It’s been 16 years since Jason Mesnick and Molly Mesnick found love on The Bachelor and the pair are still blissfully in love. In the midst of their romance, the couple recently found the time to upgrade their family home.
“I always knew I wanted to build a custom home,” Molly, 41, exclusively told Us Weekly, highlighting her real estate experience and passion for interior design. “Jason and I owned a rental property a few blocks away from where we lived and decided it was a great spot for that dream to become a reality. For a full year, I would sit at our kitchen table designing our floorplan, literally, closing my eyes to envision how we would use each space, then drawing it out.”
The next year, Molly gave her DIY floor plan to an architect, who tore down the existing property to start fresh and help the Bachelor Nation alum transform her vision into a reality.
“While building a custom home was quite honestly one of the hardest projects I’ve ever worked on, I feel a sense of pride as I walk through the house knowing I did it all on my own,” Molly said of the finished product. “This build has been such a fun experience. Honestly, I would love to build another house because I learned so much while doing it that I would be so much smarter the next time around.”
After a two-year construction process, Molly and Jason, 48, finally moved into their dream home.
“We just got back from a week-long vacation, and when we walked into the house, I looked at Jason and said, ‘I just love this home with everything in my heart,’” Molly gushed. “It truly is everything I dreamed of and more. I love being here, I love having guests over, and the whole family feels the same!”
Molly shares daughter Riley, 12, with the former Bachelor and is stepmother to his 20-year-old son, Ty, from a previous relationship.
“I remind Riley all the time about how lucky we are to have this house, especially her space,” Molly told Us. “Ty was away at college through the end of our build, so his first trip back home was so fun. He was so excited when he first walked inside. Honestly, we all felt that way. This house was years in the making, and to see it all come together was extremely gratifying.”
Keep scrolling to see photos of Molly and Jason’s renovation:
Swifties Only
Beneath the Mesnicks’ front door is a doormat that reads, “Hope You Like Taylor Swift.”
“That doormat has been the best conversation starter,” Molly told Us. “Riley was deep in her Swiftie phase when we moved into the house, so when I came across it, I had to have it. I kid you not, every single delivery driver comments on it, and it turns out a lot of those guys are, in fact, Swifties.”
Home Is Where the Heart Is
Throughout the home build, Molly and Jason used their background in real estate when it came to choosing upgrades.
“While this is a custom home, being in real estate, I always kept resale in mind while going through the design process,” she said. "We hear so much feedback from buyers, so I didn't want to make anything ‘too’ custom in the house. In general, most buyers are looking for homes that are light and bright, not too trendy, with floor plans that simply ‘make sense.’ Our home flows naturally from room to room, and all of the finishes are classic enough that they won't ever feel dated.”
Indoor/Outdoor Living
Molly utilized a NanaWall bi-fold door in the living room, opening up to a covered patio.
“We entertain all of the time — a big reason for even doing this build — so I wanted that ‘wow’ factor for when guests come over,” she explained. “It is literally the first thing visitors comment on when they walk into the house.”
The full-length NanaWall panels also bring in natural light to help open up the space.
“Working with NanaWall and designing our door in their showroom was the absolute highlight of the building process,” Molly said. “It was so fun to test out the doors, pick our color and watching them install it just made everything about this home feel real.”
The ‘Central’ Place
According to Molly, her open-concept kitchen and living room are “the central points” in their house.
“It is where we hang out as a family, and it is where we hang out when we entertain,” she said. “The biggest thing for me was having ample seating when we have guests over. … I designed the kitchen to have two islands — one for cooking/prep and one for seating. The second island includes seating on both sides, so it basically acts as a dining table and functions exactly how I wanted it to when we entertain.”
Perfect for the Whole Family
Molly and Jason also wanted to make sure Ty and Riley had plenty of spaces that felt like their own.
“The beauty of this home is that there are so many different spaces for the kids to go,” Molly said. “Riley and her friends will bounce from her room to the bonus room, [which] has become sleepover headquarters for her group of girls, which was my exact hope. Ty and his friends love to hang out in the backyard, another space I was super intentional in designing.”
Riley’s World
According to Molly, her daughter was completely surprised to find out that her room had its own en-suite bathroom.
“[It] was shocking to her, but in the best way,” Molly exclaimed.
An Organized Dream
While Molly said that her favorite room “changes daily,” her husband has a soft spot for his closet.
“It goes without saying that Jason loves his Air Jordan shoe wall the most,” she told Us. “I worked with Closets by Design to build out a custom feature wall for his shoe collection. It was a complete surprise to him and he couldn't love it more!”
