Bargain Block - General Discussion

[blondiek237]

On 7/16/2023 at 1:30 PM, Orcinus orca said:

It's this type of travesty that makes my blood boil when I watch House Hunters.  Entitled, spoiled brats that demand three or four thousand square feet with the latest appliances, granite and marble, enormous bathrooms, "bonus rooms",for the 10,000 toys owned by their spoiled brat kids,  and call homse bullt in the 1900s "gut jobs".  I'd like to smack them all upside the head.

People working at minimum wage jobs deserve to build equity in homes.  But they need lenders to step up and who are willing to back those less fortunate but deserving folks.

Said the same to my husband last night.  Love seeing how happy and grateful the people that tour the home are.  When one mentioned how nice the kitchen, I said, and on house hunters they would say it is a complete gut job.  Nice to see the difference

[cinsays]

i just love their obvious fun in doing these houses - it's quite refreshing and it is always amazing to see how the places end up.

but the one with the gold bathroom sink.......  did they really do that?  how does one maintain a gold sink and what is it actually made of?

watched one last night where the waterline had been cut (by the city?) and keith spends lots of time outside making some artwork with pine cones while evan did all the work inside.  i love that he's creative and he has some great ideas but this really struck me as annoying and a big waste of time......  seemed like a big waste of time and a big dust catcher

[buttersister]

3 hours ago, cinsays said:

and a big dust catcher

Keith used to make dust catchers regularly. Thought he’d moved on til those pine cones showed up. Unless they’re edging for a Swiffer sponsorship?

[CrazyInAlabama]

I've read that Shea said on Instagram that the neighboring wreck of a house by the Detroit house was already scheduled to be demolished, and was torn down.   

[Cancun]

3 hours ago, buttersister said:

Keith used to make dust catchers regularly. Thought he’d moved on til those pine cones showed up. Unless they’re edging for a Swiffer sponsorship?

All I could think of were the bugs nestled inside those pinecones, and he was gluing them into his design in real time. So the bugs were brought right into the beautifully renovated home.

Edited September 17, 2023 by Cancun

[3 is enough]

A Swiffer would only get caught on those pine cones. The only way to clean that would be with those cans of compressed air people use for keyboards. 
I guess Keith gets caught up in the vision and just doesn’t think about the practical aspects of things.

[Orcinus orca]

30 minutes ago, 3 is enough said:

A Swiffer would only get caught on those pine cones. The only way to clean that would be with those cans of compressed air people use for keyboards. 
I guess Keith gets caught up in the vision and just doesn’t think about the practical aspects of things.

Luckily it was just hung on the wall and could be tossed out.  The stuff I hate is when he nails up all kinds of wood blocks or slats that would be hard to remove.

But I still love his personality!

[Back Atcha]

22 hours ago, cinsays said:

but the one with the gold bathroom sink.......  did they really do that?  how does one maintain a gold sink and what is it actually made of?

Online article sez "no bathroom chemicals," and suggests one part vinegar to three parts water...soft cloths. "Gold bathroom faucets and other plumbing fixtures are a bold and beautiful statement. However, if not taken care of properly that beautiful golden bathroom fixture can become corroded over time. The sad truth of these fixtures is that they are not as durable as the stainless steel models. Spraying gold plated fixtures with the usual bathroom chemicals will eat at the finish and decay and corrosion will begin, leaving your fixtures looking deteriorated and unkempt."    Didn't read far enough to see if the material was mentioned.

[akg]

On 9/14/2023 at 1:44 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

I noticed the place next door, but maybe that one was too far gone, and the city is going to take it down? 

I watched the last 2 episodes together and was surprised no one mentioned how the leaning house would affect the property values of the Detroit house. They'd just discussed how great it was for their pricing and ability to sell quickly to do 2 houses next to each other. I would definitely want something in writing guaranteeing the removal of the house next door before handing over that much money.

Evan's photographs were gorgeous and should be used in more houses.

I didn't really understand the water pipe issue. If a person already can't pay their bill, it makes no sense (to me) to cut the pipe, requiring the home owner to invest even more money for repairs before getting the water turned back on once they have an income.

The pine cone "art" annoyed me too and I wondered why they included that footage. Did they think it was cute? It wasn't (to me) and I kept thinking they could have used that time to talk about the difficulties of buying a home in Detroit (I'm never going to stop asking for this).

[Mollywolly555]

Yes,  the falling down house next door?!

