See RHONJ stars Melissa & Joe Gorgas $4.5M New Jersey mansion as property undergoes major renovat

July 17, 2024

REAL Housewives of New Jersey stars Melissa and Joe Gorga have been undergoing major renovations on their new home that's now worth a whopping $4.5million, The U.S. Sun has exclusively learned.

The RHONJ couple moved into their Franklin Lakes home - that was worth $950,000 at the time - in November, and months later, exclusive photos obtained by The U.S. Sun show that Melissa, 44, and Joe, 48, are making big changes.

A crew of construction workers are currently hard at work to turn Melissa and Joe's property into their dream home.

Compared to photos taken at the end of last year, the biggest noticeable difference is the roof.

Construction workers have torn down four triangle-shaped structures on top of the roof, leaving only one in the center.

The U.S. Sun has learned the crew is updating the roof with "special metal roofing."

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"Melissa thought it would look different than how it turned out, so Joe, of course, is bending over backward to make sure she's completely happy with the final result," a source told The U.S. Sun.

"There's still a lot that needs to be done.

"They have to finish the backyard, add a waterfall, renovate the pool, update electric panels, pipes, switch out appliances, etc.

"It's going to have kind of a farmhouse look to it once it's done."

The source concluded: "They're working quickly to get it done sooner than later. The whole exterior project should take one more month."

LEGAL ISSUES

The U.S. Sun previously reported that Joe was sued for over $110,000 in construction costs.

He was initially sued in November for over $30,000 by contractors who accused him of not paying them construction costs, All About the Tea reported.

Then, in February, The U.S. Sun exclusively revealed County Concrete Corporation filed an amended complaint and is now suing for $70,000 more.

In the amended complaint filed on December 21, County Concrete Corporation claimed they provided materials to Joe from September 2021 to January 2022, totaling over $110,000.

The court papers read: “The Plaintiff has attempted on multiple occasions to contact the defendants.

“The defendants have failed to pay the monies owed to the plaintiff for the materials that were previously provided.”

The docs continued: “The defendants have failed to fulfill their obligations with the plaintiff. The defendants failure to do so constitutes a breach of contract.”

In Joe’s response, he denied all the plaintiff’s claims against him.

The court papers alleged: “Plaintiff’s claims are barred by fraud. Plaintiff failed to act in good faith in this transaction and is barred from recovery.

“The parties reached an agreement for a lesser amount than alleged and said agreement should be enforced. Defendant Gorga was and is acting in his corporate capacity and there is no basis in law for the claim against him personally.”

He requested the case be dismissed and that he be awarded attorney’s fees.

TIMELINE OF REPAIRS

Melissa has been documenting the construction of their new home since the beginning.

After they sold their $2.5million home that they've lived in for over 12 years, they purchased their $950,000 home in April 2021 so they could flip it and turn it into their dream home.

Originally made up of five bedrooms and six bathrooms, the property sits on nearly 1.5 acres of land and is part of a multimillion-dollar neighborhood that's in walking distance to Franklin Lake.

Joe said at the time: "We designed [it] the way we wanted – exactly what Melissa wanted. 'I want a big closet. I want this, I want that, I want a big laundry room,' and here we go."

The Envy by Melissa Gorga founder has been sharing with her followers specific details.

She stated: "So many of you asked me about the wood flooring in our home... This Collection is actually the Napa Valley collection European White oak! They are engineered hardwood planks in color sunbleached!"

She also boasted about her garage doors: "Worked with so many amazing people building this house. [ArmRLite Door Manufacturing] made the most beautiful custom garage doors.

"I went with aluminum that looks like a replica of wood! So much easier to maintain!"

FUN IN THE SUN

The Gorgas also own a $2.45million Jersey Shore beach house that's been renovated and featured on this season of RHONJ.

Melissa put her seven bedroom, four bath home that was purchased in 2019 up for sale last year, but pulled it off the market.

The Real Housewife's vacation property in Toms River spans 17,424 square feet and opens up onto it's own private beach front.

Melissa has called her back patio her very own private beach club since it has a concrete in-ground pool and cabana with two places to doc their boats.

The Jersey Shore paradise has two separate fire pits where the mom of three has said her friends and family sit down to share all of the latest gossip.

As seen during a lunch party on a recent RHONJ episode, the Gorgas have an outdoor bar that's complete with a sink and liquor cabinet, bar stools, and televisions.

PLAGUED BY RUMORS

Melissa and Joe's marriage - in addition to their feud with Teresa Giudice - has been front and center this season ever since co-star Jennifer Aydin shared with Danielle Cabral a rumor she had heard.

Jennifer told Danielle during a recent episode: "Laura (Margaret's friend) was telling me Margaret told her some rumor that somebody that works with both of them, he opened the back seat of a car and he saw Melissa in the back seat with a guy.

"And the person who claims he witnessed it told Margaret that they were making out... She was making out with another guy."

Melissa has since denied the rumors, calling it "untrue."