Mega Dens - Episode Guide

Designer Anitra Mecadon knocks down the walls and gives the Pearce family a killer place to chill.

Designer Anitra Mecadon pulls out all the stops to give the Luckie family a sporty basement mega den with a tricked-out wine cellar, billiard room and home theater.

Designer Anitra Mecadon works her magic to convert a detached shed into a macked-out mega den.

Designer Anitra Mecadon and the Brothers Scialabba build a killer indoor tree house.

Designer Anitra Mecadon and her team transform unusable attic space into the ultimate mega den, complete with a "space station" for the kids.

Designer Anitra Mecadon and brothers Mike and Joey Scialabba score big when they turn the Crawford's barren basement into a tricked-out, high-tech Mega Den for a family of jocks.

Paul and Darcey have a beautiful two-year-old girl, a baby on the way, two dogs and an attic in desperate need of help! The attic has been a dump site for extra clothes and spare furniture for years, and now this family is in desperate need of more living space. That's where Anitra and the Scialabba brothers come in. They design a foolproof plan to make the attic a family-friendly, dog-friendly, indestructible space for the whole family. Anitra will replace the clutter with 20 feet of custom storage, new porcelain tile, an updated entertainment center, a vintage fireplace and a home theater with a 3-D television.

Liz and Greg have a beautiful home and beautiful daughter, but Greg's taxidermy display has his family on edge. So Anitra and the Scialabba brothers make a plan to hide Greg's hobby and create a family space with a home theater, custom metal bar, new floors, new ceiling tiles and cool built-in storage.

John, a single dad of three, is engaged to Grace, so it's time to make his grand-yet-cluttered hall of shame into a functional hall of fame. Anitra and the Scialabbas rip away the outdated wallpaper, lose the drab '70s wood shelving and molding and bring big color to this high-ceilinged cavern. The team creates hidden workspace, a cool bar and a custom entertainment center, while John and Grace install sleek hardwood floors and hang ultra- modern wallpaper.

With baby number two on the way, it's time to turn Scott's bachelor pad into a wonderland of form and function. Anitra and the boys tear down an outdated wine room to create a hot cocktail bar, make a "command central" home office and build this couple's daughter her own "mini" Mega Den. The team makes a big splash when they surprise former marine biologist Scott with a huge dual-sided see-through aquarium, built into his office wall.

Natali and Chris Gill loved their new ranch house at first. But after they furnished their long, skinny living room, and added a few hundred toy trucks, there was barely room to walk! Can they entertain, hide massive amounts of kid stuff and have a yoga retreat for mom in the same space? Designer Anitra Mecadon is blowing out the jams - and the walls - and creating a multi-purpose MEGA-tation station with high-tech multi-media, hardwood floors, hidden storage, bamboo planters, an indoor fountain and shoji screens to hide the mom cave!

Alison and Bruce's sons have recently moved out, but their two adopted daughters don't have plans to flee the nest any time soon. Alison's only worry is that their rec room is a wreck that hasn't been updated in decades. Anitra and the Scialabbas tear out an old bar, replace parquet flooring, cover hideous wood paneling and trick this Mega Den out with more electronic goodies and custom furniture than this family could imagine.

Derek Davis was all man until he married Kaci and had two little girls, Grey and Emory. And now Anitra and the Scialabbas are ready to update this family's bland cookie-cutter home in the 'burbs by adding some color and edge to reflect the couple's youthful spirit. The crew will open up the Mega Den to the kitchen so Derek and Kaci can track the rugrats, and the team will also create a mini-Mega Den that is all testosterone and install a truly unique cement countertop that ties this new look together. Anitra is also bringing in hidden storage, a cool wine rack and wine chiller, a custom entertainment center, unique wall art and personalized skateboard lights.

Bill and Leslie's life was rocked three times over when the stork brought them triplets! Now outnumbered by toddlers, the couple has found that their home's boxy layout is less than ideal. There's a cramped living room, a claustrophobic family room and a cluttered sunroom, all littered with toys. Anitra and the Mega Dens crew will create a wide-open family-friendly space with a cozy entertainment center, built-in storage for toys and kid-proof touches wherever possible, like a rubber bounce floor and a play fort that looks like a high-end piece of furniture.

DIY Network's 2011 Blog Cabin has everything... except a mega den! Anitra and the Mega Dens crew invade the Chesapeake Bay and team up with licensed contractor Matt Blashaw to whip up a two-room family-fun hangout spot for the lucky winner of the vacation getaway home. They'll use elements chosen by America in an online vote, and bring their own unique style to the mix with a salvaged tin ceiling, a custom copper-top bar, a nautical-themed entertainment center and a game table made from repurposed lumber that was original to the home.

Constantin and Christina have a supersized basement family room, but no ideas on how to use the space. Anitra and the Mega Dens team will give the couple their own personal entertainment zone. Highlights include a giant TV for private movie screenings, platform seating around a coffee table repurposed from antique doors, a bar/armoire hybrid that acts as a concession stand for grown-up refreshments, a beautiful accent wall made of strips of scrap lumber, a mini stage that recalls Christina's singer/songwriter past, and custom storage that gives Constantin a place to display souvenirs from his career in pro football.

Bill and Leslie's family room is divided into two large spaces that have become overrun by their children's toys. Anitra and the Mega Dens crew will give the parents an elegant entertainment space with a custom bamboo bar, a media center, bamboo flooring and a 3-D tile job on the neglected fireplace. The kids will get an entire corner devoted to art, built-in toy storage, a rag rug wall panel and hanging chairs. Salvaged lumber will be used to build massive barn-style doors that can separate the spaces or allow for easy traffic flow between the rooms.

