laredhead

Amarante, don't forget that the closet has to be large enough for the tiara and pageant stuff. I also was floored that they are paying for a bed over time. Maybe they bought some $5,000 super duper bed for some reason. I wonder when this was filmed? Before COVID or just w/in the last couple of months. I like the house they bought, and I wonder if they had the deck repaired. Looks like maybe the sellers might have painted over a badly weather worn deck that has some structural problems. Replacing that will not be cheap. And for the 10th million time, just hang some blinds or curtains if you don't want the neighbors to see inside your house. That was in reference to his comment that the neighbors would see them eating in their dining room. By the time the episode was over, I got why the wife wanted separation, and some place where she would have quiet. I wanted to find the "off" switch on him.

Cameron, I thought the same thing about the Cincinnati wife. I am so over the whiners who want a white kitchen, a white farmhouse with a porch, hardwood floors, a huge updated master suite, on a $200,000 budget. Oh sure, those magical houses exist everywhere - NOT! The wife wants to be near parents because I'm betting she's counting on babysitting when all of those kids she kept mentioning begin to arrive. I kind of liked the house they chose because it is located on a couple of acres, and it had sort of a quirky layout. Wasn't it the one with the paneled basement area and the room with a skylight on the 2nd floor that she mentioned using for crafts? That shows I was more focused on their personalities than the house, lol.

Sarnia, I had the same problem visualizing how the drapes on the curved rod would look when closed. Seems to me they would be hiked up in the middle and look weird from the inside. The end result did look much better than the before solution. I thought the ceiling was paint effect, and yes, the man who painted it is a genius painter. Overall, I liked the the end result, but again, there is no way those changes would cost only $55,000 for a person not signed up for the show, and getting discounts from vendors. I reran the kitchen reveal several times, but could not locate a dishwasher. The vintage range was gorgeous, but I would want a little counter space adjacent to it to put down spoons, a small bowl, etc. while cooking. I guess she's used to using it that way after 30 years of living with that kitchen. The other thing I would change is the vintage ironing board. Really? You can find a modern one that is sturdier than that wooden vintage one, but it can be concealed in that cabinet. I was afraid that wooden one was going to fall apart as he was demonstrating it.

Count me among the exhausted watchers after the Tucson episode. It was like a gaggle of geese when they all toured a house. The realtor earned her commission on that sale. I wonder if they all showed up at the closing - lol. $400,000 was a generous budget for a house, and I wondered what the salary of a country club chef is. She talked about her daughter "playing" with other kids when they toured the house on a cul de sac. The daughter is 12, and that's not something she needed to consider at this point because a pool would be more in line with both of their interests. I think she made a good decision with the 2-story house in a development with a community pool. Low yard maintenance, floor plan that let her and her daughter have some separate spaces, and a pool.

At first I thought I wasn't going to like the Houston couple, but by the end of the episode, I liked them and his quirks. The last scene where Houston was having one our Gulf coast thunderstorms and she's outside covering furniture while he runs inside and is holding a cat I could relate to. They were not extravagant in their wants, and she commented that their relatives in Russia were very impressed that they could buy a house at that young ages, which is something that was not possible in Russia. I do find it funny when these younger buyers think houses built in the 80's are old looking, and I think that when I look at one of those 80's houses, it looks pretty new to me compared to what I think is old because I'm 70 - lol. I hope their house doesn't flood again.

Studio City woman - I just cannot begin to imagine paying $435,000 for that 950 sf place with no outdoor space and no view. I have lived in several apartments and townhouses over the years, and even a postage stamp of outdoor space was important and made a huge difference to me. Her mother was trying to give her some practical advice, but the daughter wanted what she wanted, and she got it. If she said what her occupation was I missed it. Based on what info we were given, and my absolute non-knowledge about these locations, I would have chosen the 2nd one with the most square footage. From what I could see, that kitchen was not a gut job as she claimed, but she wanted white cabinets and a serving bar where she could cook. It had the most space for entertaining. Condo fees were never mentioned. I am always curious about that because that has to be added to the monthly cost as a separate item.

Amarante, pool tables and pianos are usually the give away as to which house they chose. I have watched HH since it was first televised, and I don't remember the early ones giving square footage or prices of the houses.

