Marriage Under Construction

Derek and Nessa arrive in Toronto with great expectations but are quickly tuned in to the reality of a burgeoning real estate market by Jodi, their agent. They need to be realistic, and that will require sacrifices. They agree to put an offer on a fixer-upper with the idea of doing renovations themselves and living through construction. They fight through a bidding war and become new homeowners.

Derek and Nessa have a house, but not much to put in it. When the truck arrives from LA, they realize that a dated couch, generic coffee table and random assortment of mismatched furniture does not a home make. After buying a mattress, they head home to regroup. Now that the essentials are out of the way, Nessa starts to worry about the big stuff. Can Derek handle this renovation by himself?

Derek finally agrees that they'll need a contractor to tackle the house renos, so Nessa makes some calls, and after a series of interviews, they select Vincenzo. The couple give him a tour, and a wish list of everything they'd like to do. When they inform him they only have $26,500 left to do it all, he tells them they're dreaming!

They meet designer Lisa, who is a dream. She has great ideas, and seems to be able to work with a limited budget. Her secret? "Reclaimed Chic": Finding vintage or discarded items and revitalizing them for a new use. She'll work for free to beef up her portfolio, and the best part is that she estimates that she can do the whole house for their budget!

Derek and Nessa got dealt a big blow. The nest egg they thought they had to renovate and design the rest of the house is going to have to go to tearing down the dangerous add-on and relocating the bathroom. Vincenzo arrives with a compromise: why not build a deck? This way, they gain some outdoor space and save the $5000 it would cost to rebuild. Derek and Nessa are thrilled.

Nessa's mom is on her way, and the team only has a couple of days to make the guest room a reality. Lisa comes up with a plan to create a wall of built-ins to the ceiling and increase the vertical space. Vincenzo sets to work on the build while Lisa, Derek and Nessa head to a garden store to look for a quick beautification solution for their mud patch of a yard.

Nessa's mum breezed through town and left a cheque for Derek and Nessa on her way out the door to the tune of $10, 000 happy housewarming! It couldn't have come at a better time, and the couple decides to put the money where it counts - into the bathroom. To change it up, Lisa comes up with a plan to make the room a closet, and still have a small office space: the "cloffice" is born.

Lots of work has already gone into the house, but a major space has yet to be tackled: The main floor Living/ Dining room. Derek and Nessa are sure that they will be spending most of their time in this large space, but they only have a small budget to make it feel like home. When the room is finished, there's only one way to celebrate - a party!

The house is finally in decent shape, but Derek and Nessa have a secret shame - they're still sleeping on a mattress on the floor! The master bedroom has stayed low on the priority list, since Derek and Nessa decided to focus on the public spaces, but the time has finally come to design their romantic retreat.

Derek and Nessa decide they want to finish what they've started and make sure the front of the house reflects the money spent and care taken on the inside. They apply for a loan and get a cash infusion to rebuild the porch and landscape the front yard. Derek and Vincenzo tear up the old porch, and Nessa and Lisa search for elements of colour and warmth to make the house seem welcoming.

Derek and Nessa have done a complete overhaul on their house - but it's not "top to bottom". When addressing some earlier problems on the main floor, their powder room was relegated to a corner in the unfinished basement. So now they want to take the last of their reno dollars, make the whole basement over, and finish this last portion of the house.

Over dinner, Derek's dad reflects on his young married life, and reminds his son of the family tradition of fixing up and flipping houses when he was young. A heated discussion ensues about Derek and Nessa's house - should they consider taking advantage of the red-hot market?

Nessa got a surprising call offering her the gig of a lifetime: a lead role in a major musical production. The problem is - the show is back in the US, and rehearsals start in a month. She doesn't want to uproot their new life, but Derek simply refuses to live in Toronto without her. After much debating and soul-searching, the couple decide to sell the house and move together.