Rehab Addict - General Discussion

[Calibabydolly]

I love that the Rehab Addict page here is not on the main page. (Meaning, if that is really Nicole coming here and posting, she has to click on ALL the "R" shows and scroll down to hers.) Not quite as popular as she thinks she is!

Edited February 5, 2015 by Calibabydolly

[txvoodoo]

From tonight's ep:

 

"You can't just put any color with dark stain, and people think that you have to go a dark color because you have a dark stain, and that just makes your room seem smaller, darker - it's not a good feeling."

 

I'm cocking my head like a confused dog, as I consider those words, and think about the powder room. 

 

She also seems to not appreciate irony "The 1940s, 1930s, women didn't want their mother's houses. ... Women of the 30s and 40s and 50s - they wanted new and modern, and the first thing to go was all the dark woodwork.  - they painted it all."

 

See, it goes in cycles. We had painted woodwork through the 70s - and people who are adults now don't want *their* mothers' houses, hence the return to stained wood. (Except where you grew up with bad 70s paneling and have an allergy to anything that looks "woody" now).

 

Ahh, the "logic" behind the new furniture - buying locally! At a chain store! 

 

She couldn't find period sconces? Why not get some in Minneapolis and bring them down in her empty luggage?

[GaT]

The living room floor was stained by a professional & it shows, it looks so much better than the floor she did in the basement that she stained herself. The crack filler stuff was pretty cool, I don't remember her ever using it before, maybe only professionals do.

[Mplsmn]

From tonight's ep:

"You can't just put any color with dark stain, and people think that you have to go a dark color because you have a dark stain, and that just makes your room seem smaller, darker - it's not a good feeling."

I'm cocking my head like a confused dog, as I consider those words, and think about the powder room.

She also seems to not appreciate irony "The 1940s, 1930s, women didn't want their mother's houses. ... Women of the 30s and 40s and 50s - they wanted new and modern, and the first thing to go was all the dark woodwork. - they painted it all."

See, it goes in cycles. We had painted woodwork through the 70s - and people who are adults now don't want *their* mothers' houses, hence the return to stained wood. (Except where you grew up with bad 70s paneling and have an allergy to anything that looks "woody" now).

Ahh, the "logic" behind the new furniture - buying locally! At a chain store!

She couldn't find period sconces? Why not get some in Minneapolis and bring them down in her empty luggage?

Yes, the irony and contradictions were thick in last nights episode! I think Nicole lacks real knowledge so she makes it up as she goes along, then when it's edited later it makes no sense. I think her average viewer, anyone who thinks they're "learning" from her, don't see the contradictions, but to someone with any knowledge it's glaring. How about when Nicole was mocking the people who painted previously, while she was messily glopping on thick paint, and we saw what a great paint job she did in the cave like powder room! Why go dumpster diving when you can get new for free, or at least heavily discounted from Art Van!? At least she's supporting a small local business, except Art Van apparently has 48 stores around the Midwest! Wait, reusing and recycling is her mantra, or is it? So far this house is looking like a Pottery Barn display, not terribly original. What was she bringing back in those 6 empty suitcases in her daily commute? Apparently not wall sconces, but old photos! Why has no one else ever thought of putting old pictures in frames, oh but every one does that already! I'm sorry, but this show is almost like a sitcom, but you couldn't make this stuff up!

The living room floor was stained by a professional & it shows, it looks so much better than the floor she did in the basement that she stained herself. The crack filler stuff was pretty cool, I don't remember her ever using it before, maybe only professionals do.

That floor did look great, I would love to have that guy do my floors! We did have a few flooring pros look at our floors, we have some noticable gaps in areas, but all of them said if you were to put in a filler it would just pop out over time, I would like to see how Nicole's hold up, but we never will. Edited February 6, 2015 by Mplsmn

[CynicalGirl]

Wow. This thread has been a very interesting read, to say the least. 

[BradandJanet]

We put wood filler between the gaps in hardwood flooring and it eventually separated and came out. Hardwood floors are "alive." They shrink, expand, and move up and down. 

 

On a slightly different note, I really, really wanted to like Rehab Addict, but now Nicole's ego seems greater than her skill set, so that's that for a while. 

[auntjess]

I love the house, but again, I think the rooms should have a rich color.