Movie buffs Jimmy and Lisa met at the drive-in and went so far as to build one in their backyard. But the makeshift screen is falling apart, and friends who come over to catch a show are forced to bring their own chairs. Anitra and Co. will give them the drive-in of their dreams with a massive new screen, a paver patio, and multiple entertainment areas all strategically placed within eyesight of the big screen. They'll add clever touches like a see-through deck railing system and living coffee tables with sod tops. Best of all, they'll build custom-cool seating out of the backseats of some actual classic cars!

The family room at David and Rebecca's house has become the end of the line for their kids' toys, leaving them no space to relax. Anitra and the Mega Dens crew will take it outside, transforming an underused screen porch into a stylish room they can use year-round, with new windows and doors, heating and air and a total redo of the exterior landscape. For the organizational-obsessed parents, they'll design plenty of built-in storage. For the train-obsessed little one, they'll design a choo-choo playhouse. And they'll give the room some long-overdue style by exposing the gorgeous brick at the fireplace.

Mark and Jennifer thought they'd love their home's quirky loft, but five years later, it's a no-man's land of dress-up clothes and kids' art supplies. Anitra and the Mega Dens crew will create clever storage solutions with a rollaway wardrobe concealed behind a knee wall and a custom art station that houses flip-up easels, a TV monitor and a work desk. The kids' original artwork will adorn the walls in distressed frames, along with mirrors that have been aged with paint stripper and acid treatments. A zebrawood entertainment center and a "stained glass" divider wall lend the mega den some adult class, while lighting fixtures made from plumbing pipe fittings give it an industrial vibe.

Anitra and her team are rocking out a multi-room Mega Den for a musically-inclined family of six. They'll get a cushy home theater for starters with seating for everyone and slick hidden storage. A dark and unused kitchenette will be transformed into a cool coffee bar where the teens can hang out with friends, with easy and chic tile and custom furniture made from old wine barrels and old railroad parts. And a third space will be made over into a music room with acoustic-friendly wall paneling, recording gear, and musically-themed furniture.

Wyatt and Jen love company, but hate the view those guests get at the front door: a wide shot of their monster TV dominating the too-tiny room and a clear view down the hallway into the bathroom at the end. Anitra and the Mega Dens crew will blast through the living room wall into the dining room to create one super-sized family space, and wall off the hallway to become much-needed closet space. They'll fill the new room with custom furniture, hidden storage, a workdesk for the couple's young daughters, a refinished version of the family's dining room table, a crazy bar made from vintage suitcases, and a few pieces that the homeowners will do themselves!

The Mega Dens crew does double duty, turning an unused rec room into a multi-function space that lets the adults entertain friends and enjoy romantic alone time, while giving their two young daughters a funky place of their own for homework, games, and art projects. Anitra uses faux-animal fabric to trick out a drop ceiling, and a no-mess tile kit to build a cool corner bar in a matter of minutes. Add custom storage solutions, clever designer details, and a boatload of high-tech toys, and this will go from a room that nobody uses to one that nobody will want to leave.

A couple with three young children hopes to make their unfinished basement a usable part of the their home, but are out of ideas. Anitra and the gang whip up a plan for a family-friendly media center complete with built-in bunk beds for the little ones, along with a dedicated and stylish laundry room for this busy mom. Sparks fly when one homeowner reveals that she hates surprises and is afraid of color, two elements that are crucial to every Mega Den. The crew brings in vibrant color in the form of a custom-created piece of artwork that reflects the family's unique personality, and cutting-edge materials like vinyl flooring, actual river birch trees, and sheet metal that gets welded and rapid-rusted to become wall cladding. The homeowners remain skeptical right up to the bitter end of this tense project.

Anitra and the team gets fancy by tricking out a boring bonus room ceiling with an elaborate coffered effect and turning an unused junk closet into a custom walk-in wine cellar using basic PVC pipe. A fireplace with no spark gets a vertical tile facelift to create the sensation of height, and a new wall of woodworking will hide a monster TV and storage space behind sliding doors. There's something for everyone here, in what promises to be one of the most dramatic Mega Dens transformations ever.

The Mega Dens team ups the cool factor in one family's rec room by building a swanky light-up hotel-style bar for grown-up get-togethers. The kids get their own room that features hidden wall compartments, their own electronics, and a custom-crafted game table made from repurposed antique barn wood. Anitra shows off a smoking hot technique for artificially aging wood with a blowtorch, and recruits her sister to help get the job done on time.

A three-generation extended family helps renovate their shared living room to include a grown-up wine bar, a fireplace with porcelain tiles that use hi-definition computer imagery to mimic natural stone, and kid-friendly storage cleverly hidden inside a train boxcar. After a stinky sump pump issue is resolved, single mom Barbara puts her DIY skills to the test and also conquers her fear of color with a refinished coffee table drenched in hot pink. The Mega Dens crew reuses, recycles, and repurposes by rocking out a custom entertainment center built from secondhand nightstands and turning a collection of antique doors into a one-of-a-kind wine bar. The end result is a gorgeous and fun multi-purpose space with something for every member of the family.

