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00:00Pleasantries are canceled in this once-sleepy neighborhood
00:03as three house-proud neighbors swap polite hellos
00:06for competition.
00:07All to prove their home is the street's true showstopper.
00:11While the judges dissect every little detail.
00:13Oh, God.
00:15The contestants watch and do some dissecting of their own.
00:18All the appliances are very far apart.
00:21That's an opinion.
00:22It feels like the kid, oh, I want everything here.
00:24This space, not the most intentional.
00:27It feels like an afterthought over here.
00:30I don't get that.
00:31Jude is going all in on her design philosophy.
00:33I don't want to brag or anything, but I'm pretty confident.
00:36I get told a lot that I have a very different aesthetic,
00:41but difference is usually good, I think.
00:44Erica and Richard are betting big on the power of cozy.
00:47Our house is very comfortable.
00:48I would agree 100%.
00:49We're going to win this one.
00:52And the Ahmed family is confident their open concept living
00:55will open the scoring floodgates.
00:57This house is very special.
00:59I think the judges will love it because it does offer form and function.
01:03When it's all said and judged, one neighbor dishes the sass and claims the crown as top of the block.
01:12On this seemingly peaceful block, bigger houses mean bigger parties
01:16and a cutthroat race to be the host of the most.
01:19These judges are here to stir the pot and serve up some hard truths.
01:23Real estate agent, Courtney.
01:25What I'm going to bring to this competition is a sharp eye in terms of how nice is that kitchen
01:30done?
01:31How nicely are the bathrooms done?
01:33Just give it to you straight.
01:34Don't sugarcoat anything.
01:35And nosy neighbor's Jennifer.
01:37I'm hoping people take risks with their design and allow their personality to come out.
01:42And Nicole.
01:43I think a good house is functional and pretty.
01:46I think an amazing house has everything really tied together to make that feeling of comfort
01:51and somewhere where you want to spend a lot of time.
01:53The rules of this competition are simple.
01:55As our judges tour the houses, they'll consider their design, functionality, and value added to the home.
02:01And one house will reign supreme.
02:03This fireplace, not a big fan.
02:05This should be a focal point, but I don't really want to look at it.
02:08They're wrong.
02:09I'm just confident in what I did.
02:10Let the battle for block royalty begin.
02:17Oh wow, so many toys.
02:19I live here with my husband and my one and a half year old son.
02:23My house is modern with an eclectic touch.
02:27I designed it myself.
02:29I would say it's welcoming, bright, and airy.
02:32My secret weapon is the continuity in the space.
02:36We have like little curves throughout.
02:38We have the hood enclosure.
02:40We have the island edges as well for even when people are walking around.
02:44I'm typically clumsy, so if I hit something, it's not going to hurt as much.
02:48What would you call that?
02:49Defensive design?
02:50I'm sensing a new decor trend.
02:54I want to win this competition.
02:55A, I'm a competitive person, but at the same time, I'm a designer, so it will kind of prove my
03:00work.
03:01As the judges roll in, itching to give their two cents.
03:04I love a big entry.
03:06The curb appeal here, it's beautiful.
03:08Jude settles in for the spectacle, with her defenses fully loaded.
03:12Let's see.
03:14Whoa.
03:16Wow.
03:17I love it.
03:18Wow.
03:19This is stunning.
03:20Really open when you first walk in.
03:22The only thing I will say is, where's the closet?
03:25Where do you put your stuff?
03:27I find that very strange.
03:28I don't like shoes by the front door.
03:31The closets are down in the mudroom.
03:34When guests come, I will take their stuff and put it down there.
03:37You do you, Jude.
03:39These high ceilings, your eye goes up.
03:42And I think that really makes the space feel bigger and more grand than it actually is.
03:48And then this island, this is a hoster's dream.
03:51And I don't have kids, but I know you both do.
03:53And I've heard that round corners is a big thing.
03:56There's going to be less bumped heads in this kitchen.
03:58I definitely thought about that.
04:00My son still bumps his head even in the round corners, but I tried.
04:04And do you see how she has the details here with the curve?
04:06There's really nice theme going on here.
04:08Definitely.
04:08Even with this curved around the sinks as well.
04:11Yes.
04:11She's really thought of everything.
04:13I really, too, like that this backsplash has just continued up the wall.
04:17It really just blends in so nicely.
04:19And I love the color.
04:21But I am noticing they don't have any cabinets.
04:23Yeah, on this side, which is pretty odd.
04:26This looks nice, but from a practicality standpoint,
04:30it's more of something you're going to have to worry about dusting.
04:32They're wrong.
04:33Upper cabinets is such a thing of the past.
