Rock The Block - General Discussion

[Madding crowd]

I was also thinking how impractical N & J’s very deep vessel sink in the powder room would be if you have kids that need to wash their hands frequently. I really like nicely decorated homes but this show makes me think about day to day living as well which I will keep in mind as we are thinking about relocating.

Edited April 13, 2021 by Madding crowd

[carrps]

12 hours ago, Grrarrggh said:

M&B's house looks way to builder grade. It's almost as if HGTV is desperately trying to convince people that low quality goods with absolutely no design (which would costs quite a lot in money and time AFTER you've already bought the house) is what people are supposed to want. It's right up there with the builder cost saving idea of open concept. Families have lived for centuries in beautifully designed houses. Why is a place only worth something if it's open concept, white/grey, shaker cabinets (with most likely the exact same in the kitchen AND bathrooms) with stainless steal appliances (as if they work better than others?)?!?! HGTV has made a pact with some cheapo design devil. 

I was saying this from the start, and I didn't change my mind. B & M's was builder grade and depressing to me. I can barely even bring any room from their house to mind...except for the bowling alley, and that's not a good thing!

If I had to buy one of them, I'd buy N & J's. I adored the transition from that front room to the screened porch. I could picture myself there. Isn't that what realtors say should happen?

All I would be thinking in B & M's is how much work and money I'd have to put into it. If I were buying it (not gonna happen!) I definitely put in a low ball offer to cover that.

I'm not the masses, though, so I guess I see the point. But this is not what I was looking for when I started watching HGTV all these long years ago. Where is the design???? It's nowhere now. Just pushing the trends and making something as bland and unthreatening as possible to make the moola. It's why I just dont watch much HGTV at all anymore....I just got sucked into catching up with this show on demand after reading the comments here after the first couple of episodes. I was shocked when I saw how tame D & T's wallpaper was after seeing what people were saying. 😜

[KeithJ]

I can understand why B&M won but that gym in the third garage was awful and should have been in the basement.  People buy houses with a third garage because they want a third garage.  Unless I'm missing something, the only way to get into the gym is to go outside.  I guess you won't be working out when it's raining.

[buttersister]

 I'll take a screened-in porch, which is covered, over an open porch with a closed pergola any day in that area. But I'm sure the bugs will appreciate the shade.

N&J's ensuite bathroom may have been my favorite room. I can't remember what the shower looked like, but opening those door handles and seeing the floor, lighting and double vanity never got old!

[Pine]

As soon as they were announced, I turned it off.  A lot of us predicted that finish to the show, after seeing season 1.   Fun show, just don't think about the winners.  I think that N & J and A & M will have way more people taking bits of those homes to use in their own.  M & B were completely builder grade. 

[Fellaway]

So, three of the teams won weekly challenges based on how much value they added to the house, but the one team that won none of these challenges... won the competition. Wow. I guess real estate math comes from Bizarro World. Either that or HGTV just cut off all the previous judges at the knees by having the finale's, in essence, saying they were wrong.

B&M winning was not a surprise, though. I mean, how many times did they say any team could win the last couple weeks? This show, this season, had no concept of suspense.

I agree with @carrps with regards to B&M's house. Other than the bowling alley, which I can't help but think most buyers would take out, there was not a thing memorable about this house, and I can't really see that they added any great degree of value. The bowling alley may have seemed like a great idea in the week, to maybe get a win, but that is where the gym should've gone if they'd been thinking whole house. And, while I agreed with the concept of the staircase out back and, maybe, a pergola and glass barriers for visibility, the end result, for me, all looked like an eyesore. If I bought that house, I'd tear it all out and put up something that melded with the house instead of sticking out like a sore thumb. Just the staircase looked cheap.

I never would've thought it the first couple weeks of the season (and after last season), but I would've given the win to either N&J or A&M. If I was looking to buy one of those four houses, it'd be N&J's. The brick, the brick, is winner. And take out the staging, a lot of the fancy goes away. Not everybody has kids, Show.

I noticed they said the winners' name would go up on the block, so they don't get the whole street?

[carrps]

7 minutes ago, Fellaway said:

And, while I agreed with the concept of the staircase out back and, maybe, a pergola and glass barriers for visibility, the end result, for me, all looked like an eyesore. If I bought that house, I'd tear it all out and put up something that melded with the house instead of sticking out like a sore thumb. Just the staircase looked cheap.