I'm not a fan of the row houses in Philly. I have lived in 2 townhouses that had no windows on each side, but they were both 25' and 30' wide, so I didn't feel like the walls were closing in, but those row houses look much narrower. Allison was trying to recreate their life from a couple of years prior, but I think he was the mature one of the couple as far as thinking about the future. He was ready to settle down and have space for children to play. She was living in the past. Once they have a child, that 1300 sf is going to feel super small with all of the things that come with a baby. No closets is another thing I just don't get. Where do you put things like clothes, shoes, etc. I would have bought the house in the suburbs. They could have 2 or 3 children and still have ample room for uncluttered living.

I like the drone shots of the houses with the cities in the background. Great information as to how far away the downtown areas are from the the house being shown.

I love MCM design so last night's episode featuring a post and beam MCM house was right up my alley. Restoring the wood paneling, and making the concrete hearth into a seating area again were two great changes. I am also a fan of the yellow sofas. The kitchen reconfiguration was an improvement, but I wondered where backpacks and other things that used to be "dumped" in the utility room by the users when they entered the house would go now. The old utility room housed an extra refrigerator, as well as a side by side washer and dryer among other things. I guess the owners decided they could eliminate the extra refrigerator, or else it was moved to the garage (if there was one), or to another location in the house. The only thing I did not like about the redo was the installation of a stacked washer and dryer in a closet just around the corner from the kitchen. There was no room in that closet for detergent, or anything other than the laundry appliances squeezed into that closet. Also, that movable wood wall has to be closed for several feet to access the laundry closet if my observation of how it works is correct. When Brett moved it to open the kitchen, the wall slid closed over the laundry closet. There is no way I would want to have to move that every time I accessed the washer/dryer and I live alone. I can only imagine how many loads of laundry they will do for a family of 4. Did anyone else think this is the way that wall worked? The new landscaping was very appropriate for the style and era of the house, and that was a killer view. What lucky homeowners to be able to afford to live in such a wonderful house.

That Compton episode made me so happy to be living in an area of the country where the housing prices aren't out of reach of most people who don't earn a 6 figure income. First thing I would do is remove all of the bars on the windows of the house they bought. I'd be more afraid of being trapped in a fire, than of someone breaking into the house. The house in Rialto was much nicer, but location, location, location (to quote realtors) won out, and I understand why since they both worked in Compton. I would be a terribly depressed house hunter if those were my choices in finding a house. I agree with others who have commented that it looked like mold in a couple of places in that house. I hope they have competent help with the renovations, and don't find any hidden, expensive problems along the way.

I was watching an episode from a few weeks ago about the Nashville young woman who is a circus performer, and buying her first house. This is the type of person who should never own a single family home, unless they have someone on speed dial for every problem that a homeowner will encounter. She freely admitted that she didn't bother herself with thoughts about roofs, yard maintenance, etc. The mother, while giving some good advice on most of the houses, was also enabling her daughter's continuing fantasy trip of home ownership by offering to do everything for her, including sending the woman's father over to mow that one acre yard once a week. At some point it's time to cut those apron strings. I'm sure that buying the small condo was giving her a mortgage payment cheaper than an apartment rent, and it certainly was more convenient to her work studio. Advice to the mother - if the daughter wants to use a bedroom for a closet, so what? It's not your house, and other than kitchens and bathrooms, most rooms can be used for whatever purpose a homeowner desires. One of my 3 bedrooms is what I call my climate controlled in-house storage unit because I don't have an attic, or a garage, and Christmas decor, and other stuff has to go somewhere. I keep it neat with cabinets and shelves, and the door stays closed so the contents are out of sight. When I sell the house, I'll remove everything and stage it as a bedroom.

I've been recording and rewatching all of the episodes, and tonight I watched Couples from 2003, Season 13, episode 23. It was the episode with 3 unrelated murders, and no courtroom scenes, other than a bail hearing. The writers packed a lot of action and characters into this one. I really enjoyed it.

Irlandesa, I agree about the kitchen being very white, but I would think the owners would be consulted about some colors prior to painting, or maybe not? I think the kitchen wainscotting would have been pretty painted a very, very pale yellow, but I like yellow and many people don't. Of course, they could add color by painting that, and adding colorful accessories. Odd that the refrigerator door treatment was not commented on in the reveal, because it's very period appropriate. And, you are correct about replacing those laundry machines, or working on them. They are a beast to move out of a tight space if repairs are needed.

