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Jim and Joanne Scott left their longtime home in or near Banff, Alberta, for a new house in Santa Monica, California, because being closer to their sons and grandchildren became more important than remaining in the Rocky Mountain setting they loved.
The move was not presented as the result of a health crisis, financial hardship, or a forced sale. Instead, it was a difficult family decision: the Scotts traded a spectacular Canadian view and decades of memories for the ability to see their children and grandchildren more often. Drew and Jonathan Scott then took on the renovation of their parents’ new home as part of Don’t Hate Your House with the Property Brothers.
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Why did Drew and Jonathan Scott’s parents move?
According to Drew Scott’s November 2024 interview, Jim and Joanne Scott moved from their longtime Rocky Mountain home to the Los Angeles area to live closer to family. The couple had spent roughly 60 years together, and their former home was where they had raised their family after meeting and falling in love in Alberta’s Rocky Mountains.
That distinction matters. The available reporting supports the idea that the Scotts had a long life together and a deep connection to the property; it does not establish that they owned the house for precisely 60 years. It is also not accurate to describe the move as something caused by old age, illness, money problems, or legal pressure. The stated reason was proximity to their sons and grandchildren.
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Jonathan Scott said the family wanted Jim and Joanne close to the grandchildren. Drew and Jonathan had reportedly encouraged their parents to move closer for nearly a decade, but they also understood that leaving the Rockies meant giving up a place filled with personal history and an extraordinary landscape.
In other words, the Scotts did not leave because their old home had stopped mattering. They left because everyday access to family eventually outweighed the appeal of staying in a beloved but more distant setting.
Where was the Scotts’ old home?
The former home was in or near Banff, Alberta, in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Official episode material describes Alberta’s Rockies as the place where Jim and Joanne met, fell in love, and raised their family.
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The home represented more than a house. It held the family’s history and offered the mountain view that Drew described as part of his parents’ dream. Moving to Southern California therefore required more than choosing a different floor plan. The brothers had to help create a new version of home without pretending that California could duplicate the Rockies.
Where did Jim and Joanne Scott move?
The brothers selected a Spanish-style fixer-upper in a walkable, tree-lined neighborhood of Santa Monica near the beach. The location gave Jim and Joanne a very different setting from Alberta, but it put them near their children and grandchildren.
The choice also shaped the renovation. Rather than building an isolated showpiece, Drew and Jonathan focused on making the house comfortable for family visits, shared meals, overnight guests, and the parents’ individual interests.
What did Drew and Jonathan Scott do to the new house?
The Santa Monica property needed substantial work. The renovation plan included:
- demolishing and rebuilding the garage;
- creating an accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, for visiting friends and family;
- expanding the kitchen to make group meals easier;
- adding more than 600 square feet to the original layout;
- improving the main living spaces and primary suite; and
- landscaping the backyard with flowers and greenery.
The project was also a practical example of how renovation timelines can change. A permit backlog in Santa Monica nearly doubled the original projected schedule. The ADU permits were fast-tracked, which allowed work on that portion of the property to begin while the team waited for permits for the main house.
That permitting complication is one of the less glamorous but more useful parts of the story for anyone planning a major addition or ADU. A design may be complete and a contractor may be ready, but the construction schedule can still depend on local review times and whether permits for different parts of a project can proceed separately.
How the renovation recreated a sense of family
The finished home was designed around connection rather than a single dramatic room. A larger kitchen and dining area became the center of family gatherings, while the living room received abundant natural light and a floor-to-ceiling fireplace.
The house also preserved reminders of the family’s Canadian history. The completed spaces included a grandfather clock, a horse-trail sign from the former property, family photographs, and an engraved cutting board made by Jim and Joanne’s son JD Scott. These details helped carry the old home’s emotional identity into the new one.
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One especially personal detail involved the kitchen cabinetry. Joanne selected the cabinet color, drawing inspiration from the high chair used by Drew’s son Parker. The choice connected the kitchen to the next generation and helped make the room feel like a family space rather than a staged renovation.
What was included in the backyard and ADU?
The backyard was finished with flowers and greenery, providing an outdoor gathering area and a softer transition between the house and its Santa Monica surroundings. The ADU added flexibility for friends and family who needed a place to stay.
An ADU can serve several purposes in a multigenerational family plan: it can accommodate visiting relatives, provide privacy for longer stays, or make a property more adaptable over time. In the Scotts’ case, the official coverage presents it primarily as space for visiting friends and family—not as evidence of a medical or care requirement.