Yeah. It was just raw (or pressure treated) wood. It looked unfinished. Stood out in a bad way.

[DVDFreaker]

17 hours ago, juliet73 said:

Finale:

D & T - I liked the idea of the extra bedroom and bath upstairs, but I don't know how much value it would add since the house already had 5 beds/3 baths.  I agree with everything the judges said about the house.  They shouldn't have designed it for themselves and they missed a lot of opportunities.  

 

M & A - A generator? Does the electricity go out that much?  The ERV was a good idea.  I knew they wouldn't win.  I would say probably 3rd place after N & J coming in 2nd.

 

N & J - I liked the idea of a home theater but it didn't make any sense IF the basement is going to be rented out.  

N & J are definitely designers.  They are hired for a specific look so I agree with Ken, Anita and Jasmine when they commented that the house looks like it belongs in a magazine, but it really wasn't practical.

 

B & M - Finally a home gym!  I didn't like the turf - either laminate or gym matting would have looked a lot better.  I don't think the powder room not being a full bath should have been a con since they had a bedroom with a full bath in the basement.  I think most buyers would use the main floor room how it was staged - as an office.  I knew they were going to win and they totally deserved it!

Please don't bring Allison back for season 3.  

All 4 of the homes were listed for $635k.  N & J's and M & A's are pending, but D & T's and B & M's were both were listed "for sale active" as of April 10, 2021 so I'm curious why the show posted that B & M's house sold immediately for full asking. I wonder if Anita and Ken are going to change some of D & T's designs if it doesn't sell after a certain amount of time.  

Does anyone know if the houses from season 1 sold?  The only one I'm aware of that sold was Leanne's.

 

I checked for you and I read that all the homes from season 1 has been sold

[Fellaway]

4 minutes ago, carrps said:

Yeah. It was just raw (or pressure treated) wood. It looked unfinished. Stood out in a bad way.

Yep, exactly. And if the back of those houses were up against water and the obligatory bugs... N&J's screened-in porch at the front would be the place for me.

[Madding crowd]

I agree with the screened in porch, I hate bugs. But if you are building a six bedroom house you will likely have people with kids buying it. I’m not sure I see the appeal of these houses for a couple without kids, I think if I were without kids I would want a house on the water with a dock or a house away from other properties. 

[carrps]

Heh, if I had all the money, I'd use a room for a library, one for a TV room, one for crafts, etc.

 

[deirdra]

17 minutes ago, Fellaway said:

Yep, exactly. And if the back of those houses were up against water and the obligatory bugs... N&J's screened-in porch at the front would be the place for me.

Except for the cars constantly streaming by on the road.  

I've never been a fan of vessel sinks. Sure they can be pretty, but most are awkward to use. They are harder to clean around and usually too high so adults have to hunch their shoulders to wash their hands in them.  I'm also a klutz and can image breaking a water glass when trying to fill it by accidentally whacking it on the edge of the vessel.  If I found a pretty vessel, I'd prefer to put soap or towels in it and get an undermount sink.  Only once on these decorating shows have I seen someone undermount a vessel sink at the proper height for adults & kids.  N&J's looked more like a baptismal font.

Edited April 13, 2021 by deirdra

[Fellaway]

11 minutes ago, carrps said:

Heh, if I had all the money, I'd use a room for a library, one for a TV room, one for crafts, etc.

 

A library and a media room would be amongst my must-haves. Oh, to have the money... I loved the sitting area in the main bedroom in D&T's house and, I think, the mini-library in their main room, but, yeah, you can't give up closet space for a sitting area in the master bedroom. That's what the extra bedrooms are for. ☺️ 

[Grrarrggh]

3 hours ago, MartyQui said:

Brian and Mika's was definitely designed to appeal to the masses...it was boring, yes, but you didn't have to redo anything, and you could decorate it in whatever style you liked.  It was a blank canvas (with a great laundry room!).

But how much time and money would it cost to completely redesign that house? New cabinets, new tile/counter tops, painting, wallpaper, wall (or two) added, take out that ridiculous bowling thing, none of those are cheap or quick. 

[MartyQui]

I don’t think most people are that sophisticated design wise...the cabinets were fine (and there were so many), I loved the countertops...painting is relatively cheap and quick, and wallpaper is decidedly not for some (most) people, except maybe on an accent wall.