04:36So boring, in my opinion.
04:37How many people do you think could fit on this couch?
04:39You could probably hold about eight, nine people.
04:41But I do notice, though, there's no TV here.
04:45Like, I'm a big sports guy.
04:46Where are we going to watch the game?
04:47Yeah, I'm against TVs.
04:49I think TVs are a waste of time, and they're just an eyesore as well.
04:52I don't know if you guys noticed this fireplace, but I'm not a big fan.
04:56This feels very traditional, whereas the rest of the house
04:58hasn't really had that same traditional feel.
05:01Yeah.
05:01This should be a focal point, but I don't really want to look at it.
05:04Yeah, the fireplace, I hate it.
05:06If they want to come over and help me redo it, I'm more than happy to have a fireplace demolition
05:10party.
05:11How fun, because nothing says cozy get-together like goggles and sledgehammers.
05:16I love that the flooring continues throughout the upstairs as well.
05:19Okay, this is so cute.
05:23Yes.
05:23It's subtle, it's still earthy, but it is kid-friendly, so I think she nailed it there.
05:28And you had that continuity, too, with the whole rounding, the crib here.
05:32I love it.
05:33All right, let's go check out the bathroom.
05:37Wow.
05:39Oh, my goodness.
05:45Come check it out.
05:46Oh, my.
05:47I love it.
05:48Wow.
05:49It's got to be marble.
05:50Oh, this is so nice and elegant.
05:52I love that the same material is carried up to the mirror.
05:56It's very elevated.
05:58They say the two most important rooms in a house to upgrade is the kitchen and, of course, the bathroom.
06:03In particular, the powder room.
06:05That's where all your guests are going to be using.
06:06The powder room was my muse, I would say.
06:09It unleashed all the creative juices in me.
06:11I like the color, but being such a small face, I almost feel it's a little too dark.
06:16Completely disagree.
06:17I wanted it all to be, like, this blue-blasted room and then just the vanity to stand out.
06:24I don't think a lighter color would have done it justice.
06:26I feel like you did a very good job with the overall design of this house.
06:30Let's see what the next house has to offer.
06:33It's interesting that some of their comments were not great, but I still feel pretty good.
06:39As the judges move on to the next house, opponents the Ahmeds step in to see how they measure up.
06:44Will they offer praise or calculated digs?
06:47Good high ceiling.
06:48Very bright.
06:49I'm not 100% sure.
06:51I like it.
06:52I think considering the whole color scheme, pastel colors would have looked really nice.
06:55And I feel like it would have given it a bit more personality.
07:00Well, I think they're wrong.
07:02I wanted a neutral palette.
07:04So if I change the artwork, the space will still feel cohesive.
07:08There is no TV here.
07:10Oh God, the TV.
07:12Where am I watching sports?
07:13If you care about sports so much, go to a sports bar and watch TV.
07:17I mean, it is a good house, but I feel pretty confident we've got a better place.
07:22I'm just confident in what I did.
07:24I think we're going to have to wait and see, like, who wins this.
07:27Confidence is peaking and the pressure's on.
07:30Now it's opponents Erica and Richard's turn to stretch their stuff.
07:33Our taste is very eclectic because we are do-it-yourselfers.
07:37We like to take on projects like fixing old furniture.
07:41The story of his life picking up after the dog.
07:44We are junk collectors.
07:46We go after junk teaks.
07:48We're known to slam on the brakes in the middle of a street on garbage night
07:52and load up the truck and bring it back.
07:55And Erica would work her magic on it.
07:57I think we have it in the bag.
07:59Our secret weapon would be that it's got a bit of a unique style to it.
08:04And we have a swimming pool.
08:06And so it's like a cottage and a house all in one.
08:09I'm just excited to win because we love our home.
08:12We're very proud of the work we've done.
08:13And it's a lot of labour.
08:15It is hard work.
08:16So let's give it a whirl.
08:19Richard?
08:20Yeah, I would agree 100%.
08:21We're going to win this one.
08:25I love that this red maple tree matches this beautiful red door so perfectly.
08:31It just ties everything together.
08:33So cool.
08:34We planned that tree perfectly.
08:39Oh, I love it.
08:41It immediately feels very warm and cosy.
08:45What I'm not a huge fan of is as soon as you walk in the house, you have the stairs
08:49right in front of you.
08:50I don't like the stairs right there either.
08:52Not much we could do about that.
08:55Oh, beautiful.
08:56Wow.
08:57I think they could have taken a couple risks here and brought a little bit more of a unique backsplash.
09:01Yeah.
09:02Well, at the time, 10 years ago, that was pretty out there.
09:06And in contrast, there's no backsplash behind the stove.
