning it, and Tamara Day is stepping in to finish the renovation and save the house. She repairs substantial structural damage and tears down a load-bearing wall to enlarge the tiny kitchen. An exterior iron staircase presents problems for both the curb appeal and progress on the renovations, and missing spindles from the original staircase send Tamara to the wood shop to create exact replicas.

Renovations continue on Tamara Day’s 1890s Craftsman home, as she enlarges the master bedroom and creates a beautiful study with a unique light fixture. She runs into a hiccup when she can’t salvage enough antique tiles for the bathroom floor, but after needing to replace numerous windows, Tamara finds an uncommon way to reuse the old glass in the master bath.

Tamara takes an 1892 brick Craftsman that was converted into three apartments and tries to restore it back into a single-family dwelling while keeping original details. She and her dad attempt to recover a vintage pocket door that was enclosed inside a wall and update the home's electricity without destroying the brick walls or using conduit.

Tamara continues working on an 1892 Craftsman and struggles to add a master bathroom. Then, she finds a way to repurpose floor boards into a porch swing, but her plan to reuse a clawfoot tub hits a snag because of a narrow doorway.

Tamara Day works on restoring a 1909 Craftsman home, opening up its meandering layout and ripping out the tacky additions that have stripped this house of its original charm. She saves vintage light switches and a wallpaper mural that could be the showpiece of the dining room if she can keep it from being destroyed during renovations.

Tamara Day continues renovating a 1909 Craftsman home, transforming a small bedroom into the master bath. She saves and refurbishes French doors, vintage sinks and a tub from the house, while adding modern elements like a sauna. During the walk-through with her contractor, Tamara discovers the creepiest thing she's ever found in a home.

Tamara Day annexes an oversized dining room to enlarge a tiny kitchen in a 1926 English Tudor. She rips out an outdated and tacky mantel to create a stunning fireplace surround. Using a piece of reclaimed walnut, she then creates a large desktop for an in-home office. Tamara also restores an original mail slot from the home and solves a problem with the old knob-and-tube electrical.

Tamara Day struggles to create a more spacious master suite until she decides to add a second deck to a 1926 English Tudor. Tamara strips off numerous coats of paint to restore original doors in the home. In the backyard, she adds an outdoor living area with a fire pit. Tamara and her dad then realize the height of the garage doors may cause a problem.

Tamara renovates a single-story ranch and tackles her biggest challenge to date, transforming the former master bedroom into a stunning, open kitchen. However, she and her dad run into problems during demolition.

Tamara Day continues renovations on a one-story ranch by creating a new master suite. To enlarge the tiny bath, she must first tear out a wall and move the door. While polishing the copper fireplace hood, Tamara and her dad use a familiar solution that has unusual results. Her plans to create a sunroom and patio then run into problems due to weather.