[MaKaM]

2 hours ago, carrps said:

Yeah. It was just raw (or pressure treated) wood. It looked unfinished. Stood out in a bad way.

Generally, you aren't supposed to paint pressure treated wood for a few months. So it was actually a bit shocking that so many of the front porches/decks got painted. Wonder if touch-ups are included in the selling contract.

[ZeeEnnui]

Boo! Brian and Mika, boo! I've never watched their show on HGTV, and I don't plan on it. This was cookie cutter builder grade at its worst. Boring and bland, the whole house was a snooze. I didn't care for their attitude throughout the competition, which is pretty hard to do when you have Designzilla Allison on the same show. It's one thing to be competitive (I certainly am when it comes to trivia night) but I don't love people with a chip on their shoulder (we get it, you're obviously insecure about your lack of creativity. Stick to building houses). 

We're going to have to deal with Allison again on season 3, aren't we? Sigh.... You'd think HGTV might want a bit of distance from her after the lawsuit, but I guess not. 

While the aesthetic isn't mine, I did think Nate and Jeremiah deserved the win for their home. David and Tiffany's was a LOT (just like their personalities) but some of their choices I thought were fun (maybe not for the average person, but somebody quirky).

[LBS]

8 hours ago, Cetacean said:

Maybe I am not the neatest cook in the world and accidents happen.  How do you scrub spaghetti sauce off of brick?

OMG!  My exact thought!!  😂😂 it’d be so messy after cooking a few greasy/splashy meals.   
I liked all the houses in pieces but I do think Brian and Mika had the best overall ROI.  I loved the gym, laundry room, and home office. Working from home this past year made me appreciate those points more.

[DVDFreaker]

1 hour ago, ZeeEnnui said:

Boo! Brian and Mika, boo! I've never watched their show on HGTV, and I don't plan on it. This was cookie cutter builder grade at its worst. Boring and bland, the whole house was a snooze. I didn't care for their attitude throughout the competition, which is pretty hard to do when you have Designzilla Allison on the same show. It's one thing to be competitive (I certainly am when it comes to trivia night) but I don't love people with a chip on their shoulder (we get it, you're obviously insecure about your lack of creativity. Stick to building houses). 

We're going to have to deal with Allison again on season 3, aren't we? Sigh.... You'd think HGTV might want a bit of distance from her after the lawsuit, but I guess not. 

While the aesthetic isn't mine, I did think Nate and Jeremiah deserved the win for their home. David and Tiffany's was a LOT (just like their personalities) but some of their choices I thought were fun (maybe not for the average person, but somebody quirky).

I am laughing at "Designzilla Allison" that is perfect! David and Tiffany's pink basement is not really fun, it is an eyesore and I think whoever buys the house will change the pink basement unless they love pink

[LittleIggy]

I wanted Nate and Jeremiah to win. ☹️ I am glad the judges this week said the smart pergola was a plus. I thought the judges last week were nuts for dissing it. Why didn’t those judges point out what Jasmine did about A&M’s outdoor design, namely, no quick access from the kitchen upstairs to the grill downstairs?

[MaKaM]

11 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

I wanted Nate and Jeremiah to win. ☹️ I am glad the judges this week said the smart pergola was a plus. I thought the judges last week were nuts for dissing it. Why didn’t those judges point out what Jasmine did about A&M’s outdoor design, namely, no quick access from the kitchen upstairs to the grill downstairs?

Yeah, and can we talk about them and David and Tiffany's back decks? No access down (fine is some instances, my back deck has no access and I like it that way), no shade (dealbreaker, especially with all the leaves it was already collecting), huge furniture that barely fits on the deck, and weird placement of furniture (why was there so much dead space on the one side of the sectional in D&T's deck. If they had put an umbrella there, it would have made sense but as just a gap between the shoved-against-the-siding-to-fit sofa and deck railing, it was a head scratcher). If I recall rightly, Mike loves a spiral staircase, not sure why he didn't insist on that instead of the generator; it only would have cost a couple grand and might have put them over for the win.

[MartyQui]

Is Trex not a thing in Georgia?  Both of my sisters have big decks (with stairs) and they’re all Trex.  I don’t know anyone here in MA who uses pressure treated lumber any more.