With their third child on the way, Reid and Adrienne are quickly outgrowing their cramped older home, where the dining room and living room are swapped. Anitra and her team set things straight by providing good flow from room to room and dramatically modernizing the place. The living room gets a recessed TV that's hidden behind a mirror when it's turned off, an electric fireplace that changes colors with LED lighting, and a "built-in" camouflage for the unsightly laundry room door. A hand-crafted table made from rare olivewood and an antique feed trough becomes the dining room centerpiece, along with hidden storage and a kegerator for Dad. All of that, plus big-time upgrades in the kitchen make this a Mega Den that will keep on growing right along with this growing family.

Globetrotting dads Doug and John have welcomed their baby daughter Avery and need a family-friendly place to call home. Anitra and the crew set their sights on the cluttered rec room, with plans to transform it into the interior of a jumbo jet. Things get off to a rocky start when the team discovers dangerous black mold lurking behind the walls, and everyone has to clear out until it's safely removed. Back on the job and way behind schedule, the Mega Dens crew creates a tricked-out theater built to look like the fuselage of an airliner. An outdated kitchenette gets updated to feel like a swanky five-star hotel bar in some faraway destination city, and a new game room with a photo wall mural and a one-of-a-kind pool table gives this hip family an awesome place to play during their next layover.

Three-time Olympic medalist Summer Sanders and her husband, World Cup and Olympic skier Erik Schlopy, need a comfy place to crash at the end of the day with their active kids, Skye and Spider. The Mega Dens team goes for the gold by unrocking a rustic fireplace in favor of sleek limestone tile and replacing too-small windows with bold French doors that maximize the mountain view outside their home. Erik gets the chance to show off his considerable DIY experience, but it's a whole new sport for Summer, who jumps in headfirst and makes a splash with everything from a rotary hammer to a compound miter saw. Together, they help build their own custom entertainment center, while the kids do a surprise painting for mom and dad. Anitra and her crew rehab vintage oil cans and washtubs into cabin-chic lighting fixtures, piece together a folk-art American flag out of old barn wood and even repair Summer's broken gold medal from the 1992 Olympics.

Mega Dens invades a 1920s bungalow to give one family some room to sprawl out. Blowing through an entry hallway to make it part of the expanded living room is a start but there's a mess to deal with, including old crumbling plaster, an unsafe dual-sided fireplace and animal skeletons in the walls. Anitra and the guys shore up the structural issues and trick the place out with custom furniture, like an antique sofa reupholstered with colorful saris, a hutch painted bright blue and cut in half to become two units, a hand-waxed desktop and wall shelving made from live-edge planks of tree with the bark still intact. Sleek tile graces the fireplaces, repurposed mantles go up, and one-of-a-kind artwork is placed on top to finish this Mega Den in style. In addition, Anitra gains a new admirer when she grants the gaming system wish of a love-struck eight-year-old boy.

A multi-cultural family breathes life into their blank-slate rec room with help from Anitra and the Mega Dens team. A narrow doorway separating two unused spaces is blown open to create on large family-friendly zone with two distinct personalities: a swanky media room with seating for grown-up get-togethers and a fun game room with shuffleboard and a kids' play loft with indoor slide. Joey uses super-rare Purple Heart wood to build the most striking entertainment center in Mega Dens history and then tops it off with the largest TV the team has ever used. There's also a heavy rustic-and-recycled vibe, with massive walnut timbers that are turned into a coffee table and a ceiling lamp made with just 300 yards of jute twine and glue. Add a custom wall mural featuring an eight-foot-tall Buddha head and Chinese lettering added by the homeowner and this Mega Den will blow everyone away.

Anitra and the crew turn the Haden family's boxed-in living room and a no-flow family room into one amazing MegaDen! But before Mom, Dad and their twin two-year-olds can start living in style, there's a ton of work to do! Ripping out the carpet and busting out a wall is just the beginning! MegaDens is going floor to ceiling with vintage flavor and custom touches ? giving the fireplace a rustic chic re-do, creating one-of-a-kind built-in cabinets, installing a coffered ceiling, pulling pieces old and new into a custom workstation, building an entertainment center from scratch, and then, of course, moving in a roomful of comfy new furniture and state-of-the-art electronics. The kiddos get to surprise Mom and Dad with some original works of art, custom-made with their four little feet. But in the end, the kiddos are the ones who get the biggest surprise of all ? a giant fire truck playhouse!

A family with three young children looks to spread out into their barely-finished basement, but they have no idea how. Anitra and the boys put them to work on a play loft for the kids and a custom media center that'll make family movie night shine. The grown-up half of the Mega Den comes to life with a swanky bar featuring repurposed nautical hardware, stylish bookcases and storage solutions, and sliding barn doors made from bargain-rack hollow-core doors. On the other side, the kids get a surprise combination arts-and-crafts studio and playroom, decked out in wild paint stripes running around the walls. Anitra works with some local salvage artists to custom-create a couple of killer tables from antique metalwork... and builds her own funky storage unit out of cheap garage shelving. Six-year-old Joey teams up with big Joey for some hands-on carpentry, and four-year-old Macey Jane learns the ancient Japanese art of suminagashi as they leave their own marks on the Mega Den. When it's all said and done, there's something here for everyone... in a family-friendly space no one will want to leave.

Tac and Dana's living room-and-dining-room combo was designed for entertaining, but the cold decor is a party crasher. The Mega Dens crew constructs a massive built in with sliding bookshelf units to elegantly hide a rocking media center and creates more square footage in the dining area by building a banquette seat with clever storage underneath. The couple falls in love all over again with the first piece of furniture they ever bought when Anitra strips it down and repaints it bright teal. A new dining table is built from 300-year-old timbers, and the chairs are given a hot pink coat, much to Tac's dismay. The kids use squirt guns to whip up a work of art, and the team uses flexible rubber molding to dress up a dull ceiling. The end result is a space that's still classy enough to be the living room, but fun and inviting enough to now live up to the name.