[txvoodoo]

Yes, the irony and contradictions were thick in last nights episode! I think Nicole lacks real knowledge so she makes it up as she goes along, then when it's edited later it makes no sense. I think her average viewer, anyone who thinks they're "learning" from her, don't see the contradictions, but to someone with any knowledge it's glaring. How about when Nicole was mocking the people who painted previously, while she was messily glopping on thick paint, and we saw what a great paint job she did in the cave like powder room! Why go dumpster diving when you can get new for free, or at least heavily discounted from Art Van!? At least she's supporting a small local business, except Art Van apparently has 48 stores around the Midwest! Wait, reusing and recycling is her mantra, or is it? So far this house is looking like a Pottery Barn display, not terribly original. What was she bringing back in those 6 empty suitcases in her daily commute? Apparently not wall sconces, but old photos! Why has no one else ever thought of putting old pictures in frames, oh but every one does that already! I'm sorry, but this show is almost like a sitcom, but you couldn't make this stuff up!

That floor did look great, I would love to have that guy do my floors! We did have a few flooring pros look at our floors, we have some noticable gaps in areas, but all of them said if you were to put in a filler it would just pop out over time, I would like to see how Nicole's hold up, but we never will.

 

My husband finally saw the powder room episode and yeah, he couldn't believe her painting. I was really less than impressed with the furniture. Despite her repeated use of "grand" to describe this house, there's nothing grand about the furniture. Also nothing mock Tudor! It doesn't fit at all.

 

 

 

I love the house, but again, I think the rooms should have a rich color.

 

Yes. Again, Tudors, mock or not, need more color.

[auntjess]

The furniture was contemporary.  Nice, but for now, not then.

[larapu2000]

I don't understand the need for the fillers? Are the cracks that big? Do they let in cold air?

[Mplsmn]

I don't understand the need for the fillers? Are the cracks that big? Do they let in cold air?

We looked into it just because our floors could benefit from being refinished, and the gaps where the floor has settled looks bad and draws attention to the issue. It's purely cosmetic and from everything I have researched, and was told by two professionals, there is not a product on the market that works. As BradandJanet said, your floors move a lot and filler won't last, it will pop out and be even worse. What we were told we would have to do to fix the gaps properly is remove the floor and reinstall it! What Nicole had done is a cheaper and quick fix, no surprise there, good enough for TV!

[Lovedecor]

I watched the show for a bit.  What turned me off was her stating she was a single mom.  Well, isn't that special?  Does she think the married moms out there have a husband who supports them and do not have to work? Her choice to have a child, get divorced then proceed to fight her ex husband.  Then she had the gall to tell people on her facebook page that after 5 years of fighting she made peace.  And tells everyone else to do so.  As though we need her advice when she does not run her own life well.  Unless the ex is so bad you have to fight for custody, most people work out amiable arrangements.  Too bad it took her 5 years to figure this out.  Anyway,  that and her doing a bit of work and acting like she has done it all turned me off.  There is a crew of skilled men that do it. 

[txvoodoo]

I posted this in the wrong thread last night! Moving over there. :D 

Edited February 13, 2015 by txvoodoo

[GaT]

I think the kitchen came out good, but she sure didn't do the staining on the floor, & Ethan was right, that green bar didn't go.

[CN42]

Subfloor is not floor, it's SUBfloor.

 

Everything looks better (especially staining) when Nicole subs it out.

 

The jadeite towel bar was... weird in that application. Ethan was right.

 

I'm totally over fake eyelashes that add 3lbs to each eye. *Naked* eyelashes would be an improvement (yes, even on a blonde).

 

Greasy, stained 4x4 ceramic tile is not something I would have fought to save. It turned out better than expected.

 

 

[Mplsmn]

Subfloor is not floor, it's SUBfloor.

Everything looks better (especially staining) when Nicole subs it out.

The jadeite towel bar was... weird in that application. Ethan was right.

I'm totally over fake eyelashes that add 3lbs to each eye. *Naked* eyelashes would be an improvement (yes, even on a blonde).

Greasy, stained 4x4 ceramic tile is not something I would have fought to save. It turned out better than expected.

