Original subtitles

I'm Christina, and as you probably know,

it's been a busy year.

OMG.

I started my own design business,

sold and bought a house...

- Ah! - Can you believe this is ours?

...and married an amazing man.

♪ This is just the start ♪

Now as we look forward to a big year ahead...

Ooh!

...we're looking back at all the changes...

It looks so much bigger in here already.

...and incredible makeovers that got us here...

Oh, my gosh!

...including some never-before-seen moments.

It's been a year of new beginnings,

and this is just a start.

Ooh, green juice.

Right? I'd never had a green juice in my life

until I moved - to California. - Really?

Does that mean I'm becoming some sort of American hippy?

They're so good, so healthy.

My best friend, Cassie, is coming over for brunch today,

and we're gonna celebrate all the great moments

that we've all shared in the past year.

Ooh, I anticipated you were gonna bring some champagne.

You know it.

- Always. Hi, Ant. - Whoa, whoa!

I feel like you're now-- you must be like real family now

because this kind of breakfast treatment's pretty special.

Omelets going through.

This Looks amazing.

- Pastries for Ant. - What can I help with?

Well, we got a lot to celebrate.

Oh, that's for sure.

We had a-- we had a big year.

We pulled off a surprise wedding.

That, for sure, we did. Right? Check.

I got a design business going.

Check. House is finished.

- Yeah. - We got a beautiful home.

- My house. - Yes.

Oh, my God. It's like a new place.

You have to come. - That's right. - Crank it, crank it.

None of this would have even been possible without Walter.

- Sir Walter. - To Walter.

- To Walter, yeah. - Go.

- Whoo! - Whoo!

- All right! Whoo! - Oh!

Walter's a mutual friend who introduced us.

I remember visiting them in the garage and teasing Ant

about how quickly our relationship took off.

I brought you boys some smoothies.

Wow.

For the man that introduced us.

Awwwww, Walter.

I cannot believe that many months ago,

we were sitting down at dinner,

and I was talking to Christina on the phone,

and she said to me, she's like,

"I'm not gonna date any more guys.

I'm not gonna date more guys."

And I said, "You know what? You got to meet my friend Ant.

He's a really cool dude." And--

You should listen to this guy.

And then he sent me your picture and I was like,

"Ah! Okay, I'll do it."

We went out to dinner,

the winery, had a great night of it.

Oh, our first date.

Do you know - what he did that night? - Yes.

Yeah, he told me, "Oh, I need to use the restroom.

Walk with me."

And then he made out with me by the bathrooms.

I did not do such a thing.

I am nothing more than a gentleman, Walter.

Don't listen to this. This is propaganda.

Does not sound like him.

No, no. Then I was like, it's love 'cause it's crazy.

I think it was just a couple days later that he said to me,

"I'm marrying that girl one day."

Yeah. You know, it was a couple of days later

that me and him were at Fashion Island

eating ice cream and--

- Do you mind? - Sorry.

He looked at me and he's like, "I love you."

Walter, you should go now.

- And then he was like-- - Okay.

Absolutely go now.

This is way, way, way too much.

- Bye, Walter. - Have a great time.

Have a fun day.

Things have moved pretty quickly in the past year.

I don't think it's quick.

I think everybody else is slow.

You and I are right on pace.

It's been a great year. You guys found love really fast.

It's been a great year for you, too.

Oh, my God. It's been great. I got a new kitchen.

Yes. I love that you were the first project.

Designing homes wasn't new to me,

but designing for clients was.

So it just felt right to work with Cassie

and renovating her childhood home

as I started my business.

What is this?

Oh, my God. Look what I found.

Do you remember where this was at? Wow.

Prague 2001.

2001-- senior year.

Remember this old kitchen?

Feels a lot smaller than I remember.

Oh, I remember how small it is.

I don't think I've been in here in like 15 years.

It is so small, and the flooring - needs to be done. - Mm-hmm.

The tile's chipping. It's buckling.

If you could have your perfect kitchen in here,

what would you have? Like, what's on your list?

I really want an all-white kitchen.

Ahhh! Not another all-white kitchen!

I love an all-white kitchen.

Everybody loves an all-white kitchen.

I think that what's gonna make such an impact in here

is if we do all-white walls and we go with gray cabinets.

Those are pretty dark-gray cabinet.

Okay. Let me just show you what goes with it... Okay. All right.

...and you might change your mind.

- Okay. - This is incredible.

It's beautiful. That's gorgeous. Is it marble?

It's quartz that looks like marble.

I mean, look at that with this cabinet.

Oh, I like that.

You like it. You don't love it.

I just was really set on having an all-white kitchen.

I think it'll just look a little... plain.

So like any good relationship, we can disagree about things,

but I think just like any good relationship,

it's all about the compromise.

Compromise - and communication. - Mm-hmm.

How do you feel about two-tone?

We can still do - white uppers. - Okay. All right.

See the white, but we can do the charcoal lowers.

