How do you build a dream team for HGTV’s all-new cabin-renovation competition, Battle on the Mountain? Start with Denver-based Rico to the Rescue star Rico León (who knows Colorado real estate like the back of his hand) and task him with mentoring "renovation husbands" David and Stephen, high-school sweethearts who have been restoring historic homes together for the past 12 years. David’s creative vision, Stephen’s planning chops and Rico’s pro guidance add up to a crew that’s tough to beat.

David and Stephen went toe-to-toe with two other teams of married renovators: new parents Amber and Trey, who flip homes in southeastern Ohio and joined forces with Why the Heck Did I Buy This House? host Kim Wolfe, and Chicago-based DIYers Lymari and Tony, who squared off against them with the help of Design Star Season 2 two champion Kim Myles. The premise: Each three-person team has a generous budget of $100,000 and a harrowing schedule of just six weeks to turn a cabin in Breckenridge, Colorado, from a diamond in the rough to a dazzling mountain-getaway gem. Every week, the team earning the judges’ nod also wins $3,000 in cash. At the end of the competition, the crew to add the most value to their project goes home with a grand prize of $50,000. Après-ski chic at 10,000 feet? David, Stephen and Rico were prepared to leave it all on the mountain.

Given a mere three minutes to scan three properties’ online details, Team Rico zeroed in on the most costly cabin: a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home boasting 1,211 square feet and a starting price of $826,800. By winning a camping-themed challenge to determine selection order, they scored their first choice. “It struck us as the cutest [with] the best potential,” Stephen said. Some major hurdles awaited, though: ill-advised interior walls created a gloomy maze behind the kitchen and an unnecessary bar blocked the space from the rest of the ground floor. David and Stephen planned to remove portions of the knotty pine planks dominating the cabin and repurpose them on an island better suited for entertaining. As for the warren of spaces at the back of the building, they’d give way to a sunny mudroom.

David and Stephen’s design updates the cabin, while honoring its original architecture. “We want to respect the building,” David explained. “We love the character of the house as it is ... the paneling, the vibe overall.” Within a budget of $27,000, they created an open-plan kitchen with an all-new island featuring the paneling they salvaged from the demolished interior wall. A midcentury dining area with vintage-inspired chairs and a rustic palette now flows into the prep and serving space where open shelving lets more of the home’s original paneling shine. Wide plank flooring in a paler-than-the-paneling tone replaces the grubby carpet.