I was hoping the boys bought it ... to demolish. Wonder why they didn't address it on the show?

Which leads me to the yards! The bare ground is offputting. I get that it's winter,  but address the moonscape issue with a few pots of flowers oe mulch artfully set next to the house,  or show a drawing of ideas as to how it cd look with some landscaping come spring.  The Buddha on the moss looked good.  

Keith's decor and painting accents have gotten much better.  

Love the boys banter together and Shea is a sweetheart with them.  So likable they all are.

 

 

 

[CrazyInAlabama]

Rerun of last week's "The Rustic Cozy Cabin" (It sold for $135k). 

Door to Door: Federal House

New, Season 3, Episode 4, "The Physics House"  Shea brings Keith a birthday cake, and it looks yummy.   Physics house looks horrible before remodel, the front exterior paint is hideous, and sloughing off.  2 bed 1 bath 900 sq ft, $6,000, all brick. collaped roof.   The inside of the house is just as bad as the outside. There's a crayon sign on the front door "Knock hard if you're not the police".  Lots of water damage inside. It does have new windows, and that will save money.  big kitchen. Bathroom is really pink with black accents. bedroom is falling off, and a wall is missing.  Shea says $110 or $115k possible selling price.  

Keith is trying to get a stair design that won't compromise head room on the first floor, to make an attic room.   I hate spiral staircases, so I don't like that as a solution.    Fortunately, Keith gave up on the spiral staircase, and the attic room. 

Since I hate scary rides, I really don't want to see Keith, Evan, Shea and Terry ride some high speed drop ride.  Then, all three men try to get Shea to ride something called a saddle ride with Keith, I can't believe she did that. The four riding a roller coast, complete with an entire loop makes me queasy.   

The physics part of the house is interesting to me.  I really like the bathroom tile, the accent wall tile is interesting with different designs, but the accent wall isn't my taste.  Black tile feature isn't a good addition for me.   I'm not a fan of the black bathroom toilet, sink, and especially with the white tub.   I don't like mismatched fixtures in the bathroom.   I wish they would have stayed with white bathroom fixtures.  The black toilet and sink will show every bit of minerals from the water, and everything will show on them.   Not a fan of metal countertops in the kitchen either.  

Finished house listed for $150k, for a 2 bed 1 bath home, not even 1,000 sq ft. The copper gutter and downspout is certainly different.   Finished house is spectacular, but some features were a fail for me.    

Edited September 22, 2023 by CrazyInAlabama

[Orcinus orca]

Evan has a PhD in physics.  Why doesn't that surprise me.  He's so much the quieter of the two, he has a lot of hidden talents, I think.

I wonder if they sold that "birthday present" house.  That really was a hot mess when they started.

Not a fan of the black bathroom other than the tile in the bathroom.  That was cool.

Not sure how that aluminum countertop would hold up.  I can only imagine the fingerprints!

[Mahamid Frauded Me]

This one was probably one of my least favorites they have done. Hated the tile wall in the living room, the white tub, the black toilet, and sink, would have just been better off going with all white. The kitchen was nice, however, I noticed when they were doing a closeup, the fridge looked like it prevented the drawers and cabinet from opening. Too bad they couldn't do the upstairs, but I agree no place to put a staircase. 

[akg]

I'm assuming it wasn't feasible to use the space over the basement stairs to add steps but I wish they had at least mentioned the option. My house (built in 1930) has the 2 steps of stairs on top of each other so getting to the second floor doesn't take any additional space. I'm also very curious about the plans of whoever framed a room upstairs (if that's really what Keith found).

I really liked the tile in the bathroom (and that they used a white version in the kitchen) but I hated the painting Keith hung there. And the tiles in the living room which would be much more difficult to remove. I think this theme would have been perfect for Evan's photography skills.

The counters weren't worth the work and cost. They didn't look all that great (there's an obvious seam at the waterfall turn). The size of the counter between the kitchen and living room was fantastic though.

I just spent an unreasonable time on zillow trying to track down BB houses. Someone has removed all pictures and information for the entire Fitzgerald neighborhood where they're working. I did finally find an address which lead me to realtor.com where there are actual listings for Shea. Here is the physics house. It looks like they skip Evan's purchase in the Property History (it goes from sold for $75,000 in 2006 to listed for $125,000 in May this year). They've dropped the price a few times to $107,500 and the page says pending.

