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Ugliest House In America - General Discussion

LittleIggy

By LittleIggy
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meep.meep

meep.meep

On 8/15/2022 at 7:38 PM, kirklandia said:

Just watched the final episode On Demand. Gonna go ahead and put this out there before I see what everyone else has to say.

Of course they chose the house that would be the least challenging to reno.

The house itself was not ugly. It was a design that was not practical for a family.  Their decor was over-the-top, we can charitably call it "taste specific".

They definitely did not chose the house that would be least challenging to reno.  That would have been the linoleum house in LA.  This house needed extensive changes to the HVAC and plumbing.  One of the three octagons was not inhabitable when they started the reno.

The design of the house was not practical for anyone.  I've lived in homes where the walls didn't go all the way to the ceilings and hated it.  [There's actually a style of home in my area where this was very popular in the 1950s]  You have no privacy, they are very noisy, and the cats go everywhere!

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LittleIggy
LittleIggy

I knew the Poseidon house would “win” this round. It was hideous and hilarious. They need to keep the Poseidon statue though. Hook up a speaker so he can say, “Release the Kraken!” Liam Nelson’s voice

Dehumidifier
Dehumidifier

I don't know who she is but I do know who Allison Victoria is and if I wanted to de-uglify my house she'd be the last one I'd pick. Get ready for a giant, gaudy oven hood!

Cetacean
Cetacean

Who in the name of all that is holy buys a brothel for his young daughter?  

FormerMod-a1

FormerMod-a1

I really want to see a floor plan of this place since I have questions.  E.g. Is it just 2 bed, 2 bath? or, said another way, do you  have to go into master bedroom to use a bathroom if you are just watching TV or are a guest.  No half baths anywhere?  and what about laundry?  I don't like that the front door went right into the kitchen with no entry way - no coat closet or boot tray or even hall tree.  And the 2nd bedroom was in the space between the house and the garage so if you park in the garage do you have to go back outside to get into the house?  

I mean, I do think the house was much improved - removing a lot of the free standing/half wall things and opening it up made a big difference.  And of course, extending the room dividing walls all the way up to the ceiling - I mean not just the noise buffer but smells too.  The expanded master bathroom was really nice, and the office space.  I am jealous of the new stove and vent (although maybe not that color even if I didn't hate it, doesn't go with my stuff :P ).

TeapotWakeen

TeapotWakeen

On 8/15/2022 at 12:27 PM, cuppasun said:

so that you can see the beautiful wood but aren't going to have to try to clean food and dust and whatever out of all those deep spaces?

I agree with those of you talking about the divots in the table, what a pain!!  And it seems like all the home Reno shows these days have the "wall feature" of 1x2s stapled to the wall in geometric designs. All I can think is "WHO is going to dust those?!?!" I want to sneeze just looking at them!

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CrazyInAlabama

CrazyInAlabama

(edited)

There is no way that they will take on the concrete, earth covered house.  With the major leaks, it would need a lot of work, and that wouldn't fix the floor plan or the ceiling height. 

There is no way the angel house could be fixed for $150k, it needs the ceilings redone, every light fixture gone, and everything that is gaudy and garish out of there. 

 The front to back house could have been done for the basement, but the second floor was never going to be useable with that slope in the ceiling hallway.    Not with the ceiling heights, unless you put a big bump out, so my solution would be cut the water off to the upstairs bathroom, and cap the pipes, and just use it for storage by the stairs.  The red everywhere, except the tiny pink and red bathroom house was bizarre.    That needs everything removed, wall paper, paint, carpet, and then LVP everywhere.   And the bathroom that's the entrance to the bedroom? I don't know how you would fix that. 

I don't understand the scheduling on this, they showed the cement house twice, and then here the same episode comes again.      I really like Retta though.   

The Southeast houses are ugly.   Grandma's house needs someone to rip out the carpet, put in LVP, scrape the wallpaper, and that will help a lot.   The window treatments need to be burned too.   I think this house could be redone for the budget the show has. 

The WV house is taxidermy hell.  It also needs an exterminator, and someone to seal everything so the bugs don't come in.  It also has serious foundation and  support issues too, and the deck is awful.  Why do they have the dresser sitting right outside the little girl's room? They had plenty of room to move it into either bedroom, and then the little girl wouldn't run into it. 

The wild house in NC was hideously dangerous.    The stairs, the doors to nowhere, code enforcement should make a visit, and give citations for that.   Why would anyone buy that house?  I would wonder how they have a certificate of occupancy to live in that death trap.    Crystal Death house won, or lost because now everyone knows their house is a death trap. (This is a finalist).   