I love that idea.

Good. Yay! We both win.

Yes.

So were you really sweating it over the kitchen?

I was. I really wanted all-white kitchen.

Everyone wants an all-white kitchen.

Yeah, but why wouldn't you give her what she wanted?

Because I knew she'd be happier without one.

Yeah. I am thankful.

Because literally all I do on "Flip or Flop"

is all-white kitchens, all day long,

and then everyone else wants an all-white kitchen,

and it's just-- it gets a little bit boring.

How come I've been left with the all-white omelet?

What? This is mine.

- Good. I don't want that. - Lay off that.

You got that? I'll take this.

So the all-white kitchen wasn't the only thing you wanted.

Remember that expensive fireplace you wanted to get?

Oh, my God. That fireplace.

- Yep. - Ugh.

- Champagne taste. - Beer budget.

You know, I would love to have something really--

a huge statement piece.

I don't know if it's-- maybe we can take that

all the way up to the ceiling with something cool,

like a really nice graphic cement tile.

- Mm-hmm. - That would look beautiful.

So in order to do that,

we basically have to reframe the fireplace.

We'd have to carry it to about right here, build it up.

So you're talking the construction costs

of that and the reframing.

And then cement tiles are kind of heavy.

It costs extra to install those, as well, because you have to

use something to really secure those.

When you say "extra," how much is this gonna cost?

I would say like $8,000.

$8,000?

I love Cassie's style and her ideas,

but a lot of times people have a vision in their head,

and they have no idea what the cost is gonna be.

We can do a mantel--

white wood that just - surrounds this box. - Okay.

And then I think what could look awesome and save you money

is if we do that same backsplash from the kitchen

basically in the inlay right here.

- And how-- - Simple and like $1,500.

- That's more my style. - Okay.

It's gonna look so good.

It was actually a really fun time

while we redid Cassie's house

because she got to move in with me

while her house was in that full construction zone.

How was it with Cassie living with you?

It was-- it was amazing. Oh, my gosh.

I got fed, like, so much. I mean, everyone got fed.

Yeah, I loved living with you.

I miss it so much. I really do.

Yeah. I mean, obviously you didn't pay rent,

but you definitely worked for that room.

Yeah. I paid up in other ways, that's for sure.

Early morning wake-up call.

I can't wait to move back home.

No! You love being - my roommate. - I know.

I actually really love living with you.

Okay, so Brayden comes in my room in the morning,

and he says, "Mom, I hung-- I hangry."

Like, he says "hangry" instead of "hungry,"

and then I'm like, "Okay, one sec,"

but then he goes to Cassie's room.

He lays in bed. He cuddles for a little bit

and he goes, "I'm hungry."

And I'm like, "Okay, let's get up."

Then I hear Cassie making the eggs and bacon.

I'm like, "Yes!"

And because Cassie was living with me and out of her house,

I was able to pull off a really great surprise for her.

I want to build Cassie a big pergola. Oh.

And it has to be a surprise, which I know is crazy.

What a surprise. That's great. That's cool.

This is our area that we used to hang out in in high school.

The view's amazing.

I really want to bring back this area and make it livable

and somewhere that she can entertain and enjoy.

- Let's do it. - All right.

In the end, all of it led to an incredible transformation.

What is going on? What did you do?

I want to build Cassie a big pergola.

This house holds so many memories for Cassie and me.

I want to do something special out here as a gift for her.

She'll be totally blown away.

I'm so excited. I'm a little nervous.

- You're nervous? - Yes!

Nervous, like, you're--

like, you're concerned - about my design? - Well...

You know it's gonna be good.

I can't wait.

Welcome home.

Oh, my God.

It looks amazing.

Does not feel like the same house, huh?

No. I love it.

What is going on? What did you do?

I can't believe this.

I wanted to give you the indoor/outdoor feeling.

I wanted to give you a place where you can hang out.

I know how much you love a pergola and string lights.

Oh, my God. Thank you so much.

I know your mom would love for you to have this area, too.

Christina, I love you.

This is amazing. Thank you so much.

Welcome. Want to see the kitchen.

I totally forgot about the kitchen!

I was so excited - about this. - Sorry, sorry.

Oh, my God.

The kitchen looks unbelievable.

I am so thankful we did not go with an all-white kitchen.

I think that would have been a total mistake.

It looks stunning.

Before, this felt like your childhood house... Yeah.

...and this felt like your mom's house

and now it just-- it feels - like your home, your space. - Yeah.

I'm just over the moon.

Whoo! Oh, my God.

Did you like the surprise?

I love the pergola at the house.

I was so surprised.

You know I love a surprise.

That's, like, my favorite type of gift to give.

Have you been using it?

Oh, all the time. It is beautiful.

It's such a nice, quiet space, plenty of shade.

Any romantic dinners out there?

Ah, maybe a few.

When I look back on all that happened last year,

I think about all the renovations,

but I also think about the life changes

that were happening right at the same time.

