Bargain Mansions - General Discussion

[nb360]

I really don't like her wallpaper choices -- they're a little too busy for me. And wallpaper is such an individual choice -- wouldn't it be better just to paint the walls and let the buyer install the wallpaper, if it's wanted?

There's something really exhausting about this show.

Edited November 17, 2020 by nb360

[Sewlitaire]

Her wallpaper choices would have me run screaming to the hill if I had to live in her houses but what annoys me way more is always asking people for advice and then ignoring everything those people say (usually her dad) and doing what she had planned all along. I mean why ask them in the first place?

[Jack Sampson]

2 hours ago, Sewlitaire said:

Her wallpaper choices would have me run screaming to the hill if I had to live in her houses but what annoys me way more is always asking people for advice and then ignoring everything those people say (usually her dad) and doing what she had planned all along. I mean why ask them in the first place?

Otherwise, the audience wouldn't know how smart she is.  End the end, everyone's supposed to agree that she was right all along.

Every remodel show does it.  Crazy as it sounds, the tacky Vegas remodelers are the only ones to show changes made at the buyer's request.

[Toothbrush]

This recent house was so cluttered & busy! If I were house hunting I'd walk in and then right out.  

The sconces on the wall to replace bedside lamps is good in theory, but since they appeared to be controlled by a switch just inside the doorway of the room you would have to walk across a dark room to get into bed. And if you wanted to read you'd have to get out of bed, turn out the light, and then again walk through a dark room. Talk about defeating the purpose. 

The dark walls & cabinets made the kitchen look much smaller. 

Removing the soffit to show the entire fireplace was a great idea. Her replacement mantle and the cedar on the front of the house did not look as bad as I thought they would, but still not a big fan of the exterior cedar planks. I liked the original pavers in the front walkway.   

 

[Vivigirl10]

I loved this show when it first debuted.  On a visit to Kansas City, I even managed to find two of her homes and do a drive-by.  They were beautiful and the neighborhoods that they were situated in were even more so.  I don't know if you'd call them "mansions" but they were definitely large, old homes with character.  Big price tags to live there.  I haven't completely kept up with the newer episodes, I just watch here and there, but most of the homes she's redoing now just don't compare to the first season.  I think I've seen two 1980's type homes with no style, nothing special about them and they certainly wouldn't be called anything close to a "mansion".  It's basically bringing a "McMansion" up to date.  Not much to watch there as I like to see the original state of the home probably more even than the final reveal!

I actually like that she uses wallpaper but I don't often like the wallpaper that she chooses!  I turned a small nursery/bedroom in my home into a closet and wallpapered it.  Wallpaper is soooo personal.  When I show people the room I always make the disclaimer, it's o.k. not to like it!  Some do, some don't.  But in this case, it's mine and it makes me extremely happy.  In fact, if it weren't for the cost, I would wallpaper many more rooms in my home. It really sets a tone and a feeling, in my opinion.  Point being, it would be very, very hard to choose wallpaper for another person.  Let alone a type that would appeal to the masses.     

[irisheyes]

On 11/10/2020 at 7:03 PM, MartyQui said:

There was a new episode last night...does she know what mid-century modern is?  That stairwell with the stained cheap pine was absolutely awful.

I’m watching this one now. Why do a feature wall of tile in the dining room?  Why not paint or wallpaper?  It would be so much cheaper, and easier to change when styles inevitably change. 

[SuprSuprElevated]

@irisheyes - just watched the same episode, and wow.  Confirmed what I've thought about this "designer" every time I catch a show...all her taste is in her mouth.

In general, she selects finishes that are verrry taste specific, her taste apparently.  I don't know if this tiling of walls is a thing now, but it's a hard pass for me.  As Irish said, it's far too difficult to change.  There are ways to personalize your home without making such bold design statements.  If you have a cash fountain in your back 40 acres, go for it.

Also, her staging is way, way too cluttered for my taste.

Lastly, a home built in 1979 is NOT mid-century modern, by anyone's definition but hers.  Stop.Saying.That.

Oops, one more.  Saying "mud space" as opposed to mudroom makes me stabby.  When did it become triggering to use the word "room"?

Edited November 22, 2020 by SuprSuprElevated

[SuprSuprElevated]

On 5/15/2020 at 11:25 PM, Dawn said:

I'm not really a fan of banquette's in general

Amen to dat.

On 5/19/2020 at 9:51 PM, NYGirl said:

Anyway she talks way too much.  I can't stand her voice.  She talks throughout the whole show and then describes what she did to people after she's done.  Take a breath..please.

Fer realz.

[irisheyes]

Finished watching the second half of the episode. That huge, heavily veined tile in the bathroom is also a hard NO from me. 

