laredhead

I agree with you about the 3rd house, Terrafamilia. The front steps were horrible. Looked like some wanted a castle and tried to incorporate that style into the house. The interior columns were also a bit overdone. Maybe one or two at the most were all that might have been necessary. The wife's voice was another one of those little girl vocal fry voices that grated on me every time she said something. i do wish women would quit imitating the famous person who started that trend.

Bubbls, parquet flooring seems to be one of those love it/hate it features. I would love to have the older parquet in my house because it can be refinished several times and is very thick. The newer versions, not so much. One refinishing would probably be the maximum. I like the look of a parquet floor, and have seen some lovely floors using it in combination with a darker wood inlaid border in homes of the early 20th century. I think younger HH's take one look at it and decide it's old and dated, but they would be throwing out some valuable flooring in that cast because you cannot buy the "good" stuff anymore.

Chessiegal, how do I find "Genre: Other Real Estate Shows"?

I finally saw the renovation mentioned in the last few posts. They totally replaced the upper cabinets which I thought was a waste of money. I think the old ones could have been retained and painted like the lower ones. I noticed that the new ones seem to be made with MDF, but I may be wrong. I bet the old ones were solid wood which I would have never removed. Yes, the glass inserts on the doors look nice, but you can only display nice things there. I have solid wood doors on my kitchen cabinets that go to the ceiling, and those top shelves are where things I seldom use are stored like holiday china, extra things and stuff that would not look good being seen through a glass insert. I guess gray is the new beige, eh? Have seen more and more houses being redone using variations of gray. I also would have never removed the wall tiles in the bathroom. I think it could have looked very fresh and updated with a change of wall color and some new hardware for the fixures along with a new vanity and sink. I agreed with the designer about not ripping out the storage unit that they kept calling a desk. That was some valuable display and storage space. Springing for a custom made rolling toy box would have been money well spent rather than what they ended up with as toy storage. I wonder if the wife really did all of the painting, because she is no painted from the few scenes I saw. Not enough paint on the roller and her technique left something to be desired. I have painted many a wall over several renovations. Maybe she'll get the hang of it after a few more remodels. Finally, the forest green color was still on the outside of the house in the final reveal. I guess outside painting will have to wait until the bank account is replenished. Overall, the house certainly looked better after they finished. I would have not wanted to have lived there with or without a 3 year old during all of that renovation. They seemed to have weathered the project well and get a thumbs up from me for that.

My TV listing shows several HH Where are They Now episodes scheduled for this week. They indicate they are not new shows, but are reruns. If you missed some of these in the past, it might be a good time to catch up on them. Check your local listings for the times.

Bubbls, looking for a man who cooks? Come to south Louisiana, or Louisiana in general. Men cook in this state, and they don't just BBQ outside. I think it's a regional "thing" and men cooking where I grew up is not uncommon. My father made a mean banana pudding and could make fried chicken better than my mom. Fancy appliances do not a good cook make. Having said that, I'm tired of the women adding that cutesy statement that they don't cook or wash dishes. What do they do to contribute to the running of the household if both HH's work? Maybe they do laundry, but not much is said about laundry rooms on the episodes. I just read that HH's now want nice laundry rooms, so I guess that will become the next big must have along with an up to date kitchen and bath.

RealityCowgirl, how many times have we seen brides try on that same dress and how many have bought it? $13,000 - incredible. The mother looked at the two sisters and said she had to go through this 2 more times. She set the budget at between $8,000 and $10,000 and then proceeded to spend $13,000 on the dress alone. No telling what the final total was after alterations, a veil, shoes, etc. Of course, the bride did say that she impressed her new boyfriend by picking him up in her dad's Lamborgheni on their first date and that her fiance would do anything to please her. I'm sure he would, if she arrived in a incredibly expensive sportscar on the first date. She did not say what he does for a living, nor did she say anything about having a job.

Empress1, I also wondered why he kept mentioning a farmhouse sink for dishwashing instead of insisting on a dishwasher. At the end of the episode he said he liked the time he spent in the car and used it as downtime. I thought the couple was trying very hard to say something nice about each house. They seemed almost overly polite as opposed to many of teh HH's that do nothing but whine and moan about every house they see.

I like the realtor telling the buyers that her brother got his head stuck between the railing bars when he was a child, just after they expressed concern about their child getting his head stuck.

Lordonia, you took the words out of my mouth about hiring a seamtress to custom make a dress if someone is a hard to fit size. Surely there are people who would make a dress that fits well and would would cost less than $8,500. i was hoping that would be ceremony they chose to film so I could see how the dress looked after the alterations. There is no way i would have spent $10,000 on that silver monstrosity. Where do people find the money for such extravagant purchases that will be worn one time? The bride said they would cut the guest list. Makes me wonder how much was being spent per person on that wedding. One day reality will catch up with some of these entitled young women and they will find that money doesn't grow on trees. Try hocking that $10,000 dress and see how much you get for it.

Watched a recent HH Renovation where the kitchen designed installed a banquet, which I don't like for some of the same reasons as a bench. Someone is always stuck in the middle, and yes, a bench would be heavy to move. When I sit down to eat at a table I want a chair that can be easily moved and I want it to have a back. I If I want to eat a picnic table, I'll do it outside. GaT, I don't think I would be as calm as the owners are when they get the phone call telling them there are some more costs involved. I've remodeled several houses, and I think on a few occasions I was less than polite about the discovery of hidden problems. Maybe people in Waco are extremely nice and calm.

peggy06, I agree that the main floor was the prettiest one in that house. When the house was built, kitchen were utilitarian only and hired help would have been the people who used the kitchen, unlike today where the kitchen has become a room where the entire family gathers. Given enough money, that place could be fabulous. I wonder about the economy of Davenport and the viability of the older sections of the town because in one shot, there was a huge Victorian looking house that was boarded up and some of the yards looked a bit shaggy. It was definitely a nice change from the usual locales.