Cassie's project was a big one,

but I also think about my massive move

and deciding to sell my house in Yorba Linda.

I knew overall that selling the house in Yorba Linda

was definitely the best decision for all of us,

but it was really hard breaking it to the kids,

especially Taylor.

We've talked about it a little bit,

but it's time that we're gonna sell the house.

Um, I wanna go there.

I'm just gonna miss this house a lot.

I mean, I've lived in this house for four years.

So how about when I go start looking at houses,

You can come with me 'cause you have the best taste?

- Okay. - And you get a new room. You can help me design it.

Maybe ocean themed.

That's cute.

Oh, you got my king.

While I'm super excited

to just close this chapter of my life after the divorce,

it's also bittersweet.

There's just so many memories wrapped up in it.

You want to sit down with your tea cup?

You want to sit in the big chair?

Brayden was born in this home.

It's really the only house that Taylor knows and remembers.

I know that it's gonna be really hard on Taylor to move, as well.

There's been a lot of change for her

over the past couple years.

Mm. I love this room.

So the movers came over and got everything out of the house,

and that was hard to watch.

But now everything's going into storage.

Taylor wanted to go back the next day

and say bye to the house,

so I had to walk her into a completely empty house.

She did cry, and it was heartbreaking for me

as a mom to watch her go through it.

So while it is gonna be an amazing fresh start for us all,

it's also very emotional.

And the initial transition was challenging

as the kids and I moved into a short-term rental.

We're going to the beach.

Yeah, we're going to the beach.

I can't find your shorts, though, dude.

Life in the rental has been chaotic.

I can't find anything, and the kids are going crazy.

I never thought I'd say this,

but doing reno in other people's homes

is actually less stressful than my current living situation.

- The tickle monster! - Aah!

Hey, all right, all right!

No shoes on the bed. Hey!

Let's go to the beach. Let's get out of here.

I think Cash is the only calm one.

Oh, Cash, what are we gonna do?

That was chaotic, I must admit.

I am so glad to be back in a home

with everything having its own spot.

I mean, those were a few rough months.

Yeah, that was.

And taking on new clients.

But at the end of the day, I mean, I love my job,

and I'm grateful for all these new adventures.

Which is the standout, though? Which is the favorite?

Oh, gosh.

Honestly, I-- you know this,

but I loved working with every single couple

for so many different reasons.

But I guess I'm going to pick... Favorite.

...I really liked Sunshine and Eric's house.

I just loved how they went really modern,

kind of mid-century,

definitely, like, stepped outside their comfort zone,

especially Eric 'cause he was really nervous.

Yeah, weren't they having a baby, as well?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So it was added pressure.

I was so excited when I saw this flooring.

Feel it. It's very heavy.

- Yeah. - It's porcelain, very durable.

So we would put this through the whole house?

What I was thinking is we could lay it herringbone-style

in the kitchen and dining room, and the rest of the house

we could just lay it the normal style.

- Yeah. - I love it-- the black.

Oh! All the furniture will pop.

- Right. - So sexy and modern.

I do like it. I just feel like it's gonna be

a little bit dark throughout the whole house.

But it looks so good.

How about we definitely do it

in the dining room and the kitchen,

and I can go pull another sample or two

that'll look amazing with the combination of this

that we can do throughout the rest of the house?

As long as you think it will transition well.

Totally.

And while we didn't finish before the baby arrived,

we were close.

Come on into - your brand-new kitchen. - All right.

Oh, wow.

It's so pretty! - Oh, my gosh. - Incredible.

Yeah, I love how it feels so much bigger in here.

- Mm-hmm. - It does.

I mean, this floor-- I can't get over the floor.

It's sexy. It's modern.

I will 100% be using this floor again in another house.

- No, no. - It's probably my favorite I've ever done.

I'm sorry. I have to. Like, I fell in love.

- Yes. - This is incredible.

I couldn't have pictured it any better.

Once that kitchen was completed,

I turned my focus to house hunting,

and, thankfully, my best friends offered to come along.

Wow. I can feel the ocean breeze.

- Oh, my gosh, I know. - ♪ Ahhh ♪

The view's amazing.

Wow. The fireplace is very unique.

I do see something that I love,

and when you see it, you'll know it's me.

What?

Oh, the crystals!

♪ Ahhhh ♪

Well, that's one part of the house that was made for you.

Oh, my gosh. The kitchen's huge.

Yeah. Wow. It is.

- Ah! Hello. - Oh, wow.

Very Zen.

- I know. Hello, Bali, right? - I know.

While I like the vibe, it's not a very good layout.

Not only that, but like, Taylor and Brayden's shower--

my shower... Oh, my God.

Yeah, it'll be messy.

I mean, this whole thing - will be covered in water. - Yeah.

It was an amazing home,

just not the right fit for young kids.

But the house I saw with Cassie was totally my style.

Oh, wow. Look at the backyard.

And there's a pool.