Other listings:

• Cozy cabin (listed in March for $135k, sold in May for $140k)
• Temple house (listed in March for $119,900, sold in June for $117k)
• Disco house (listed in March for $115k, sold in March for $115k)

 

[buttersister]

Not my favorite either. Way too much set up, too many sprinkles, bad island. Bad roller coaster and whatever torture device side saddle was. 
 

No doubt that island and black hole are responsible for the price drop. They reminded me of the early days when Keith went nuts and prices were low enough to allow buyers to remove the goofy. 

[akg]

10 minutes ago, buttersister said:

No doubt that island and black hole are responsible for the price drop.

If I were making an offer, I'd be tempted to put "remove tiles from wall in living room and patch/paint" in the contract (I'm guessing they'd be less willing to negotiate on the counters).

[Orcinus orca]

I'm not sure eating up space in a little house like that with an island was the best idea, either.  They have had small kitchens before and didn't do that.  What was the point?

 

[CalicoKitty]

How would you dust that black tile in the living room?  Not a practical choice in any way, in my opinion.  Since they could not afford the black tub, they should have gone with all white fixtures.  The bathroom looked very mismatched.  I didn't feel that the people who looked at the finished house were as enthusiastic about this house as much viewers of past houses.  I know I wasn't.

[Back Atcha]

23 hours ago, akg said:

The counters weren't worth the work and cost.

They could chalk it up to a learning experience...the next one(s) will be easier and better.

[Orcinus orca]

I kind of got the feeling that Keith just didn't have his heart in the birthday present house.  He just didn't have his usual exuberance in the planning, it was more slapdash to me.  And that house had some bigger challenges than usual both a missing back wall and the fact that it was quite tiny.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I can't wait for this Wedneday's episodes. 

The rerun of "Physics House".   Tile wall in the living room was interesting, but I wouldn't want to live with it. 

First Playtime Rewind, with Keith and Evan babysitting baby Beau so Terry and Shea can have a date night.  Also with hints about remodeling they've learned over the years.    

I love the shower where they alternated cheap subway tile in white, with black penny tiles, in horizontal bands.   

Scheduled is a new one, "The Future House", season 3 episode 6.   900 sq ft, selling for $119,900.  Full price offer. 

Sad how easy it is to rip the tiny addition section off.  I like they're taking house back to the original layout, and restoring the floorplan. 

 I like the idea of cork floors, easier on the feet, and very nice to see.  I love the kitchen back splash, and that all of the materials are recycled, or sustainable, like the cork. 

I love that the men are involved with Beau's birthday party. I like that Keith is doing something besides getting a toy for Beau. 

The cabinet that has an air purifier in it, and the dog treat dispenser, and the voice.  The bedrooms are really big for the size of the house.  I like the countertops and the cabinets.  

 

Edited September 28, 2023 by CrazyInAlabama

[Scarlett45]

On 9/21/2023 at 6:46 PM, akg said:

I'm assuming it wasn't feasible to use the space over the basement stairs to add steps but I wish they had at least mentioned the option. My house (built in 1930) has the 2 steps of stairs on top of each other so getting to the second floor doesn't take any additional space. I'm also very curious about the plans of whoever framed a room upstairs (if that's really what Keith found).

I really liked the tile in the bathroom (and that they used a white version in the kitchen) but I hated the painting Keith hung there. And the tiles in the living room which would be much more difficult to remove. I think this theme would have been perfect for Evan's photography skills.

The counters weren't worth the work and cost. They didn't look all that great (there's an obvious seam at the waterfall turn). The size of the counter between the kitchen and living room was fantastic though.

I just spent an unreasonable time on zillow trying to track down BB houses. Someone has removed all pictures and information for the entire Fitzgerald neighborhood where they're working. I did finally find an address which lead me to realtor.com where there are actual listings for Shea. Here is the physics house. It looks like they skip Evan's purchase in the Property History (it goes from sold for $75,000 in 2006 to listed for $125,000 in May this year). They've dropped the price a few times to $107,500 and the page says pending.

Other listings:

• Cozy cabin (listed in March for $135k, sold in May for $140k)
• Temple house (listed in March for $119,900, sold in June for $117k)
• Disco house (listed in March for $115k, sold in March for $115k)

 

Thanks for this! I haven’t watched the new season yet but it’s on my list. There’s something very calming about this show. 

[Orcinus orca]

I thought the guys were hilarious with BJ. Luckily the little guy appeared to be tantrum-free but I had to laugh when he did that back arching thing to avoid the high chair.  Kids sure learn some tricks early in life.