[BrainyBlonde]

Does HGTV have an online suggestion box? If so, I'd like to suggest that they do a design variation on the next season of Rock the Block. I love this show and seeing designers from all the different shows come together to compete, but having the winner be the team who "adds the most value" to their house is no fun at all. I want to see these designers unleash all of their skills and creativity on the different spaces. Who cares about adding rooms when these houses are already huge? Design is much more entertaining and where these HGTV personalities get to shine and show how unique they are. As everyone else has said, watching Brian and Mika with their builder-grade, family-oriented approach to everything is a snooze. I can walk in any fresh off the assembly line house for sale here in Atlanta and see exactly what they came up with. I'd much rather see Nate and Jeremiah do their high-end, European-inspired finishes, David and Tiffany go wacky and wild, or Alison do her ombre bathoom tile. Show me exciting, new stuff that wows me even if it's not my particular style. It's inspirational and cool and fun!

I'm glad someone finally did a home gym, which was my suggestion several pages back, but then Brian and Mika put their gym in the garage! <face plant> Why? There was SO much room in that house and as someone who works out for an hour every single day, I want carpeting beneath my equipment, air-conditioning, a bathroom, and a television to watch. Come on!

I still think the biggest screw-up on this season of Rock the Block was the location and that's on the show and Ken Corsini who built these homes. The houses had that busy street in the front and NO back yards with the houses backed up to woods/water. Nope, nope, and NOPE! That would make these houses SO miserable in all the hot months here in Georgia and you would have a HUGE problem with bugs, snakes, and rodents.

[carrps]

56 minutes ago, BrainyBlonde said:

Does HGTV have an online suggestion box? If so, I'd like to suggest that they do a design variation on the next season of Rock the Block. I love this show and seeing designers from all the different shows come together to compete, but having the winner be the team who "adds the most value" to their house is no fun at all. I want to see these designers unleash all of their skills and creativity on the different spaces. Who cares about adding rooms when these houses are already huge? Design is much more entertaining and where these HGTV personalities get to shine and show how unique they are. As everyone else has said, watching Brian and Mika with their builder-grade, family-oriented approach to everything is a snooze. I can walk in any fresh off the assembly line house for sale here in Atlanta and see exactly what they came up with. I'd much rather see Nate and Jeremiah do their high-end, European-inspired finishes, David and Tiffany go wacky and wild, or Alison do her ombre bathoom tile. Show me exciting, new stuff that wows me even if it's not my particular style. It's inspirational and cool and fun!
 

Yes, yes, YES!!! They can call it Wow the Block. That's a show I would watch without needing to be convinced.

[sadtvjunkie]

19 hours ago, carrps said:

I was saying this from the start, and I didn't change my mind. B & M's was builder grade and depressing to me. I can barely even bring any room from their house to mind...except for the bowling alley, and that's not a good thing!

If I had to buy one of them, I'd buy N & J's. I adored the transition from that front room to the screened porch. I could picture myself there. Isn't that what realtors say should happen?

All I would be thinking in B & M's is how much work and money I'd have to put into it. If I were buying it (not gonna happen!) I definitely put in a low ball offer to cover that.

I'm not the masses, though, so I guess I see the point. But this is not what I was looking for when I started watching HGTV all these long years ago. Where is the design???? It's nowhere now. Just pushing the trends and making something as bland and unthreatening as possible to make the moola. It's why I just dont watch much HGTV at all anymore....I just got sucked into catching up with this show on demand after reading the comments here after the first couple of episodes. I was shocked when I saw how tame D & T's wallpaper was after seeing what people were saying. 😜

And this is the reason I liked theirs the best. I wouldn't have to spend the $$$$ to rip out shit I don't want to put in something that actually works in the home. I want to put MY own touch on MY home not someone else's idea of what I should like. Now if they had been designing for a specific family I could see N&J vision or A&M's but never the design star winners. How much of that crap would I have to fix before I could even move in?

[sadtvjunkie]

15 hours ago, MartyQui said:

I don’t think most people are that sophisticated design wise...the cabinets were fine (and there were so many), I loved the countertops...painting is relatively cheap and quick, and wallpaper is decidedly not for some (most) people, except maybe on an accent wall.