I love the kitchen. I love the finishes.

I love the two-tone.

Like, a lot of these colors are beautiful. Yeah.

This reminds me of your kitchen with the two-tone.

- Totally, yeah. - This bathroom's beautiful.

This would be the kids' rooms.

Oh, yeah, 'cause it has a Jack-and-Jill bathroom.

Oh, that's perfect. - So cute.

- Ah! - Aw.

I mean, it checks off a lot of boxes for me,

more than any house I've seen.

- That's true. - The decor is beautiful.

I absolutely love the yard.

This place is beautiful.

It's big, it's bright, and we can literally move right in.

It almost feels too good to be true.

♪ Ain't nobody pull me down ♪

♪ Hey, hey ♪

Things always work out as they should.

So I'm so grateful that I didn't get that house.

Luckily, there was a bidding war

I didn't want to get involved in.

I'm grateful you didn't get - the bidding house, too. - Yes.

We wouldn't be sitting having brunch here.

- Not here, that's for sure. - That's true.

That's kind of weird to think about, huh?

While I was disappointed initially about that house,

I think in the back of my mind

I was hoping I wouldn't be buying on my own anyways.

Things were going so great between Ant and I,

I could definitely see our future together,

especially after he planned this amazing trip for us.

That trip to Ireland was magical.

It's one of my favorite trips of all time.

- Yeah? - Mm-hmm.

We did go to a castle. We had--

I smoked you at archery.

We'll brush over that.

- I packed very lightly. - You ended up in the--

You packed lightly?

Yes, I only brought one bag.

- Oh, no, no, no. - What?

There's a lot of change the last year,

but the way you pack has never changed.

- You're not taking that? - Yes, I am.

We're going for six days. We're not moving in.

I'm a girl, which means I like to pack a lot of stuff.

Like, I feel like all girls overpack.

What's the temperature gonna be?

Well, it's England, so it's likely to rain.

Plus, I have a little surprise for you

'cause we're not just going to England.

Where are we going?

I'm not telling you otherwise it wouldn't be a surprise.

Okay. But okay. Do I need, like, a nice dress?

Yeah, you'll need a nice dress for the evening.

Okay, so I need a nice dress. I need warm stuff.

I need cold stuff. And you want me to pack light?

You're not honestly taking that whole suitcase.

Oh, my-- Oh, my gosh. What?

I could put my bag in your bag, five times.

Are you gonna have extra room in your bag?

Yes, in fact, I'm nearly done.

Perfect because I'm gonna need it.

How heavy's your bag?

- Heavy. - Oh, my God.

This is me and Ant's first big trip together.

I'm just thinking that we're going to London,

but then he surprises me and tells me

we are headed to Ireland to a castle.

We did all this random stuff,

like horseback riding and high tea,

bow-and-arrow shooting.

If you hit the yellow, you can-- I'll do a dare.

Okay, jump in the lake.

In the lake? No pressure.

- Good? - All right.

- Oh, yeah! - You did it.

Oh, yeah! Whoo!

I knew I was gonna hit that target.

Aimed it and bull's-eye. In the lake you go.

Ooooooh!

Cold?

Good times.

Ant's like a big kid, and life feels so much more positive

with him in it.

He really helps ground me.

It wasn't long after our big trip

that we took another big step.

- My landlord phoned me up. - Yeah?

- Well, my lease is up. - Okay.

Can you believe it's been a year?

No, it's crazy.

Right. Let me have another try.

I did try a month-to-month, but he wants to rent a year.

But if you think ab-- oh, this is awful.

But if you think about it,

either I take a lease out and extend for another year,

or we should just stop flitting between two houses

and just stay in one.

Oh, yeah, it's gone in now.

I know what I want. I want to live with you.

Makes sense to me.

I would love it.

We're moving in, then.

Like, officially,

which means we're basically grownups now.

I mean, it's getting serious.

And we can start looking at a different house.

Wow. This is a big step, but I'm so ready for it.

And some people might think it's a little quick,

but when you know, you know.

We're buying a house together.

Ant is so perfect,

and I just can't wait to start our lives together.

It feels really good.

It's really exciting.

- Yep. - Sushi? Celebrate?

Yep.

We got to go house hunting together.

I know. That was special.

And it's so nice now, knowing how it ended up,

kind of looking back.

It's a true love story.

- Yeah. - It really is, yeah.

My personal life was going amazing.

My business life was going awesome.

What was it like working with homeowners

versus your own flips?

It's actually more challenging than I thought

because I kind of expected working with homeowners,

that people would want to, you know,

step outside their comfort zone a bit more,

'cause I was used to having to do certain looks for flips.

Sure. But it turns out, it's kind of the same.

You know, I think my toughest was Sam and Hana,

because they really wanted an all-white kitchen

and white subway tile,

and I just wanted to give them more of a wow factor.

So, trying to convince them to do color--

it was a challenge.

- I totally relate. - I know you know.

Mm-hmm.

