Property Brothers' Pump Up a Bonus Room Your Home
Property Brothers' Pump Up a Bonus Room
Cody Pickens Betty and Andy Harris have different ideas for this bonus room. Can the Property Brothers, Jonathan and Drew Scott, get the Harris in-step with their redesign? A Space for Everything br
Harris Family Nashville Budget $15K–$25K
Nuts & Bolts: After 50 years together in a house that Andy, 73, and Betty, 73, bought from Andy’s mother, the feisty, fun-loving couple want an activities space. Room for Improvement: Building a three-car garage gave the Harrises the welcome option of a second-floor bonus room. Now they’re happily bickering over whether to make it Andy’s man cave, Betty’s lair or a rumpus room for visiting grandkids. AARP Membership: Property Brothers Rx
“We love a blank slate, and we love couples who love each other,” Jonathan says. “I don’t think we’ll have any trouble getting Andy and Betty to see eye to eye.” The Plan
1. Celebrate Your Years Wear your age proudly. The brothers recommend lining most of one wall with floor-to-ceiling built-ins, leaving open shelves here and there to showcase favorite artifacts and pictures. Oh, and one large opening goes to Andy for a big flat-screen. 2. Wiring for the Future Even if Andy doesn’t want cinema-quality surround sound, a future buyer might. Drew suggests running cables and wiring, as well as hookups for recessed lighting, before the drywall goes up. “It’s cheap to do now.” 3. All in the Family The Harrises decide to use furniture to section the room into thirds. Betty gets an area where she can play cards and games with her grandchildren. A few reclining sofas give Andy his own private Cineplex. The rest is a fun zone for the grandkids. Love It or Lose It In your 70s and up, you’ve got memories galore. But as much as keepsakes matter, you don’t want them taking over. Be honest with yourself. Do you really need 50 extra programs from your daughter’s first wedding? Send her five and keep one or two. And why not donate that treadmill you haven’t trod in years? “I have a word for you: Purge,” Jonathan tells Betty, handing her the portable music player. “But that’s for my language cassettes!” she says. “Betty,” he says, “it’s a CD player.” Shannin Williams The Property Brothers gave the Harris family a beautiful activity room sectioned for games with the grandchildren and for reclining in front a home entertainment center. Next br
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