A jamming family wants to get the band back together, so Anitra and the team create a rock 'n roll Mega Den complete with a music room. Crews set the floor on fire with a red-hot concrete epoxy treatment that creates a one-of-a-kind effect. Mikey and Joey use exotic hardwoods to lend a touch of class to custom builds like a wooden-slat backdrop for the TV and an industrial-chic wine cellar door. One room of the Mega Den becomes an adults-only backstage cocktail lounge, with a long bar along one wall... that swings out to double in size and reveal hidden seating tucked underneath. The music room gets a daybed cobbled together from junk parts, to be used as a hangout during rehearsal or as an extra bed when visiting band mates need a place to crash. Everything fits the rock 'n roll lifestyle theme, right down to custom art made from melted LP records, making this Mega Den a certified #1 hit with the whole family.

Host and interior designer Anitra Mecadon teams up with fellow DIY Network host Chris Grundy to trick out the top floor of Blog Cabin 2012. Together they turn the newly-finished attic space into a media center with a custom-built book-and-nap nook, an entertainment center with a decidedly barn vibe and a game table that uses the home's original wooden gutters as a poker chip tray. An old bedroom becomes a home office with a rustic desk built out of old barn siding, magazine racks made from shipping pallets and a desk chair created from an antique tractor seat found on-site. Anitra blends her own Mega Dens style with viewers' choices for everything from wall paint to a one-of-a-kind doghouse that will make one lucky winner the top dog when vacation rolls around.

Anitra gives a family of Halloween fanatics a year-round fright fest with a Mega Den that recreates haunted New Orleans. First, they hide the monster HVAC units in a mausoleum so creepy it belongs on a horror movie set. Next up, a spooktacular bar custom-crafted to resemble an old church confessional, with gothic details galore. It still needs to be a family fun space, but how do you make high-tech toys blend in with a thrills-and-chills theme? Build your own coffin: a clever entertainment center made from plywood, molding, and simple hardware where hidden pull-out storage drawers bury the bling. But Anitra may have finally crossed over to the other side with her altogether spooky idea for a spirit board coffee table. When unexplained things start happening during the build, a medium visits the jobsite and reveals that the home actually has a haunted history that brings the ghosts-in-the-graveyard spirit to life in a whole new way. The result is a Mega Den to die for... one that's more authentic to its theme than any the team has ever built.

Laura and Sean have a huge family room with two columns that keep them from fully using the space. Anitra encases the columns inside a chic wall of wood and metal to give the space a split personality. On one side, a family-friendly hangout with oversized furniture and a huge TV, a custom-built bar, and updated built-ins at the fireplace. On the backside of the wall, the couple's two young children get built-in desks for arts and crafts. A kid-friendly slide gives them quick and fun access to the room, while ingenious storage cubbies are hidden under the stairs to contain the clutter when company comes over. But the O'Briens get busy with helping build their own Mega Den, too: Dad goes psycho with the demolition, Mom fires up her creative spark with a welding lesson, and the little ones get into the swing of things with a high-flying art project that may leave a lasting mark on more than just the canvas over the mantel.

Dad tried to finish the downstairs rec room, but closed up all the space in boring drywall. Anitra and the team blow out the walls and bring in the custom for this active family. By building open boxes and mounting them on hidden brackets, the ugly support posts in the middle of the room become a room divider centerpiece that doubles as display shelves. Even the wood itself makes a statement after getting blowtorched to accentuate the wood grain. A wall full of odd angles is turned into monster storage space, where a new TV hides behind a geometric facade that can be closed off completely for a sleek look. A gorgeous built-from-scratch wine cabinet holds 300+ bottles and is recessed into the wall to take up zero floor space. The couple's two young children get a double-decker playloft, making fun sense of another awkward recess in the walls. Anitra gets funky with an elegant (really!) chandelier made from bicycle parts? rehabs an old dresser into a writing desk with character to spare? and turns a fake-antique table into a true-blue conversation piece in this Mega Den with something special for every member of the family.

With three daughters between 10 and 18, Tom and Penny have outgrown their home's playroom, used now for cramped yoga and family dodge ball games. Anitra and the Mega Dens crew are envisioning something swanky and cool that'll keep them all hanging around in serious style. First, they swap out daycare-center yellow for walls of modern colors and industrial sheet metal. Then a junk closet gets widened and given a coat of concrete in preparation for a rustic wine cellar that stores bottles in monster slabs of cedar stacked up like Lincoln logs. The old playroom? The drop ceiling is dropped entirely to create height, and a curved corner wall is added to break up the boxy feel and provide hidden storage behind. With ultra-cool flooring underfoot and a loft-worthy soffit suspended overhead, the space suddenly blossoms as a new yoga and dance studio. With electronics galore, chic details like a custom welded-steel banister, and jaw-dropping artwork created by the Clements girls, the playroom that's long been outgrown is now a high-end retreat that will grow with the Clements family for years to come.