Backsplash. Can you roll with maybe...?

Oh, my word.

That's pretty blue.

Your color makes me a little uncomfortable,

just 'cause the house is so neutral.

I think with this house and your decor,

you can add small pops of navy

in, like, throw pillows, blankets.

My only thing is,

I just want it to look like that modern-farmhouse look.

Okay, so I have an idea. We can go shopping.

We'll explore a bunch of different options.

Yeah, let's do it.

I mean, that's why we have her here.

All right.

♪ Yeah, we got Yeah, we got the vibes ♪

♪ Sweet like honey Always on the money ♪

So let's pick a backsplash that really makes that kitchen pop.

I think that's more like a bathroom.

Ooh. That's more like, no.

I know this is really bold,

but at least, like, it's a statement.

The only thing is that it could feel a little vintage

when you do it very black-and-white.

Mm-hmm. Okay.

So I went with a blue.

I really like it. Look-- we're sort of matching.

See? Look at that.

It has a very modern-farmhouse look.

I think it's geometric,

which makes it a little bit more modern,

but at the same time, it's distressed.

I like it! I like it a lot.

It's gonna look nice, I think.

So glad.

Oh, my God!

It looks so amazing!

I can't keep my eyes off the backsplash.

It was kind of hard to imagine before,

but now that it's on the wall, it's amazing.

With your designer's eye, it really all came together.

So the interesting thing about Sam and Hana's house

was that her style was modern farmhouse,

which actually is my style,

even though my last house didn't look like that.

You know, I would say I'm quite sort of modern-industrial.

Yeah. You like a little bit more edgy vibe,

a little bit more industrial.

But you have to remember that kind of beachy vibe,

let's be honest, does not exist in England.

No, it definitely does not exist.

That's not a thing.

We have the kind of horizontal-gray-rain vibe.

Yeah, flat.

So that's the interesting thing about this house,

and what works so nicely,

is that it was sort of farmhouse,

but it was a totally blank slate.

Open sesame.

I do like the fact that it's gated,

and it's close to the beach,

but then it's really not private

because everyone can just see right in here.

Yeah, but I can fix those gates.

- Oh. - Oh, wow.

Oh, my gosh. The ceilings are amazing.

That's a 4-bedroom, 3-bath.

So this is like an office or, like, a sitting room?

Study?

Oh, what is that?

That's the biggest island. - The world's biggest island.

Don't you think it's, like, maybe a little bit weird?

I like it, and it needs it,

'cause look at the size of this.

It's a little bit...

It doesn't need a lot, either.

- It needs a lot. - Oh, no.

What? No, it it feels a little sterile.

We want this house to really reflect us,

and I want something more farmhouse.

Oh, my gosh.

Can you imagine the kids playing out there?

That's so much better than any other house.

The yard's probably, like, seriously,

four times the size of any yard we've seen.

The pool's maybe a little plain.

But you can add things to that,

and then beyond that, oh, my God.

It's perfect size for soccer pitch.

Oh, my gosh! It's so messy.

All this needs to be majorly trimmed back.

The privacy is amazing.

That's "priv-acy."

The "pri-vacy."

No, it's "priv-acy." You know it's "priv-acy."

This is the master? This is amazing.

That's incredible.

I think this is the most amazing--

Oh, look.

What is that?

There's a loft inside the master?

It's, like, bigger than a whole bedroom up there.

This is the best bedroom I've ever seen.

This house has enough space for when Ant's kids come to visit,

so the layout really works for us, and the yard is amazing.

Whenever you walk into a home, you know straightaway.

Do you feel like this is a home?

I could definitely see us living here together.

This house is the perfect vibe for both of you guys.

You have both what you like-- your industrial...

To be fair, though, this house had a bit of drama

because it felt like it was a done deal,

and then we had the wind taken out of our sails.

♪ It's like lightning the way you look at me ♪

♪ The way you're looking at me, baby ♪

When you're house hunting, like, everything's at stake, isn't it?

Oh, of course.

- Because it's your home forever. - Yeah.

And we turned down a few.

So, for me, the moment we walked in the drive

and stepped in the front door,

it ticked boxes straightaway.

I thought it might be the one, too.

Yeah, you guys had the offer accepted.

Everything was wonderful...

Until it wasn't.

Yeah. And then that inspection with Izzy--

oh-- was just heartbreaking.

It was expensive.

Oh, yeah.

- Hey. - Hi.

There's a few issues with the house.

I was up in the attic,

and it looks like you're experiencing

some termite damage there.

Might have to get it tented.

- Tented? - Yeah.

Oh, gosh. This is a big house to tent.

Plus, if the termites got to the beams under the house,

you might have to take out all the floors.

Oh, my gosh. Okay, what else?

I need to actually show you a few things outside.

Okay.

This whole fence is all dry-rotted here.

You could go stucco, kind of like what you have

for the garden walls and the planters,

but that could run $60,000 to $80,000.

Oh! That's a lot of money.

