The Property Brothers Prove That 2 of Something Is Better Than 1 on ‘Celebrity IOU’

Property brothers Jonathan and Drew Scott often design flex spaces that can accommodate occasional guests, but they truly outdo themselves on the latest “Celebrity IOU.”

In the episode “Wilmer Valderrama Garage Reno,” the brothers meet Wilmer Valderrama, an actor best known as Fez on “That ’70s Show” and currently as Detective Nick Torres on “NCIS.” Valderrama wants to do something special for his bodyguard Tadao Salima, who is also his uso, the Samoan word for a bestie you can count on.

Salima recently lost both his parents and lives in the family home in Carson, CA, with seven siblings, two nieces, and various other family members who often come to stay.

“The Salima family is the welcoming committee for so much of the Polynesian community in Carson,” says Valderrama. “When people come from Samoa to visit family, they land there first. His house has become this haven.”

He’d like the property brothers to help him convert Salima’s two-car garage into a comfortable guest suite, with a kitchenette and full bath, for as many family members as they can accommodate.

Since Jonathan and Drew are all about family, they’re excited to roll up their sleeves and dig in. Along the way, they pass along to the rest of us some great tips on garage remodeling and more.

Tie into existing plumbing

While doing demolition on the garage, the Scotts find they have the good fortune of having the space share a wall with a bathroom in the house.

“Tying into the plumbing inside this wall not only allows us to build a one-of-a-kind kitchenette and bathroom, but we’ll tuck in a proper laundry room here, too,” says Jonathan.

Drew adds: “It’s easy to access and will save us time versus installing all new plumbing lines inside the house.”

Save the plants

“In order to get the new layout of the space that we need, we want to flip the exterior door to the other side,” says Drew. “But we don’t want to get rid of any of the plants, because Tadao’s father actually planted every plant in this garden. There are memories there. We’re going to transplant them so they can thrive in a different spot in the yard.”

And luckily, as Drew points out, “There’s tons of space in the backyard, or even filling out some of these other spaces where you can see there might have been some dead ones? We can pop them into pots for now, and then figure out what we’re going to do with them.”

Pop-up TVs help save space

“A state-of-the-art TV will offer five-star amenities for the family when they want to catch up on a game or unwind with a movie,” says Jonathan.

A pop-up TV is just the space-saving device needed for the renovation, so the space can be used in different ways.

“Anything hidden and secret is amazing,” says Drew. “I feel like we should do the hidden lifts more often, because it’s functional, great for watching TV, then tuck it away and use the countertop for whatever you want.”

“Why just have a regular TV sitting on a console, when you could have it come up out of nowhere?” asks Jonathan.

Warm things up with texture

Jonathan and Drew want to give the place an island vibe, but they don’t want it to be too obvious or campy. No Tiki bar look for them. Jonathan hits on an excellent feature for this.

“If you’re trying to think of a way to warm things up a little bit, but not necessarily use color to do that, you can use texture, ” he says. “And that’s what I love about grass cloth. It adds that gorgeous casual vibe.”

For maximum sleeping capacity, double up on Murphy beds

“The Murphy beds have arrived and are being installed even as we speak,” says Jonathan. “Not just one, but two queen beds!”

“Two queen Murphy beds,” adds Drew. “This is what the family needs. It’s a design feature we’ve never done before, but it makes so much sense for a bonus space like this.”

“Two of something?” asks Jonathan, gesturing at himself and his brother. “Awesome, right?”

“Always better than one,” concludes Drew.

Do the property brothers deliver?

“I’m blown away right now,” Salima says once he tours his new space. “This doesn’t look like the garage I grew up with! It’s a 180[-degree] change from what it used to be. It feels like a very homey, welcoming space. I’m fighting back my tears.”

He is so impressed, he even gives the space a name: “I’m going to have to call this room ‘The Blessing.’”

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