Island of Bryan S4 Highlights: The Baeumlers Settle In Florida

It’s hard to remember what this space looked like before the renovations, but now it’s an open and airy kitchen with lots of natural wood finishes and a giant island where the family can hang out and prepare dinner together. And yes, those dinners will include less instant noodles if Sarah has anything to say about it.

The new family room has all of the essentials for a chill family hangout: a large fireplace, an even larger flat screen TV, and lots of seating for everyone. There are more of those natural wood finishes throughout, plus Sarah’s signature whites and creams, which together create a warm and inviting space.

There was an extra room in the back that Bryan and Sarah converted into a quaint flex space, one where they can hang out or work in when the kids take over the family room. This space is slightly more adult thanks to the modern edges (the coffee table, the hanging mirrors), but it still fits in with the rest of the home’s natural, creamy finishes.

In Bryan and Sarah’s new primary bedroom, the couple created a richer vibe with walnut finishes and a lavish headboard that feels like it belongs in a hotel. The pieces work together to delineate the sleeping area, giving this couple lots of extra living space to enjoy in their new sanctuary.

Adjacent to the primary bedroom is this beautiful new ensuite, which includes a large walk in shower and this impressive soaker tub. There are marble finishes to add to the overall luxe feel of the space, plus lots of built-in storage for style and practicality.

With the Florida home finally almost finished, it was time to start plotting out all of the last-minute details. As the cabinetry went into the kitchen below, Sarah and Bryan were figuring out the look of their primary bedroom. That included deciding between “dark” and “darker” for the eyebrow of their feature wall.

Bryan’s parents are always excited to see how the family is coming along on their latest venture, and with all of the progress made on the Florida home it was time for another visit. In addition to checking things out and spending time with the grandkids, Bryan’s dad also made sure to bring the dad jokes.

Another familiar face visiting the Baeumlers as they neared the finish line was Adam, someone who has been helping Bryan out on various projects for years now. He was on-hand to help with the stove, kitchen and other odd tasks, but he was there to rib Bryan and Sarah a little bit, too.

With so much time dedicated to work, renovations and making the show, Bryan and Sarah made sure to carve out some time to themselves as well. Getting (and staying on) the same page is a big factor to their ongoing success, even if they don’t get to do as many date nights as they used to.

Making time as a family is equally important, which is why the Baeumlers hit the driving range. While no one in the fam is a particularly great golfer, this outing was all about hanging out and doing something active together away from the stress of the ongoing renovations.

Sarah and Bryan finally finished off the boys’ bedrooms this week, putting themselves one step closer to having sleeping spaces for the entire family. Quintyn’s bedroom, pictured here, is also the most convertible. Sarah designed it that way knowing her oldest child will also be the first to leave home and she wanted to be able to use his space as a guest room when he’s not there.

Quintyn is the only Baeumler kid to have a mantle, something Bryan was quick to point out. There’s no fireplace yet, but once they convert this room to a guest space it should be simple to put one in. For now, the space still showcases Q’s personality. Sarah ensured that by including photos of her son and his biggest passion: Riding.

Off to the side, there’s lots of space for Quintyn or potential guests to store things and get ready in the mornings. These built-ins feel like part of the overall room thanks to the similar colour scheme, while the dark accents make it feel like a grown up and sophisticated space.

Lincoln’s bedroom is a bit brighter and more youthful, and designed to incorporate all of his interests as he grows and ages. Right now there’s a California surf theme with the light blues, browns, and greys, which extend all the way to the textured ceiling.

Sarah wanted to give Lincoln plenty of space to create his art, so they brought in this massive desk—a large piece with storage and plenty of surface area. Now, Lincoln can work on his latest masterpiece, hopefully while also getting his homework done.

Just outside of Lincoln’s bedroom is this impressive storage hallway, where he can tuck away all of his clothes and other items to keep the room nice and tidy. Even more importantly, this hallway connects the bedroom to the boys’ shared bathroom, giving them a bit of extra privacy.

The bathroom is light and functional, perfect for the two boys to share. There are double vanities, a large walk-in shower, and neutral accents like the earthy cabinets and paint. Combined, these finishes make this a practical but pretty space for the Baeumler boys to call their own.

Sure, there’s tons still to accomplish at the Florida house, but Bryan and Sarah can’t forget about their Bahamas baby. It’s that time of year when they need to shut down for the season and start working on all of the repairs. But there’s also fun stuff, like updating the boutique and the new guest menu to look forward to.