The Berkleys' rec room is called "the dungeon," a place where outgrown toys go to die and one hangs out. Anitra and the team have a glitzy Vegas showplace in mind, starting with a thirty-five foot wall of elaborate trimwork that eliminates the need to hang ordinary artwork. Homeowners Keisha and Malcolm are DIY rookies, but they learn the ropes quickly as they rock out custom furniture and a sleek in-wall wine cabinet that's all part of their new swingin' bar and lounge. The centerpiece? A twelve-foot-long vinyl entertainment center inspired by a piece of Frank Sinatra's own collection! But this Mega Den also has a room dedicated to the kids, a playspace that can do double duty as a guest bedroom when company calls. Anitra and the boys create a unique piece that looks like a sectional sofa, sleeps like a pair of guest beds... and hides clutter like a massive toybox with hinged lids. But the real showstopper is a Mega-Mesozoic wall clad in a hundred actual toy dinosaurs... spray painted neon orange, just in case the effect wasn't over-the-top enough. The result is a swanky spot for the adults, a happening chill zone for the whole fam, and a fun and funky kids' room that really cleans up at a moment's notice.

Brad and Heather's living room features a confusing maze of doorways that lead to hallways that render the room itself almost useless. Anitra reveals a plan to knock down some worthless walls and close up some awkward doorways to create a space where the couple's three daughters can spread out and play, and where the whole family will want to spend time together. Custom-built furniture is on tap, including an ornate chest of drawers that will be re-imagined as a killer bar for Brad? and an oversized side table that the boys literally cut down to size to become a cool coffee table. With the room's largest wall fully closed off for the first time, monster built-ins are constructed and will become a high-tech entertainment center. They'll have secret storage and a surprise study desk inside, all hidden by mirrored doors antiqued by Anitra and Heather right in the backyard. Even a plain dining room table gets transformed with a custom-cut sheet of cherry plywood that gives the piece the exact right-size top for the space. Sleek new tile cladding and a repurposed mantel breathe new life into the existing fireplace, and the crew shows a clever way to replicate expensive barn door hardware with galvanized plumbing pipe and casters. From the newfound feeling of height and space in the living room to the glitzy toys in the media center to the dual beer taps as the fire-engine red bar, the new living room/dining room is a stylish spot for Brad and Heather's whole family? with 'Mega' written all over it.

Carla took shop class in middle school, but hasn't built a thing since. Now she and husband James will work alongside the Mega Dens crew to give their unused playroom some personality. An entertainment center, a bar, and bookcases with an easy-to-do Bohemian vibe are just a few of the builds this cute couple gets busy on. Their young daughters create an artistic masterpiece with a cool coloring book technique, and Anitra infuses the space with style that includes intricate wall stripes, inexpensive molding ideas, and a game table with real gold in the finish! A unique banister system with Plexiglas and decorative tree branches will give this rec room some much-needed pizzazz right at the entryway... but it's the girls' secret playroom, decked out in plush textures and flowing fabrics, that makes the biggest splash with the whole family when they finally see the end result.

Mike and Lisa have traveled the world, and now they want to make their home their castle... really! Anitra, her team, and the show's most fanatical homeowners to date use a medieval theme to re-imagine the unused family room, outfitting the bland fireplace with a custom cast mantel, installing faux ceiling beams, creating hand-painted tapestries out of $60 drapes, and using stone and trim to give the walls a regal, high-end look. But this royal family also has a princess who needs her own happily ever after, too. So an unfinished storage room is tricked out with plush carpeting and a custom play castle, complete with a nap nook and a tower slide. For the king and queen of the house, a bar tucked beneath the staircase provides liquid libations without eating up an inch of usable floor space. And the family dog makes a cameo appearance as the inspiration for a piece of artwork that shows who really rules the kingdom around here.

The Stocke men have grown used to their bachelor pad lifestyle, and their living room shows it. The Mega Dens team clears out the clutter... and their unused dining room right along with it! A new media center is served up instead, where the whole family can hang out and cozy up with state of the art electronics. In the living room, a dated stone fireplace gets rocked to the ground... and slick, shiny steel makes a heavy metal statement in its place. Big, bad built-ins add much needed storage, bamboo flooring keeps it all mess-free, and a custom bar and wine cabinet anchor the grow-up entertainment zone for Rob and fiance Christy. There are problems along the way, from tile that won't stick to the walls, and built-to-fit cabinets that... well, don't. But Anitra and the gang power through and find solutions, while showcasing easy ideas for DIYing everything from drapes to high-end artwork, all with simple materials and techniques. It all comes together in the end for a rock 'n' rustic Mega Den that's ready for full-family fun.

The Jones Family has a huge rec room- with two TVs! But no one ever uses the place. Michelle calls it 'creepy,' her son Bryce says it's 'no fun,' and Tim doesn't know how to change their minds. But Anitra does! Her plan will turn up the swank factor to 11 in a family-friendly hangout zone that will call to mind a luxe hotel lobby. The floors are tiled in an elegant herringbone pattern, and the weirdly-textured walls get a more modern touch with chocolate-colored architectural finish. Tim and Michelle learn how to wrap long planks in red vinyl to clad two of the walls for a look inspired by retro airline lounges. To that end, a custom bar is created for adult entertainment, and the brick fireplace gets a facelift with sleek tile. But the room's centerpiece is an entertainment center so crazy, it actually came to Anitra in a dream. The crew spends most of the week figuring out how to countersink a live-edge slab of box elder wood into a another slab of wood- like a backward jigsaw puzzle- but the end result is worth all the trouble when these Joneses wind up with a sophisticated and fun Mega Den that will have everyone they know dying to keep up with them.

