Chit Chat

She was one of the few that I liked. The rest of it, meh.

That apartment was too claustrophobic for me, especially not having a view. I don't care for those wet baths either. I wonder if that's pretty standard there. They got along well. I wonder if they kept in contact as she adjusted to her new life there. Having never lived on her own, she was pretty brave to make a move like that. Sounded like she was doing well. That commute would be a bitch!

I liked the apartment over the pub, mainly because of the kitchen size. They did compliment things with each property rather than nitpicking them to death like some renters/buyers on this show do. They seemed to have a 'glass half-full' attitude. They were also aware that rent would be high in Glasgow, so there wasn't shock and awe over the prices!

Hopefully so! That's a hefty budget for a single mom starting a new career (good for her though!) She seemed like a lovely person. Good for her for moving on with her life after her husband cheated on her (boo to him!) I liked the little pink house, but it was a little too small for them. The more I watch these shows, the more convinced I am that if I ever moved abroad, I would try to embrace whatever "imperfections/outdated" features there were and just roll with it! With remodeling costs and all, sometimes it can be interesting to embrace what we've got and fix up the space to compliment the quirkiness! I liked the house she got. Having that big yard for the kids is really nice. The house looked clean inside. I definitely don't like the idea of snakes in the attic! It shouldn't be that easy for them to get in there. I'd be looking into sealing every nook and cranny if it's truly a problem. The modern, expensive house was gorgeous, but it was a little too big for them. I understand her concerns over the glass barrier in the upstairs area. If things go well for her, maybe this is the kind of house she could upgrade to in the future.

The outdated place would be fine with me too! At least it was clean. They talked about how they like to cook together, but the modern apartment had very little counterspace. I'm surprised they didn't mention that. For the money, the one they chose seemed to be the best fit for them. I liked it and the first one more than the modern apartment. We've seen a few of these shows where the kids have a pretty big opinions on where the live. On one hand, I can understand wanting to make them happy, but on the other hand, I grew up in the days when kids were seen, but not heard (for the most part,) so seeing some these kids seemingly rule the roost, well, that's just odd to me. YMMV.

Just recently there was the couple who wanted each other to be happy. The husband said it wasn't about either of them 'winning.' They were the exception to the rule! Maybe some couples take the instructions by the producers to heart, or don't know how to stand up for themselves. I guess some of them don't care how they come across on TV! I assumed they were getting paid to be on TV, so they didn't mind showcasing the other properties, but I really don't know what goes on behind the scenes, so I could be totally wrong!

She was funny! The husband was more chill than his wife. The first house wasn't that small. Mr. Chat & I started our married life out in a 1000 sq ft home because back in the day interest rates were 18%. We were proud to have that little place (which is now considered a tiny home!) The first house this couple looked at was a mansion compared to that!! So, yeah, it irks me a little when these people complain about lack of space, when it looked like it was a fairly big place. It also irritates me when these buyers are so snooty about how everything is so beneath their expectations. If it's a rental home, maybe just roll with it if you like most things about the property. If they plan to stay long-term, then they can find something else later on. My main concern would be the commute to work and to school. I would make compromises to make those things easier. I felt bad for the kids being moved that far away from their grandparents. Hopefully they can come for a visit. It's always interesting to hear people say that their family will travel that far to visit, but I wonder what the reality of that is. I know I wouldn't!

He said that although she's a caring person, sometimes when they disagree, there is an "explosion," so then he has to wait for "her emotions to go down, so she'll change her mind. She's very flexible." I rewatched that so I could try to figure them out! He also said that sometimes she takes the lead, and sometimes he does. Could be that she gets a little hotheaded and it's her way or the highway, or he could be that way too. They're both used to being on their own, so hopefully they can make compromises along the way. He really acted like he wanted her at home though. They've got a lot to learn about each other. I think he was right in the choice of homes though. It makes sense to be near the university where they can mingle with his colleagues, which will be good for her too. It wouldn't take much for her to add her own touches to the outdated home to make it more of her style (I didn't think it was that bad!) Once they start a family, that extra space will be good to have. I didn't think the modern house was all that attractive on the outside. I was just meh on it. From the inside, it looks like a lot of homes in the U.S. I didn't get why she was jumping flips over it. No yard space either.

