Local sibling renovation team on making the most of a rustic, rural lifestyle ahead of season 2 of ‘Farmhouse Facelift’

Carolyn Wilbrink and Billy Pearson grew up on their family farm in Waterdown and know how to make the most of a rustic, rural lifestyle. Now, they’re using their construction and design expertise to restore homes on the season 2 launch of ‘Farmhouse Facelift’ tonight on HGTV.

“I feel like the renovations are even better than last season,” said Pearson. “The reveals are going to blow you away.”

Wilbrink says each home they worked on for season 2 is extremely unique and the family stories are just as interesting and unique as well.

Many of the homes the sibling team work on are old. One home in season 2 is around 150-years-old. Wilbrink and Pearson say the age of the homes means there are a lot of unexpected obstacles they have to face.

“If you buy one yourself, there’s always a worry,” said Pearson. “[You never know] how many families have lived in a house, how many people have put their own renovation into a house.”

Wilbrink says their main concern when renovating a home is asbestos. She says it was used in a lot of old homes in insulation and sometimes in the plaster itself.

“Asbestos was a great product, as long as you don’t disturb it,” said Pearson.

Wilbrink says a new style that is coming back into the mainstream is “Grand Millenial.” This is a style in which millennials (people in their late 20s and 30s) decorate their homes with furniture and accessories that used to be considered outdated.

“It’s living comfortably and it’s a curated look of brining in antique items, brining in items that mean something to you,” said Wilbrink. “Lots of wallpaper, lots of texture and lots of depth and you’re going to see a lot of that this year.”

Season two of Farmhouse Facelift premiers tonight on HGTV.