[SuprSuprElevated]

I will say something positive, and that is that I do like most of her exterior changes.  I have always been a fan of adding natural wood accents, and I really like where she has done that, BUT, I also know that it is very difficult to maintain, and will likely not be the natural wood tones for long.  After weathering, cedar will turn grey and drab unless you're willing to invest time, labor, and money annually.

[Infiltr8]

While I appreciate she seems to be mostly on budget and does not add crazy items (a 6000+ ugly hood vent —ala Alison V) but I just don’t like a lot of her design choices— I get trying to be different but most of the wallpaper choices are not for me.... white kitchens eventuality grew on me... but I don’t think I’ll ever like the brass and gold fixtures that seem to be the new in thing.... I like her dad and I hope someday he will disagree on one of her choices 😋

[sauce62]

I've just half watched a couple of episodes, and agree, her voice is very grating. But even more distressing than that are her design choices. It's like she's intentionally making things as ugly as possible! Show some restraint for the love of all that is holy. Way too many patterns and too much clutter. Downright hideous.

[CruiseDiva]

1 hour ago, sauce62 said:

I've just half watched a couple of episodes, and agree, her voice is very grating. But even more distressing than that are her design choices. It's like she's intentionally making things as ugly as possible! Show some restraint for the love of all that is holy. Way too many patterns and too much clutter. Downright hideous.

I don't mind her voice so much, but she sure has grown to love those ugly patterned tiles that will soon scream 2019, wallpaper in inappropriate places--ceilings and laundry rooms--often with big prints that went out of style in 1989, and a mish-mash of dark colors. Her mixed metals clash. Don't get me started on the light fixtures that, like you say, are hideous and out of place in the older homes she often renovates. The first season was so much different and I liked it better.

[susannot]

I watched last night's episode with interest because we are currently updating our basement.  Does anyone else agree that the renovation budgets given for the show are TOTALLY FAKE?  She redid the entire basement and the upstarirs master suite for a total of $100,000  Please, HGTV, stop lying to viewers!

[sheetmoss]

I kept this with lastnight's eppy  that  you're marketing the house in an area with million $ homes, why is the kitchen so-so w/the bells and whistles like a lux stove, add'l ovens and  a bigger sink?

Thought the 'buffet' in DR cheapened the room esp w/the addition of the wine fridge

 

 

[irisheyes]

1 hour ago, sheetmoss said:

I kept this with lastnight's eppy  that  you're marketing the house in an area with million $ homes, why is the kitchen so-so w/the bells and whistles like a lux stove, add'l ovens and  a bigger sink?

Thought the 'buffet' in DR cheapened the room esp w/the addition of the wine fridge

 

 

Maybe instead of a 20 foot island, she could have put some of that money into high end appliances. 

[MartyQui]

Exactly what I thought...where’s the really fancy stove, and the double ovens?  And the island had a big post on one side.   Again, where do you put the TV?  I just don’t understand her design decisions.

[MartyQui]

Yet again...decisions I don’t understand.  She put those huge picture windows on the side of the house that’s 10 yards away from the neighbors?  And changed the whole outside of the house but left that ugly pediment over the door?  I think I should stop watching this show for the sake of my sanity.

[SuprSuprElevated]

20 hours ago, MartyQui said:

Yet again...decisions I don’t understand.  She put those huge picture windows on the side of the house that’s 10 yards away from the neighbors?  And changed the whole outside of the house but left that ugly pediment over the door?  I think I should stop watching this show for the sake of my sanity.

Looks like it's a binge of BM today, do you know which episode you're referring to^?  The menu of shows sort of jumps around, and I'd like to see the one you commented on.

[MartyQui]

I think it was called Colonial something?

[SuprSuprElevated]

2 hours ago, MartyQui said:

I think it was called Colonial something?

Thanks.

[sheetmoss]

On 12/10/2020 at 10:23 AM, MartyQui said:

Yet again...decisions I don’t understand.  She put those huge picture windows on the side of the house that’s 10 yards away from the neighbors?  And changed the whole outside of the house but left that ugly pediment over the door?  I think I should stop watching this show for the sake of my sanity.

I think you're referring to the last eppy with the wall of sliders she put into the office w/the patio... where everybody can see you from the street,

   IMO, that was a miss

Also a miss, the white she used on the exterior....way too white

   Agree about the pediment - she was going for modern colonial  and keeping that just aged the house. I thought at the very least, bring some of the shutter black to the entry area..

       I really thought she  should have added  a covering over the front door to protect you from the elements

[Gam2]

I’ve tried and tried to like this show but between her choices in finishes, her voice and her OVER explaining every tiny little thing, it’s a no go for me. Over and out. 