The Wilsons' ranch home is being taken over toys! As a result, their two main rooms are cramped and cluttered, leaving them with nowhere to go. Anitra and the Mega Dens team blows out the wall between the two spaces to create one sprawling family zone that includes true seating for a crowd, a media center, a computer work area for the grown-ups, and a twenty-five-foot run of built-in storage made to look like simple wall paneling. The end result is a huge family gathering space with something for everyone... a room so perfectly suited to them, it changes their mind about selling the home.

The Gill family is batty for baseball, but their rec room is stuck in the minors. The Mega Dens team envisions a swanky clubhouse with big-league touches like an artsy grid of actual baseballs, a wine rack made from bats, and their favorite team's colors setting the tone. Paul and Turner stain new pine four different colors to simulate mismatched two walls of barn wood, and Lisa the tool rookie is in charge of the install. Brothers Turner and Ethan go head-to-head in a painting competition, but it's Mikey who loses when most of the paint ends up on him. Joey and Anitra demonstrate an inexpensive and quick way to create interest with DIY judge's paneling, and a narrow mudroom becomes the family's new bar. MLB Network analyst and former big leaguer Eric Byrnes takes the family on a tour of Atlanta's Turner Field, and some pieces of the ballpark actually come home with the crew: scrollwork seat ends become the corbels that support the new bar top, and Eric steals one last base as a special souvenir for this MLB makeover that is sure to hit a grand slam with the Gills.

The Doyles' home was once owned by a founding father of The Coca-Cola Company, but the interior of the historically-preserved mansion has barely changed since 1903. Friends are afraid to touch anything, and there's no safe place for kids to run and play. Anitra and the Mega Dens team look up to the unused attic to create a family fun spot that's a diversion from the Victorian-era antiques and stuffy museum feel in the rest of the home. The old paneling comes down to reveal gorgeous original brick, and on one wall, antique doors rescued from the basement are arranged like puzzle pieces to pay tribute to the home's past as a boarding house. Zebrawood laminate introduces a swinging '60s flair to the space, while Anitra breaks one of her own rules by using brass on a custom entertainment center. A new bar gives the adults a cool place to congregate, and state of the art electronics and games will occupy kids of all ages. Anitra adds ritzy chandeliers- spray-painted bright red, of course- for a bold touch of drama overhead, and new oak barrel flooring gives the Doyles a place for family dance parties. The result is a brand-new chapter for this home that already has quite a rich history... but nothing like its first Mega Den.

The 150-year-old beach house in Atlantic, North Carolina has seen a number of additions over the generations, but nothing like its very first Mega Den! Anitra and the crew join forces with DIY Network's Chris Grundy to give the top floor of the 2013 Blog Cabin some Mega Den moxie, including a built-from-scratch sliding barn door to close off the bunkroom in rustic style. The team hand-picks several pieces of furniture original to the home and transforms them into an authentically cool bar with a phenomenal finish. As a top for the handmade entertainment center, Anitra takes a brand new sheet of shiny zinc? and throws it into the ocean for a one-of-a-kind saltwater-distressed effect. As for custom artwork, Grundy mans up as a human target, bravely holding a blank canvas that Anitra, Mikey, and Joey catapult painted projectiles at with a giant slingshot. It may sound crazy, but DIY voters have final say on many of the room's touches, thanks to their online votes on everything from the color palette to a decorative inlay on the hardwood flooring to the window blinds. And of course, the Scialabbas add their usual bit of cool carpentry with a reclaimed wood desk and ingenious Murphy bunk beds that fold into the wall when not in use. The result is a singularly-sensational space that's part bunkroom, part media loft, part party zone? and all Mega Den.

Jill and Susan are big fans of the show, so much so that Jill tried DIYing her own Mega Den. But her efforts have completely scared the rest of the family out of the rec room. Anitra and the team to the rescue! Jill's black ceiling was meant to create the illusion of space, but makes the room feel like a cramped cave so a new grid of shiny tin tiles is the first order of business. Everyone takes turns busting stone off the dated fireplace to make way for an artsy treatment that uses scrap wood from every Mega Den ever built! Anitra wraps the massive built-ins in sleek black faux alligator vinyl and shows an inexpensive trick for making matching doors to totally hide the clutter! And the larger-than-life bar that dominated the space before? Bye-bye. In its place, Anitra and Mikey bang out a curved serving space that mixes rustic wood, rusty metal, and rocking LED lighting. Jill and Susan had the right idea for their Mega Den, but after a week with Anitra and the boys, they truly have one of the sickest Mega Dens ever constructed!

Steve and Heidi Hausler used to live the big-city lifestyle in an intown loft, but moving to the suburbs and having a family has dulled their metropolitan edge. Anitra and the Mega Dens team will help them get their groove back in a new space loaded with loft-like details. The carpet comes up to expose the concrete floor but Anitra wants to make the rest of the cul-de-sac green with envy by staining the slab a sick shade of green that screams industrial chic, then stenciling on subtle accents that call to mind an old over-dyed carpet. Using the family's collection of mismatched dressers and cabinets and then adding a few secondhand store finds, she plans a furniture collage for an unused nook that will become wicked wine storage. Steve and Heidi get busy with pieces of a smoking hot ceiling treatment- a combination of artificially-aged wood and sleek metal beams that create a cool coffered look. Custom pieces complete the vibe, including a walk-up bar with a one-of-a-kind exotic wood top, repurposed school lockers that get a hot new hue, a storage bench upholstered with funky floor rugs, and a century-old Asian antique that has to be completely dismantled before being resurrected as a sweet entertainment center that's the perfect blend of old-school cool and big-city bad.

