The Property Brothers: “We weren’t sheltered or babied in any way”

Drew Scott: Our parents dressed us in the same clothes but different colours so that they could tell us apart. Jonathan was always in blue, and I was in red, yellow, pink and every other colour. They discovered that twins are pretty easy because we would just entertain ourselves. Our mom could buy diapers in bulk and get a discount, too, which was an added bonus.

When they were seven, the Scott twins began selling nylon-covered hangers, which a distributor ultimately purchased in bulk to sell in Japan.

D.S.: We had seen these hangers at a craft store and thought they looked like something we could do. We figured out the material and how to make them and then thought we’d test them door to door in our neighbourhood. People absolutely loved them! Clothes wouldn’t slip off, you wouldn’t get stretch marks on the shoulders, and we could customize the colours to whatever people wanted. Jonathan Scott: We weren’t sheltered or babied in any way. Our parents socialized us with adults on a regular basis so that we were never shy around them, which paid off in a big way. Growing up, I remember that a lot of my friends were too nervous to interact with adults, but our comfort level with them opened a lot of doors for us.

D.S.: Our parents supported us and encouraged us in every venture. They always said they didn’t care what we did, as long as we did something. They wanted us to be passionate and set goals for ourselves.

J.S.: If we were bad and given a punishment, they would see it through, no matter what. I remember one time when I was grounded for misbehaving. I had to stay in my room for the entire night. It just so happens that there was a storm that night and a big tree fell on the power lines, so the fire department showed up. Drew got to go outside, hang with the firefighters and sit in the truck. I cried from my window because it looked like so much fun. But our parents stood by the discipline and didn’t let me go outside. I’m glad they did because I believe I’m stronger for it.

Last December, Drew proposed to Linda Phan, creative director of their production company, Scott Entertainment. Jonathan lives in Toronto with his girlfriend, producer Jacinta Kuznetsov. Both plan to have children of their own one day soon.
J.S.: I think Drew and I will be great dads. We can be goofy, tough and sensitive and, most importantly, we’ll be there every step of the way. At some point in the near future, when there’s a mini-me running around, I can guarantee you that I will offer him the same encouragement and support we received from our mom and dad.

The five-episode special Property Brothers at Home: Drew’s Honeymoon House, which tracks the reno of Drew and Linda’s L.A. home before their wedding, premieres on HGTV in November. Drew and Jonathan Scott’s memoir, It Takes Two: Our Story, is out now.

Read more: Elvira Kurt: “We ended our relationship, but we didn’t end our family.”
Dolly Parton: “It wasn’t meant for me to have kids”