09:10Yeah, definitely.
09:11When you're cooking, you're going to be splashing a lot.
09:13You're going to want a backsplash behind the stove.
09:15For sure.
09:15It's just not a problem.
09:16No.
09:17If it had been a problem, we would have done something about it, yeah.
09:19I do like this, but it feels a little unintentional in its placement.
09:25It's kind of just plopped in not even really the middle of the kitchen.
09:29Oh, no.
09:31You're idiots.
09:34We just installed it where there was already an outlet.
09:37Maybe we didn't think hard enough about the right placement for it.
09:40Yeah.
09:42Wow.
09:43Now this is somewhere where I want to eat.
09:45Definitely.
09:46It really feels like almost a sunroom.
09:48It really does.
09:48And I really love how when you're hosting over here, you have a great grand view of this beautiful
09:53backyard.
09:54Truly is an oasis.
09:56Agree 100%.
09:58And I was noticing that there are stools there, although it might be a little bit tight with this
10:03table here.
10:04Yeah.
10:04This space is very cramped.
10:06You have somebody sitting over here, somebody on the bar stool.
10:09There's really not enough space to move around, so.
10:12I think they're wrong.
10:13It works.
10:13It functions.
10:14We've had 35 to 40 people here.
10:17It's cozy.
10:19Let's continue to the living room over here.
10:21This is gorgeous.
10:23Wow.
10:23I love these high ceilings here.
10:24Just add that rich, elegant feel to this space.
10:27And then also, they've done a great job combining different textures.
10:30I think it adds a little bit of personality.
10:34I definitely see what they're doing here, but.
10:36Oh, but I'm nervous now.
10:40I would prefer more uniformity.
10:42I just think that a lot is happening.
10:43It can get very busy over here.
10:45I don't necessarily agree with that.
10:47It's our style.
10:48Yeah, I think that looks very pretty.
10:49You know, we see things we like, and we grab them, and we try and incorporate them.
10:53Now, this space to me feels not the most intentional.
10:58It feels like an afterthought over here.
11:00There's not really much continuity from, you know, this section over here to over here.
11:05We did try to tie the rooms together with the colour.
11:07I don't see it as an afterthought.
11:09It is a space that serves a different purpose.
11:12Let's go check out the rest of the house.
11:15Oh, wow.
11:16How lovely.
11:17Oh, this is so beautiful.
11:19It's great space, too.
11:20It flows very well.
11:22This kind of calls a little bit of French Mediterranean.
11:25I think the different hues of blue, it's a modern, almost Cape Cod feel to it.
11:32So is it French or Cape Cod?
11:34Looks like Jennifer and Nicole are literally an ocean apart.
11:38Whoa.
11:40I really wasn't expecting this.
11:46I wasn't expecting this.
11:48Right in the city.
11:48This is the most charming away sis I've ever seen.
11:51Really great space for entertaining a lot of guests.
11:53Oh, nice.
11:54Oh, wow.
11:55I mean, can you take a guess at how many chairs there are back here?
11:58Does it look like too many chairs?
12:00Is that what she's saying?
12:00There's a lot of chairs, but I think it works.
12:03So charming, cute, quaint.
12:05I loved it.
12:06I can definitely see myself entertaining a bunch of guests here.
12:09Well, that was nice feedback.
12:10I think that that was good.
12:12Yeah.
12:13Glad you're feeling confident, but duck and cover.
12:15Your opponent, Jude, is here with a pocket full of opinions.
12:20Oh, no railing.
12:21That's not safe, and it's against code as well.
12:24Didn't realize you were the code police, Jude.
12:28Okay, well, I mean, our house was inspected.
12:30There is a railing there, and we haven't heard anything about it being against code.
12:34Wow.
12:34I do love this space, like the colors and different textures.
12:39It feels still open, even though it's not open concept.
12:44I would call it open concept.
12:46I don't get that.
12:47I love the backyard.
12:49I do love this charm, and I do love this older feel to it, but I still think I'm the
12:54winner.
12:57We'll see.
12:57I hope you're wrong.
12:59But thank you for the nice comments.
13:01Yeah, she was very effusive, yeah.
13:07I kind of get a kick out of the fact that it's a little bit of a sleeper house.
13:10The outside is a little bit unassuming, but Chris was entirely to try to make the inside space work for
13:17us.
13:18This is kind of like their third child.
13:20They, like, poured their heart and soul and everything into it, you know.
13:23My favorite place in the house is the kitchen and my beautiful island. I love it.
13:28The kitchen is the heart, 100%.
13:30But we do spend a lot of time sitting here talking.
13:33Yeah, we're big yappers.
