Brett Waterman helps a mother and her grown-up children restore their majestic 1913 Mission Revival mansion. He's elated when he realizes he can restore the original linoleum in the kitchen, but the homeowners may not open to the idea.

Homeowners Steven and Gina call in preservationist Brett Waterman to restore their recent purchase, a French Normandy-style cottage in a small cul-de-sac known fondly as "gnome court." Built in 1926, the Redlands, CA, house was a severely neglected rental for 30 years. Excited by the idea of restoring a home on the well-known street, Brett takes on the challenge but gets more than he bargains for with a leaky roof, rotten windows, missing floorboards and damaged walls. But he perseveres to turn this derelict house into the crown jewel of the neighborhood.