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Which personal and Scott Living items appeared in the house?
The house-tour coverage identified several Scott Living furnishings, including a Scott Living signature mattress, a large hanging shade, an area rug, a sconce, and an upholstered side chair. Product names, prices, and retailer availability can change, so these are best treated as references to the televised design rather than a guaranteed current shopping list.
For readers interested in the brothers’ renovation approach, Dream Home: The Property Brothers’ Ultimate Guide to Finding & Fixing Your Perfect House is a relevant companion resource. The book covers subjects including buying, selling, renovating, room-by-room design, and presenting a home. It is more useful as a general planning guide than as a precise blueprint for reproducing Jim and Joanne’s Santa Monica renovation, since every project depends on its property, budget, code requirements, and local approvals.
Was the move just a television stunt?
The available follow-up reporting indicates that Jim and Joanne were enjoying the completed California home after filming. A December 2024 house-tour article focused on their kitchen, gathering spaces, ADU, backyard, heirlooms, and personal rooms, presenting the project as an ongoing family home rather than a temporary television set.
The renovation appeared in connection with Season 1, Episode 5-related coverage of Don’t Hate Your House with the Property Brothers. The series follows Drew and Jonathan as they help homeowners whose existing houses are dysfunctional or difficult to live in when moving is not an easy option. Their parents’ story adds a different angle: in this case, moving was possible, but making the new house feel worthy of the sacrifice was the challenge.
What is Don’t Hate Your House with the Property Brothers about?
The HGTV series premiered on November 13, 2024. At launch, same-day streaming availability was announced for Max and discovery+, although platform access and episode availability can vary by country, subscription, and time.
Most episodes center on homeowners who are unhappy with the way their current houses function. The brothers work on renovations intended to solve those problems instead of assuming that moving is the only answer. Their parents’ project reverses that premise: Jim and Joanne were leaving a meaningful home, and Drew and Jonathan had to make the new one function as a place where family life could grow.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.The larger lesson for a family renovation
The Scotts’ move illustrates a construction and design principle that is easy to overlook: a successful renovation is not only about adding square footage or improving finishes. It should support the way people actually want to live.
For Jim and Joanne, that meant prioritizing:
- proximity: a location near their sons and grandchildren;
- hospitality: a larger kitchen, dining area, and ADU;
- identity: rooms designed around art, guitars, and Scottish details;
- continuity: heirlooms and objects brought from the Canadian property; and
- comfort: natural light, a fireplace, a dedicated primary suite, and a landscaped yard.
It is a useful framework for any family deciding whether to renovate, add an ADU, or move closer to relatives. The right question is not simply, “Which house is more impressive?” It is, “Which home makes the desired daily life easier?”
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In the Scotts’ case, the answer required accepting the loss of a cherished Rocky Mountain view. Drew and Jonathan’s renovation could not reproduce Alberta, but it could make family visits more natural, give Jim and Joanne spaces of their own, and preserve visible reminders of where they came from.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Jim and Joanne Scott own their old Rocky Mountain home for exactly 60 years?
The reporting says Jim and Joanne had been together for about 60 years and describes the former house as the place where they raised their family. It does not verify a precise 60-year ownership period, so that wording should not be treated as an established property record.
Why did the Property Brothers’ parents leave their old home?
The stated reason was to be closer to their sons and grandchildren in the Los Angeles area. The available sources do not support claims that the move was caused by a health crisis, financial hardship, or a forced sale.
Where is Jim and Joanne Scott’s new home?
The brothers selected a Spanish-style fixer-upper in a walkable, tree-lined neighborhood of Santa Monica, California, near the beach.
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The renovation included a rebuilt garage, an accessory dwelling unit for visiting friends and family, a larger kitchen, more than 600 square feet of added space, upgraded living areas, a primary suite, and a landscaped backyard.
What show featured the renovation?
The project was connected to HGTV’s Don’t Hate Your House with the Property Brothers, which premiered on November 13, 2024. Season and platform availability may differ by region and change over time.
The Bottom Line
Jim and Joanne Scott left their beloved Alberta home for a practical and emotional reason: they wanted to live closer to their family. Drew and Jonathan Scott responded by creating a Santa Monica home built around gathering, overnight visitors, personal hobbies, and family history. The result was not a replacement for the Rocky Mountains—it was an attempt to make a new place feel like home.
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