Over Your Head is the series for everyone who has ever attempted a home improvement makeover only to find themselves, well, a little over their heads.
Even seemingly simple home improvement projects can go oh, so wrong. On each episode, host Eric Stromer and his team of professionals bail out do-it-yourselfers, taking them on a wild ride from what went wrong, to what it takes to make it right.
Episode 1 / TORPEY – “FAMILY ROOM FLOP”
Host: Eric Stromer
Carpenter: Bernie Meisinger
Police officer Frank Torpey wanted to turn a back patio room into a family room, so the married father of two got to work replacing the windows. So far so good. However his next project–constructing a built-in bookshelf– was a disaster; so much so that his wife Carissa had to hide the evidence behind a wall throw. Frank finally stalled out on his next project–installing hardwood floors–because he couldn’t figure out how to remove a large planter box that takes up a good portion of the room. The stone planter, which contains the sprinkler and pool main, was inexplicably left inside when the room was built. Eric Stromer and carpenter Bernie Meisinger arrive on the scene, cite officer Frank for his various infractions, and start him down the straight-and-narrow road of do-it-yourself recovery.
Episode 2 / SCHNEIDER – “UNFINISHED MASTERPIECE BATHROOM”
Host: Eric Stromer
Carpenter: Josh Hammond
It only took Michelangelo three years to paint the Sistine Chapel…but it’s taken Robin Schneider more than seven years to redo her bathroom. Robin is an artist who wanted to turn her bathroom into a showplace. Inspired by some of the world’s greatest artists, Robin set out to create a Monet-style “lily pond” on the tile floor, as well as to replicate Van Gogh’s most painting famous painting (Starry Starry Night) in the shower stall. But alas, Robin’s artistic vision was hobbled by her lack of home improvement skills. Her masterpiece languished cruelly for seven years, until Eric Stromer and carpenter Josh Hammond arrive and teach Robin that it takes more than inspiration–it takes perspiration–to pull off such a grand remodel.
Episode 3 / KRYAH – “TURTLE POND”
Host: Eric Stromer
Carpenter: Josh Hammond
Michael and Wendy Kryah have a normal suburban backyard… except for the giant hole in the middle of it. It all started when Michael attempted to build a pond and waterfall for his pet turtles Egbert and Chachi. Unfortunately, Michael’s proficiency with tools extended only to the shovel…and other than digging that big, dusty (and dangerous) pit, nothing else has been done for two years. The pond liner is sitting in the Kryah’s living room, the pump is collecting dust in the garage and the turtles sit in a tank on the porch. Eric Stromer and carpenter Josh Hammond arrive and help Michael finally give Egbert and Chachi a fantastic new home.
Episode 4 / D’PELLA – “NOT-SO-ENCHANTED GARDEN”
Host: Eric Stromer
Carpenter: Bernie Meisinger
Pamella D’Pella wanted to build a garden path in the woods behind her house.
A free spirit, Pamella envisioned creating a whimsical, “Wizard of Oz”-style yellow brick road that winds through the property. Well, as Dorothy would say, there’s no place like home, and at this point, Pamella’s home looks nothing like Oz. Her various attempts at building the path proved disastrous. The wood edging she laid is falling apart, the pebbled stones she purchased weren’t right for the job (they were roofing stones) and the wild plants keep growing back. Eric and carpenter Bernie Meisinger set Pamella on the straight and narrow and help her build the enchanted garden path of her dreams.
Episode 5 / SMITH – “BEDROOM BLUES”
Host: Eric Stromer
Carpenter: Josh Hammond
Milton Smith lives in a 1920’s era building…so needless to say, his apartment needed work. But when Milton attempted to remodel his bedroom by himself, it turned out to be a disaster. Since he didn’t like the baby-blue paint covering the walls, Milton tried hacking it off with a scraper. However, he wasn’t prepared for the decades worth of old wallpaper he discovered beneath–and, in his zeal to remove it, ended up gouging his walls. Eric and carpenter Josh Hammond show Milton how to safely (and quickly) remove the old wall covering, mend the holes he created, and enhance the old-fashioned look of the room by installing wainscoting and crown molding, eventually turning his bedroom into a classic retreat.
Episode 6 / JIMENEZ – “DRAINAGE ISSUES”
Host: Eric Stromer
Carpenter: Josh Hammond
Dario and Blanca Jimenez have a problem. Every time it rains, a tidal wave of water washes down from the nearby mountains, across their sloping backyard, and floods their bedroom. To fix the problem, Dario and his father-in-law decided to build a small patio and pergola outside the bedroom, hoping that the angled the paving stones they laid would direct the run-off away from the house. Unfortunately, the next big rainstorm revealed the flaw in the plan–namely, that it didn’t work! Eric and carpenter Josh Hammond show Dario how to fix the problem once and for all by grading (and landscaping) the yard, as well as by building a working drainage system.