[akg]

On 9/25/2023 at 7:55 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

I like that Keith is doing something besides getting a toy for Beau. 

I do too but I'm not sure how thrilled someone at any age would be to get 18 portraits of themselves. Maybe if they're small and include his parents?

The listing for the Future House is here. I wasn't sure about the console (other than the air freshener, there wasn't anything else included that I need) (I also hated the dining room light) but I loved the rest of the sustainable touches. Evan was right about painting the cabinets. They looked fabulous and I'd be thrilled to put any of the tile in my house somewhere. Does the show list sponsors/suppliers anywhere? They kept mentioning that going with recycled didn't cost any more but I feel like stuff like that can be difficult to source sometimes.

I'm guessing the blue quilt in the first bedroom was made using scraps? It didn't fit the rest of the house at all and looked a little amateurish, if that makes sense.

Little things that would drive me crazy: the handles on the cabinets/drawers were all horizontal, with some off-center (so you'd know which way it opened) and the spice plant rack in the kitchen looked cheap and the plants hadn't been re-potted.

But I overall loved what they did and restoring the floor plan and the arch on the porch was the right way to go.

[irisheyes]

On 9/25/2023 at 7:55 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

 I like the idea of cork floors, easier on the feet, and very nice to see.  I love the kitchen back splash, and that all of the materials are recycled, or sustainable, like the cork. 

My parents replaced the floors in their house with cork and they love them. My mom has arthritis, and she says her feet don’t hurt as much when she’s on them cooking or doing dishes. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

Tonight, rerun of "The Rustic Cozy Cabin".  Fun to see what this house became from what the 'before' was.  I'm glad they could add the upstairs bathroom.   I love the plaid tile in the upstairs bathroom, and plaid wallpaper in the upstair main bedroom.  

New, Season 3, Episode 5, "The Windsor Balmoral House".  It's a real wreck, even for the 'befores' on this show.   It's a duplex, needs to be a single family.  The interior is disgusting.   When Keith warns Shea not to touch any of the walls, I'm getting queasy.   The current kitchen space is so tiny.  keith wants to make the kitchen a u-shape.   Keith wants an English garden/Balmoral-Windsor theme.   Shea wants a full ensuite for better resale, instead of Keith's idea to put in as many bedrooms as possible.  The reno budget is $80,000, and the goal market price is $160,000.   It's a decent size house, so I think $160k is possible.   

Keith and Evan want to do an artshow, workshops, and food trucks, for a community event.   I love seeing that they have a staff now.  (https://www.theguild.org/fair/nine-design-homes-festival-of-the-arts/entertainment-activities/   It sounds like an amazing event.)

I love the finished 2 bath, 3 bedroom.  It's lovely.   It had a full price offer within a short time of hitting the market. 

Edited October 5, 2023 by CrazyInAlabama

[buttersister]

3 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

The Windsor Balmoral House"

LOL! Oh, Keith.

[akg]

I can't find the listing for this one on Shea's realtor.com page, unfortunately.

I wish they'd shown some discussion on why they decided to paint the brick. I couldn't see anything wrong with it during the episode and the color covered up some really nice design details. I also wondered why they didn't take out the wall between the dining room and kitchen (although that was probably cost). They talked about how big the dining room was during the walk through and I didn't feel like the kitchen seemed any bigger after the remodel (just looking at it gave me claustrophobia. There's no way more than one person could work in there).

I liked what Keith did to the fireplace but think the leather chairs were a mistake. They were too big for the corners and made the room seem crowded.

I also hated the chessboard bathroom.

The green tile in the upstairs bath was lovely though and I think Shea was right to push for getting rid of one of the bedrooms on the second floor.

On 9/20/2023 at 5:32 AM, Mollywolly555 said:

Which leads me to the yards! The bare ground is offputting. I get that it's winter,  but address the moonscape issue with a few pots of flowers oe mulch artfully set next to the house

They showed some landscaping! The flowers and mulch along the front of the house looked really nice.

I think the editors (or whoever) need to pay more attention to how Keith and Evan come across sometimes. To me, Evan seemed very 'adult dealing with irresponsible kid' this week with the mirror breaking (I know the teasing was supposed to be lighthearted but it was a bit too much for me) and ice cream cart.

Apparently, I didn't enjoy this episode as much as others. 🙁

[MsJamieDornan]

12 hours ago, akg said:

but think the leather chairs were a mistake. They were too big for the corners and made the room seem crowded.