Midwest (Thursday)  House #1 looks so normal so far.  The strange murals are disgusting.   Every room is painted with hideous murals, drop ceilings are dangerous, light fixtures and electric needs undating before it burns the house down. They just moved in yesterday.   Floor mosaic tiles are strange, dropped ceilings is a fire hazard.     Dining room has a wall mural of the Last Supper.  Floor tile was laid over hardwood floors. Dante's Inferno is hideous.   

Why don't they have a crew of electricians working on this house right now?  It needs a total rewire before it burns down.  And someone pulling the fire hazard ceiling panels down.  Main bedroom is so awful looking.  

House 2-Louisa KY, ( or Luisa, KY) wall paper every where.   The flooring is buckling up, window curtains are awful, windows in a lot of cases are simply open.   Owner grew up across the street, bought it for $85k, and has 20 years of delayed maintenance.   One bathroom has a giant settee, and a clear glass door, and water damage.   Upstairs is wallpaper hell, multiple layers of wallpaper.   The owner was in the kitchen, and a possum came out from under the cabinets and touched his foot.  I'm wondering if it even has a real foundation?    

House 3-Carlton MI, yard has tones of statues, like Lord of the Rings, maybe? House is big.  Had lots of holes for vermin to get in, and he seals the holes alot.   Lots of statues, lions, wizards, angels.  Previous owners loved Victorian England, and house was only built in 1995.   Carpet looks more like padding than carpet, wallpaper is over the top florals.  Kitchen has big hideous lights, red sink, floor in kitchen mixes stone and wood, so the floor can crack.   Fake tin ceiling. bathroom has a red/orange sink, a red tub, and gaudy tile floor, and they only have one bathroom.  

Winner is: House 2, Possum house is a finalist. 

Edited by CrazyInAlabama
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CrazyInAlabama

CrazyInAlabama

(edited)

I can't believe who they picked to redo.    I don't think $150k, will do that much.  At least this house isn't an electrical death trap like some others in the competition. 

Winner is:

The Angel house

So many of the angels were actually in the concrete, so I'm wondering how they got rid of them?    It looked fine after the remodel, but I think the mural house would have too.   

 The NC death house with the doors to nowhere, would never have worked, that one needed a bull dozer.     The Possum house in Kentucky was well beyond the scope of this budget.   

I was happy to see the front cherub over the front door was an added panel that could be removed easily.   I actually liked the front exterior with the blue paint.  I was afraid she was going to paint everything black.    

Edited by CrazyInAlabama
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CrazyInAlabama

CrazyInAlabama

(edited)

So, West and Midwest.  The egret/bird house is easy to redo for $150k, the other homes on both episodes were way too much work.   I thought the former Elizabeth Taylor house with the toilet in the ensuite facing the window and in direct view from the pool was hideous.     The one with the tiny kitchen, no oven door, and you have to run downstairs to use the tiny fridge and turn on the cook top circuit breaker is unlivable.     The tiled nightmare house was dangerous with the sharp shattered floor tiles.   

I think the buyers are buying for location, and a cheap price, except the ones that bid over asking for some bizarre reason.  They underestimate how serious the structural and mechanical issues are, and how much it will cost to demo, fix structure and electrical / heat / plumbing, and the labor to fix it all.   

Retta's outfits are amazing.   I really enjoy her, and seeing the homes.  

 

Edited by CrazyInAlabama
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chessiegal

chessiegal

7 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

Makes me wonder why some of these buyers buy these houses in the first place. Surely it can't be just to get on this show. Or can it?

I sincerely doubt someone would buy a house to be on the show. I don't know if people are compensated to be on the show, but it can't compare to the major $$$ needed to buy a house.

Soapy Goddess

Soapy Goddess

16 hours ago, chessiegal said:

I sincerely doubt someone would buy a house to be on the show. I don't know if people are compensated to be on the show, but it can't compare to the major $$$ needed to buy a house.

Sorry I forgot the emoji...was just kidding. 

I guess I just don't get attraction to these homes. I can't imagine looking at any of them and saying to my spouse, I REALLY love this home...let's buy it!

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CrazyInAlabama

CrazyInAlabama

(edited)

The episode numbers, and the exact episode they're showing seem to be rather random.    The first night they showed West, and Midwest.   Monday the 14th the 7 pm central episode is new, the Southwest, followed by a rerun of the West again.  Monday the 21st, they're rerunning West and Midwest, at 6 pm central, 7 pm central is new, the Northeast.   Followed by rerun of Southwest at 7:30 central.        

