Farmhouse Fixer - General Discussion

[MMEButterfly]

5 hours ago, chediavolo said:

Finally found it. I was so relieved they took the new build and weren’t going to destroy one of the beautiful staircases in those beautiful old very very very expensive homes. i’ve never seen the little couple show. I feel like giving it a try now because the wife seems so nice and the husband seems to be OK. I wonder if it’s anything like Little people big world? 

I found it on demand. 

Thanks, I'd been looking in season 2

[SabineElisabeth]

On 10/29/2022 at 1:03 PM, chediavolo said:

Finally found it. I was so relieved they took the new build and weren’t going to destroy one of the beautiful staircases in those beautiful old very very very expensive homes. i’ve never seen the little couple show. I feel like giving it a try now because the wife seems so nice and the husband seems to be OK. I wonder if it’s anything like Little people big world? 

I found it on demand. 

Bill is a nice guy who sometimes tries way too hard to be funny.  Jennifer is incredibly nice, kind, and gracious - and it's 100% sincere and authentic.  

And no, this show is the exact, polar opposite of Little People Big World.  Bill and especially Jennifer are absolute class acts - and the whole tone of the show reflects that.

[65mickey]

Does anyone know if this show has been renewed for another season? 

[CrazyInAlabama]

https://www.tvinsider.com/gallery/hgtv-shows-renewed-returning-2024/#6

Renewed for Season 3, no date for premiere mentioned. 

[buttersister]

It’s ba—ack. Jon still has an 8-year-old’s sense of humor, but the bad-luck very old farmhouse they fixed up should see better days. I couldn’t follow the layout and didn’t see bedrooms or baths, but I loved the butterflies.

[chediavolo]

I hated that they painted white  the wood on the wall & the banister in the kitchen. What the hell ? way to ruin an original detail. I liked the flooring in the kitchen and the bathroom. The bathroom was nice for a rustic look. I think the  homeowners who knew they weren’t going to be there in the cold Massachusetts winter, should have drained the pipes or at least had someone check on the house every few days. Would have cost them a few bucks but not $200,00..

[sadie]

I hated this ep and hated the reno. Sorry but an outside door in a non functional closet is just never going to be a good idea. And the parts of the house that weren’t part of the reno were equally charmless. I usually love their work but this one, blech.

[CrazyInAlabama]

Tonight's new episode is "Island Lighthouse Renovation", Season 3 Episode 1.    They must be showing them out of order for some reason.    I can't wait to see this episode.   

It's located on Bakers Island, Mass.  Guest house for the lighthouse is the renovation project.    It's part of a nonprofit, has a limited budget, and a short time to finish because of weather.   Caretakers for the lighthouse (solar powered) stay in the caretakers cottage in the summer.  Members of the Essex Heritage trust can stay at the assistant keeper's house, it's a major source of income for the trust.   

Everything will have to come by boat, on the beach, no boat ramp or dock.   There are a lot of volunteers that will work on the project. The old Crawford cooking stove needs to be restored.  Living room will have the paneling ripped down. There is a mystery space, an enclosed veranda. 

Budget is $30,000.   Kristina and Jon look stunned at the budget. The timeline is tight, boat only comes out 2 days a week, and they are only on site 7 hours each day.   Jon is donating concert tickets, and helping to organize an auction to raise more money.  They raise extra reno budget with the auction, goal was $20,000, and they raised $22,500. 

Kitchen cabinets are painted.  They're putting a computer workspace in the old enclosed veranda.  

The ATV track with the dolly is a great labor saver.  

With the auction proceeds they could add historic trim on the exterior.   Lots of volunteers showed up to help furnish and decorate the house.  

I love the house.   The refurbished stove was converted to gas, and the kitchen looks lovely. 

Edited May 19 by CrazyInAlabama

[ECM1231]

5 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Tonight's new episode is "Island Lighthouse Renovation", Season 3 Episode 1.    They must be showing them out of order for some reason.

I've been totally confused about this season and my DVR has been recording old and new episodes. I hadn't realized that the seasons were so short on episodes.

Here's the rundown of this season's episodes:

Season 3 episodes
5
Episode 5
Jun 4, 2024
NEW
4
Barn Burner
May 7, 2024
3
Demon Trap Design
Apr 30, 2024
2
Return of the Salem Witch Trial House
Apr 23, 2024
1
Island Lighthouse Renovation
May 14, 2024

Haven't seen tonight's episode yet. I watched a repeat of the one in Marblehead with the 2 Great Danes, Dutch door, and kitchen with that great English racing green stove and range hood.

I continue to be amazed at the costly budget. I know prices of materials have skyrocketed since COVID, but Jon's price quotes still seem really high to me. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

New England, at least the areas the show filmed in, are very high cost, and they also include a lot of skilled labor.  I find a lot of other shows under estimate costs, because they go so many discounted, or free materials in return for the advertising.   The lighthouse episode was even worse, since they had to pay $500 for each trip on the ferry.   I loved the dedication of the Trust and the volunteers. 

Edited May 15 by CrazyInAlabama

[65mickey]

I really enjoyed this episode. It is nice to see what can be done on a small budget of $50,000 and lots of volunteer labor rather than show renos costing $200,000 and above.  I think they showed the total boat fee was $3,500.  I thought the guest house turned out beautifully. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

Starting in June, Farmhouse Fixer: Camp Revamp, a four episode series, where Jon buys an old camp with 10 cabins, and another building, on 12 acres in New Hampshire to remodel, and his whole family will be helping.   His mom, dad, sisters, and brother Jordan will be working on the project.   It will in the style of a boutique hotel. 