I really would hire Nicole's floor guy Reba, he made crappy pine subfloors look good, but of course they will look horrible in no time. There's a really good reason not to use pine for flooring, and I laugh when Nicole calls pine hardwood, I wish someone would explain it to her, she does it all the time. Just imagine those pine floors after two dogs and a teen boy live there for a few months. I also thought the green towel bar looked awful, it didn't go with the natural wood, but then again the natural wood island didn't go with the painted kitchen, although the island was gorgeous. Maybe the retro towel bar was to try to tie into the retro kitchen? I didn't really like the kitchen, although it was a huge improvement from what it was, obviously. If there ever was a time Nicole should have gone to her seemingly endless supply of white subway tile, this was the time, or even better, go for a color! Those gray tiles were not special, they were probably from the age of those double ovens and the ugly floor, (50s/60s?) why keep them? The marble Nicole chose didn't quite match the tile color, and yes I'm a perfectionist, the tile had a warm tone, the marble was a cold tone, luckily the black emergency border might have helped blend it a bit. The first thing I noticed was that she put her wine storage next to the stove, brilliant! Every time you cook you can heat your wine up! I suspect she planned on a 36" stove, something didn't work out, and that was the solution.

Did anyone else wonder about the refrigerator? It looked like there was a huge butlers pantry next door, they showed some guys working in there when Nicole found there was one last door, that she couldn't remove herself. It was huge and it looked like they were doing new base cabinets and leaving the uppers, like in the kitchen, that makes her $5k even more of a lie, but I guess technically it's not the kitchen! It would be a real pain when you're cooking, to go next door to get something from the fridge, but not a surprise really. Nicole designs awful kitchens for people who actually cook, but I think she just uses the kitchen to make coffee, and heat her take out/delivery food.

I don't see how she could possibly have done that kitchen for $5k, the appliances alone would be at least $2.5k, assuming she put a fridge somewhere in the house. Unless she's getting the appliances at a huge discount or free. Add up the cost of electrical, plumbing, lights, pro floor refinish, pro painters, custom cabinets and island, new upper doors, lower doors, hardware, sink, faucet, and marble counters! Never mind the salaries of all those workers. No way that is only 5k! Nicole might have been able to do it for that, if folks were donating almost everything including labor, to pretend anyone could do it for that is insulting. Not everyone has a TV show to get free products and services. Why lie and make such a big deal that it cost under $5k when it so obviously didn't?

Edited February 13, 2015 by Mplsmn

[txvoodoo]

I posted this in the wrong thread last night! Moving over here. 

 

I like this kitchen, but it would've been hard to screw up. Things I find funny/odd: the hardware on the upper cabinets - why put something you have to unlock? The floors - she said "if these hadn't been covered, they'd have been trashed in 10 years (because pine's a very soft wood)." Well, duh. That's why it was subflooring, not floor. And it will be trashed in 10 years.

 

The island. I really like it - I have a similar table my husband made. But it has no stylistic relationship to the rest of the room or the house.  Adding the old school towel bar was just weird.

 

I got a kick out of her dissing her dad for wanting to use chemicals. Um, what do you think baking soda + vinegar is? 

 

I quote from another site:

...baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) plus vinegar (acetic acid) yields carbon dioxide plus water plus sodium ion plus acetate ion.

The chemical equation for the overall reaction is:

NaHCO3(s) + CH3COOH(l) → CO2(g) + H2O(l) + Na+(aq) + CH3COO-(aq)
with s = solid, l = liquid, g = gas, aq = aqueous or in water solution

Another common way to write this reaction is:
NaHCO3 + HC2H3O2 → NaC2H3O2 + H2O + CO2

 

Yes. Chemicals. :D (Like when people say "eww, I wouldn't drink chemicals!" and you say "what about that dihydrogen monoxide?"  :D)

 

The whole remodel was under $5k? With that stove, custom cabinets, and the marble? The stove is at least $1500. Oh, dishwasher, too. And a fridge.

 

Which brings me to the last point: where the hell is the fridge? I rewound a few times and never saw it. How good can her vaunted triangle be if the fridge isn't in the room? And that'd be the 2nd time she's done that, at least.

[ByaNose]

Okay, did I miss the fridge? The kitchen looked pretty good but you really can't mess up a kitchen, right? Like all of the HGTV shows if you keep the kitchen white you are good to go. LOL!! I didn't care for the wood island & green towel bar. It looked cheap even thought the wood guy does nice work. The upper cabinets looked nice but I agree about the hardware. While it was shinny and new it wasn't very practical. It's not like you are ever going to lock the uppers, right? As for the "budget". There are out budgets which are real (like ours) and there are home makeover/flip shows with a TV "budget". It never adds up or realistic. Once you get over that you can sit back and enjoy the show. LOL!!!

[larapu2000]

I guffawed when she pointed out the granite that is used in "every" renovation. Because Carrera is so unique.