It looked odd though seeing the bathroom through the glass wall in the bedroom! I like mine behind walls and a door! Made the space look bigger though. I liked the second apartment. That view of the pool & water was beautiful. All three properties had some nice features though. I've had alligator meat. It tasted like overcooked chicken. 😜 The freakout over the ants was a little much. If he had seen a roach the size of a kitten, then I'd understand!! 😁 I'm in the south, and it doesn't matter how clean you try to keep things, those darn roaches start appearing around May. It gets so hot here. I've been told they're looking for moisture. I do think they're mutating and getting bigger every year. If I see one on the patio, I start yelling 'die, you SOB' as I kill it, then I remember to tone it down so that the neighbors don't think I'm yelling at Mr. Chat! 😅

That was funny! All 3 places seemed close to a busy road, so I imagine they're all going to have some noise. They were a nice couple. The firehouse home was interesting. The first house was nice, but without the dedicated parking spot, that would be a no-go for me too. That's too much stress worrying about whether you're going to be able to park or not when you get home. All of those stairs in the home they chose would get old to me. I have a 2-story house and I'd really prefer a one-story at this stage of my life! It would take some getting used to having the kitchen & dining room on one floor, and the living room on another, but I think it might be kind of cool to have it split like that. The town didn't look all that big, but it sounded like it had plenty of shops, etc. for them to explore.

I remember that now! When not on camera, I hope he's wearing some earplugs or some kind of ear protection. It's loud on those job sites!

I wish she could've gotten her pool. It was a trade-off though in order to be closer to shops and such. With the house with the pool, she would've had to have a car to go to town. Hopefully she's happy with what they chose. He didn't seem very nice at times, so I kind of felt sorry for her. I liked the style of the last house (the traditional one), and I think she was freaking out a little too much about it getting dusty, but the yard wasn't good for the kids, so at least he didn't insist on renting that one. The kitchen wasn't so great but was workable. If she really wanted the house with the pool, she should've fought for it and insist that she'd clean the damn thing. With it being over budget though, if they have to pay for the chemicals, etc. to clean the pool, then that might really put them in a bind. Maybe that's what the husband was thinking but didn't want to say on camera that they couldn't afford it. IIRC, he said he's in an apprenticeship with his job, so that probably makes things a little more uncertain.

Either his hearing is getting bad, or he's just really excited about floor finishes! He & Jo really seemed to be enjoying this particular remodel. I liked his idea about the water feature for the koi pond.

I'm behind on HHI, so I just saw this episode. I really liked this couple. They wanted each other to be happy and not end up having one person feel like they "won." That was refreshing to hear! I especially liked that they didn't want to be in the city center!! I enjoyed seeing properties that were more rural. I liked all 3 houses. I would've been okay with the blue bathroom, but the peach/pink one was a bit much! It wouldn't have been a dealbreaker though. I liked the bathroom with the white tiles that had flowers on them. That would've been okay too. The 3rd house ($275,000) with the dilapidated pool would probably have cost them a small fortune to renovate. It'll either be something fairly simple to fix, or it will be a complete nightmare!! I loved the patio area of the house they chose, and the sunken area in the living room around the fireplace. The mountain views were beautiful. The 3rd house looked like it needed more repairs. I wasn't too sure if the roof was okay or not. It was hard to tell from the overhead view of it whether it would need a new one or not. And that house was a lot closer to other homes too. The tower was neat though. It would've been cool to have a little office or reading nook up there. As others have said, the constant complaints of the guest bedrooms being too small gets on my nerves too. If I'm a guest in someone's home, I don't expect a huge room. I can make do in a small bedroom. I'm just happy to have a bed to sleep on! We had a small guest room in a previous home, and I had a trundle bed in one of them so as to keep the space open when guests weren't there, but there were 2 beds when needed. The mattresses were of good quality, and my guests didn't mind that setup (or so they said!).

Me too! I liked the first house because it had a nice backyard space for the entire family, and they wouldn't always have to take the kids over to the playground. I think the wife would've been happy with that one too, but she gave in so that her husband could have "the experience" of being in Amsterdam, although they are in Amsterdam, but apparently you can't have the experience of being in Amsterdam unless your home/apartment is in the city center. ;)

I didn't take it as bickering. They were merely explaining why Jo's focus went straight to the glass panels rather than staying focused on the staircase. Chip was just joking about how much easier wallpaper or paint would've been, but he wasn't mad (or didn't seem to be). I like their playful bantering. YMMV. While I was looking at that 20' wall of tiles, it made me realize how difficult that must've been to make sure that first row was perfectly level & square. Anything less than perfect and it would've stuck out like a sore thumb, and that's the kind of thing that would drive me nuts to have to look at on a daily basis if it wasn't right!!