Edited May 29 by CrazyInAlabama

[buttersister]

Might as well spread the wealth. Kinda a cross between an HGTV doer personal project, family employment effort and that vacation rental remodel show. 
 

HGTV motto: We recycle.

[Pine]

I didn't finish the garage build.

First off, the owner's house is huge. Why is the whole family trying to jam themselves into a small above garage room, with no chance of keeping it warm.  Get rid of that huge opening from the garage area, and make more space upstairs.   I am saying this from personal experience.   There's no way to make it year-round usable without spending way too much for heating that bottom area too.  New England winters are brutal. JMHO of course.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I didn't understand the point of redoing the barn/garage/hang out space either.  No heat, no insulation, no cooling seems bizarre for New Hampshire. 

This week is "Berry Farm Charm" reno on the short term rental 3 bedroom apartment.   The original house is massive at 10,000 sq ft.    Jon gave them an estimate to redo the entire house for $700,000 to $900,000 and the homeowners decided to wait because of the cost.   I missed how much the apartment/short term rental reno will cost.   Thanks to MsJamieDornan, reno budget was $150,000 to $175,000

It's called Saltonstall Farm, in New Hampshire, and has been in the family since 1946.    Sophie & Kyle are the fourth generation to own the farm.   Sophie and Kyle are about to have a baby, so the fifth generation on the farm.   Also, when they married and decided to take over the farm, they both legally changed their names to Saltonstall, to honor the heritage of the farm.    It's also near the coast.   

They rent the barn venue too.  They block the apartment availability off during big or noisy events at the barn venue.  The apartment is lovely.  I'm sure it will be a fun place to stay, and make a lot of money for the family.   The apartment is listed as 2 bed and 2 bath (I swear there are three different bedrooms, unless they changed the decor). Looks like the bedrooms are upstairs for two of them, and the second bath.  The only thing they changed since the remodel is the sofa, which  is an L-shaped, not the Chesterfield they were looking at.   It has a lot more seating than the Chesterfield.   

Edited Wednesday at 12:47 PM by CrazyInAlabama

[buttersister]

Did I miss the bedroom(s)?  Admittedly, I wasn’t paying total attention, but if they’re renting it out, ?

[MsJamieDornan]

6 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

 I missed how much the apartment/short term rental reno will cost.

Jon told them $150,000 to $175,000

[tljgator]

20 hours ago, buttersister said:

Did I miss the bedroom(s)?  Admittedly, I wasn’t paying total attention, but if they’re renting it out, ?

They had already done the upstairs themselves -- they showed it briefly & deemed it nice enough to leave as it was.

[65mickey]

On 5/28/2024 at 9:22 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

 Saltonstall Farm, in New Hampshire, and has been in the family since 1946.    Sophie & Kyle are the fourth generation to own the farm.   Sophie and Kyle are about to have a baby, so the fifth generation on the farm.   Also, when they married and decided to take over the farm, they both legally changed their names to Saltonstall, to honor the heritage of the farm.    It's also near the coast.   

I wonder if this farm has any connection to Leverett Saltonstall who was a 3 term governor of MA and served 20 years in the US senate. His family was considered Boston elite. 

[chediavolo]

On 5/8/2024 at 9:48 AM, sadie said:

I hated this ep and hated the reno. Sorry but an outside door in a non functional closet is just never going to be a good idea. And the parts of the house that weren’t part of the reno were equally charmless. I usually love their work but this one, blech.

Agree! I don’t know where to begin with this abomination. OK, first of all they spent $100,000 for a barn that is primarily going to be used for their daughters hobby. When there is a perfectly fine aerial yoga studio not that far away. Is this going to be this child’s vocation? Is she going to grow up and join the circus?I just can’t with the entitled people’s waste of money now onto the house.

I don’t know what Jon was thinking. He should’ve never taken on this job. They absolutely ruined the vintage features of the original part of the home. By putting a closet in the front door, making the room with the fireplace, which they destroyed by the way, etc., into a bedroom suite.. what in the hell is going on with this house? It looked humongous!  is that the only place they could think of to put the bedroom, bathroom and closet? And  did they a have a bar connected to this suite of horrors? well, kind of makes sense then.. they must drink a lot to think that this destruction looks good… And what was with all the black and horrible decorating?  these people have no taste. They have negative negative taste , this is why there are places that have laws in place  where you cannot. F up a historic house like this. 

 

Edited Sunday at 11:52 AM by chediavolo

[CrazyInAlabama]

I think the homeowners get a ton more input than the show admits.    If they had to get permits, than almost everything was chosen long before Jon and Kristina came into the picture.    I saw zero point in redoing the unheated/uncooled barn into any space since it won't be usable most of the year.    

[buttersister]

Jon can shed a few tears for his “authentic “ love for historic homes after that one.

[chediavolo]

5 hours ago, buttersister said:

Jon can shed a few tears for his “authentic “ love for historic homes after that one.

Which one, the one where they destroyed what was left of the original features in the 1800s part of that humongous house where there apparently there wasn't enough room to put a master suite somewhere else that they had to use the front door? It just blows my mind how some people think.. Plus it was butt ugly when it was done.

Edited Sunday at 08:40 PM by chediavolo

[buttersister]

Yeah, part of me was glad he’d kept that door—even in a closet—so it could be restored one day. But not putting the suite there in the first place? Better. I couldn’t believe how big that whole place looked.