I love seeing the houses along with Retta.  She has a good sense of humor about them, without insulting the owners, and she's game for any death trap in the houses.    So many of the houses on all of the seasons have been death traps, and I wonder how some received a certificate of occupancy.   Many seem to be outside the city limits, so they might not have had inspections, or zoning restrictions when they were constructed. 

I get a kick out of noticing that Retta must be furnishing her own spectacular wardrobe, because I recognize a lot of her clothes.   I love it when someone has their own style.  I really enjoy her as host. 

Southwest is new tonight.   I'm guessing the homes will be really bizarre.

1. Boulder City, NV a town created for the workers building the Hoover Dam.   Another dome monstrosity "The Disco Dome Home/Penny for Your Thoughts".  It's painted white to reflect heat, about 2500 sq ft.  The owner says it's a combination of swingers palace/brothel/early 70's home. Carpet wallpaper art is hideous, and so is the rock work. I believe it used to be a swinger's place.  I don't think $150k would even touch this house for remodeling. The main bedroom loft is really awful, with the carpeted party tub is really bad. There are only a few rooms with walls that go to the ceiling, not the bathroom either. 

2. Las Vegas NV, Retta calls it "Le Musee de Horreur "Paradise Crest Manor" sort of Aztec looking, but with dragon statues, Deloreans, House is built over a ranch house, original house is actually under the bigger house.  It's three homes combined, with Halloween decorations.   It's the same house that was on Hoarders (Magic Eyes posting further down the page has the episode number, if anyone wants to see what the house looked like before).  Staircase was a stage prop for Liberace. The planetarium is bizarre, no projector though.   Skeletons sitting at the dining table, plus a 12' skeleton.  Giant collection of garden gnomes in the back yard.  I agree with other posters, the owner just wanted to get on TV, and really likes what he did.  

3. Pahrump, NV (If you're a fan of On Patrol Live on Reelz, it's Nye County).   House is a castle.   Christina and Marty live in Pahrump NV.  No gutters, ropes lead rain water away from the house.  Fake rocks are sprayfoam connecting styrafoam rocks.   They have a stove top set on a bathroom vanity top, with a mocrowave over it.   They needed to put a granite top on something, so it's sitting on the never unwrapped microwave.   There is a big opening between the main bedroom, and guest room.   main bathroom is full of rock walls. When they turned the water on in the giant tub, spiders came out of it, so they never use it. Garage door is from bathroom to garage.  Rec room is awful.   No way $150k will fix this place either. 

No way a $150k makeover will fix any of these homes, so whoever wins for the Southwest won't win.  #1 wins for the region. 

 

 

 

Edited by CrazyInAlabama
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3 is enough

3 is enough

Yes, the second house was the house owned by Dr. Lonnie Hammargren. He was a bit of a fixture in Las Vegas - the local newscasts would periodically have a piece about his property.  He periodically had issues with the county and his neighbours due to the sheer amount of stuff in the property. He passed away in June so I am not sure how that guy was able to buy the place so soon, but Dr Hammargren was suffering from dementia so it is possible the family sold before he passed. A lot of the stuff was cleared out- it looked a lot worse than that when he was there.

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CrazyInAlabama

CrazyInAlabama

(edited)
19 hours ago, 3 is enough said:

Yes, the second house was the house owned by Dr. Lonnie Hammargren. He was a bit of a fixture in Las Vegas - the local newscasts would periodically have a piece about his property.  He periodically had issues with the county and his neighbours due to the sheer amount of stuff in the property. He passed away in June so I am not sure how that guy was able to buy the place so soon, but Dr Hammargren was suffering from dementia so it is possible the family sold before he passed. A lot of the stuff was cleared out- it looked a lot worse than that when he was there.

I remember Dr. Hammargren from the Hoarders episode he was on.   He was convinced that his massive hoard was very valuable.  

(Magic Eyes located the episode of Hoarders in case anyone wants to see the original)

Edited by CrazyInAlabama
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jcbrown

jcbrown

(edited)

My DVR keeps cutting off the end of these, even though I have it scheduled to go a minute over. Frustrating. I thought the people with the hole in the floor that looked into the shower below and no door on their oven just needed a contractor. I don't think gift renovations should go to people who are too lazy or incompetent to have essential repairs done. As for the oven light situation, I had three better suggestions than running up and downstairs to flip the breaker, which is what they were doing. 1. Put a damn door on your oven/replace the oven, 2. take the light bulb out of the oven or 3. tape the sensor down so it thinks the door is closed and the light isn't on. Morons.

