Vacation House Rules - General Discussion

[ByaNose]

The lake house renovation turned out great. The larger deck was a nice improvement. The fireplace and wall color were nicely done.  The kitchen was so bright & airy. It was nice to see that nothing too outrageous was done to the place and it didn’t look like Disneyland. The 4D map map was a nice added touch. At least, I had general idea where Scott was working since the map showed the lake(s). The chalet and the lake house were the best of the series. Here is some more information about the area:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Mile_Lake_(Ontario)

 

 

[seasons]

It's interesting to me how Scott and his team seem to do more with less money than on "Love It or List It". Seems like the same amount of work in both shows, both are filmed in Canada, etc. Wonder why LIOLI is so much more expensive?😕

[Kohola3]

5 hours ago, seasons said:

It's interesting to me how Scott and his team seem to do more with less money than on "Love It or List It".

Seems to me that Hilary goes for the high end finishes on everything plus very expensive furniture and fixtures.  Nobody needs a $1000 chandelier in the bedroom.  Scotts furniture seems simpler plus there is a lot less of it in those little bedrooms.  The bathrooms are fine but Scott doesn't use top of rhe line things like those rain shower heads and jet sprays either.  That might account for some of the difference.

[MartyQui]

On 8/23/2020 at 8:59 PM, Irlandesa said:

Me neither.  But I can't afford super fancy finishes so when I see a vacation rental that looks more modern, trendy or "upgraded," I won't lie, they appeal to me more than the more cabiny look. 

Having spent a lot of family vacations in cabins that look like the “before” (but generally cleaner!), the updated cabins look wonderful to me.

[ByaNose]

As long, as I have a bed I really don’t care what the place looks like. That said, the afters are a major drawl to me and I would totally rent any of these places but at the beach. I’m not really a winter and/or lake person.  Give me a nice place down the Jersey shore and I’m all in. LOL!!! Hopefully, Scott will make it down to the USA and do some renovations on some beach houses just to mix it up a bit. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

Wow!   So the four seasons lake, and ski cabin sold for $1.1 million!   That's amazing.    

[Irlandesa]

2 hours ago, MartyQui said:

Having spent a lot of family vacations in cabins that look like the “before” (but generally cleaner!), the updated cabins look wonderful to me.

Yep.  But I don't really take much issue with many of the befores here.  They're so typical for a rustic vacation home. Like last night, the husband didn't want to take a shower in the bathroom because of chipped paint? Pfft.

13 hours ago, seasons said:

It's interesting to me how Scott and his team seem to do more with less money than on "Love It or List It". Seems like the same amount of work in both shows, both are filmed in Canada, etc. Wonder why LIOLI is so much more expensive?😕

I don't watch LOLI that often or that closely but it seems to me that they're always having to deal with something structural like plumbing or electronic or they're adding onto a house.  I don't think they're taking as many rooms down to the studs on this show.  On LOLI, for instance, they absolutely would have added another bathroom to the house. They also work with basements which we don't see here unless it's a walkout.

And the LOLI houses just seem to be much bigger than the vacation houses we've seen even if they're comparable in bedrooms.

[Grrarrggh]

16 hours ago, seasons said:

It's interesting to me how Scott and his team seem to do more with less money than on "Love It or List It". Seems like the same amount of work in both shows, both are filmed in Canada, etc. Wonder why LIOLI is so much more expensive?😕

Aren't the LILI people in Raleigh NC, and the CA ones in the Vancouver area? Vancouver is waaaaayyy more expensive than the parts of CA that Scott is working on. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

A lot of the places on VHR are not huge, especially the bedrooms.   They also cram a lot more sleeping space into a smaller footprint.    

[Kohola3]

1 hour ago, Grrarrggh said:

Aren't the LILI people in Raleigh NC, and the CA ones in the Vancouver area?

The vacation homes are in Ontario.

[CrazyInAlabama]

LILI 2 was set in Vancouver, I believe the original LILI in Canada were around Toronto, but are in NC now.   

VHR is interesting.    I bet a lot of the poorly paneled rooms were because the cabins or cottages were only roughed in, and then the homeowners finished them, and that cheap paneling is easier than drywall to put up, and quicker.   

[RoxiP]

I don't remember the numbers but he did break down the overhead costs this episode.  I liked the cabin  

So the owners are selling - big deal.  Hopefully they make a ton of money...it probably wasn't worth selling previously.

[ByaNose]

9 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Wow!   So the four seasons lake, and ski cabin sold for $1.1 million!   That's amazing.    

Is there a link for this?

