John Stamos Is All in for a Full Garage Renovation on 'Celebrity IOU'

Television star John Stamos broke hearts as Blackie Parrish on the ABC soap General Hospital, was the beloved and iconic Uncle Jesse on the long-running sitcom favorite Full House and returned to the blood and guts grind as Dr. Tony Gates on ER from 2005-2009. Though he cut his teeth on TV, John is a master of the pivot and has had an equally distinguished career on the Broadway stage, performing to raves in Cabaret, Bye Bye Birdie and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. These days, John is living a childhood dream by playing drums with The Beach Boys, a band he first saw in concert when he was 15 growing up in Cypress, California.

It's a busy schedule, but John still has time to make life better on this episode of Celebrity IOU for Ken, his friend of nearly 50 years. His best buddy since high school and fellow marching band veteran, John notes, "We were band geeks."

Ken is about to get the surprise of his life when John and his sidekicks, the Property Brothers, turn his garage into the coolest musical clubhouse around. "Ken has been the wind beneath my wings," says John. The friends have supported each other through thick and thin, through the death of parents, divorce and life's many ups and downs. "Without Ken, I wouldn't be where I'm at, I guarantee it," says John.

The friends have shared a host of interests since they were young — in drums, in magic and a love of photography — and John wanted to acknowledge the centrality of those hobbies by giving Ken a beautiful space where he can indulge his creativity in style. Ken inherited his childhood home when his parents passed, and now he still makes music in that same home with his son, Apollo.

"This is where I hung out as a kid," says John. "We learned so much in this garage. It's part of my history as well."

John's feelings for Ken are mutual. "I was always wondering if I was cool enough, and if I fit in," says Ken of his high school years when John's friendship helped him navigate the uncertainties of adolescence. The friends speak every day and sign off from their conversations with "I love you."

"I don't have anyone else in my life like that. As you get older, your life just gets smaller and smaller," notes John of their exceptional — and exceptionally long — friendship.

John and the Property Brothers tour the two awkward rooms in the garage: a larger music rehearsal space divided by paper-thin walls from a small storage space accessible from outside through the creaky sliding wooden garage doors. With no way to access the rehearsal space from Ken's home, he walks out of his front door and through a fence to get to the garage. And the patio outside the garage is sadly neglected, overtaken by weeds and bramble, and not much to look at overall.

As the trio tours the storage area to see what they have to work with, John has a question: "What is this?"

"A table saw," answers Jonathan. Maybe this is going to be a little more of a learning curve than they thought.

"We need to open up this space and make it bigger for sure," says John, pointing to the low ceiling and rafters visible via a cut-through in the garage ceiling. The current garage space feels held together with spit and glue, a window air-conditioning unit stuck in a wall with huge gaps around it visible to the outside. This ramshackle, makeshift music studio in Ken's garage has some obvious aesthetic flaws, too, like a definite lack of rock star ambiance. Then, there's the fact that Ken's primary reason to be in this space — practicing the drums — has been known to create an uncomfortable degree of noise that leaks out of the garage and into the neighborhood. "Whenever you have a band room, it needs to be soundproofed for the sake of your neighbors," notes Jonathan, whose contractor gears are clearly already beginning to turn. "And I think we should get him a new drum set," adds John.

"Redoing this and giving it that fresh energy is going to give him fresh energy to create," says John of his dream for this new space.

"These guys, they're a little bit more difficult than the Olsen twins, I'll be honest with you," jokes John as Jonathan and Drew start laying the groundwork for Ken's garage renovation. First up, the really fun part: demolition. Even John grabs a sledgehammer to tear down the two ramshackle rooms where Ken has been practicing the drums and storing his tools and odds and ends. Jonathan and John come up with their strategy, going over a floor plan to decide what will make the space the most useful for Ken.

John was not afraid to get his hands dirty, working side by side with Drew and Jonathan as they turned Ken's scruffy clubhouse into a sleek, rock star-worthy lounge and studio. With Ken and his family moving into a rental so their reno will be a total surprise, the trio begins demolition. John goes all in on this full house with help from this super saw. He cuts a space into the garage for French doors, bringing some much-needed light into the space as well as a connection to the patio. "You know, we couldn't have done this without you," says Drew.