Kitty lives in the same home she grew up in, but it still stands the way her mom left it! No furniture has been moved, nothing has been altered, only one coat of (the same color) paint in over thirty years! The home has become a shrine to Kitty's mom instead of the sanctuary it should be for her and her boyfriend Chris. Anitra to the rescue! Old paneling, faded carpet, rotted subfloor, and inadequate floor joists make way for a hip, hot hangout that's more fitting with Kitty and Chris's style. Intricate molding dresses up a huge wall to get the update party started. Then Kitty tackles an out-of-code spiral staircase, learning to weld steel safety rods onto the banisters. After they dismantle a dangerous catwalk, Chris helps construct a new system that offers great overlook views while eliminating the potential for a fall. And since this home has history for Kitty, Anitra honors it big-time. The old floor joists become a banging new dining table, which is set back into a corner with custom bench seating that offers much needed storage underneath. The team transforms a sideboard into a low-slung media console, and manhandles a 500-pound solid teak tree stump into a one-of-a-kind rolling coffee table. Even Lily the dog feels the love as her crate gets dressed up with scrap wood to tie it into the finished Mega Den, one that pays homage to Kitty's amazing mom, while providing an amazing place for Kitty and Chris to call their own.

Karri and Sandy have a son, Bennett, and their names on an adoption wait list. But their home is too cramped for family fun! Anitra and the team blow open multiple walls to create a large all-purpose space that combines full-family entertainment and dining areas all in one seriously swanky space. Anitra gets the homeowners involved in unprecedented ways, inviting them antique shopping and then giving them an entire piece of the build to do on their own refurbishing an heirloom desk. Joey takes a table originally built by Kerri and makes it the centerpiece of the dining space by adding pull-out extensions to accommodate extra guests. Sandy, the non-DIYer, aids in the building of the Mega Den's biggest item, a built-in reading nook with secret storage underneath. And Anitra goes off the wall with a chandelier made of driftwood, an entertainment center built from mismatched pieces of furniture, and her wackiest idea yet, an accent table cobbled together entirely from leftover parts that she calls the Frankentable. Far from a monstrosity, it's the most eye-catching thing in a free-flowing space that captures the family's personality and gives them room to expand in style.

The Liebs never use their formal sitting room. Literally. They moved furniture in over two years ago, and haven't set foot in the space since. The family room, on the other hand, has become an adult hangout, a kids' playroom, and a cluttered and cramped mess. Something has to be done about the wall separating the two rooms, but Art and Jen can't decide what. They've nicknamed it The Wall of Contention. Anitra has no qualms about knocking that wall down to create one supersized space that will have something for everyone. She gets Jen over her fear of color and creates the Mega Den's new mood by having the family spread the comfortable color of blue jeans on the walls. An outdated built in wet bar is partially demo'd to become a funky freestanding beverage station with high end details. To class up the room's built in bookcases, Anitra and Joey build custom doors from scratch, using a salvaged steel gate cut in half and encased in mortise-and-tenoned lumber frames. Anitra adds appliques for extra style and a touch of Old World elegance. Mikey and Art reclad the fireplace in slick stone tile, and Anitra uses tape and paint to whip up a stenciled rug with one-of-a-kind flair. Finally, with wood reclaimed from another Mega Den, Jen builds large panels that become the doors that hide secret hidden storage. And Joey takes it over the top by hand-painting the entire wall to look like an old side-of-a-barn billboard that features the name of the family dog for that extra shot of personality. They may not have ever used that sitting room before but the Liebs may never leave it now that it's a Mega Den!

Lisa Anderson has legit film credits on her resume as a professional actress. Her husband Basil and their two kids play well over a dozen musical instruments in total. But this entertaining family has no place to entertain guests. Anitra and the team will turn the unused terrace level into a multi-room retreat for them all. Lisa plays the role of a DIY diva when she helps install a theatrical wall of mirrors with added elegance in the form of trim molding. The kids get involved with a spray-painted chandelier and wall sconces that use metal chainmail for some cool vintage-meets-va-va-voom. A tin ceiling provides some glitz and glamour overhead, and a coffee bar with wine chiller and beer tap gives the whole fam a place to lounge after the show. From mood-changing LED lights to a ballet bar to an antique dressing screen reborn as a kicking media console, the entire space will soon be ready for its closeup as the ultimate backstage hangout for the ultimate family of performers.

The Goulds' rec room has become a catch-all that no one uses. Anitra's team plans to give Dad his home office, their young daughters a play area, the whole family a hangout zone, and Mom the flexibility to accommodate overnight guests all in the same space! But things get off to a funky start when black mold is discovered lurking behind the walls. After remediation, the entire build is behind schedule, and everyone needs to pitch in. Ladd helps on a kids' playloft that doubles as a bunk bed, and Cindy lends a hand on a banquette bench that transforms into a full-size guest bed. Old beams become a new multipurpose table, and a pair of secondhand nightstands are reinvented as a killer media console to anchor the family fun zone. Nothing about this new Mega Den is easy, except for the hundreds of ways the Goulds will be able to use it every single day.

Bethany Anderson and her young son David are DIY junkies who built a bar and massive fireplace mantel in their living room. But the space still doesn't feel like home. Enter Anitra and the Mega Dens gang, who demo the pair's own builds to make way for a swanky two-room hangout. Bethany builds a new bar that keeps her glassware and bottles safely contained behind built-from-scratch doors. The brick fireplace gets a futuristic new look with 3-D concrete tiles that turn the entire structure into its own piece of art. And a neglected sunporch that was rarely used for anything but storage is completely reimagined. New framing, new insulation, new windows, a new vaulted ceiling, new flooring. It's no longer a seasonal sunporch, it's a genuine room of the home so this fun fam can spread out in style. And with clever Anitra touches like an industrial-chic rolling mudroom rack and candles made from heirloom birch logs, it's a Mega Den that suits Bethany and David to a perfect T.