[irisheyes]

Her house last week could not be called a “mansion”. (Unless I get to call MY house a mansion. 😂)

[RoxiP]

9 hours ago, sheetmoss said:

I think you're referring to the last eppy with the wall of sliders she put into the office w/the patio... where everybody can see you from the street,

   IMO, that was a miss

Also a miss, the white she used on the exterior....way too white

   Agree about the pediment - she was going for modern colonial  and keeping that just aged the house. I thought at the very least, bring some of the shutter black to the entry area..

       I really thought she  should have added  a covering over the front door to protect you from the elements

Was this the house that when she was finished with the exterior looked like a white box?  Black door and black aluminum windows and absolutely nothing else to make the exterior look warm and inviting?  Miss.

I'm also not a fan of her new love of putting tile (and ugly ostentatious tile at that) on an entire dining room wall.

[sheetmoss]

14 hours ago, RoxiP said:

Was this the house that when she was finished with the exterior looked like a white box?  Black door and black aluminum windows and absolutely nothing else to make the exterior look warm and inviting?  Miss.

I'm also not a fan of her new love of putting tile (and ugly ostentatious tile at that) on an entire dining room wall.

Beside the tile--for the most part, I really dislike her  built-in DR buffets as well with just using kitchen cabinets

    Imo - those kind of built-ins are perfectly fine in a breakfast room, FR, but a DR area should have something more elegant/bespoke

[SuprSuprElevated]

I tripped across this site, and if you're interested in not-so-bargain mansions, enjoy the real estate porn.

priceypads

[Toothbrush]

My new theory is that Tamara buys these houses then includes her design services as part of the price when she sells. Many of her choices seem too specific to appeal to a variety of buyers. So in KC, if you want an open floor plan, a mudroom, coffee station, wall paper, built-in banquettes, & "fun" colors throughout the house, Tamara Day is your woman.   

[deirdra]

On 5/19/2020 at 7:51 PM, NYGirl said:

Anyway she talks way too much.  I can't stand her voice.  She talks throughout the whole show and then describes what she did to people after she's done.  Take a breath..please.

Her voice sounds very strained, like she is talking in a lower register than her normal voice to sound more authoritative.  Sort of like that Elizabeth Holmes 1-drop of blood scammer who dressed like Steve Jobs.

Edited February 3, 2021 by deirdra

[RoxiP]

I might be the only one watching season 4, but on the last show I watched she absolutely did the worst job of over decorating that I have ever seen...it went beyond garish.  It was a couple who had bought a tudor and obviously wanted to show off for their friends.  She put the ovens behind a closed door, put a pink couch in the living room...I think it was called tip top tudor.  

[Vivigirl10]

I never watched Season 5 last year but they were showing back to back episodes last night so I caught a few.  So very disappointing.  So absolutely different from her first season and how she started!  A couple bought a 1970's tudor that was in front of his parent's home.  When they opened the front door to show it pre-makeover, it was not at all what I was expecting - so beautiful!  The foyer and main living room were completely bare and freshly painted.  It was obvious that they had already done a ton of updating to get it to that point (it had been a creature infested home in foreclosure when they bought it).  Instead of over-cluttering, she didn't fill up the space enough.  She chose these puny light fixtures to hang from the soaring ceiling.  Everything was this weird "modern" style including primary color, abstract art pieces, which didn't fit the feel of the home at all.  She put grass cloth wallpaper in the wainscotting on the stairway and in the foyer, which made it look oddly small and suddenly out of proportion.  The couple hadn't made any attempt to decorate their bedroom which lead me to believe they were quite conservative in their style choices.  So Tamara proceeds to paint the room this weird electric navy blue and put grasscloth wallpaper on the ceiling!  Hideous!

Oddly enough, in the next episode, she chose almost the same blue for a formal living room and lacquered it.  It wasn't even navy, it was this awful cookie monster blue.

Which makes me assume the owner's absolutely must be approving these choices behind the scenes, correct?  For their sake, I hope so.

She also pulled her kids into an episode.  Visiting the oldest at his job at a cabinet shop and bringing the teen son and young daughter to the work site.  The teen son was on camera with a scowl on his face and arms crossed across his chest.  Come on.  If the kid is going to be that sullen, please don't put him on the show, he obviously doesn't want to be there in all his teen angst.  

I wonder if I caught a marathon if she's gearing up for a new season at the end of the summer?

 

[tribute]

What a disappointment to see this show ruin a perfectly good window by pushing it out with a 2 x 4 like we can't see it!?!?! Window didn't just fall like she acts surprised for. Season 2 episode 6.