Ep 9. Soffit Saga

Bargain Mansions is a home renovation show that follows a dynamic mother-daughter duo, Tamara Day and her designer daughter, Hannah. In season 3 episode 9, titled "Soffit Saga," Tamara takes on a colossal renovation project.

The episode begins with Tamara showing Hannah a house they acquired. It's a 5,300 sq ft mid-century modern home that was built in the 50s and has been vacant for over a decade. Tamara is fascinated by the historical aspect of the space and wants to bring it back to life. However, the house comes with its set of challenges, the main one being the soffit that runs throughout the house. It's a daunting task to remove soffits since it's hard to tell what's behind them, making it a high-risk project.

Despite the challenge, Tamara and Hannah move forward by gutting the house. They decide to focus on the kitchen first. Tamara wants an open concept kitchen and dining room; they demolish the walls to create space. However, they find electrical wiring behind the walls that set them back a few hours. They also find that there is asbestos in the ceiling, which means they have to take proper precautions to remove it for the safety of their team.

With the electrical work and asbestos removal sorted, Tamara sets her eyes on the soffit. They carefully remove it, unveil the roof, and find that there's a skylight under the soffit that was covered for years. They clean the skylight and unveil it, which brings so much natural light into the room.

Tamara and Hannah then work together to design the kitchen. They want to stick to the midcentury modern vibe of the house and use walnut wood on the kitchen island and some of the cabinets. They also use a dark blue color on some cabinets, which contrasts nicely with the rich wood and brings a pop of color. For the countertops, they decide on marble, which adds the perfect touch of elegance. Lastly, they choose a classic backsplash that complements the mid-century modern style of the house while adding a bit of variety.

With the kitchen almost done, Tamara shifts her focus to the living room. She wants to create a mid-century modern design with a comfortable, cozy feel. They remove the old fireplace and replace it with a modern gas one. The gas fireplace is low to the ground, which adds to the contemporary feel of the room. In addition, they open up the room by removing a partition wall that makes the living room feel more spacious.

Tamara decides to use color in the living room and chooses a mustard yellow accent wall that complements the blue cabinetry in the kitchen. She adds a vintage rug, a comfortable sofa, and accent chairs to complete the mid-century look.

Just as everything seems to have fallen into place, Tamara and Hannah are met with yet another challenge. The floors in the living room are uneven, and they have to jack the floors up to create a flat surface. In addition, they discover that the front entryway is sinking, and supporting it means they have to add beams to the house's structure to prevent it from collapsing.

In the end, Tamara and Hannah manage to work through the challenges and make an extraordinary transformation in the mid-century modern home, from the soffit saga to troubleshooting and making creative and functional changes while staying true to the house's history. They delivered an awe-inspiring, comfortable and beautiful home that any family would love to live in.