Edited by jcbrown
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CrazyInAlabama

CrazyInAlabama

(edited)

For a lot of HGTV shows, I set it to go five minutes over.  If I don't do that it chops the ending off. 

I set my DVR to run at least 5 minutes past every show I record, except when I record two shows on the same channel in a row, then only the second or last one is set for five minutes over. 

Edited by CrazyInAlabama
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howiveaddict

howiveaddict

On 8/15/2023 at 12:55 PM, 3 is enough said:

Yes, the second house was the house owned by Dr. Lonnie Hammargren. He was a bit of a fixture in Las Vegas - the local newscasts would periodically have a piece about his property.  He periodically had issues with the county and his neighbours due to the sheer amount of stuff in the property. He passed away in June so I am not sure how that guy was able to buy the place so soon, but Dr Hammargren was suffering from dementia so it is possible the family sold before he passed. A lot of the stuff was cleared out- it looked a lot worse than that when he was there.

I know I've seen that house on some show years ago. And it wasn't hoarders.

CrazyInAlabama

CrazyInAlabama

The Vegas house was probably on one of those Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous type shows, or You Live in What type shows.   

The Northeast candidates are truly worthy of Ugliest House.   The horse rescue with the zebra bar has possiblities, but not something $150k will fix.   The red modern house certainly needs work, starting with the main bath, and the spiral staircase needs to be regular stairs. The house that has Japanese, and rocks, and all other themes probably could eat up $150k, and still not fix much of anything. 

The exterior of the Newtown house red barn house looked familiar, maybe from a House Hunters episode?  

The regional winner is: the horse rescue that looks like a church.

Even watching reruns fascinates me, I see more details with every viewing. 

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CrazyInAlabama

CrazyInAlabama

(edited)

Tonight's episode "The Sorry Southeast" is the final region. 

First house-Hurtin' for a Yurtin'. Christiansburg, VA 4 brick yurt pods built in the 1920s, $241k was what they paid for it. only one closet in the entire house, and it's only 9" deep. Tin roof and no insulation anywhere. 3 fireplaces, all chimneys capped off. windows are broken.  They have no room, but they're having another baby, and already have two tiny girls.  Bathroom is tiny and awful,  This house is so unsafe, no egress windows. 

Second house-Lancaster SC -The Never-Ending Scariest Treehouse -I can't even describe what the house is a sort of barn, sort of cabin, sort of a mess. It's set back in the pine trees, with dinosaur statues adn other wood stuff around the house in the woods. There are no outside lights, so the neighbors walk Jennifer to the house if it's after dark.  There are several sheds attached randomly.  There are trees growing through the porches and other parts.  The house is a mess inside, with paper taped over the hole in the floor.  The stairs are a wooden spiral. 

Jennifer (the owner) moved a curtain over a doorway, and a cameraman was standing there, and she was scared.  Her daughters begged her not to buy this house.   There is an indoor swimming pool, no water. I agree with Retta, it wasn't a pool but a cage for some alligator or something.  The bedroom used to have a hanging bed. One door is a trailer door, next to the makeshift bar.  This house doesn't need a makeover, but a bulldozer. 

Third House- Laurens, SC-"Sweeney Todd's Holiday Hideaway" -Vanessa and Dave have a rather normal looking house. They moved down from NJ, house needs a lot of work.  The exterior is a faded yellow. The interior is all dark wood panelling, It's right out of the 80's. Dave says the musty smell is snakes. Carpet is a mixture of sections of red and green. The sunroom is all dark wood, with laminate over moldy carpet in the sunroom. The kitchen continues the red and green hideousness.  The railing to the upstairs is at 5 feet high.   The FROG (finished room over the garage) was a hair salon at one time.  There are tons of mold in the house. 

Southeast winner is : Jennifer and The Never-Ending Scariest Treehouse (no way that place is winning, it needs a bulldozer, not a makeover).  

 

West was the Bird House, Midwest was Egret house,  Dome Home was Southwest, Northeast was Temple of Equus, Southeast the Never-Ending Scariest Treehouse. 

I hope the West Bird House wins.  It can be fixed for $150k. 

Next week is the one-hour finale.  Before that are two one-hour long recaps of the ugly houses.  

