Alison Victoria of 'Windy City Rehab' Buys a 'Gross Sexy' House for an 'Offensive' Price—We're Not Sure Why

May 24, 2023

On "Windy City Rehab," Alison Victoria has developed a rep for being predictably unpredictable, but in the latest Season 4 episode, she drops a true shocker when she buys a house in Las Vegas.

In "Treasures and Tchotchkes," Victoria flies to Sin City, where she got her college degree as well as her start in remodeling, eager to purchase a second home there. As she tours one property, she trashes its extremely ugly and dated interior.

"This is like gross sexy," she says as she walks into the bathroom with a double-sided fireplace. "The tile is terrible!"

Yet despite the decor, Victoria surprises all by saying, "I knew, right when I walked in, I want to make an offer." She never explains why.

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Although the house is listed at $559,000, Victoria asks her real estate agent, Camille, "Would it be so low if I offered, like, $515,000? Is that, like, offensive?"

"Yes," Camille replies. "You just have to remember it's a really tough market, so you’re not going to be the only offer."

Nonetheless, later on, Victoria reveals she got the house for below the asking price, although she never says how much below.

We’re guessing the story on this house will become clear in future episodes. But for now, let's just say it's a huge head-scratcher.

Right as this deal is unfolding, Victoria is also renovating the Chicago home of Dave and Katie Belforte, who paid $615,000 for a six-bedroom, 5.5-bath house originally built in 1923.

They have a renovation budget of $570,000 to add a third story and completely remodel the house into a forever home for the couple and their three kids. Here's how Victoria pulls this off, with some surprisingly easy design moves that could work wonders just about anywhere. Check out what we learned this week.

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This is a win for Victoria. She remembers a beautiful ceiling medallion she’d intended to use on another home but didn't get around to it.

"You know what's cool?" she asks as she reveals the feature to Dave and Katie. "It's an antique ceiling medallion that we could paint white, but we could have the chandelier come out of here, and it's really pretty."

Think about it: Adding faux beams to a ceiling can be an expensive hassle; applying wallpaper to a ceiling is tricky, too. But ceiling medallions? They’re inexpensive and interesting. They come prefab, or you can find antique versions in vintage stores. All you have to do is adhere them to the ceiling and hang the perfect light from the center.

"Just little, pretty details, because it is all about the little things," says Victoria.

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This is another win for Victoria. In Dave and Katie's original house, the staircase was an afterthought, hidden behind a wall. Many older houses of this style were designed that way—with staircases that were merely functional and not at all attractive.

Victoria pulls this staircase out to the forefront, adding beautiful black railings. Now it's not only gorgeous to look at, but also easy to use. It looks fresh and modern, but it fits in with the home's vintage style.

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Dave is a traveler and collector. He brings home items he considers fascinating from every trip he takes. Unfortunately, the family is not so hot on all of them. Hundreds of beer steins, for example, are not the rest of the family's cup of tea.

What he needs is a "Museum of Dave," they all agree. Somewhere he can put his treasures on display and take joy in them, but the rest of the family won't necessarily have to look at them all the time.

Victoria designs a private office for Dave on the third floor, with plenty of built-in shelving. That way he can close the door and reminisce to his heart's content. He is speechless with awe and gratitude when he sees it.

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While Victoria does her best to make the primary bathroom look nice, one thing she can't change, much to her chagrin, is the entrance. The original architect had designed the entrance through a walk-through closet. It's too late to change that now.

But we ask you, in the middle of the night, who wants to stumble through a closet that may or may not be messy in order to get to the loo? Then, of course, there are the odors that could drift from the bathroom to the closet—and to some of their favorite outfits.

It's hard to tell whether or not they hit that $570,000 renovation budget. Victoria doesn't always reveal these things. She's happy if her clients are happy, whatever the amount spent.

"It's not just designing a home, it's about designing a new lifestyle," she says.

And the Belfortes are indeed happy.

"I am overwhelmed," says Katie. "It's so beautiful and spectacular."

Dave agrees. "We’re just excited for our future in this house," he says.

Now about that house in Las Vegas—Victoria definitely piqued our interest.

Lisa Johnson Mandell is an award-winning writer who covers lifestyle, entertainment, real estate, design, and travel. Find her on ReallyRather.com