[seasons]

On 9/5/2020 at 10:48 PM, LizDC said:

 

@ByaNose

[ByaNose]

8 hours ago, seasons said:

@ByaNose

Thanks. Although, I did think it was for the latest one they just aired with the wrap around deck. It’s a neat story & the over asking seems to do the trick these day. That’s why I sorta hate this show. They don’t give the location. I’m lucky I know they’re in Canada. Thanks again. 

Edited September 7, 2020 by ByaNose

[Grrarrggh]

On 9/6/2020 at 2:29 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

Wow!   So the four seasons lake, and ski cabin sold for $1.1 million!   That's amazing.    

Remember though that's $839,630 US dollars.

[CrazyInAlabama]

So the before price was probably over 600,000?    That's still a good return.   

[ByaNose]

2 hours ago, Grrarrggh said:

Remember though that's $839,630 US dollars.

Totally forgot about that. It’s still a good return though. 

[3 is enough]

The conversion to US dollars is not really relevant, since the sale was in Canadian dollars.  If this was an episode of House Hunters International and someone was relocating to Canada from the US, then of course the conversion rate would be an issue.  Home prices in Southern Ontario are really expensive, whether it's a condo in Toronto or a vacation home in cottage country.  That's just the reality of living there.

 

Edited September 8, 2020 by 3 is enough

[Grrarrggh]

20 hours ago, 3 is enough said:

The conversion to US dollars is not really relevant, since the sale was in Canadian dollars.  If this was an episode of House Hunters International and someone was relocating to Canada from the US, then of course the conversion rate would be an issue.  Home prices in Southern Ontario are really expensive, whether it's a condo in Toronto or a vacation home in cottage country.  That's just the reality of living there.

But for American readers $1.1m comes off sounding a lot more amazing than $839k. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

Saturday June 5, 2021 is the premiere of Season 2 on HGTV U.S..   It says 8 Eastern/ 7 Central, so I guess it's replacing Escape to the Chateau. 

Edited May 27, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[deirdra]

3 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Saturday June 5, 2021 is the premiere of Season 2 on HGTV.   It says 8 Eastern/ 7 Central, so I guess it's replacing Escape to the Chateau. 

We've already seen the first two episodes of Season 2 on HGTV Canada

[CrazyInAlabama]

The Season 2 episode 1 was "Family Funhouse".    $300 to $400 a night for a 3 bedroom 1 bath on the lake was amazing.   I really like the after.   

[ByaNose]

2 episodes tonight. Both were good renovations. It’s too bad they don’t tell you more about the town or location of the rental properties. You have a major viewing audience on HGTV & HGTV-CA. It just seems odd that it isn’t disclosed. I mean I don’t need to know the street address but a location would be nice. 

[LittleIggy]

Before tonight, I thought Scott and Debra were a couple the way they flirt with each other. 😆 

The “Family Funhouse” reno was really lovely. I can’t believe the “before”place had no insulation. Ugh. How is that trampoline float anchored to stay in place?

Edited June 6, 2021 by LittleIggy

[CrazyInAlabama]

13 hours ago, ByaNose said:

2 episodes tonight. Both were good renovations. It’s too bad they don’t tell you more about the town or location of the rental properties. You have a major viewing audience on HGTV & HGTV-CA. It just seems odd that it isn’t disclosed. I mean I don’t need to know the street address but a location would be nice. 

The first episode with the lakeside property that flooded, was from last season.   I think it was the first aired episode, at least in the U.S., but I don't think it was the pilot.     

 I think the pilot was the mother/son cabin where they had done nothing to fix the place up since they owned it.  It's the one that had a big hammock thing on the dock, and I'm sure people used it to launch into the lake from.     That one had the kitchen sink drain propped up with a piece of wood, instead of taking five minutes to put some Teflon tape, and screw it back together.   The son and his buddies were the only ones who used it, and it was a wreck.   No one ever found a rental ad for it, and I think it wasn't a vacation rental after.     

I liked the cabin redo last night.    I think the floating trampoline did anchor somehow, but I'm not sure how.   OK, some models have a D-ring on the side/bottom, and you attach it to an underwater anchor.   Others have a D-ring under it, that you put a 30-40 lb. anchor weight and it stays in place, that's for deeper water. 

 

[Bunnyette]

On 6/6/2021 at 12:41 AM, LittleIggy said:

Before tonight, I thought Scott and Debra were a couple the way they flirt with each other. 😆 

The “Family Funhouse” reno was really lovely. I can’t believe the “before”place had no insulation. Ugh. How is that trampoline float anchored to stay in place?

I guess that’s why Scott’s wife showed up with the kids in the latest episode.

