Charlie Kawas Banishes a Biohazard Bathroom on 'Botched Homes'

In HGTV’s new series Botched Homes, host Charlie Kawas is who homeowners in South Florida call when their spaces are in a state of disrepair despair. As a general contractor who has been in the construction industry since he was a teen, he’s pretty much seen it all, but the bathroom that awaits him and designer Courtney Ibars is one for the history books.

Homeowners Alina and Joe have lived in their home in Jupiter, Florida, for just over a year. While the other spaces in the house look good and function fine, the bathroom is like a Wizard of Oz fever dream — and not in a good way.

“This isn’t a bathroom, this is a putting green,” Charlie says, shocked by the green AstroTurf carpet, the green walls, the green ceiling and even the green bathtub.

Courtney is also taken aback by the aesthetics, but she is more concerned about the functionality of the wall-to-wall carpet that, yes, even includes the area around the toilet. “Carpet in bathrooms is disgusting, not sanitary and should never, ever, ever happen,” she says.

Cleanliness issues aside, the bathroom also has a host of other problems that Joe and Alina are desperate to fix. At the top of their list is the vanity, which sits well below the average of 34 inches.

“Imagine, you have to brush your teeth … like this,” Alina demonstrates as she gets down on her knees to comfortably reach the sink.

“This isn’t normal,” Courtney says.

Charlie and Courtney have their work cut out for them. They’ll tear out the tub, eliminate the unnecessary ceiling soffits, completely rework the layout and, in the words of Alina, “get rid of anything that’s green.” Suffice it to say, this is a bathroom clearance sale. Everything must go.

Before, the glass block window was covered, giving the room a dark and dreary feeling. Now, the window is exposed and highlights a beautiful, freestanding bathtub. The Munchkin-height vanity is also a thing of the past. In its place is a gorgeous but, most of all, appropriate-height double vanity. Charlie also added custom accent lighting behind the vanity mirrors to bring even more light to the space. And the bright and beautiful space has no trace of green for as far as the eye can see.

When Alina walks in, she is clearly blown away. “Oh my God, this is incredible,” she says, beaming. “It looks like a completely different place,” Alina says in disbelief.

“The light that’s in here is amazing,” Joe says.

Previously, the walls and ceiling were a maze of irregular soffits that had no structural — and certainly no aesthetic — purpose. “Nothing was aligned,” Charlie recalls. By removing all of the odd angles, he was able to create a much more calming and cohesive design. Now, onyx tile covers the floors, as well as the walls, of the huge, walk-in shower, giving everything a seamless look.

Best of all, “there is nothing green in here except some beautiful, natural plants,” Alina says, smiling.