Okay, so I need you to look at this here.

It's crooked, - and it's ready to fall over. - Yeah.

So you're gonna have to tear that out.

The whole thing's got to go?

The whole thing has to go 'cause everything's attached.

- It's just one piece. - Ugh.

But the biggest thing is, what do you put back there?

'Cause once I tear that out, that concrete's gone.

Oh, yeah, you have to replace it with something.

You have a little over $100,000 worth of repairs.

$100,000? I'm gonna have to go back

with a major request for repair for the seller.

What's happened?

Okay, well, that was the Realtor.

The seller will not even budge

and give us any money towards the credits.

What, not a single penny?

No, she's refusing. I think we need to back out.

I agree.

Looks like we're back to square one.

It's like I really got my hopes up.

The house was going through, and then all of a sudden,

"kkhhh," it all fell apart.

- Until we got that call... - Yeah!

...that it was back on.

It was an exciting day.

Thankfully, the sellers changed their mind

when they realized we were gonna back out,

and they accepted our counter offer,

dropping the price by $300,000.

But what an emotional roller coaster.

But that wasn't the only drama that I was dealing with.

I was also having some drama with new clients.

There is always gonna be some drama with new clients.

Of course.

So I remember I showed up in Huntington Beach

at Thomas and Charla's house,

and she decided to change the backsplash,

and she totally threw us a curve ball.

Hey, Mike. - How's it going?

Good. I think we got a problem, though.

What?

The backsplash is a little too high.

Yeah, I'm a little bit nervous

about what the height of the mirrors are gonna be.

Sorry. That's my fault.

So when the fabricator was here,

I asked him if it would be possible

if we could use the extra countertop

to make the backsplash a little bit higher.

I didn't realize that there was gonna be any problems there.

Sometimes one decision that a homeowner makes

can unfortunately affect many things down the road.

It's like a domino effect.

Put that one up there.

Imagine you're trying to get ready,

and then you're in the chair and, like,

I can only see my eyebrows.

That's not gonna work.

Yeah.

- Hmm. - I am so sorry, you guys.

So because the mirror is backlit,

and it already kind of looks like it's coming off the wall,

what if we built it out?

And that way, the mirror was sitting

in front of the backslash.

Like that?

Yeah. So we could frame it out

and then just paint everything white behind it

so it just blends in.

I think that's probably the best option.

That's an easy fix.

All right, let's keep moving forward.

- Wow. - Oh.

This is, like, a real-deal spa.

It has, like, a Zen-like feel.

It's so peaceful. It makes look beautiful.

I know. I just want to carry it around with me everywhere.

- Oh! - Perfect.

Thankfully, the bathroom turned out

beautifully for Thomas and Charla,

but most clients have some sort of hurdle you have to get over.

And with Matt and Ryan, a bold tile choice made them nervous.

Whoa! Look at this.

What do you guys think about the floor?

Mentally, I'm grappling with how striking

the light and the dark color is.

I figured that you guys might be a little bit thrown off

when you first saw it, so don't forget,

one, that the vanity's going in.

So you're not gonna have this much flooring

that you can see.

I think it looks amazing,

but I can tell that Matt and Ryan

are a little bit skeptical.

So it's my job to really help them feel comfortable

and to help them visualize what the end project

is gonna look like.

Wow! Look at this. This is so cool.

- It's amazing. - I'm just floored.

I'm floored because it's everything we wanted.

The floor tiles-- my favorite ever.

- Yes. - The tile really stands out.

When we first saw it, it was a lot.

- Scared you guys? - It was a lot.

But it works now. It's beautiful.

So while it was so fun doing other people's houses,

I also got to do our house.

Yeah, right. At least give it a few minutes

or a couple of days just to settle.

That's not how I roll.

That's how she's still settled.

- That's how I go. - Yeah.

We got to get it done.

- You see how busy she is. - Yeah. I know.

Exactly. And it's your home, too.

But you know if you ask me to do something,

- I'm gonna do it. - Absolutely.

And it's gonna get done right.

Would you pass more pastries?

Sure.

See? She's...

No, no, I've got it. I've got it.

Let's crack this open.

Oh!

So I have Izzy coming over,

and we'll set a deadline.

In here, there's something I'm really excited about.

See that small refrigerator? Yep.

I'm gonna close off that door and do a massive refrigerator,

really a showpiece.

We'd have to close off the laundry room,

and we'd have to do a door through the hallway

because this is gonna be one big wall.

- So I block that door. - Uh-huh.

- Big fridge. - Big fridge will be both clean and cute.

Over here,

I'm thinking either we paint these white or we do cabinets

because this just feels harsh...

- Cabinets. - Cabinets.

- Cabinets and keep it tidy. - Yeah.

How about we just celebrate moving in...

- Okay, well, I'm just excited. - ...just for like 30 minutes?

I have so many ideas.

The reno is a huge project,

but I have something even bigger planned

that nobody knows about yet.