Perfect statement. Most people are too lazy or don't know how to start to add their own touch to their homes. I do so I appreciated the "blank" canvas. Nothing wrong with it for me. And the basement is so big who cares if there is a bowling alley? I will get better at my game. And in my neighborhood almost everyone has a 3 car garage and guess what? NO ONE parks in them. All cars are on the driveway and I'm in FL. We always laugh as we walk by and say it's those northerners who couldn't part with their snowblowers and packed them and moved them to FL to rot in the garage! So a gym is perfect and it's on the ground floor so if you wanted to take your exercise to the driveway you can. There are some neighbors of mine that have set up gyms in their garages( they are all from Miami) and hire a private instructor so they can have group lessons.

14 hours ago, LBS said:

OMG!  My exact thought!!  😂😂 it’d be so messy after cooking a few greasy/splashy meals.   
I liked all the houses in pieces but I do think Brian and Mika had the best overall ROI.  I loved the gym, laundry room, and home office. Working from home this past year made me appreciate those points more.

Brian and Mika said it early on, the others were designing for a magazine spread. They were designing for a family. And after the year we've all had they got it.

[sadtvjunkie]

1 hour ago, BrainyBlonde said:

Does HGTV have an online suggestion box? If so, I'd like to suggest that they do a design variation on the next season of Rock the Block. I love this show and seeing designers from all the different shows come together to compete, but having the winner be the team who "adds the most value" to their house is no fun at all. I want to see these designers unleash all of their skills and creativity on the different spaces. Who cares about adding rooms when these houses are already huge? Design is much more entertaining and where these HGTV personalities get to shine and show how unique they are. As everyone else has said, watching Brian and Mika with their builder-grade, family-oriented approach to everything is a snooze. I can walk in any fresh off the assembly line house for sale here in Atlanta and see exactly what they came up with. I'd much rather see Nate and Jeremiah do their high-end, European-inspired finishes, David and Tiffany go wacky and wild, or Alison do her ombre bathoom tile. Show me exciting, new stuff that wows me even if it's not my particular style. It's inspirational and cool and fun!

I'm glad someone finally did a home gym, which was my suggestion several pages back, but then Brian and Mika put their gym in the garage! <face plant> Why? There was SO much room in that house and as someone who works out for an hour every single day, I want carpeting beneath my equipment, air-conditioning, a bathroom, and a television to watch. Come on!

I still think the biggest screw-up on this season of Rock the Block was the location and that's on the show and Ken Corsini who built these homes. The houses had that busy street in the front and NO back yards with the houses backed up to woods/water. Nope, nope, and NOPE! That would make these houses SO miserable in all the hot months here in Georgia and you would have a HUGE problem with bugs, snakes, and rodents.

They had that show it was called Trading Spaces.

[carrps]

Just now, sadtvjunkie said:

They had that show it was called Trading Spaces.

No, No. No. That was Make the Block Throw Up.

 

[Madding crowd]

I used to really like the design shows because they gave me ideas I could use for my own home but then they changed to all house flipping all the time. These flipping shows don’t appeal as much because they are all staged with temporary furniture and art and we never see houses that show what the home owner really has, perhaps mixed with some new pieces.

I did like Design Star but Trading Spaces was mostly how ugly you could make a space IMO.

[ML89]

I was spoiled on the win because I watched next day but I was pretty sure on my watch that once the Flip Lady said they were designing for the area, that they had it (I also wonder, if it had been any other team, what would the road have been called? cf Nate Jeremiah or Berkus Brent?).

I would love to see the next one in North Carolina and get Hillary and David V to judge (or host. Ty was so shouty).

3 hours ago, BrainyBlonde said:

Does HGTV have an online suggestion box? If so, I'd like to suggest that they do a design variation on the next season of Rock the Block. I love this show and seeing designers from all the different shows come together to compete, but having the winner be the team who "adds the most value" to their house is no fun at all. I want to see these designers unleash all of their skills and creativity on the different spaces.

LOVE this idea. Iron Chef style? (if there is an online suggestion box, I'd like to talk to HGTV about having some of the agents from House Hunters International together to dish on shows instead of those dull "comedians" on regular HH. For the watchers, I'd like to see Richard from London, Adrian from France, and Kevin of Germany).

[Pattycake2]

I think they should make it very clear at the beginning of the show who the target client i.e. family with three children ages 6, 10, and 14.  All the designers would have the same starting point.  Regarding B and M, what large family would give up a third garage?  At the very least it could be used for bikes and other recreational equipment.