Episode 7 / ERLAND – “BATHROOM: THE 7-YEAR FIX”
Host: Eric Stromer
Carpenter: Bernie Meisinger
Single mom and flight coordinator Jana Erland has been stuck in a holding pattern with her bathroom makeover for seven years. It all started when Jana had the aluminum pipes in her house replaced with copper ones. Since the workman had to cut holes in the bathroom walls to do their work, Jana thought the time was right for a remodel. She demoed the outdated pink tiles in the shower stall and removed the old vanity. She even bought a new vanity–which still sits in its box (where it has remained for the past seven years). Eric and carpenter Bernie Meisinger help Jana jumpstart her oft-delayed project, showing her how to rebuild–and tile–the shower stall, assemble–and install–the new vanity, and allow her overdue bathroom remodeling project to finally take flight.
Episode 8 / ELI – “ILLEGAL BACKYARD WORKMANSHIP”
Host: Eric Stromer
Carpenter: Bernie Meisinger
Lawyer Dan Eli has stalled out on three different do-it-yourself projects in his backyard…and his wife is at wits end. It all started when Dan arranged to have a new concrete slab poured for a patio. He carefully took apart the wooden stairs that led from his living room to the backyard. Dan even numbered the pieces to make sure he knew how to put them back together. However, after the slab was poured, Dan discovered that the old steps wouldn’t work because the support pieces were no longer level to the ground. Not knowing how to fix the problem, Dan stopped and moved onto his next project, which was assembling a second-hand swingset/playhouse that he’d bought on the Internet for his son. Sure enough, when Dan tried putting it together, he became discouraged because the pieces didn’t fit, and, once again, he stopped. Of course, the first two failed projects left Dan with little appetite for tackling his most pressing need…building a working sprinkler system and re-sodding the yard. Eric and carpenter Bernie Meisinger arrive and help turn Dan’s depressing dust bowl of a backyard into a family friendly space where his son can play, he and his wife can barbecue, and, perhaps most importantly, the entire family can access from their living room.
Episode 9 / HANSON – “FLOORED BY A BEDROOM”
Host: Eric Stromer
Carpenter: Josh Hammond
Two years ago, Michael Hanson decided to remodel his bedroom as a Valentine’s present for his wife…and he’s still not finished–although it’s not for lack of trying! Since the old carpet was water-damaged, Michael ripped it out and began laying down laminate wood flooring. While he worked, he noticed that the concrete slab below was uneven, but without knowing how to fix it, he just plowed on. Unfortunately, the finished wooden floor bounced when anyone walked on it, which quickly became an annoyance. Since then, in his many attempts at fixing the problem, Michael has ripped out (and replaced) the floor no less than five times–which has to be some sort of record–and it’s still not right! Eric and carpenter Josh Hammond show Michael the secrets of self-leveling concrete and help him finally solve the pesky water leakage problem, which allow him to finally finish that long-overdue Valentines Day present for his wife.
Episode 10 / WILLIAMSON – “PERGOLA PURGATORY”
Host: Eric Stromer
Carpenter: Bernie Meisinger
Rick Williamson decided to demo the rotting, ivy-covered pergola in his side yard and replace it with a new one. He also wanted to build a nice new patio for his wife. A year and a half later, the pergola still remains–at least partially–because one of the pergola’s posts contained electrical wiring, and Rick didn’t know how to deal with electricity. Rick’s patio-laying skills are no better. Sure, he bought five bags of concrete to pour a new slab…but he left the bags out in the rain and they turned to stone. Eric and carpenter Bernie Meisinger help Rick right his many wrongs and build the lovely new patio his wife was dreaming about.
Episode 11 / BLACK – “WE FLUNKED BATHROOM 101″
Host: Eric Stromer
Carpenter: Josh Hammond
English teacher Jason Black and his wife Sorana didn’t make the grade when they attempted to remodel their bathroom by themselves. Although they were able to replace the tub and toilet OK, the removal of the old vanity left large jagged holes in the drywall. But that’s nothing compared to the job they did retiling the shower stall; it was simply atrocious! First off, Jason and Sorana didn’t realize how to properly cut tiles…so they left obnoxious holes around the fixtures…and they also didn’t realize that you have to wipe off that excess grout right away…so now their new tiles are covered with an ugly white film that looks like mayonnaise but acts like cement. Eric and carpenter Josh Hammond arrive to give the Blacks intensive home schooling in the art–and science–of bathroom remodels.
Episode 12 / CRUM – “THE DOG ATE MY FRONT YARD!”
Host: Eric Stromer
Carpenter: Josh Hammond
Matt Crum isn’t really to blame for his the fact that his front yard is a barren wilderness. After all, it was his one year old Cocker Spaniel Gordon who chewed up the drip irrigation system Matt installed, dug up the plants Matt planted and used the new flower beds as bed cushions–with predictable results. Eric and carpenter Josh Hammond show Matt how to build a subterranean irrigation system, re-landscape the yard–and also teach Gordon some manners!
Episode 13 / OJEDA – “TREE HOUSE TROUBLE”
Host: Eric Stromer
Carpenter: Nancy Rodriguez
Hugo Ojeda tried to build his son Sebastian a military-themed tree house, but the results would’ve gotten him drummed out of the corps. Eric and carpenter Nancy Rodriguez enroll Hugo in an intensive, tree-house building boot camp, so that seven-year-old Sebastian can have the high-rise fort he’s been dreaming about.