Dave and Orran have adopted twin sons, so turning their just-finished basement into usable space has been put on hold. Anitra and her team come to the rescue with a swanky hangout that recalls the dads' world-traveling past and offers their new family room to grow. The awkward space under the stairs becomes a killer wine cellar with a Mega Den-original wine hammock system that allows bottles to be displayed and cradled by leftover fabric. For the concrete floor, Anitra talks the crew into trying pink stain for the first time ever, with mind-blowing results. Both homeowners get in on the build, too. Orran helps construct a custom bar, while Dave cranks out a wall's worth of built-in bookcases. But the bookcase also houses a top-secret surprise, a clever reading nook that converts to a guest room when company comes! Designer details, custom creations, and high-tech toys all combine to create one of the smokingest Mega Dens the team has ever attempted!

The Black family loves to dance, and they love to dress up in costumes for any occasion. Anitra and the Mega Dens team are ready to turn their plain basement into a fun destination where this family can get the party started in style! The whole Black clan dons overalls and fake mustaches to demo the 80s-era bar, then Lauren goes to work with Mikey on a replacement: a tabletop that will pull away from the wall for 360-degree use and hide wine storage underneath. Joey uses scrap pieces pulled from previous Mega Dens to create a patchwork-themed media console that Anitra compares to hobo pants, but insists it will be a good thing. The surprise centerpiece of the room comes together piece by piece, a classic red British phone booth that will serve as the entryway to the guest bedroom and bathroom? and be the ideal spot for quick costume changes. But the family has a surprise of their own for Anitra when they show up to brick a wall of the basement wearing T-shirts with her high school cheerleader photo on them! From indestructible vinyl flooring to simple accent lighting built entirely from scratch to a kicking DJ booth complete with turntables, lights, lasers, and a fog machine hidden in a classy sideboard buffet, this Mega Den will help the Black family dance the night away!

When the Schlesingers bought their home, they were intrigued by the inclusion in the listing of a space called The East Wing. They were less than thrilled to discover it was an oddly-shaped loft above an RV garage! The space has been Ben's haphazard man cave, but will now become a full-on family hangout with the help of Anitra and the Mega Dens team. Structural issues take center stage early as ceiling supports are found to be unattached and the floor has three crazy stairstep levels just a few feet inside the door. After those problems are fixed, let the custom begin! Ben, a DIYer himself, works on a surprise playhouse for twins Carter and Chloe and a walnut railing system for the upper portion of the loft. Kelly gets her power on by sanding down a magnificent slab of solid walnut destined to become the new bartop in their party zone. Anitra and Joey get stymied, but only briefly, by some stubborn stonework that will lend an earthy elegance to the space. Then she and Joey rock some rehab by sawing apart an old hutch and turning it into two pieces of a new kitchenette that will house a fridge and kegerator and offer even more entertainment options for family and friends. Last-minute touches like a sleeper sofa for overnight visitors, a refurbished pool table, and a killer media system turn The East Wing into a true Party Central and not just a catchy phrase to sell a house.

The Gusts bought their home in a hurry, and now Dana wishes they hadn't. As a last-ditch attempt to convince her to cancel the moving men, Dave has called in Anitra and the Mega Dens team to transform their unused attic loft into the best room of the house! The space has been (and will always be) a play area for their three sons, so organization and storage is key. A series of custom built-ins will contain the clutter and are designed to make the most of the funky ceiling angles and actually make the room feel taller than it is. Mom gets handy for the first time ever with tools and helps prep a secondhand dresser for Anitra's most smashing paint job ever, a super-stylish Union Jack flag across the entire thing. The old stair railings are replaced, and the existing columns get an easy facelift with sleeves constructed from simple one-by lumber to become architectural statements all their own. Finally, the team tucks a built-in bed into one of the dormers for sleepover parties or impromptu relaxing in a swanky Mega Den that convinces Dana that her house is way cooler than she ever realized.

The Mehlbergers' rec room is guilty of Anitra's Number One design faux pas: exposed TV wires and cables everywhere! That's just the jump-off point for a total redesign that will bring swanky style to this forgotten room in their house. Anitra and the Mega Dens team construct an ambitious walnut entertainment center, with matching bookshelves, that will be recessed into the wall cleverly hiding all cables and wires in an accessible hallway behind. Lauren is put in charge of stripping away old layers of brown paint from an antique biscuit-making cabinet once owned by her grandmother only to have Anitra repurpose it as the workcenter of a brand new craft and sewing station hidden away in an unused closet. Steve rolls up his sleeves and helps build his new bar, getting hands-on with both the framing and the decorative finish detail. An intricate door panel becomes the front of the bar, with back bar storage and tall cabinets to match. The stone fireplace gets a new mantel, a chunk of live-edge tree pulled straight from Joey's own yard! And Anitra has a bright idea for reusing a collection of old crystal decanters that were collecting dust, she lops off the bottoms and turns them into hanging light pendants for over the bar! Add in a secret hideaway spot for the Mehlberger boys to hang out, read, and draw on the walls and this Mega Den easily turns the room no one ever used into the space no one will ever want to leave.

The Blog Cabin gets a fun rec room and craft-office combo.