Joanne3482, there was a discussion about the California to Italy couple when the episode first aired. You might be able to find comments about them previously on this thread if you are interested in what was said at the time.

Anyone see the Davenport, Iowa episode last night? Seems like there are a lot of houses to be had for little money there if you have enough money left over to restore them. The first one the couple looked at could be fabulous with enough money for restoration. That staircase was incredible.

Houston HH episode last night was more of buyers purchasing for the purpose of investing and flipping fairly soon. She reminded me a little of the woman on Flip or Flop. He was pure eye candy, IMVHO. Would be interesting to see the finished product and maybe they will be featured on a future where are they now episode. Jut removing the wall between the kitchen and dining room was a big improvement.

Neurochick, what is the premise of "My City's Not That Into Me"? The title sounds strange.

ChelseaNH, my son recently remodeled his kitchen and they wanted linoleum, but trying to find an installer was difficult, and then they wanted a lot more to install it. Every installer said it was "labor intensive". They ended up with a vinyl tile floor because the budget was very tight. Sometimes, trying to be eco-friendly costs more in our part of the country at least. I think installers would rather work with a product they know instead of trying to learn something new.

Back to the Ct. couple's house last night, Lilytiger, I believe that quartz countertops contain man made resin that holds the crushed quartz together. I didn't think the small granite countertops added much either. I agree with your mother's opinion that the kitchen looked like a committee put it together w/o consulting one another. 7-Zark-7, I agree with you regarding installing more expensive flooring over expensive countertops. Easier to do that later and floors will wear faster than counters.

I saw the same thing, Chessiegal. Wish I could afford a "legacy house". Guess that is the new term for big and expensive. They were also planning to buy a sailboat. Their only child is going to inherit some nice things.

Biakbiak, I'm not sure if it's the worst one I've seen, but it was not appealing to me either. It looked thrown together. I'm not a fan of banquettes because I'm short and always have to have a pillow behind me to be comfortable sitting on one, and if you have more than two people sitting at them, someone is always stuck in the middle and getting out is an ordeal. If you like them, fine, but they are not for me. I did like that the homeowners stepped in and did a lot of the upgrades themselves and that the husband seemed to be pretty handy. I also liked their concern with using natural materials and recycling, but I wouldn't have gone so far as to declare vinyl products as totally unacceptable and ugly. Perhaps that particular floor was not to the HH's liking and wasn't the most attractive, but I've seen some vinyl floors that are very attractive. Some homeowners maybe not be able to spend the $$ that some natural products cost, so I wouldn't turn my nose up at all manmade products. All in all, their renovation turned out well and the setting for the house was very pretty. I can overlook the kitchen because the couple was nice to each other and worked well together unlike some we have seen on this show.

Jacksgirl, I totally agree with you about the cowboy boot wearing blonde and that horrid dress she chose. She's going to look back on those wedding pictures and cringe years from now. The 40 year old woman who brought the same group with her for her 2nd visit needed to listen to her sister and friends about those dresses. Her friend was right when he said they did not flatter her figure and made her look large. The dress she finally selected looked nice, but I would have liked to have seen her in an a-line dress to compare. Then there was the bride who wanted something different, and boy did she get it. That dress couldn't decide what it wanted to be - short, long, draped, see through. Everyone was gushing that it was beautiful, but unless it improved in person, I thought it was a mess. That's one that I wouldn't have paid $10 for.

Aguabella, good research job on the Chicago flipper/investor/whatever. Nice furniture staging, but the dining/living room is very narrow and the wide angle pictures make things look larger than they are. The dining room table is practically on top of the sofa. In one of the bedrooms, the bed was shoved against the wall which would make it very difficult to make the bed. In another bedroom, the only place to put the bed was in front of a window and the high headboard just accentuates that problem, IMO. What did she say her purchase price was on the episode? I have already forgotten that.

Down The Shore, I agree with you about roughing it. The Alaskan HH's are always gushing about "the view", "the view", "It's all about the view". Well, when it's 0 degrees and dark for 6 months of the year, I don't think the view is going to make up for all of the other things that aren't there like running water, electricity and a real toilet. One of the houses that was shown on a recent episode was on an island and the water had to be pumped from the frozen lake in the winter. No thank you. I'll be content to watch this on TV from my house in a warmer climate.

Aguabella, then maybe they'll feature her on a future episode of HH Where Are They Now, if they ever do another one of those.

The Detroit couple are now on my list of least favorite HH's. They were very unpleasant and didn't seem to have much respect for each other. If they are not that way in real life, they certainly gave that impression to millions of people. If it was an act, it wasn't very funny and I would be embarassed to be portrayed like that. I would think that his job as a new home builder would allow him to purchase something more than a $300,000 house. I missed her profession if one was given. He referred to their visit to the place where they were married as returning "to the scene of the crime". The one they chose looked nice, but it is small. One of the guests commented at the end that in a few months their child's toys would be taking over the living room, and there wasn't another area for her play. Maybe they can finish out the basement and make a playroom downstairs. Seeing her playing on the kitchen floor reminded me that's where my son used to play every evening while I cooked dinner. I didn't live in a house with an open floor plan where I could see 360 degrees, but we all survived just fine.