[After7Only]

6 hours ago, BrainyBlonde said:

Does HGTV have an online suggestion box? If so, I'd like to suggest that they do a design variation on the next season of Rock the Block. I love this show and seeing designers from all the different shows come together to compete, but having the winner be the team who "adds the most value" to their house is no fun at all. I want to see these designers unleash all of their skills and creativity on the different spaces. Who cares about adding rooms when these houses are already huge? 


 

I like the show as it is though.  It's a combination of both worlds.   I loved the competition within each episode focused on design.   But I don't need and entire show of who can do the most outrageous design a la D&T.    I appreciated M&B's house as contrast and didn't find it builders grade at all.  The flooring choices, cabinetry and tile work were all tasteful upgrades.   Builders grade was the version of the house that they started with.    Allison did not appear to learn her lesson from last season.   The flip or flop atlanta couple hit the nail on the head about her ombre bathroom.  It's nice but there's no where to appraise the artistry of the tilework.   It might have been better to invest the $10k of their winnings in stairs on the deck than on more design or on landscaping that she ended up not using.       

M&B understood the strategy of winning best, so I'm fine that they won.   I still think N&J's home was very nice, but they missed the strategic portion of the competition.  They designed a home their typical clients would like.  Instead of for the typical client for that particular neighborhood.   Little things like upper cabinets in the kitchen or a better designed master closet may have gotten them the win without really compromising their design vision.   

 

 

Edited April 14, 2021 by After7Only

[Madding crowd]

Yea, I keep hearing about builder grade but they used granite, wood cabinets, hardwood and tile like everyone else. I’m thinking it’s because they used a lot of white which isn’t my style but doesn’t mean builder grade. Neutral paint is always recommended to sell houses although I prefer more color in my home. I really like the show and see how different the designers make the spaces.

[carrps]

7 minutes ago, After7Only said:

 But I don't need and entire show of who can do the most outrageous design a la D&T.   

That's not what's being suggested. That would have more like Trading Spaces. But doing real, actual design is not about being outrageous and faaaabulous...at least not in all cases. 😉

[Grrarrggh]

1 hour ago, Madding crowd said:

Yea, I keep hearing about builder grade but they used granite, wood cabinets, hardwood and tile like everyone else. I’m thinking it’s because they used a lot of white which isn’t my style but doesn’t mean builder grade. Neutral paint is always recommended to sell houses although I prefer more color in my home. I really like the show and see how different the designers make the spaces.

But B&M didn't design their spaces at all. When someone calls something a design competition, I want to see design. Not the pre-designed blank canvas. 

[Madding crowd]

This is their kitchen and looks designed to me.

[Grrarrggh]

Looks to me like exactly what you'd find in a new build or flipped house BEFORE you start designing or bring in a designer. 

[deirdra]

7 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

I did like Design Star but Trading Spaces was mostly how ugly you could make a space IMO.

And impractical.  What is Hildi Santo-Tomas doing these days?  Two of her worst designs involved gluing thick layers of stuff to walls - big red fake flowers all over a bathroom (mildew breeders) and straw all over a family room (the Dad was allergic to straw & the toddlers like to put everything in their mouths).

I think the "builder" on this episode of RtB intentionally built badly laid-out kitchens with stupid pony walls so that all of them would have to be ripped out and redesigned.  What a waste of materials.

Edited April 14, 2021 by deirdra

[carrps]

Just now, deirdra said:

straw all over a family room (the Dad was allergic to straw & the toddlers like to put everything in their mouths)

Actually, I remember that as being a two mommy household in Berkeley. And I always think of those artifical flowers on the bathroom wall when I think of Hildi.

 

[deirdra]

1 hour ago, carrps said:

Actually, I remember that as being a two mommy household in Berkeley. And I always think of those artifical flowers on the bathroom wall when I think of Hildi.

I think the two mommies were the second time Hildi did this and they actually said "we hope you don't glue flowers or straw on the walls", which served to egg her on.   She only did a sparse coating of straw in their house so you could see more of the walls than straw.  The allergic guy got so much straw that you couldn't see the walls beneath it.  Can you imagine dusting or cleaning these furry or flowery rooms & bathrooms?

Edited April 15, 2021 by deirdra

[carrps]

2 minutes ago, deirdra said:

Can you imagine dusting or cleaning these rooms & bathrooms?

