Bargain Mansions

Tamara sees great potential in a 1938 cottage with an unusual layout and no front door. She constructs a cathedral ceiling and two cedar corbels for the entrance, but installing an egress window puts a crack in her budget.

Tamara struggles to install a full bath and enlarge the master suite in the 1938 cottage. She successfully creates a hidden playroom in the kids' bedroom, but fails to win her dad's approval on her plan for the backyard shed.

Tamara tackles a 1905 Colonial with seven sun porches! She overhauls an ugly kitchen and tacky dining room, but unsupported floors and a strange noise during demo slow her plans and may cost her big money.

In the second phase of Tamara's 1905 Colonial renovation, she creates a 900-square-foot master suite and converts a sun porch into a closet. However, her budget takes a hit when she needs to install a new HVAC unit.

Tamara transforms a home on a wooded lot that's devoid of any character.

Continuing renovations on a bland, contemporary home, Tamara tackles the master suite and replaces lots of dated cabinetry to make a stylish bathroom. She also creates a home theater, immense deck and patio for entertaining.

Tamara moves the small kitchen in a 1927 Tudor and outfits it with a large island and eating nook. She transforms a bedroom into a dining room, but her hopes of refurbishing the deck begin to break apart before she gets started.

Tamara takes on a 1927 Tudor house, but while she admires the home's original details, her dad discovers a problem. She revamps a kitchenette and enlarges the master bathroom to transform the home into a showstopper.

Tamara starts on a 1900 Kansas City Shirtwaist-style home containing a living room with a catwalk instead of a ceiling. She gives the damaged staircase a facelift, but a boiler stack in the kitchen throws a wrench in her plans.

Tamara creates a reading nook and closet to complete the fourth bedroom.

Tamara tackles a 1905 Kansas City Shirtwaist home that's short on bathrooms but not short on charm. She restores the front door, updates the fireplace and renovates the kitchen, but struggles with sewer and roof issues.

Tamara tackles a 1905 Kansas City Shirtwaist. She doubles the size of the walk-in closet and enlarges the master suite, but her hopes of updating the home's bedrooms start to sink when her contractor discovers a leak.

Tamara Day gets creative renovating a 1950 ranch-style home. She updates the exterior with faux stone and adds another floor to the 3,000-square-foot home, but rain and an old fireplace force her to rethink her plans and budget.

Tamara uses her second-story addition to create three new bedrooms in a 1950 ranch home. She guts and re-frames the master suite, but her plans to reuse the shower doors in the bathroom may fracture her design for the whole room.