Edited by CrazyInAlabama
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Mannahatta

Mannahatta

(edited)

Wow. Those first 2 properties had me wondering how was it even legal to sell them as residential homes. And why would anyone buy them? I looked up real estate in Christiansburg, VA, and for just a little bit more that couple could have bought a 3 bedroom townhouse in great condition with more square footage. So I'm guessing they were more interested in being quirky than raising a family in a safe environment. Plus the only curb appeal those brick yurtas had were that they might make passersby laugh. The 2nd homeowner was amusing and I get that she loved the trees. But she had to be bat-shit crazy for thinking that collection of ramshackle structures has potential. And the 3rd couple were complaining about things they could have at least started to repair. Anyway, don't these homeowners know by now that the winning home is always the one that needs the least amount of work? 

But I'm enjoying this show - mainly due to Retta. She's hilarious. Of course, I think I would enjoy it even more if there was another designer waiting in the wings.  

Edited by Mannahatta
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quirkygal

quirkygal

(edited)

Jennifer - she of the dubious indoor pool and beautiful trees - seems like such a nice lady but that house....

I think a bulldozer is needed.  I wonder how much it would cost to clear the existing structure and put a prefab home on the property. Also I'm surprised the local government issued a certificate of occupancy and/or hasn't already condemned the property.

Edited by quirkygal
grammar - probably made it worse
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CrazyInAlabama

CrazyInAlabama

(edited)

I bet Jennifer's so-called house (I call it a shack) isn't anywhere in the jusrisdiction of the city inspectors, and I bet it never had a certificate of occupancy.    I can understand why her daughters are worried for her living in that house.    I think Retta's right, that 'pool' was an animal cage, and I bet it was something with a lot of teeth. 

My choice for remodel is the West house, with all of the bird tiles, and statues.   That could be a great house with a remodel, and getting rid of the ridiculous bird carvings.     Every other house they showed through the five episodes is way more expensive to fix the structural issues, and remodel.   I really liked the couple who owned that house too.  

Before the one-hour finale tonight, they're showing two hours of the candidates from this season, plus bonus scenes, and other houses that didn't make the show.  They certainly named this show correctly.  

OK, I goofed and turned on the finale a couple of minutes too early, and spoiled myself.    I can't believe they chose that house for a winner.  I really wanted the west house with the horrible bird carvings to win.   

However, the makeover Alison did wasn't attractive to me at all.  I hate the lighted palm tree at the top of the spiral staircase.  The kitchen is better, but that's all I like.   She left the disco balls.   The dining room only fits 5 people at a round table.  Neon signs all over the place.  At least they enclosed the bathroom upstairs, and it does look better without that hideous carpeted tub. 

Edited by CrazyInAlabama
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Grizzly

Grizzly

It's a miracle, nothing was painted black. That house will be back on Ugliest Houses in 5 years. With every design choice, I kept thinking aren't you trying to update this place?  

Some of the contenders were easy to eliminate. And you have to wonder what people were thinking when they purchased. I did feel sorry for Jennifer who was scared to be in her house. The bonus clip said she didn't tour all of it before buying. I hope she gets out of there.

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ChicksDigScars

ChicksDigScars

(edited)

Jennifer deserved that reno. My only guess is that they realized it was a total demolish/gut job and the budget wasn't going to cover bringing it even up to code.  They basically use some of these people for the shock value, knowing that structurally, they can't do it for $150,000.

Do any of these people get some kind of compensation for letting HGTV into their homes to basically make fun of them and not win the reno?

They should call it "Ugliest, but not TOO Ugly Because We Only Have $150,000 and Alison Victoria to Work With, Houses in America."

 

Edited by ChicksDigScars
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Soapy Goddess

Soapy Goddess

19 hours ago, ChicksDigScars said:

They should call it "Ugliest, but not TOO Ugly Because We Only Have $150,000 and Alison Victoria to Work With, Houses in America."

Adding to the title "...because we only have $150,000 and can't afford to fly Alison Victoria to Paris for new decor and custom oven hoods..."

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howiveaddict

howiveaddict

Dome house really did not look all that much better.  Cosmetic fixes at most.  No where to put a tv in the living area.  Horrible stairs remained.  I'd fall and kill myself going up and down them. And who wants a palm tree light?   Only one bathroom still.  The kitchen looked nice, but they could have spent less on the high end appliances and put that money somewhere else. Of course, the appliances were probably donated.  Maybe the home will become an Air Bnb.

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Shermie

Shermie

Just watched some of these eps on repeat and I’m aghast that grown-ass people would pay money for those crapshacks. Why would anyone buy a home for their family that’s a series of yurts with no insulation or proper windows or storage? Or that mess in the forest made of sheds? And that house with the red and green carpet was not “ugliest house” material; it was just dated. Buy some paint, people.

Not sure why so many dislike Alison’s decor style; I don’t mind her.

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