Ugh. I'm remembering Genevieve's moss wall and slate floor tiles...in a bedroom,too.

[deirdra]

Oh yes, I remember Genevieve's moss wall, slate floor tiles and her constant bare feet, even after she broke a glass or lamp and had shards to contend with.  Most renovators are trying to rid the house of rising damp, not add to it.  I prefer to wear sturdy shoes or boots when moving heavy furniture & appliances.

Edited April 15, 2021 by deirdra

[MaKaM]

5 hours ago, Pattycake2 said:

I think they should make it very clear at the beginning of the show who the target client i.e. family with three children ages 6, 10, and 14.  All the designers would have the same starting point. 

Yeah, something like this. Give all the teams a dossier and see how they interpret the wants/needs of the family that the house is supposed to be sold to. Family loves to have big dinners, family has video game night, kid 1 likes monkeys and elephants, etc.

I know this is just the next evolution of the "white box" challenge from the design star show but maybe get the designers involved from the start of construction for moving walls or adding bathrooms so it isn't done after the house is built (agreed, stupid waste of materials; there is no way they didn't know that pony wall was coming out on every single house) or else tell them they aren't allowed to do any construction at all and it all has to be design--paint, wallpaper, lighting, furniture--to fix whatever issues are there. 

And then, instead of basing the winner on who adds the most money, base it on whose design is most cohesive throughout the house and best meets the dossier.

Finally, if you go to the trouble of making the little mini-challenges, make there be a damn penalty (like losing money for the next week) if they don't meet at least the basic requirement of the challenge (looking at you red square behind stupid curtain wall).

[deirdra]

12 minutes ago, MaKaM said:

Finally, if you go to the trouble of making the little mini-challenges, make there be a damn penalty (like losing money for the next week) if they don't meet at least the basic requirement of the challenge (looking at you red square behind stupid curtain wall).

Or have an actual rather than a hypothetical family that choses which house fits their dossier and they like the design & value for money the best, since they are all about the same price.  The family & their realtor would be the ones to choose the winner.  And they could have quirky families, 3-generation families, working from home families, boho families, etc., not boring families that want a builder-grade grey and white box.  

Edited April 15, 2021 by deirdra

[Cetacean]

I came late to this show so only saw the last two episodes.  I was confused about the point of this.  Was it a design show?  If so, N&J had the most cohesive designs.  But if it was to create a house that a certain demographic would buy (in this case a family) then the winning team had the best ideas. 

A buyer isn't going to have all of the gee gaws and furniture that designers plunk in every room so you need a good layout to sell a place.  An upstairs laundry in a multi-story house with lots of bedrooms would be my choice over a media room any day.

Maybe I don't understand the premise of the show.

[deirdra]

11 minutes ago, Cetacean said:

Maybe I don't understand the premise of the show.

The premise was to see which team could add the most value to the home.  We did learn that bowling alleys, pink basements and Tuscany in Georgia don't add perceived value, but most of us had guessed that already. Above we were suggesting better premises for HGTV to use.

Edited April 15, 2021 by deirdra

[buttersister]

3 hours ago, Grrarrggh said:

 

Looks to me like exactly what you'd find in a new build or flipped house BEFORE you start designing or bring in a designer. 

 

Or after Jonathan Scott. HGTV 101.

[juliet73]

I like the idea of having the tract homes and having the designers come in and make changes.  I liked S2 better than S1 just for the mere fact that the So Cal homes in S1 had upgrades, finishes, and options that were available to any buyer and most of the designers used them as their own ideas.  Leann was really the only one that thought outside the box and was original.  As much as I disliked David and Tiffany's choice of colors and designs, they were this season's "Leann", IMO.   They moved the kitchen, added the mud room, moved the door and added the en suite downstairs, etc. 

In the future, I would rather have the teams consist of designers, not flippers.  As much as Alison brags about being a "designer", she is definitely not on the same level as Nate and Jeramiah, Leann, etc.  She is a flipper (and not a good one at that.)  

[rereader2]

On 4/14/2021 at 6:37 PM, Madding crowd said:

This is their kitchen and looks designed to me.

That picture proves that there IS such a thing as too much kitchen storage!

[deirdra]

18 minutes ago, rereader2 said:

That picture proves that there IS such a thing as too much kitchen storage!

Indeed.  It looks like a locker room.