laredhead

CrazyInAlabama, I had never seen the Atlanta episode with the twin sisters looking for a house where they could live with their mother. About 10 minutes (or less) into it, I wondered why I was wasting 25 minutes of my life watching it. I did stick it out to the end to see which house they bought, and of the 3 houses, it was obvious that the 1st one which was a new build, was the only one that came close to their wants/needs. I did get confused and wasn't interested enough at that late hour to figure out if the unmarried sister took the basement room. Was the 1st house the one with a basement room that could be a large bedroom? The husband definitely needed a space that he could retreat to - IMO. They never explained who was paying for the house, and I assumed it was a 50/50 deal, or maybe the mother was going to contribute to the purchase. I did not like that bright blue on the house exterior, but thought that maybe the sister who liked bright colors requested that since we all know the HH's have already purchased the houses we see.

AZChristian, thank you for digging up that true story. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.

I just watched Molly's last recap interview on a Natchez radio station. She gave a couple of more details about how the time frame for the pre heat and main heat changes as contestants are eliminated. Her inside info was interesting about what happened with the last challenges. Here's the link to the entire series of interviews she did during the Spring Bakeoff. https://listenupyall.com/2023/05/10/31593/

4 hours ago As soon as the character who played the murder appeared on screen, I told my cat that was the perp. My cat looked skeptical. Sure enough when the murderer's ID was revealed, I turned to the cat and said "told ya so". The cat was unimpressed. I thought the acting of the senator was a bit over the top at times, and overall I wasn't as happy with this episode. One last comment, did someone repair the handle (or replace it) on Jimmy's medical case as shown in the last scene?

Moving my comment to Second Opinion

I thought Matt looked bored, and at first I thought he was perched on a swivel chair because he kept turning to his right. I don't remember that mannerism when he played a couple of years ago. I'm old so I'm rooting for Sam.

Clement has mentioned several times that he is unfamiliar with many of the things they have been asked to make. He has said he doesn't make wedding cakes, doughnuts, and a few other things that are common in American bakeries. I wonder what he bakes? Eclairs? Tartes? I was kind of rooting for Christian to win, and I liked that he was going to use the prize money to help his classes at the school where he works.

The thing they removed that most upset me was the mahogany counter top in the butler's pantry. On the show Restoration recently, Brett Waterman explained that wooden countertops were used in butler's pantries because wood is softer than a marble counter top, and more forgiving if you set a glass down it too hard. Less likely to chip. They removed that counter top and replaced it with a dark stone (granite?) counter top. I would have figured out a way to use it, because they reused the copper sink.

I loved Marie's red hair! I wish she had been able to answer more questions correctly. As for FDR's last train trip, his body was returned to Washington, D.C. by train, and then to Hyde Park by train, so technically, Warm Springs was his last train trip when he was alive.

I love to watch the expressions on the faces of the other actors as Gina describes events such as the horse races and the horses.

Last night's episode with the ex-military couple - he wanted efficiency and she wanted old house charm. If the word "efficient" had been the keyword in a drinking game, we would have all been drunk even before they saw the 1st house. The wife wasn't much better with her desire for an old house, and then horrified to find out that adding a bathroom would cost at least $10,000. Welcome to the real world where things aren't always efficient and cheap. I fell asleep before the final reveal, so I have no idea which house they bought.

Doublemint, I was amazed at the $280,000 budget too, and Brett said that the addition of the bath upstairs would take 1/4 of that. It was a small bathroom, and the vanity had only 1 sink. Perhaps they don't get ready at the same time, or are not particularly interested in having a giant bathroom. Personally, I like smaller bathrooms - less floor to mop, and sinks to clean. A lot of that budget went restoring the siding and painting that house. Hope the owners have $$ budgeted in future years for house painting. That's going to be an expensive job; probably $25,000+ every few years.

There was a Restored episode on last night that said it aired in December 2022. It was new to me. It was a Queen Anne style house, and the foyer, front parlor & main bedroom, and exterior siding and paint were the objects of the remodel. There was a brief glimpse of the current floor plans which I paused a few times to see. They said there was presently only 1 bathroom on the 2nd floor to be shared by 4 bedrooms, but the plans showed 2 bathrooms, and with the addition of the new one, that brings the total to 3. A little confusing. The owners plan to renovate the kitchen in the future, and I hope that renovation makes it to the show.

CrazyInAlabama, I've come to the conclusion that many HH's skipped math in school when it comes to square footage and room sizes.

