Mina Starsiak Hawk's House Reveal

Mina Starsiak of Good Bones had a plan for her Rock the Block remodel: “I tried to make really smart decisions: save things that were great, repurpose things that were good and things that really needed some love — that’s where I put the money.” Let's look around.

As a brand-new home, the exterior was already in great shape. The true challenge was how to differentiate this house from the other ones on the block.

The first thing on Mina’s agenda for the exterior was to “get green.” To save money, she only installed turf on the top half of the lawn. She then reused and reorganized the plants from the original landscaping. To add a bit of warmth, she switched up the paint color and added cedar window boxes with flowers.

The entrance into Mina’s home matches the rest of her home to a "T." Mina added a wide-plank floor, bench, rug and gallery wall to make this foyer casual, comfortable and family-friendly.

The original house came with room suitable for a den. However, in order to increase the value of the home, Mina turned the den into a fourth bedroom. Fun fact: a room can only be considered a bedroom if it has a door that can be closed, a window and a closet.

The original great room was far from great. While the windows as-is offered a healthy amount of natural light, Mina chose to blow out that back wall in order to open the great room up to the patio, bringing in even more light.

With the wall out of the way, Mina allocated a large portion of her funds to bringing in beautiful bi-fold accordion doors. She added value to her space by incorporating custom built-ins and an electric fireplace. Mina extended the gorgeous herringbone flooring from her kitchen and dining space into the living space, as well.

“It might seem like overkill to have two fireplaces within 20 feet of each other — especially in California — but I’m gonna say no, it’s not,” Mina said. The custom mantel Mina used in the living space was made from the old barn Nicole Curtis brought in during the previous week’s competition.

The addition of the built-ins, fireplace and mantle create a warm and friendly environment. “I love how everything has come together and it’s cozy and it’s comfy and it’s exactly what I wanted it to be," Mina said.

For the great room and outdoor space challenge, the designers were given $1,000 to spend at the Rose Bowl Flea Market in Pasadena, California. Mina and Cory brought home a rattan swing chair and vintage dough bowl. As the name implies, dough bowls provided bread dough a place to rise before baking. Now, it hangs as an architectural feature over the outdoor fireplace.

Between the large patio dining space, outdoor fireplace and pergola, now complete with a cozy rattan swing chair, Mina’s backyard is ready for entertaining. To add additional value to her home and spare the future homeowner the trouble, Mina chose to use turf in the yard. “I think when homeowners have any kind of outdoor landscaping, it’s automatic maintenance in their mind,” Mina said.

"One of my favorite spaces is definitely the kitchen," Mina said. "And a great kitchen is what sells houses." Leaving the layout and appliances intact, Mina found creative ways to save money without skimping on style in her kitchen renovation. The result? A cozy, family-focused kitchen packed with value-adding personality.

Mina really liked the layout of the original kitchen and the white Shaker-style cabinets. So, instead of completely gutting the kitchen and starting over, she chose to keep these elements, allowing her to spend more money on cool custom features.

Mina and team turned the existing island into a standout, custom piece by adding furniture legs, a quartz countertop and painting it a rich, dark gray. She added an extra row of upper cabinets to not only give the kitchen a high-end look but also to provide more storage. Below, she installed the same durable EVP herringbone floors that she used in her main bathroom renovation — a choice that got a big thumbs up from judge, Mike Holmes. But Mina's favorite new kitchen feature? The brushed gold pot filler she added above the stove.

From the brushed gold fixtures to the concrete farm sink to the panel-ready appliances, Mina's kitchen is full of stylish, distinctive features.

A nod to Mina's fresh-yet-cozy personal style, the dining room features a fringe chandelier, plush brown dining chairs and a jute rug that blends cohesively with the rest of the home.

"My husband and I just built our forever home," Mina said. "And the way I designed our house is what I want to do here."

The original main bedroom had a square layout and needed wall color. Mina was excited to change things up and give this room a warmer feel.

A fresh coat of paint and plank wood floors completely transformed this main bedroom into a comfortable living space.

The decor in this room has Mina's name written all over it. With cozy blankets and pillows, Mina was able to give her main bedroom a beautiful bohemian look with the wall tapestry above the bed and wooden accents throughout the room.

While Mina didn't mind the layout of the original main bathroom, she thought the rest of the space was far too basic and bland.

Instead of tearing out the original vanity, Mina chose to save money by salvaging the base. She added her own flair with fun wallpaper and dark-colored cabinets.

Mina chose to tear out the original tub and shower inserts and replace them with a spa-like shower and a large Roman tub. The herringbone wood floor also adds a unique touch to the space.