[LittleIggy]

2 hours ago, Bunnyette said:

I guess that’s why Scott’s wife showed up with the kids in the latest episode.

I thought the same thing! 😆

[deirdra]

That floating trampoline needs stairs or something to hold onto to help climb on top from the water. Without hand holds, even that ramp would be hard to climb up soaking wet 

[Bunnyette]

7 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

I thought the same thing! 😆

Note that Deborah & Mrs. Scott didn’t appear on camera together.

[CrazyInAlabama]

On 6/7/2021 at 4:30 PM, deirdra said:

That floating trampoline needs stairs or something to hold onto to help climb on top from the water. Without hand holds, even that ramp would be hard to climb up soaking wet 

Some of the bigger ones, (yes, there are bigger ones than the one on the show), have aluminum ladders.   There are some trampolines with springs, and that's not the best type from what I've read.   The ones with a fabric stitching was better.     I thought the raft looked a little high out of the water, but the kids seemed OK getting on it.   

The similar trampoline, rafts that I see advertised have either an aluminum ladder, or a nylon one.     Or maybe they pull themselves up with the trampoline webbing where the main trampoline attaches to the inner tube. 

Edited June 11, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[Pine]

https://torontolife.com/real-estate/this-wasaga-beach-cottage-which-got-renovated-on-hgtv-just-sold-for-1-1-million/

 

This is a good article.

Edited June 11, 2021 by Pine
Better information

[CrazyInAlabama]

I remember that episode.    The before was hideous.     The after is spectacular.   

[ByaNose]

I also remember this house renovation mostly due to the canoes they were added for the pop of color. The couple seemed to have gotten a nice return on the house & didn’t even have to do anything. That’s my idea of sweat equity. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

"Bird's Eye View", the Hawk's Nest was a mess before, and after it's spectacular.    It's worth the $430 price a night.     I love the outside deck and patio, the lovely view, the bedrooms are so big for a vacation place.   Changing it from 2 bed 1 bath to 4 bed 2 bath, with great closets and lots of great space is such a smart move.    

[Cancun]

“Hawk’s Nest” - what a gorgeous setting. The outside transformation was two thumbs up. 

Obviously, finishing out the blank canvas basement to create a 4 bed/2 bath rental is an immediate improvement. Hard to believe the family never did something (anything!) on that first level in 25 years. Do we know how many kids they have? Any more than one kid, and it would have made sense to at least throw up some walls down there for another bedroom.

Now, can we talk about the colors? That awful mauve, a random gray bedroom, bright blue bathroom, greens here and there, and a token burgundy accent wall or two. The kitchen cabinets are a deep blue which I liked but...Holy rainbow! Did the designer grab from the “oops” shelf at the local big box?? No cohesive color scheme throughout the place made me stabby. I wish I could find the rental listing to see how much painting over the owners did.

Edited June 13, 2021 by Cancun

[LittleIggy]

I liked Debra’s color choices. I especially liked the green bedroom with the hawk picture over the bed.

[ByaNose]

I tried to find Hawk’s Nest but all I got were teams with Hawk’s name or actual Hawk’s. LOL!!!

Anyway, they did a great job with the renovation. I liked the navy blue cabinets and the flooring. The deck with the glass windows and the views are amazing. The only thing I didn’t like (and, maybe the owners) was the purple color in the bathrooms and such. That was the only they didn’t comment on from what I remember. The purple color looked too 90’s to me.

Finally, so you think they ever got that rat 🐀 out of the installation? I k ow they exist but that was gross. Ewwwww! Once again they didn’t give a location so it makes my job harder to possibly rent. They could make even more money if people in the US knew what to look for. Of course, I. I gut be the only one who would prefer the location and/or listing of the house.

[Grrarrggh]

19 hours ago, Cancun said:

Now, can we talk about the colors? That awful mauve, a random gray bedroom, bright blue bathroom, greens here and there, and a token burgundy accent wall or two. The kitchen cabinets are a deep blue which I liked but...Holy rainbow! Did the designer grab from the “oops” shelf at the local big box?? No cohesive color scheme throughout the place made me stabby. I wish I could find the rental listing to see how much painting over the owners did.

I liked that. I'm sick of everything being white/grey EVERYWHERE. Colour is needed. Multiple colours in multiple places. 

[Cancun]

1 hour ago, Grrarrggh said:

I liked that. I'm sick of everything being white/grey EVERYWHERE. Colour is needed. Multiple colours in multiple places. 

