After spendning many years living in apartments, Tammy and Jason decided to take the plunge and buy a new home to raise their son in. Everything seemed in order except for the staircase leading up to the front door; it was very basic and needed an upgrade. They hired a contractor to build a proper cement staircase, and that's what they thought they'd gotten. As the 2 year warranty approached, large chunks of cement were starting to fall off and it seemed obvious that the stairs had not been done correctly. The previous contractor delayed any repairs until the warranty was up, and Tammy and Jason were left with a dangerous, crumbling staircase. Mike Holmes and his crew are called in to investigate. Along the way finding many mistakes made by the previous contractor making them tear out the original stairs and start over from scratch. Mike also decides to give the homeowners a few extas including removing a pair of ugly fake dormers that the builder had installed on their roof, fixing a leak in their front window, new interlocking stone in the driveway, and a re-landscaped front garden.

Jesse Johnson & Amy Marolt have remodeled the entire inside of their house, but the outside is so hideous they have yet to invite anyone over to show it off. They've got a $12,000 budget to give their house much-needed curb appeal but they'll have to stretch those dollars as they plan to upgrade or repair every inch of the property including the yard, driveway and exterior siding. Sweat Equity Boost: $50,000.

When New Jersey residents Jonathan and Jordana Comito were transplanted to the Midwest they bought a two-story home in the suburbs. The house has nice updates, but the main problem areas are the front and back yards. The old landscape walls that are built out of railroad ties have seen better days, the driveway needs replacing and the backyard looks like an abandoned lot. They want to put their $15,000 budget into the front yard since everyone plays in the cul-de-sac and. The Comito's plan to create a user-friendly area by installing a paver patio complete with a sitting wall, adding a water feature and simplifying the landscaping. They think by doing the work themselves they can stretch their budget and are confident that they'll get quality results that will give them a big return. Sweat Equity Boost: $50,000

Two years ago Paul & Heather Asencio decided to give up apartment and condo living in New York City and invest in a 1930s brick home in the suburbs. Their days of calling the "super" every time something went wrong were officially over. The house was in great shape overall but the big problem is the single car garage. It's filled with lawn and garden equipment, toys, junk and a refrigerator left from the previous owners. The inability to get a car in the garage could affect resale value since on-street parking isn't allowed overnight and there's only room for two cars in the driveway right now. Paul and Heather think they can tackle upgrading the garage on their own. They're willing to put about $8,000 into the project and hope they'll see a return of at least that much when it comes time to sell.

Chip and Joanna Gaines take Genny and Russ Davis on a tour through three homes in Woodway, Texas. Woodway is considered "upper-crust", an established neighborhood with older homes, large trees and massive yards. They want to move to Woodway because of the city's reputable school district. However, Genny Davis is a real estate agent and Russ builds new homes for a living and they are a bit reluctant to move into a fixer upper - a fact that distresses Chip but inspires Joanna. Will the Davis' choose the "Tree House" with the pool, massive fireplace and monster tree blocking the front door? Or will it be the asymmetrical "Stonehenge House" Chip says looks like an airplane and Russ describes as over-the-top masculine? Or maybe they'll choose the third house with the shared driveway on a quiet cul-de-sac? The drama escalates when an unexpected permit problem costing 30,000 dollars threatens to turn this fixer upper into a flop. Will the Davis' jump ship and build a new home instead?