Although there are a few color choices in the lake house that I wouldn't choose, it works for that house, and I thought they did a fabulous job renovating the home. I can appreciate the choices Jo made because it all seemed to blend in so well. I really appreciate that they used all of that cherry wood. I think that's a bold choice given that the trend for a while was to paint all woodwork white (not that there's anything wrong with that!) Raising the windows and making them into 2 big windows was a perfect choice. The room felt boxed in with the shorter windows. I loved all of the different choices in flooring. All of that was beautiful. The design of the primary bathroom was so unique, functional and pretty. I loved the library and the wallpaper background. I was rooting for the darker area rug in the living room. The lighter one looked too faded. I also liked the lighter green sofa she put in there. The koi pond and water feature were really nice. With it being fairly shallow, maybe it will be easy to fix any future leaks. Our little pond was so deep and when it sprung a leak, it was going to be really difficult to find & fix. I liked how Chip designed this one. That special-made frame & front window was also stunning. It's exactly what that window needed. Last but not least, I liked the graveled firepit area. Jo was right. A new deck wasn't necessary. The low-key, gravel area lets you look across it straight out to the lake. The reunion of everybody was nice too. Kudos to everybody who worked with Chip & Jo on this one.

I can see that, but I would still want something sturdier if I were going to pay that much money!

I thought those tiles were black! I can appreciate her wanting to get the house back to the 60's style, but it's just too much green for my taste (and my favorite color is green!) It's going to take a special buyer who will appreciate the retro style. I'm glad she nixed the copper gutters. The pressed volcanic ash tile was pretty. I like to hear them talk about these products so that I can dream up what I would change in my house if I had the money! I do like seeing the business side of Jo. They could probably well-afford to do anything they want to that house, but they're really good at sticking with a budget (or within reasonable amounts). She did some shows featuring her sister, Mikey, and how she helped her get her plant business started. Jo & their Dad were very helpful at encouraging Mikey because the money side of it wasn't her forte (according to Mikey.) Jo didn't take over her projects, but instead listened to her ideas and helped make them come to life. I follow her on Instagram. She had a little video a few weeks ago of Crew running circles around her on his little pony while she was riding around cautiously! It was so cute! I was thinking the same thing. As with skylights, we've had trouble with a koi pond, so I don't recommend either! The house we're in now came with a small koi pond (or whatever you wanted to put in it). It was in bad shape, but Mr. Chat put a new motor in & brought it back to life. We put some minnows in from the creek that was drying up near us, but sadly, the frogs got them (we didn't realize how many frogs loved the little pond!) We gave up on fish & enjoyed the waterfall cascading down to the pond. Then the pond sprung a leak and it was going to be a lot of work to find the leak (it was lower on the liner). We ended up draining it and filling it in with sand & then river rock. Now we have a rock garden! I think a little pond will look good in that courtyard, but maybe just put some plants in and around it. Oh, and mosquitos are a problem around them too.

I've thought about that before and I wouldn't want to be on a show where I could possibly end up looking like an a**hole! Most couples will need to compromise on their individual wish lists, but some of them come off as spoiled, awful people who don't want to budge! Aside from those staged conflicts, I enjoy the show. I like seeing different countries and how people live. I will never travel to those areas, so it's a nice way to see those cities and properties. It makes me appreciate the things we have here in the U.S., and some of the little luxuries we take for granted, such as full-size refrigerators!! :)

I record it through Hulu. I can't keep up with when they actually air though. I go to my saved stuff and sometimes see that 2 episodes have recorded. I feel like I'm always behind!

There was quite a bit of space in the kitchen of the house that had the big patio right outside of the kitchen. Couldn't she put a little table & chair in there so the child could sit there and color or read while she's cooking? Seriously. As long as we stayed on our own street (riding our bikes or visiting other kids), nobody came out looking for us until dinnertime!

It looks like it will be an improvement to move the kitchen to the area where it'll get more light. She does seem to be stuck on green lately, but since that's what was originally in the home, I understand why she wants to use it. Seems like the design trend is going more towards doing what the homeowner feels most comfortable with, even if it bucks the latest trends. The bespoke kitchens are becoming popular (see 'For the Love of Kitchens on the Magnolia network.) I'm hooked on that show!

One thing I didn't like about house #1 was the spiral staircase. The husband was rather tall, so navigating that everyday probably would've gotten old quickly! I wish she wouldn't have gotten so hung up on the damn furniture!! It can be replaced. She needs to learn to be patient! The house wasn't a dump, so she can slowly make it what she wants it to be. I loved the separate bedroom in house #3. That was a nice floor plan. Just listening to them, I think he was right. If they had moved there, they both would've been miserable with being so far away from everything. He would've never heard the end of it either!

Some people look truly shocked, but maybe they're good actors!! If I were going to move to another country, I'd at least attempt getting in touch with a realtor in the city I want to move to and have them give me an honest assessment of the housing market and exactly what to expect. I didn't think that a little shack in Vanuatu would cost upwards of $300,000, so that was a shock to me! Didn't the realtor showing her those properties ask her how much money she brought with her? I think she might've gotten scammed, but then again, maybe property is that expensive there. I would want a hell of a lot more than home with a thatch roof and an outdoor shower & toilet for that kind of money!