Of course, the first person I'm gonna talk to about it

is my best friend, Cassie.

I actually am working on a special project

- I wanted to show you. - Oh, good.

What?

I actually am working on a special project

- I wanted to show you. - Oh, good.

What?

Christina, are you engaged?

Shh!

Yes.

- What?! - Yes.

Congratulations. Oh, my God.

I can't believe it. Oh, my God.

Okay, the reason why I said "shh"

is because we want to keep it a secret.

Oh, my God. I can't wait to see the ring.

Where's the ring?

Oh, my God. So I can't wear it in public.

- Oh. - It's at home hiding.

I'll show you it later.

All right. You can wear it around the house?

It's beautiful. Yes. I sleep in it.

Oh.

Also, I want you to help me plan the wedding.

Oh, absolutely.

You know I'm gonna plan the whole thing for you.

So not only do we want the engagement to be a secret,

we want the whole entire wedding to be a secret.

So I want all of our friends and family

to show up thinking they're at a house-warming party,

when, really, they're gonna walk into a wedding.

Oh, my God.

I mean, planning a surprise wedding

while tackling the whole construction job--

it was just crazy.

I feel bad for you.

Yeah. Don't ever do that to me again.

We could have had, like, a longer engagement

and made it easier for ourselves.

Yeah. I work best under a time crunch.

Exactly.

But at the same time we were tackling renovation

and, you know, things come up with every house,

and this house was not the exception.

Absolutely.

Right off the bat, we have a problem--

the termites getting into the floor beams.

Luckily, we didn't have to tent, but we did have to rip out

so much more of the flooring than I was planning on.

- We removed all the plywood. - Right.

Then once we pulled up the subfloor,

we had to replace the structural girder.

Why?

It was tons of termite damage.

So termites underneath the house ate the biggest beam?

Yeah. So you got a structural beam.

We had to replace that.

It's, like, straight out

of a fricking episode of "Flip or Flop."

So, I mean, we ended up doing a lot more work here

than probably initially planned.

Yeah. I think that's because you love to maybe do more

than what's potentially needed.

I like to live with a bit of chaos, I guess,

but my favorite parts of the entire house

were everything you built.

- Awww. - It's true.

It's true. I love everything you made... Aw.

...the wine rack,

the light fixture in the bedroom.

Oh, that one. Yeah.

I don't think people realize how much work you did.

So excited!

Ant's been working hard on these gates for me,

and he's finally done.

Hey!

- Hey! - Oh, my gosh.

Happy?

Perfection.

You're the best. They look amazing.

Inside, Ant and his friend Chris

installed a custom railing in the master-bedroom loft.

Plus, he built a dramatic chandelier

that I absolutely love.

And when we decided to tackle the backyard, too,

Ant really upped his game.

We're redoing our rear garden for two reasons--

firstly, a place that kids can have some fun,

but also a space for us adults to kick back

and maybe have a cocktail or two.

I'm gonna build the cabana from hand,

and I'm thinking of using some really strong

4-inch box-section steel, weld up a frame.

And I want it to look like it's floating,

so I'm gonna put some hidden legs underneath the platform

so the platform hovers about 6 inches above the ground,

then some hidden legs on the mattress platform

so it also looks like that's floating.

It should be pretty cool.

The frame that Ant made for the cabana

is being delivered today.

Wow!

No, it's too soon!

You're not supposed to be looking yet.

I like the bamboo.

- Do you like it? - Yeah. That's cool.

It's like modern meets Bali. It's very beautiful.

And these angel wings are my favorite.

♪ Ahhhh ♪

Yeah. They kind of suit you, but not so much an angel.

I'm glad she likes the cabana. But I've got a surprise for her.

When we went shopping in Lido,

there was these letters on display,

and she really loved them.

So I've used some 2-millimeter aluminum sheet.

I wanted them to look like those kind of old cinema signs.

So from close up, you can see all the rivets and lines,

but far back, they look really clean and simple.

I'm nervous because this took a little bit of working out,

but I wanted to do this for you as a surprise.

I hope you like it.

Ah!

Ohh!

- Oh! - That's so sweet.

This signifies everything that I want for this house,

and when I walk in, I really do feel just love.

Aw!

You're amazing.

This house was beautiful before,

and all the work you did--

I can't believe how much you put into it.

It was beautiful before, but now it feels like ours,

and it's definitely the perfect home for our blended family.

It is.

Ah! Hi.

- Hey! - Champagne!

- I brought your favorite. - I like your style.

Oh, you haven't seen the place fully dialed.

What do you think?

I'm so happy for you.

- Ant! - Izzy, how you doing?

How you doing?

- You're bearing gifts. - Yes, sir.

Good man. What do you think?

It's amazing.

Izzy did such an amazing job,

and I cannot believe how much this house has transformed.

I want to show you what we did with the master.

All right.

Yeah, the master's my favorite room.

Nice!

Ant actually built this bed and the light.