Sarah has managed a project from afar before, and with Bryan back in Canada filming, she put that (Project Manager) hat on again. Closing down the resort in the Bahamas for the season and trying to keep momentum rolling with all the different trades and vendors at the Florida house was no small task, but she proved up to the task.

Once Bryan returned to the Florida home, he was quite impressed with all the work Sarah had gotten done in his absence. Here, Sarah is showing off some of the executive decisions she made while Bryan was filming, leading Bryan to think maybe he doesn’t always have to be at the house after all.

As the renovations continued, Bryan and Sarah were double and triple checking all of their measurements to ensure they line up the ceiling beams and the new flooring as originally envisioned. With so many rooms to keep track of and ever-changing plans, it’s always a good idea to go back and have one last look, just in case.

Every room in this new house will feature custom details, all envisioned by Sarah and executed by Bryan and the rest of the reno team. Here they are lining up said finishes as the couple worked towards completing the back lounge area and deck.

With renovations on the second storey underway, Bryan and Sarah also focused some of their attention outside—to the former backyard. The space has been completely gutted and is now a blank canvas, while behind them a new lounge area is taking shape.

Part of the backyard renos included a brand new pool, which isn’t looking much like a pool presently. Instead, it’s a giant mud pit, made muddier by a recent storm that set the family back a few days on their renos. But, with the weather cleared up, it was time to dive in and get back to work.

As the structural elements fell into place, Sarah made some time to sit down with Lincoln and go over the finishing elements for his room. He’s hoping for a large space for his bearded dragon, she’s hoping to forget that a lizard will live in the house.

It’s hard to live in the same house when you’re a family of six, let alone live in a hanger. So it’s no wonder that after weeks of living in tight quarters, the Baeumlers were ready to exit. For Bryan, that meant reclaiming some of his work space and putting order back in his life.

For weeks now, Bryan and Sarah have been distracting their neighbours with their eyesore of a renovation (or at least that’s how Sarah described it). But now that things are finally moving along, the pair were happy to report the situation is improving. So much so that they even started cutting back some of that wild foliage they’ve been letting grow.

Even though Bryan and Sarah were super busy with all of their renovations, that didn’t stop them from taking some time to get to know the locals. Here they are sharing some snacks with their new neighbours.

Because of the back order of parts and materials, it’s been a while since Bryan and Sarah actually ordered the finishes for their new home. So when the doors and windows finally came in, there was natural confusion about what went where. Luckily, floor plans always come in handy!

After examining the floor plans and remembering intentions from months ago, Bryan and Sarah finally figured out where all of their sliders were going. As a bonus, Sarah realized they were one step ahead of the game since they already had doors and wouldn’t need to be ordering any more.

With the building permits finally sorted out, Bryan and Sarah got to work on their second-storey addition. That’s where their new bedroom will go — on a whole other level than the kids. It’s the first time the couple will be so far from their babes, but with everyone growing and requiring their own privacy, it’s a much-needed change.

Meanwhile below, the couple completed work on the laundry room, a modern and clean space with lots of personal touches from their previous house. Sarah wanted to bring some of their Canadian knickknacks to the space to help the kids with the transition, plus with six family members, she knows she’ll be spending a lot of time in this space.

Over at the rental house, Sarah used some of their old furniture to complete the space—like the two wire chairs in the back. It’s a clean and polished look, but knowing how quickly this rental will need to be turned over with each new visitor, everything is purposeful and easy to clean.

Sarah wasn’t as involved with the rental’s design, so here’s Bryan and his crew showing off their design skills in the new kitchen nook. While Sarah admitted she may have chosen different tiles and hardware for the space, we’d say Bryan did a pretty decent job, right?

With so much going on, the Bauemlers made sure to carve out some family time together, too. They decided to break out of their comfort zone and head to an escape room, where they had to put their communication skills to the test and break out of jail cells before the timer ran out.

In the first half of the fourth season, Bryan and Sarah received an unexpected offer from someone interested in purchasing the Caerula Mar. They weren’t sure if they wanted to take it, but in the midseason premiere the couple entertained the idea—it was prudent business. In the end though, the couple just felt like it wasn’t the right time to let go. Not when so much of their family identity and memories are still tied to the island.

Florida is a beautiful, sunny destination, however it’s also one prone to big storms and hurricanes. So, in order to make the Baeumler’s new home renovation as safe as possible, the engineers required them to weigh down the footings even further. Now, not only will the house stay sturdy throughout the build, it’s sturdy enough to not fly away during bad weather.