I also saw no refrigerator, but she has yet to design a kitchen even close to acceptable for a home cook.

If you're putting in a 36" stove, that square ceramic backsplash was super low rent with the marble. And then that black trim? Ugh.

That cabinet guy is awesome. Beautiful work!

[Maharincess]

I didn't think Nicole "ranted" here. It just looked to me like she was explaining something to us. I didn't see where she needed to "be calm", she seemed perfectly calm to me.

I feel bad for her, I don't think she deserved the rude responses she got. She wasn't "shaming" her fans at all in my opinion, just offering an explanation.

Edited February 14, 2015 by Maharincess

[Mplsmn]

I posted this in the wrong thread last night! Moving over here.

I like this kitchen, but it would've been hard to screw up. Things I find funny/odd: the hardware on the upper cabinets - why put something you have to unlock? The floors - she said "if these hadn't been covered, they'd have been trashed in 10 years (because pine's a very soft wood)." Well, duh. That's why it was subflooring, not floor. And it will be trashed in 10 years.

The island. I really like it - I have a similar table my husband made. But it has no stylistic relationship to the rest of the room or the house. Adding the old school towel bar was just weird.

I got a kick out of her dissing her dad for wanting to use chemicals. Um, what do you think baking soda + vinegar is?

I quote from another site:

Yes. Chemicals. :D (Like when people say "eww, I wouldn't drink chemicals!" and you say "what about that dihydrogen monoxide?" :D)

The whole remodel was under $5k? With that stove, custom cabinets, and the marble? The stove is at least $1500. Oh, dishwasher, too. And a fridge.

Which brings me to the last point: where the hell is the fridge? I rewound a few times and never saw it. How good can her vaunted triangle be if the fridge isn't in the room? And that'd be the 2nd time she's done that, at least.

It seems we notice similar things, and I like your comment about the chemicals. It seems

Iike Nicole thinks baking soda and vinegar=natural, ammonia= chemical, it's her way or the highway, she's always right!

Edited February 14, 2015 by Mplsmn

[jumper sage]

Detroiter here [waves hand].  I just love those old beautiful houses.  What caught my ears is when she was explaining east side vs. west side.  It's not just Detroit but it is also the outlying areas.  I-75 IS NOT the dividing line.  Woodward Avenue is the dividing line.  When she was buying the granite she was actually on the east side but no longer in Detroit but in Macomb county - think north of 8 mile, just like the movie.  She said the store was an hours drive????????  Maybe in rush hour traffic.

[Mplsmn]

Detroiter here [waves hand].  I just love those old beautiful houses.  What caught my ears is when she was explaining east side vs. west side.  It's not just Detroit but it is also the outlying areas.  I-75 IS NOT the dividing line.  Woodward Avenue is the dividing line.  When she was buying the granite she was actually on the east side but no longer in Detroit but in Macomb county - think north of 8 mile, just like the movie.  She said the store was an hours drive????????  Maybe in rush hour traffic.

Nicole's fom Lake Orion, which I have been told is NOT a neighborhood of Detroit, but a cushy suburb. I'm not sure if she isn't good with directions, (how many scenes of Nicole plugging addresses into her navigation system do we need?)is clueless about most things, or is misinformed, but she sure says it like she knows what she's talking about and would probably argue with you about it. She said in one episode she was in Minneapolis looking at St. Paul, they showed a shot of St. Paul, but you can't see one city from the next, they aren't that close. It's not really an important thing, but why put in something so patently not true, it just brings the level of integrity down. Most people wouldn't know, but for those who do, it makes Nicole look stupid, she has lived here long enough to know better. I imagine real Detroiters cringe too.

[jumper sage]

She is from Lake Orion?  OMG!  Sure it is a northern suburb but she should still know the dividing line since it goes all the way up.  Woodward Avenue has quite a history.  I see now how she got that bar so quickly and her dad is there to help.

[MoreCoffeePlease]

Greasy, stained 4x4 ceramic tile is not something I would have fought to save. It turned out better than expected.

 

 

I too question keeping the original backsplash tile.  It would be different if they had a neat design, but these did not. I know her whole thing is "restoring" the house, and not gutting it, but still.

[txvoodoo]

I too question keeping the original backsplash tile.  It would be different if they had a neat design, but these did not. I know her whole thing is "restoring" the house, and not gutting it, but still.

 

And those weren't original tiles, no way. Anywhere from 40s to 70s. 