This is nice. Huge transformation.

I just love coming home to this room.

- I think she's happy. - Yeah.

And the outside transformation

was just as stunning.

♪ Time to shine ♪

♪ So bright Let's shine ♪

What about the barbecue, though?

This is exactly what I want it to look like.

It's so cute. - Yep.

Just reflects off the main house perfectly.

But is this your favorite part?

It really is, yeah.

- It's just awesome. - I absolutely love it.

It feels like a holiday retreat.

Now, this renovation was huge.

Yes. But what was coming next was bigger and better.

Yeah. You guys were getting married.

The biggest thing that happened to us

last year was-- ah!-- we got married.

- Yeah, we did. - It was awesome.

How did you pull it off?

I still am, like, shocked by that.

I mean, as I was in my bathroom, getting ready with Shannon,

living the dream, you were out here hustling.

I know. I love when you talk about how peaceful

and quiet that day was, when I was literally

sweating, running around, but it was awesome.

I loved planning every bit of it.

It was so special. It was private. It was intimate.

That's exactly what we wanted--

a private, intimate day

where everyone could just relax and enjoy themselves.

Yeah, having it here was perfect.

Was there ever a risk, though? Did anyone ever phone you up

and say, "Are you planning a wedding?"

- Yeah. You know why? - Who?

Oh, yeah. You are doing a little too much,

like, dropping little hints here and there on your Instagram.

- Yeah, you. - No, I didn't.

Yeah, and I'd be like, "Ant!"

And you'd be like, "Oh, no, they won't know."

And I'm like, "Yeah, they will."

Or how about the fact when the neighbor popped by

to give us some Christmas wine, and he was like,

"Oh, looks like there's a wedding here,"

and Cassie's like, "Nope, nope, move on."

"No wedding!"

I'm just setting up an altar in their front yard.

There were times - when we almost got caught. - Yeah.

Trying on the dress would have been a big one,

but, luckily, Cassie had to bring dresses to me.

- Yeah. Yeah. - So thank you for that.

Ready? Turn around.

Ah!

Oh, my God.

This is fancy. Ooh, I love the back.

- Isn't that beautiful? - Yes.

I think this is...

- And the sleeves. - This is so beautiful.

I absolutely love it.

Do you think anyone knows?

I don't think anyone knows.

You know, every day I check my e-mail,

I go online, and I pray that it's not online

or someone's broke the news.

So if we can just keep it going,

I think we're gonna be good to go.

- This was a big step. - Yeah.

Getting the dress done and not being caught

trying on a dress is huge.

So take one last look. This is definitely the one.

This is the one. There we go. I'm so excited.

And just a few weeks later,

with our secret still under wraps,

the crew set up for the big day.

Isn't that beautiful? The chandeliers?

- Very, very... - Are you excited?

- They don't even know. - No one knows, huh, Tay?

It's Christina and Ant's wedding day.

It's been crazy,

but everything's really coming together.

I can't wait to see the reaction on everyone's faces

once they realize it's not a house-warming party.

The invitation asked everyone to dress up for the night,

so hopefully they listen.

So I show up in my fancy suit

thinking I'm going to Christina's party...

- What's with these chairs? - I knew it.

...and I start seeing the chairs, all the people,

and then I see the altar, and I start realizing

this is Ant and Christina's wedding.

They're getting married.

You motivate me to be the best person I can be.

You inspire me daily.

You ground me and love me and our children

with your whole heart.

You let me be me.

You listen without judgment

and love me like I'm brand-new.

I've become a better person since I've met you,

and I will continue to grow with you by my side.

You may now kiss your bride.

I'm so glad we were able to get married at home.

Seeing our parents and our friends

and everyone we love in one place--

there's nothing better.

I never believed in fate before I met you, Christina.

At that point we met,

the universe completely changed for me.

I've watched you personally change over the last year,

and I've had a front-row seat to your personal growth.

You are the single most amazing person I've ever met.

So ladies and gentleman, Mrs. Anstead.

It's gonna be hard to top last year,

but I want this year to be even bigger--

bigger transformations, better transformations.

Oh, and I want you to do my upstairs.

- Uh, yes, please. - Done.

- Excited. You ready? - Yeah.

All right, let's do this.

Bring it on!

Oh!

- Yay! - Oh!

This season on "Christina on the Coast"...

Oh, look at that.

- Hallelujah! - Saved the day.

...we're upping the ante with all new designs.

Oh, yeah. - Wow.

That's a big tank.

...overcoming serious challenges...

That one's load-bearing, and that one.

Oh.

Is it too late to change it?

...while taking on our biggest renovations to date.

You literally put an island in here

that's, like, half the size of the house.

...and navigating other big changes at home.

- Yay! - Yay!

- Oh, it's really lovely. - I know.

Through it all, I pulled off

some of my most dramatic transformations.

Welcome home. - Wow.

- Wow! - Thank you so much.

- You're so welcome. - It looks unbelievable.