13:35Yeah.
13:36You got to get going, because they're going to be coming any moment.
13:40We came here about 12 years ago, and the first year I was here, I spent a lot of my
13:44time watching
13:45a GTV.
13:46For the first winter, that's all I did.
13:49Grab your coats.
13:50Let's move.
13:51For me, it used to be, would there be a day I can do this?
13:54Like, could I be part of it?
13:56It was like a dream kind of thing.
13:58So it's a full circle moment, and it would be nice to get some recognition.
14:03I think this is the house here.
14:04It's missing a little bit of garden, and I would have liked to see a bit more color.
14:09Definitely.
14:09I'm very underwhelmed by the curb appeal.
14:12Yeah, fair enough.
14:13But one thing I know from my experience of looking at a lot of houses, you really can't judge a
14:16book
14:16by its cover.
14:17Can't judge book by its cover, but he did judge.
14:22Wow.
14:24Oh, very nice.
14:26Wow.
14:26It's a lot more open than I was expecting.
14:28And they've done a great job of decorating, adding a little bit of pop of color.
14:32And I'm very impressed.
14:34I really enjoy this built in.
14:36I think it's definitely a focal point of the room.
14:40I can see you sitting there, talking to friends and family, but also having a game or something
14:45fun on the TV.
14:46Definitely.
14:46That was exactly the idea.
14:48Yeah, exactly.
14:49Unfortunately, they have so many cables over here.
14:51It's so unattractive and so unappealing.
14:53Totally.
14:55That's fair.
14:56And I know we're close to the airport, but it really feels like you're on a landing strip with all
15:00these
15:00lights.
15:02These pot lights aren't even on a dimmer.
15:04You want to be able to set that vibe, feel the mood, right?
15:08You mean the kind of mood where you can relax without requesting landing clearance?
15:12That would be nice.
15:13It is split into four sections.
15:15But yeah, I understand if all the lights were on all the time, it would be annoying.
15:20This space feels so open.
15:21They don't actually have a dining room table.
15:23There is a table in the garage.
15:25We can bring it in whenever we want to.
15:26But that was specifically done that we needed that space for our sort of daily prayers.
15:31Now let's talk about this island because it is beautiful.
15:35It has the beautiful gold accents in it.
15:37The waterfall edge is stunning.
15:40Such a great centerpiece for the kitchen.
15:42You can probably fit about 20 people around this island.
15:4425.
15:45Yeah, we've done that.
15:46Yes.
15:47Something I'm noticing is that all the appliances are very far apart.
15:51We have our stove over here and then about 10 feet away is our fridge.
15:56And then over there we have the sinks.
15:58It feels like the kid, oh, I want everything here.
16:00Yeah, you can't be within an arm's distance.
16:04Yeah, exactly.
16:04We love it.
16:06Oh, very nice.
16:08Wow.
16:08Okay, okay.
16:09They did a great job with the furniture, the textures of the blankets, the texture of the pillows.
16:14So nice and light.
16:16I love the light wood and it not feeling too overpowering in the room.
16:21Looking at this beautiful built-in here, that is a very functional and practical thing.
16:27Yes, you could potentially use this as an office space.
16:29And I think it just encapsulates the space very well.
16:32But that's really such a dinky light.
16:34This light just does this room no service at all.
16:36I mean, that's an opinion.
16:38Once they have a problem with the lights, too many lights.
16:40Yeah, exactly.
16:41This is not consistent, to be honest.
16:44Wow, take a look at this bathroom.
16:47Oh my, really nicely done.
16:48I really like it.
16:49That same blue cabinetry and then the gold accents again on the hardware,
16:54bringing it upstairs is a really nice touch.
16:55It really is.
16:56Oh.
16:57And I think they nailed the lighting in here.
16:59They finally did.
16:59I like it.
17:00This is probably the nicest lighting we've seen throughout the house.
17:02They finally saw the light.
17:08Very nice.
17:09Oh, nice.
17:10I think they did a good job with sectioning off the basement.
17:13A basement can be a multi-purpose space.
17:15So they have their lounging area and then here we can kind of see its workout.
17:19And then finally, they have their laundry.
17:21Ooh.
17:22Oh.
17:23She did pull herself up.
17:25That's very good.
17:26Upper body strength counts.
17:27It sure does.
17:28Especially when you're flexing your muscles as a judge at a house competition.
17:33And just the value that you add to your home by finishing your basement,
17:37it just really goes a long way.
17:38It's a great extension to the rest of the house.
17:41Coming in here, I think we were pleasantly surprised.
17:44I definitely think this is a contender.
17:45Overall, it's going to be a tough competition.