The transitional Victorian on last night's episode was lovely. I hope the owners bought the staging furniture in the living room, because it looked beautiful. Loved the fireplace and freize treatment. I also liked that the owners were happy with the existing bathroom size, and didn't want double sinks, a soaking tub, and more square footage like so many people on other home improvement shows want. From the blueprint, that bathroom was also shared with another first floor bedroom, but not a peep from the owners about how that was unacceptable. Guess I'm a bit tired of those comments from other shows. The redone kitchen was very pretty. My only negative comment is about the stacked washer/dryer. I'm short, and stacking those full size units means that the controls and access to clothes in the dryer is difficult. Also, the washer sits directly on the floor, and bending over to remove clothes from it isn't great for those of us with back problems - voice of experience here. I have mine side by side on pedestals. The owners said they wanted the bathtub removed because they were thinking about issues with getting older, so they might want to consider modifications to the laundry area in the future if possible. That was the only thing that I found to criticize, and it's a personal preference with me. I would love to see the yard after a couple of years and the plantings have established themselves.

Here's an interview that Johnny and Brit did after their performance. Thought everyone might like to watch it.

Megan, I'm just glad not to see barn doors, gray walls, and giant clocks in his finished houses - lol. Yes, that was a very weird entrance into the kitchen. Notice that the family didn't ask for "open concept" either.

The Tudor restoration on last night's episode was beautiful. Again, though, there is no way an ordinary owner could have done all of that on a $195,000 budget. No matter, the final result was beautiful. I do wonder if the furniture is staged from a company, or if it belongs to the owners. I guess if it is staged, the owner can always opt to buy it. The ceiling stenciling in the entry hall and inglenook was gorgeous.

It's not taking me as long to watch this show this year. I record it, and then FF through all of Tyra's comments. I used to watch it in it's entirety, except for some of Erin's stuff sometimes. Tom isn't coming back I know, but his stage presence and quips would be much appreciated by me. I want to hear more from the judges, but they are being rushed. What's taking up the time that used to be allowed for the group dances, which I don't miss at all.

I live in Baton Rouge, and I was looking forward to watching this series. I watched 2 of them, and have now erased the series from my DVR. I'll check in here every once in a while for the comments. If I went to an open house and Brittany was the agent there, she would be the last realtor I would call to find a house. She would drive me nuts within 5 minutes.

Pasdetrois, where I live there is an older area of the city where the lots are big (100' X 200' average), and there are large live oaks as well as other mature trees. Within the past 5 or so years, more and more people are buying the older houses and tearing them down, then building HUGE houses on those large lots. The huge houses require that the beautiful trees have to be removed, and what was once a main attraction to the area is disappearing. When I say huge houses, these are 4,000+ sq foot monsters that are 2 or 3 stories and tower over their smaller next door neighbors. They also go from side to side on the large lots. I am baffled as to their reasoning of wanting to be in a neighborhood with character when they are destroying the very character that attracted them in the first place. Oh, and 99% of these new builds all look alike - white or off white, with black trim windows, barn doors, the Joanna Gaines "farmhouse" look, etc. If you came home after a few drinks you'd have trouble figuring out which one was yours.

I always love the HHI episodes in Australia, but last night's episode was ruined by the guy saying over and over and over that he wanted a place where he could get away from the woman, and he needed space. They chose the smallest one, and I guess as long as the weather is nice, she can stay outside for her yoga and whatever else she does. I am assuming that she has a job on a farm elsewhere, so he will have some time to himself during the day. I hope she's not surprised when he announces one day that their relationship is over. Those two would have been "hippies" if they had been born in the 50's.

ElectricBoogaloo, thank you for posting the recipes for some of the cakes. I had no idea they ever posted recipes of the bakes. I like to cook, but baking cakes is not my strong suit, other than boxed mixes, so after looking at these recipes, I'll just continue to watch others do this.

I'm so happy this show is back for a new season. I was laughing so hard at some of the show stopper cakes. They looked like some you see on the Pinterest fails sites. I like the new guy, Matt, and he and Noelle seem to make a good team. I noticed him sampling a lot of the bakes. He might need a diet by the time this season is over.

My DVR did not record a new episode. It recorded an old one where he restored 2 houses - reruns of earlier shows.