I am no fan of the boring white/grey trend either. I like color (my bathroom is Spiced Cider) in my house!  I just prefer a color design to be cohesive in hue, intensity and complimentary colors. Glad the Hawks Nest design was pleasing to some!

[Irlandesa]

All I could think about is whether or not spending $112,000 really improved the value of the rental all that much? 

I guess it'd depend on how popular the rental area is and if there's a lot of competition but all that pine wouldn't turn off a lot of renters.  In fact, it'd be a feature for a lot of people who want the "cabin" feel of going away. 

Doing the downstairs is worth it but they could have just as easily made an open space with some beds and maybe an extra bathroom.  Maybe the money spent went directly to the upgrades needed to be able to legally put it on the market but if not, they may have overspent.

[izabella]

I notice that Scott always puts in a fire pit at these cottages.   Do people really use those?   To me, they are fun for about five minutes and maybe a s'more or two, but then the smoke and evening mosquitoes make me run to the screened porch instead.  But Scott does not seem fond of screened porches or screened deck areas!  I think all these places in the middle of the woods would benefit from screened porches to get away from the mosquitoes.

[FormerMod-a1]

I'm not in Canada, but I am in MN and people sit around fire pits all the time here, and for lots of the night even when quite chilly.  Plus the smoke helps keep the mosquitos away. 

What I don't get are all the glass "railings" outside.  I understand not wanting to obstruct the view, but that seems dangerous.  Even if tempered glass or plexiglass, there's still the smudge factor and clean up factor. 

[deirdra]

Vacation renters are only there for a week or two, so they tend to like firepits because they don't have at home and the smell of smoke in their hair & clothes reminds them of vacation. The smoke does help keep the mosquitos away and you learn to move around the firepit so you are not downwind of the smoke.  Teens like to hang out by the fire to get away from their parents. I enjoyed them as a kid, but prefer screened in porches now - cool shade, dry & mosquito-free. 

[ByaNose]

12 hours ago, izabella said:

I notice that Scott always puts in a fire pit at these cottages.   Do people really use those?   To me, they are fun for about five minutes and maybe a s'more or two, but then the smoke and evening mosquitoes make me run to the screened porch instead.  But Scott does not seem fond of screened porches or screened deck areas!  I think all these places in the middle of the woods would benefit from screened porches to get away from the mosquitoes.

I’m from the suburbs of Philadelphia and almost everyone I know has one or is always posting on Facebook using one. It’s a great conversation area in the cool evenings and during winter. It’s basically beer and a fire pit. What more could ask for? LOL!!!! Some are just a metal pit and others are much grander. There is also the real fire or gas, too. They’re very popular. Where Scott’s clients are is usually by a lake and/mountain area which screams fire pit. 

[LittleIggy]

That “game house” makeover was amazing. One problem I can see though is the outdoor game pieces disappearing or being damaged. I can see kids using the giant Jinga pieces as missiles to hurl at each other! Scott’s wife and kids may have to make another appearance. Scott and Debra were really flirty tonight. 😏

[ByaNose]

Game House turned out great with the new floor plan & sun room. That said, I could do without all the lawn games. It’s too much junk to worry about. I’m getting tired of stupid jokes, too. They are so scripted and worse yet they aren’t funny. 

[CruiseDiva]

8 hours ago, ByaNose said:

Game House turned out great with the new floor plan & sun room. That said, I could do without all the lawn games. It’s too much junk to worry about. I’m getting tired of stupid jokes, too. They are so scripted and worse yet they aren’t funny. 

That big chess board on the lawn was probably a waste of money. Didn't I hear the homeowners say they don't know how to play? A cornhole set would have been more practical.

[absolutelyido]

I liked the Game House too, but I think they could have saved money by having the 3 season porch just be a deck. The sunroom was great, but the unheated section with the dining table Scott called the "outdoor dining" space. I know that the windows could be fully opened, but really you're still inside. If I rented a cabin for a week, I would want a deck or patio with lounge chairs and a true outdoor dining area. 

[izabella]

Personally, I love that the dining space could be closed off so you can eat without flies, bugs and wasps becoming very interested in your food and drink.  There also were a lot of windows, so I think with them all opened, you'd get plenty of breeze to feel you are outside.  Also, they could add a deck later, extended out toward the lake, if they really want one.  Or even put large pavers out there for an instant patio.

The kitchen turned out really well - such a huge change from the tiny box it was originally.  And it had a great view. 

My MIL's summer cottage has a great view in the back of the house, but the best view of it is from the bathroom!  I keep silently wishing she would decide to take out the two small windows on the back wall of the kitchen and make them one big window, or even replace the back door with big French doors. 

Edited June 20, 2021 by izabella