If you are undertaking a major renovation, Mia recommends hiring a professional to help you with large projects. She says, “storage is always a big issue. Declutter and designate open or closed storage for kids’ toys to keep them organized.”

“The big one is to step back and look at the house as a whole. You may not be able to renovate the room that you want to do first. You might have an issue with your kitchen but to do that properly—and to solve that problem— you may have to fix the furnace or plumbing,” says Rob. “Don’t do it all yourself. There are things people can definitely do but it’s too hard to tackle it all.”

Mia adds, “there are really inexpensive finish options now; it’s smarter long term to invest money on the issues behind the walls. You can always change the colour of a backsplash or a dining room table later.”

Tune in to The Expandables, Thursday nights at 9:00 on HGTV Canada and watch for Rob and Mia—alongside 18 other Canadian design superstars—on HGTV’s new show, Home to Win, premiering April 24th at 10 pm.