As if this family doesn’t have enough going on, Bryan and Sarah decided to invest in a vacation property nearby. The place needs a lot of work to be sure, but in this episode they used the space for a little family time poolside with the kids.

Living in a garage is hard, but sharing one bathroom between six people is even harder. So the family was excited to prioritize the cabana bathroom as their next project, giving them another space to use. The wood details were made with leftover material from the girls’ bedrooms, and Sarah traded in her traditional whites and creams for a more dramatic and striking space.

With the plans finally approved, the Baeumlers can get going on the next addition to the house: The boys’ rooms and the second storey. Here, the family is scoping out the space and figuring out where things will go. It all looks promising, but if we’ve learned anything in the first half of this season, it’s that the final product may still be months away.

Bryan and Sarah were excited to put the finishing touches on Jojo and Charlotte’s rooms and their shared bathroom. At this point, the entire family has taken over the hangar and RV, so creating liveable space for at least some of the family was top priority. Of course, there were a few signature Sarah changes for Bryan to contend with, but in the end those changes were definitely worth it.

The eldest Baeumler daughter was in love with her new bedroom, despite giving her mom a hard time about it earlier on in the season. The rose bedframe and headboard are great anchors in the space against the other neutral pieces and trim work, adding understated personality.

In the youngest Baeumler daughter’s space, Sarah incorporated lots of calming blues as per Jojo’s request. The wallpaper ceiling is another fun finish that adds colour and interest, but the bed and furniture are more of those calming, signature Sarah neutrals.

Elsewhere in the episode, Quintyn’s aquarium arrived and it was a lot bigger in person than anyone realized. Sarah in particular was taken aback by how much space the unit takes up, but like Bryan said: once it’s installed and filled, everyone is going to love it.

Just when Bryan and Sarah are finally settling in Florida, they’re already talking about uprooting their lives. In the midseason finale, they discussed taking on a ranch retreat in Utah as their next project. Meanwhile, a serious investor approached them with an offer for the Caerula Mar, giving these two a lot to discuss.

With the new flooring in and fresh paint and features throughout, Bryan’s hangar is looking bigger than ever. There’s more than enough room for his plane, golf cart and even the RV, not to mention all of his tools and other man cave-inspired items. It’s hard to believe this is the same space we first saw all those weeks ago.

It appears as though this new, enlarged hangar door was worth every penny. Not only is it a lot safer, but now Bryan can easily come and go with any of his machines. Considering all of the Baeumlers things were stored in the hangar for weeks without a door, we have a feeling the entire family was happy to see this finishing touch.

Is this tool corner every DIY home improvement specialist’s dream space? Quite possibly. We love how much room Bryan has to work, but we especially love how organized and tidy everything is. Add in that bright window for natural sunlight and we can see Bryan spending a lot of time here.

You can’t expect Bryan to put together a Bird’s Nest hangout space for himself without a few personal adornments, can you? While most of the items in this design are meant to be clutter-free and purposeful, there are a few decorative items—like these clocks—to really make it Bryan’s space.

While the majority of this hangar has clearly been designed as an area for Bryan to do his own thing, he knows the family will be coming and going with all of their sports and other activities. So he added this sporty nook, which is just as organized and tidy as the rest of the space.

Now that Sarah’s office is done, she and Bryan regrouped this week at the Florida house. With half the house still stalled, they focused on the other half, namely the girls’ rooms. With everything else going on they also decided to find another rental, because there’s no way this house will be done anytime soon and their current rental agreement was coming to a close.

It’s no secret all of these renos have been tough on the kids, too. So Jojo was especially excited to see some of the progress happening in her new bedroom. As Sarah said in the episode, it makes sense the kids are pumped for their own spaces: This family has spent the past few years all huddled together in close quarters, after all.

To look on the bright side, half of the Florida house has been renovated enough that it’s time to start looking at some of the smaller details—like which way the shower tiles should sit. Bryan and Sarah took lots of time to ensure they were in agreement here and in all of the other rooms ready for finishes, because at this point no one wants to redo anything due to a miscommunication.

In between all of the finishes and updates, Bryan and Sarah also hosted Bryan’s parents for a little visit. After checking out the progress on the new house, the fam headed over to see how far Jojo has come in her equestrian training, making these grandparents super proud.

