For a year and half, Nicole Curtis has been painstakingly restoring a 1916 mansion. Her plan is to build out the dark, dingy, old cellar, creating new living space that adds nearly 1,000 square feet to the home. A guest bedroom, full bathroom, laundry room and recreation area will be a major addition and a major selling point. Nicole goes for classic details like ceramic subway tile in the bathroom and hexagon floor tiles in the laundry room, but adds a fully plumbed wet bar in the recreation area. The end is in sight, but when Nicole discovers water pooling in the basement, she fears the worst. A costly problem at this point in the project could mean major delays that she just can't afford.

Nicole Curtis - the tough-talking, hard-working entrepreneur - indulges her most glamorous fantasy in the master suite. Going for old Hollywood style, she solves the problem of no storage by designing a functional and fabulous dressing room with custom shelving and cabinets. And she spares no expense on the master bathroom. While sticking with the early-20th-century style of the other bathrooms in the house, she ups it a notch with marble tile and surfaces that capture top-of-the-line, old-world Edwardian elegance. Finally, for the ultimate romantic touch, she works late into the night repairing the old wood-burning fireplace. And she's gonna need it as the Minnesota winter persists with freezing temperatures and snow to complicate nearly every renovation task.