Yes, the living room furniture was way too big for the room.

[auntjess]

They've  painted a brick house before, and I don't like it either. Haven't watched this one yet.

[akg]

17 hours ago, auntjess said:

They've  painted a brick house before, and I don't like it either.

For at least one of the painted brick houses, they explained their reasoning (something about it had already been painted and they couldn't clean it up with their budget, I think?) so I was disappointed they didn't this time. Especially with the extra decorative touches (the mosaic-like patterns in the front peaks) they lost.

[CrazyInAlabama]

Tonight the rerun is "The Classic Detroit House"

New episode is "The Forest House" with a forest chic theme (no, I have zero clue what 'forest chic' means).

1200 sq ft 3 bed 1 bath, house seems to be leaning. Porch is so bad they have to go in by a side door.  Interior is so bad it makes the awful exterior look good.  There are piles of branches i the house.  There is also a tree growing through the first floor.   

Keith wants to swap the dining and kitchen and turn it into one space.  The living room is huge, and they're adding a half bath on the first floor too.  Upstairs has 3 bedrooms and big bathroom.  Purchase price was $4500, about $80k reno.   It's a huge house.  Keith makes a good point, the interior cleanup is mostly landscaping, with branches, bird's nests.  Porch is a tear off. 

Because of the sandy soil, augering for the porch posts is awful. 

Shea is so adorable helping out with the remodel.  Keith and Evan, and adorable puppy going camping looks like fun.  

 

 

I love they're babysitting Baby Beau, and the adorable baby is almost a year old.  The photo shoot with the cowboy hats is so cute. 

The house exterior now looks wonderful.   The hail storm is bad, I wonder if the roof will survive it?  Keith's tree lamp is interesting.  I don't like the tree lamp at all.  The fireplace with the shelving is really nice.  The kitchen is wonderful, but I'm not a fan of the cabinet color. The first floor half bath is cute. 

List price is $  (sorry, missed it).  

I bet the episode with Keith and Evan for the tiny house is just a repackaged double episode, with commentary attached.  HGTV did the same thing with David Bromstead, and Scott McGillivray.    

Edited October 12, 2023 by CrazyInAlabama

[kirklandia]

4 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Tonight the rerun is "The Classic Detroit House"

New episode is "The Forest House" with a forest chic theme (no, I have zero clue what 'forest chic' means).

Another interesting item on tonight's HGTV schedule!

[buttersister]

Keith is more successful than Evan on the teleprompter. 
 

I don’t recall the first couple, but traveling nurses became a huge deal in 2020, so likely the guys got their own repackaged show.

Edited October 12, 2023 by buttersister

[Orcinus orca]

I want to know how all of that wood got into that house!

Finished Forest House was nice but we never saw the two other bedrooms.  They were quite small so I imagine one became an office.

I never fail to laugh at the antics.

[65mickey]

I love this show even though I don't always like the finishes on the cabinets and some of the wood art work. But Keith and Evan are fun to watch and I am impressed with their construction knowledge and  ability. It is great the work that they are doing to help working class folks and first time home owners purchase a home while helping to bring back older neighborhoods.  

[akg]

5 hours ago, Orcinus orca said:

Finished Forest House was nice but we never saw the two other bedrooms.  They were quite small so I imagine one became an office.

I don't think we saw the renovated upstairs hallway they all liked during the initial walk through either.

The front door looked way more pink with the green than it had when Keith was painting. The cabinets weren't as bad but there was still enough of a pink hue that I would have wanted to repaint. Especially with the wood handles.

The listing for the Balmoral house. It looks like they've had some trouble selling it.

[sheetmoss]

Enjoys the reno's but...

I don't know if it done as a style choice  or lack of budget...add the other banister/railing to the porch steps in these homes!

In winter you need all the support you can get going up and down stairs - also, the hazard of falling off the steps

Last/currant house - sad in the upstairs bathroom if that protruding pipe hadn't been fixed, the walls behind the tile board would have been left uninsulated

     Whoever was doing to install should know that's always a no-no to leave an outside wall uninsulated!

I do wish at times the guys were able to do what they do on Good Bones and take the place back to the studs

Edited October 12, 2023 by sheetmoss
spelling

[Orcinus orca]

Yikes. that had to be the absolute worst place they have every purchased.  But it really turned out to be beautiful!