After years of talking about getting his license, Bryan finally took the flying test and became 100 per cent certified. Here, he’s showing his plane off to his dad, who also used to fly. Now the sky really is the limit, since Bryan can easily trek back and forth between his new pad and the Caerula Mar, hopefully making one thing a little easier for this family unit.

Brian and Sarah needed to get at least one reno job off their plates this week, what with the resort reopening and the Florida house still under full construction. So they doubled down on Sarah’s new office space so she could get back up and running from a business point of view. Here, the pair are discussing some of the final touches, including what kind of material to cover this rough-looking pillar with.

Sarah may have added to the overall stress by purchasing an office space in need of some major renos, but in the end it seems to have been worth it. Here’s the new entrance complete with a statement table that Sarah and Brian sourced at an antique shop. A few modern pieces, like the vase and the poof help tie it all together, welcoming visitors to the new and improved creative space.

The boss needs to have an impressive but functional desk, especially one where she can allow her creativity to flow. Here, in the new main office space you can see all those traditional clean lines and white accents Sarah loves. The result is a bright and airy space that pretty much anyone would feel inspired to work out of.

All great creative offices need a breakout room, and Sarah’s new office is no exception. Here, she can meet clients privately or escape when she needs to have a few minutes alone with her thoughts to dream up her next big project. It’s a modern but comfortable space thanks to the pillows and light colours, but it’s also an area you could totally picture getting some work done in.

Sarah promised Bryan she’d keep this office as simple as possible, and she wasn’t exaggerating—at least not when it came to the furniture. Those who have been watching the Baeumlers over the years may recognize a few pieces from Sarah’s new waiting room: She used lots of the furniture from their old house in Canada that had just been sitting in storage to polish off her space. Now that’s what we call purposeful design.

The renovations on the Florida property were well underway, but there were still a few details to iron out. Here, Bryan and Sarah are discussing another new vision for the backyard—one that involves clean sightlines and a fireplace. The plans will cost a lot more than the couple originally budgeted for, but given the draw of having a beautiful outdoor space in Florida, the cost may be worth it when they eventually choose to sell the home.

In the hanger, Bryan continued pushing forward on his Bird’s Nest dreams in between all of the other projects the family has on the go. With the resort reopening in a few weeks, Sarah’s new office to renovate, and time running out on the rental property they’re living in until the new temporary Florida house is ready, you can understand why Bryan took a few days away to himself in the new RV.

Bryan returned refreshed following his few days away, but he still had to break it to Sarah that he’d bought a bigger RV than he originally let on. So here he is working overtime at her office, trying to get the floors together before she returned from overseeing the final details surrounding Caerula Mar’s grand reopening. Naturally, he was hoping when she saw all of the progress on her office it would help to soften that blow.

The couple that drywalls together, stays together. Or so goes the Baeumler’s new theory now that they’re barely seeing each other with everything going on. So, in order to spend some quality time together, they decided to make drywalling night date night. Sure, dinner would be easier, but when has this couple ever done anything the easy way?

With so much work to focus on, this family definitely needed to carve out a little bit of time for some fun bonding. So they headed to a local farm where they got intimate with reptiles and alligators. Sarah wasn’t a fan of the snakes, but everyone certainly had fun feeding veggies to the turtles and watching the alligators snack on chunks of raw chicken.

Sure, there’s tons to do at the Florida home, but with Caerula Mar officially in the off-season closure, the Baeumlers also had lots to do at the resort in order to keep it running efficiently. Here, Bryan is attempting to repair the entrance sign, which cracked weeks earlier during a car accident. Luckily, the sign was the only thing that was seriously damaged.

When you’re running a resort, the to-do list never seems to end. In addition to fixing the sign, Bryan also got going on repairing one of the decks. After all, when the resort is closed for business you want to make sure you spend that time updating and fixing all those little extras that are going to bring in income once the place is back open for business.

Meanwhile, back at their new temporary rental home in Florida, Sarah and the kids tried to get back on a schedule with school, work and after-school activities. It’s the first time in three years this family actually gets to stay in one place, and finally figuring out their routine seems to have been great for the kids.

That doesn’t mean Sarah is quite ready to settle into a routine just yet. While Bryan was working in the Bahamas, she jumped on an office space. To say this area is an ambitious project is an understatement, and Bryan certainly wasn’t a fan of being given extra work to do on weeknights and weekends—not when he has big goals of spending more time with the kids. At the end of the day this couple needs a real place to work though, not to mention an area to store all of that furniture coming in from Canada.