I can't find any comments about the recent New Orleans episode where a couple is looking for a house with the usual "disagreements" - close to city center vs. more away from city with larger yard, etc. The first one they looked at was in Algiers Point, which is across the Mississippi River from the downtown area of New Orleans. Every room of that house had barge board on the lower 3or 4 feet of the walls. It was way too much of that type of decor, IMO. Maybe in one or 2 rooms, but not everywhere. It was a former double shotgun style converted to a single family house, and the rooms were small and choppy. I have never been a fan of that style. They finally settled on a house outside the city on the west bank of the river, and across the highway from the levee. One scene showed them watching a cruise ship pass on the river, and the river level was so high you could see almost the entire ship above the levee from where they were standing. I live in Baton Rouge, and in the spring when the river level is high, it's an amazing sight to see ships sitting that high in the river. I never got tired of those views when I worked downtown next to the river. Fact - Baton Rouge is the last deep inland port on the Mississippi that can accommodate ocean going vessels.

eel21788, I added a portable A/C unit in my den last summer because that room has always stayed a bit warmer than the rest of the house which has central A/C. It plugs into a 110 outlet, and I didn't notice any unusual or added increase in my electric bill after using it for 3 months of the summer. It seems to pull as much power as a lamp, but it definitely made a difference for the better. Of course, in an older building, in a hot climate, I think I would choose cool air over light if only one could run at a time - lol.

Those homeowners must have $$$$$. They already have a house, and could afford to buy this one in addition to their present house, plus add another $250,000 for a renovation of just a couple of rooms, and not landscaping included in that budget. I did not like the final kitchen configuration, but I'm not sure what else could have been done with it. That's a huge house, and having the laundry on the 1st floor at the back of the house made me wonder why they didn't relocate it to the bedroom areas where dirty clothes are generated. Would have been helpful to see a floor plan of the entire house. I would not have installed a marble sink. Marble stains if it's not sealed, and how can you possibly keep a kitchen sink from staining even if you seal it. I liked the entrance foyer, and the colors that were used. The house is interesting, and certainly has a cool history.

The 2nd episode of Brokenwood seems to have found it's footing, and I enjoyed it much more than the first one that aired last week. This one had lots of plot twists, and held my interest more than the first one. I noticed in last week's episode and this 2nd one that the music is a bit different. Not as "country" as in past seasons. I miss the music by the singer whose songs were featured in last season.

I wonder if these restored stoves have been upgraded with a few safety features like thermostats and electric ignition to meet today's building codes? Anyone on this forum have knowledge of that?

stewedsquash, the Baton Rouge episode with the 6 kids was a rerun. I didn't like it the first time around, and I certainly wasn't going to watch it again.

Doublemint, the woman did say during the reveal that she wanted to eat in the dining room more, so maybe they eat there now. It was just around the corner from the kitchen so it is conveniently located. Maybe they are going to turn the sunroom into a breakfast room, and remove some of the plants. The range hood can vent to the outside depending on the roof line and what's above it. The kitchen may not have had part of the 2nd story over it. The floor plan showed 2 large rooms to the left of the entry hall, and I thought one of them might be a primary bedroom, as well an another bedroom and/or home office. If it was a primary bedroom then the first floor full bathroom would make sense; however, it did not have a shower, just the claw foot tub. I wish the show was 90 minutes long so that more details could be discussed. The kitchen floor was very nice, but it was never discussed as to how the material and pattern were chosen. I love the kitchen cabinets, and the 4 folding doors between the living room and dining room are beautiful. Overall, this was a gorgeous restoration, IMO.

CynicalGirl - Mr. Belvedere!!! Yes, that's the character I was trying to remember. Thank you for pulling that one out of vintage TV shows.

Door County Cherry, Jamie Bamber is married to Kerry Norton. The actress who plays Martha is Sally Bretton. I hope that Season 2 does away with a lot of the side drama that was in Season 1. I want to see more detective work, a few murders, and more of the gorgeous scenery where the series is filmed.

Restored is one of my favorite shows, and the latest one did not disappoint. The return of the server to the dining room was perfect. I would have loved to have seen the new kitchen floor, and what material was used. Just caught a glimpse of it, and it was a very light color, but could not tell if it was tile, or another material. I know that the finished remodeled areas are staged, and I wonder if this couple was going to keep any of the staging furniture. I hope so because it all fit so well, especially the dining table and chairs, as opposed to their old furnishings. It is a shame that the exterior (and kitchen) of the house was in such disrepair, but I have noticed that many times people who live in the same house for many years, don't really begin to notice problems with maintenance, and when they do, very often an estimate to fix things is overwhelming and unaffordable, as is the disruption to their lives especially if it's an inside fix, so they do the minimal amount of work. The wife seemed to have a little trouble walking and navigating the front steps, so maybe she had health issues that cost $$, or just didn't have the energy to deal with a kitchen remodel that would have been a major disruption inside. I've lived through one - never again! They had to move out of the house, so maybe she found a storage space for all of her collections, and most won't be returned to the house. In any event, it's their house, and they should enjoy it, and hopefully maintain it for the next owner in the future. I know that spending $140,000, and having to move to have things would be a great incentive for me. It would be interesting to have seen the remaining parts of the house though since it was about 3,000 sf total,

Has anyone who has actually participated in this show ever commented on this forum? I would love to know the real behind the scenes stuff, like how far in advance do they know what they will be expected to prepare, what the audition is like, do they interact with each other while the judging is taking place, etc?