"I know that," quips John. After chipping in with the demo, John is off to tour with The Beach Boys. But, as Jonathan notes, "we're not taking our feet off the gas" because the reno must go on.

More than just a music-making space, the converted garage "gives Ken the indoor-outdoor, music-making Zen den he's always wanted," says Jonathan. The insulated ceiling above dampens sound inside to save the neighbors' ears. A thermally modified ash on the former garage door keeps warping down (an especially important factor to consider with bifold doors), and a special laminate glass with rubber insulation will make sure the sound of Ken's music-making will not disturb his neighbors. Behind the drywall is a sound panel to "basically kill the acoustic transfer," says Jonathan. "Your neighbors here are going to be very, very happy that this is a soundproof box essentially," he says when John calls to check in on the progress.

"Here's my question: Can someone do a Celebrity IOU to my house?" John wants to know.

A weedy invasion has turned this patio area outside Ken's rehearsal studio into a sad, neglected space. Though an outdoor furniture set and a grill are visible, it's hard to know how much leisure time can be enjoyed out there with the plant invasion happening in the background.

Taking full advantage of the spectacular Los Angeles weather, Drew and Jonathan create an outdoor living space that opens onto the music room and lounge. Ken has long admired a succulent wall, so John makes sure Ken gets one in this lush oasis featuring a pea gravel floor, a stained wood fence with the promised succulent wall, contemporary furniture and retro outdoor lighting. The seating and dining areas are placed on either side of the entrance doors to the home and to the music room to allow for better flow.

"Whoa, this is perfect," says Ken upon first glance at the completed patio area now free of its marauding plant monster.

The vastly improved patio now connects the original home and the former garage turned music studio lounge. The Property Brothers created more privacy with the tall fence stained a stunning, almost-black shade. Drew and Jonathan divided the space into a seating area with a fire pit whose fuel tank is hidden within a side table and a dining area for alfresco meals.

Touring the newly renovated space, Ken immediately notes the connection between the black-framed French doors and the black-stained fence and feature wall with the succulents.

Black-framed French doors with Italian handles offer stylish access to the music room from the patio. Drew and Jonathan strike a contemporary vibe with two midcentury-reminiscent outdoor sconces and oversized pavers laid between pea gravel on the patio surface. "It's nice to have the connectivity the way that we have now, between the main house and the garage," observes Drew.

With each succulent in its own container, this wall is easy to maintain. Any plant that doesn't make it can be easily swapped out. "He loves plants," says John of his buddy Ken.

"This is only the appetizer," says Jonathan as Ken takes his first look at the patio space. Gesturing inside the French doors, he keeps things moving: "The main course is in there!"

The lounge and music room combo blends Ken's three obsessions: drumming, photography and even a little reno magic in the Property Brothers' gorgeous redesign. They placed a brand-new, top-of-the-line Ludwig drum set behind the lounge area on a riser for a little rock 'n' roll vibe, and as a kind of frame to shift focus to this important feature of the redesign. Even better, the riser is on wheels, so it can be relocated if Ken prefers. When's the last time Ken bought a drum set, John asks? In 1978, Ken laughs.

Honeycomb-evocative wooden tiles add some style to a ceiling whose acoustic tile helps better soundproof the music room and lounge. When he was shown an array of options, these graphic tiles were also John's clear preference to offer the right vibe and make the room as beautiful as it is functional.

The Property Brothers created this handsome built-in desk where Ken can work on his YouTube drum videos. Above the desk, what looks like a piece of art is actually a TV. The lighting throughout the room can be controlled on Ken's phone, which allows him to dim or brighten the lights and even choose various color effects.

"To make him the star feels really special," says John about Ken.

In what might be a design first, the Property Brothers created this clever floor-to-ceiling cabinet to house Ken's drums when they aren't in use.