Again, no filming of the other two upstairs rooms.I wonder if they are left empty to save money.

[Scarlett45]

On 10/12/2023 at 2:26 PM, sheetmoss said:

Enjoys the reno's but...

I don't know if it done as a style choice  or lack of budget...add the other banister/railing to the porch steps in these homes!

In winter you need all the support you can get going up and down stairs - also, the hazard of falling off the steps

Last/currant house - sad in the upstairs bathroom if that protruding pipe hadn't been fixed, the walls behind the tile board would have been left uninsulated

     Whoever was doing to install should know that's always a no-no to leave an outside wall uninsulated!

I do wish at times the guys were able to do what they do on Good Bones and take the place back to the studs

My mom commented on that. She wants two bannisters on every set of stairs. 

[buttersister]

I’m with your mom.

I liked the skandi house, and all the furniture—but that kitchen backsplash would be a p.I.t.a. to keep clean.

 

[alexa]

So do they often do houses where the front is redone but the back is left undone like their own house?  The episode just released shows the reno of their house.  And the front also looks pretty worn down considering they had done this house for season 2.  
 

Just curious as I normally like their work, but I was just surprised by the things in their own home especially the incomplete back part of the home.

[Orcinus orca]

9 minutes ago, alexa said:

Just curious as I normally like their work, but I was just surprised by the things in their own home especially the incomplete back part of the home.

That surprised me as well, at first I thought I read the discription of the episode incorrectly.  The unfinished space definitely was not part of the original episode although I did see the corner of a blue tarp hanging down last week that I wondered about.

I loved the Pewabic tile around the fireplace, it was stunning. I have been to the Pewabic store, everything there is so beautiful!

[MsJamieDornan]

2 hours ago, alexa said:

Just curious as I normally like their work, but I was just surprised by the things in their own home especially the incomplete back part of the home

The back of the house looked awful. I was very surprised to see it that way. 

[Mollywolly555]

I think it's like the shoemaker's children having no shoes that Keith and Evan lived in an unfinished house...other work, time, $, and making decisions on how to finish the home. 

My brother is a carpenter/contractor but has lived in a potentially awesome fixer upper which I doubt he will ever fix up a he ages.  

Keith is getting much better at decor. Evan has the patience of mucho saints.

Yes,  on banisters. 

My big complaint is that they don't add in landscaping,  or do very minimal at best.  I understand winter issues with plants, but Keith needs to look into minimalist xeriscape  design to put more curb appeal into the bare yards. 

I love these guys and their realtor and her family! I am blanking on her name,  but her son Beau is adorable.

 

[3 is enough]

Maybe they never finished the back because they knew they were going to add on. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I'm wondering if they are filming and working on multiple houses at the same time, and for filming purposes, were working on their home but not talking about it?   We already know the home remodels take months, and premit issues can complicate the time line even more.       

[Orcinus orca]

1 hour ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I'm wondering if they are filming and working on multiple houses at the same time...

I'm sure that they are.  The seasons change all of the time, in one they are sweating in tank tops and right afterward they are in heavy jackets with snow on the ground.  Permits are a huge headache.

[CrazyInAlabama]

Tonight's new episode "The Italian House" is so gross, I feel sorry for Shea having to preview it.   The upstairs layout is hideous.   The offset hallway is so inefficient. The purchase price of $6500 is a good deal, if they can stick to their $77k remodel budget, with a good potential profit.   

Keith is so funny when he says 'the house is speaking to him in Italian, but he doesn't understand Italian".     Who thought it was a good idea to put stucco on the house in a place with so much rain, and huge temperature extremes?  I seriously question the original builder's decision to do stucco.   

Nice that they consult Jenny and Dave Marrs about the house design, but publicizing their Italian house is a bit much.   No surprise, this season's Welcome Inn is their Italian house project.   

The stucco for $23k is lovely, but what a huge cost.  However, any other siding would have cost about the same price, or more.   Why didn't they strip the porch overhang before they restuccoed?  I like the bathtub tile.   

I love the kitchen, especially the back splash, and the tile in the bathroom coordinated, and looked wonderful.   

Edited November 2, 2023 by CrazyInAlabama

[buttersister]

22 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Italian".     Who thought it was a good idea to put stucco on the house in a place with so much rain, and huge temperature extremes?  

At the expense of fixing the upstairs layout? Makes as much sense as the Marrs being Italian experts. Because they bought an Italian villa house. Or house house.