As for Bryan and Sarah’s new Florida house? Well, let’s just say things didn’t exactly go smoothly there this week either. The couple learned their plumbing issues were more extensive than they first realized, which definitely led to some new levels of stress. Luckily at this point, the Baeumlers are used to these renovation curveballs and were able to roll with it. For now all is well, but we’ll see what next week’s episode brings.

In the back deck, Bryan and Sarah decided they were done with the lanai altogether, and so they took the entire structure down. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a tougher job than Bryan anticipated, and he couldn’t do it all by hand. In the end, although there were a few intense moments featuring a machine nearly plunging into the pool, he managed to get it down at least.

Here, Bryan and Sarah are making some plans on the fly, as they discuss what to do with the large unit behind them and debate how big of a bar they actually want in this space. It was just one of several big conversations in the second episode, as the pair discovered they were renovating just over 50 per cent of their property. That number put them in a whole new permit zone—one in which they would have to bring the entire house up to code. In the end, they realized they needed to cut back somewhere else in order to bring it back under 50 per cent.

Outside the garage, where the couple was planning on storing a lot of their materials during the renovation, Bryan discovered the pre-existing door wasn’t tall enough to get the machines in. So he came up with another plan: Cut a door through the side of the structure. Not only was it practical for the moment, but down the line Bryan plans on potentially parking an RV in there too. (Sarah’s still undecided on that one)

Bryan left the Dog House back in Canada. Now, here in Florida, he’s hoping to create the Bird’s Nest inside his new hanger space. In this photo, he and Sara are discussing those plans and more, but mostly debating which project currently has a bigger budget: The hanger or the landscaping. Right now, our money is on the hanger.

This project may be large enough to eventually house the family of six, but for now, things are getting tight. Bryan fought it for as long as he could, but eventually even he realized that living in close quarters again was just not a viable option for his family as they continued to work and attend school. So, the Baeumlers wound up renting a property two streets over, and now the renovations can continue in full.

Welcome to the latest Baeumler residence, where Bryan and Sarah are hoping to create a sense of normalcy for their kids. After spending the past year on an island, the whole family seems ready to return to a routine. However, there’s a lot of work to do in order for them to be able to properly settle in before school starts.

In with the new and out with the old. That was the adage Bryan and Sarah were embracing as they packed up their Ontario home in the premiere. Here, they take a trip down memory lane with some of their kids’ old mementos — including this random library card.

Want an idea of what Bryan and Sarah are working with in Florida? Well, welcome to the living room — a sunken mess of a design with essentially no furniture. There’s potential, sure. But this space also seems to be a bit of a tripping hazard, especially with kids running around.

There’s a lot of potential in the kitchen, which is large and features great natural light. However the cupboards are dark and outdated, and that range top on the island definitely needs to go. Add in a wonky chandelier and a ton of wasted space and we have no doubt this will be one of the biggest projects for the fam this season.

Here’s the dining room. It feels rather cold, impersonal and more like an extension of a foyer than a warm, welcoming space to break bread in. We’re also super confused about the pot light situation above. Plus, those windows could be adding a lot more to the space than they currently are.

On to the primary bedroom, which has absolutely been pulled back to basics. While it’s fantastic the couple has a space to sleep in, it’s clear they’re also still living out of suitcases. Getting situated and set up seems like a major priority — there’s nothing you can’t tackle after a full night’s rest, right?

We know Sarah has big plans for this primary ensuite, which is large and spacious… but of a different era. We can definitely picture a standalone soaker replacing this current walk-up bath and a double vanity taking over for that elongated counter. As for the teal wall? We’re calling it now: That’ll be one of the first things to go.

This garage is downright depressing in its current state. But Bryan and Sarah have big plans to transform it into the laundry room/mudroom of their dreams. You can kind of picture it — if you just pretend that toilet isn’t awkwardly sitting next to the laundry sink.

The good news is the Baeumler’s latest abode comes with a pool. The bad news is the pool deck was encased in this weird screen that seems to be popular in the neighbourhood. The couple questioned if it was for bugs, but since it was the middle of summer and they hadn’t been eaten alive yet, they decided to take their chances and rip all the netting down (for now).

Oh, and did we mention the home has its very own hangar? It also happens to lead right to a small airport runway, which is key for Bryan and Sarah considering how often they’ll be jet-setting to the Bahamas to check in on their resort. While there are big plans in store for this space, Bryan is also ready to take flight — literally. He’s been working on his aviator’s license, and it’s only a matter of time before he’s the one chartering those flights!