17:48Well, that was interesting.
17:50Yeah.
17:50But it was nice.
17:52It was good.
17:52I'm glad it's done.
17:53Hang tight, Faz.
17:54Opponents Erica and Richard are here to rain on your parade.
17:57It's unexpected.
17:59Look at this.
18:00Yeah.
18:00Obviously, they've opened this up.
18:01So they've got a lot of great space.
18:03Love the huge island.
18:05Yeah.
18:05Yeah, this looks very staged.
18:07It looks like nobody lives here.
18:09No personal touches.
18:11I guess we did the same thing.
18:13It's a lot easier to go to others' house and criticize.
18:15Yeah, exactly.
18:16I think it's a nice, bright house.
18:18Not very personal, but not bad.
18:22Not bad.
18:23I don't think it'll beat us, though.
18:24No.
18:25Scars is definitely going to win.
18:27Gentlemen, good luck to them.
18:30Judges, design, function, and added value are your metrics.
18:34Time to pick which house is top of this block.
18:37Let's start with Jude's house.
18:38In terms of overall function, I definitely appreciated the nice open concept feel.
18:42What a great flow for entertainment.
18:45That was a strong start for us, for sure.
18:47That kitchen, wow.
18:49All of the edging, all of the rounded curves, everything was just so thoughtfully chosen.
18:55Yes, and I really loved that powder room and that lovely marble sink.
19:01But the entryway, it had no storage.
19:04And then that big stone fireplace, it just didn't seem to fit the overall vibe.
19:10All right, let's talk about Richard and Erica's house.
19:12That house, it started out strong with that pop of color with the red front door.
19:17I think the coziness and the comfort that you get with each room throughout the house
19:22was beautiful.
19:23And then the backyard, they nailed it.
19:25But for me, it's very eclectic.
19:28It's a little too much.
19:30So many different colors, so many different textures.
19:32I'm not sure if that was a risk that I personally like to see in terms of design of a
19:36house.
19:36The Ahmaud family house.
19:37From the outside, we got the sort of feel that, you know, this house is sort of bland and basic,
19:42cookie cutter.
19:43But as we walked inside and we saw the nice open concept feel, I think they did a really good
19:48job.
19:49But the pot lights, there were just too many of them and no dim to set the tone,
19:53which was really disappointing for me.
19:55We can't forget about that massive island.
19:58For sure, that island just anchored the entire house.
20:02Totally amazing.
20:03But the distance between the stove and the fridge, that sort of drove me a little crazy.
20:08They had a lot of cohesiveness.
20:09Do you remember the blue in the kitchen?
20:11We saw it again in the ensuite upstairs.
20:13I really liked that.
20:14And I love the finished basement.
20:17In terms of value add, it really elevated the whole overall aspect of the home.
20:21For me, it's close, but I'm pretty sure I know who it's going to be.
20:25Me too.
20:26Me three.
20:32Whose house will be crowned top of the block?
20:34I don't know where to stand right now because the judges,
20:37I disagree with them on a lot of things.
20:39My confidence level is at least 50%.
20:44There are things 100% that we can do better.
20:47But overall, I'm very confident it's still ours.
20:50The verdict is in.
20:51I think overall, I feel pretty confident, but I just hope that my confidence is true.
20:58Our house, it's the best house on the block.
21:00I'm on a roller coaster.
21:02I think I feel very strongly that we're going to win this thing.
21:05Yeah, I really do.
21:15Oh, hi.
21:16Hey, Jude.
21:17We just wanted to let you know that you are the winner of competition.
21:23Oh my god.
21:25Congratulations.
21:26Yeah, awesome.
21:27I honestly had no idea that I'm going to win.
21:30I'm feeling super excited.
21:32Your home was truly such a showstopper.
21:36The open concept, the flow of the home really just won us over.
21:39It just gave us that wow factor.
21:41Just so stunning, so warm, welcoming, and inviting.
21:44Top to bottom of that house was top tier.
21:48Oh, no.
21:50Heads bowed.
21:51Oh, look at this me.
21:53We deserved it, but what, you know, what can you do?
21:56On the bright side, our house is fluffed for the season ahead.
21:59We've got some good pointers, things to think about for the future.
22:02So yeah, okay.
22:04I got no regrets.
22:05They made a mistake.
22:06No, I think that's fair.
22:09Obviously, they've looked at it from their perspective.
22:12Not winning is a disappointment, but it's okay.
22:15It doesn't change how we look at our house.
22:18We think it's fantastic.
22:18We enjoy living there.
22:20Design is my life, and winning this means so much to me,
22:24because it's just what I love doing every day.
22:27It was really a phenomenal experience.
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