 

Tonight: more of her exceptions to the rules: roof tiles. Old is always better, unless it's new and improved and made by the same company because obviously companies' quality standards never change!

[CN42]

MoreCoffeePlease, on 19 Feb 2015 - 1:06 PM, said:

 

I too question keeping the original backsplash tile.  It would be different if they had a neat design, but these did not. I know her whole thing is "restoring" the house, and not gutting it, but still.

 

And those weren't original tiles, no way. Anywhere from 40s to 70s.

 

 

 

Those 4x4 tiles were obviously kept for budget reasons, because Nicole always rips out things that aren't "period appropriate" - and those really weren't. As someone else pointed out, high class marble countertops don't go with builder grade ceramic tile, so they really clashed, IMO. Overall I think the kitchen looked good. But re-watching the episode after reading comments here, no... there was no refrigerator. We'll see if that is addressed in the final reveal.

 

That is one gorgeous house, but if a partial roof repair alone cost $50K, how much will the house have to sell for (in a depressed market) in order to make a profit?

 

 

[GaT]

That is one gorgeous house, but if a partial roof repair alone cost $50K, how much will the house have to sell for (in a depressed market) in order to make a profit?

I was wondering this myself. This house seemed like it was in much better shape when she first started on it. The roof was a mess, & did anyone else notice that when they showed it at the end of the show, one of the new tiles had a huge piece broken off? I hope they replaced it.

 

Once again, the professionals made the floors look great.

[larapu2000]

Ha, yes, I noticed the broken tile, too! I thought my eyes had deceived me! Wow, the features in the house are a real treasure. The white tile fireplace, the balcony, that insanely beautiful window with the window seat,the wall of closets! I would have liked to know more about why so many tiny closets.

I think the opposite of Nicole. If you're not from Detroit, you're not from Detroit.

[BradandJanet]

I stumbled across the tile-cleaning segment. The grout still looked grungy after she cleaned the tiles with her "not chemicals."  She said she was leaving the cleaning solution on overnight. The next day the grout was very, very white. Maybe vinegar will do the trick but grout stains are stubborn. Somebody came in and worked on those tiles for a long time. With bleach?

[peggy06]

Sue me, I love the Tudor and the reno. (Well, maybe not the lack of a refrigerator in the kitchen. :)) Regarding the whole "chemicals" thing, sure baking soda and vinegar are chemicals, but I think what she's getting at is that some things are less noxious than others. Ammonia fumes are not something you want to be around. I got what she was saying, and it didn't seem like a stretch.

 

The backsplash did turn out much, much better than I expected. Before the overnight, it still looked grungy. I agree that that was a money-saving move, not to preserve something awesome. Some magic occurred overnight (or somewhere), because the tiles looked much lighter in the "before" whereas they were grayish-bluish compared to the grout in the "after."

 

I don't think the marble with its veining really went with the tiles, but IMO the black tile border made it better IMO. The contrast wasn't as great when the countertop didn't meet the tile.

 

Not especially a fan of the wood island. Evan was right about that.

 

Overall, though 10/10 would take this kitchen over my own. IF there's a fridge in the same room!

Edited February 21, 2015 by peggy06

[ByaNose]

I thought she did a nice job in the sitting room with the white fireplace. I guess she could made it another bedroom but I think she said she already had 4 as it was. Also, I like the nook at the top of the staircase. It was nice that she was able to get the paint off and have the natural wood showing. That said, I doubt anyone would sit there. Maybe, to take a break going up the steps. LOL!!!

[Mplsmn]

I don't get Nicole's financial claims. There's no way that kitchen only cost $5k, and there's no way that roof job cost $50k, if it was just repaired and new tiles patched in, especially since she heavily promoted that company. To get more of the picture you really have to look at all of Nicole's social media, but that is too much Nicole for me on a regular basis, but I did some digging today. She has a pic on IG of the garage being roofed in the terra cotta tiles and a caption saying something about a $40k roof. So I could believe, maybe, that the garage and house total was $50k, but why would she claim the roof patch job alone was that much? It would be great if Nicole told something close the the truth about how much these renovations cost, she's trying to teach people that saving these houses is worth it, but then doesn't disclose truthful figures.

I liked the window seat, and Nicole's dad cracks me up, he probably meddles in her business a lot.

I really don't like the pale shades of khaki, white and gray she's doing every room in, it's very bland, and not at all the color palette appropriate for the style and period of the house. Then again, neither is the modern furniture. The fact that she spent anything close to $50k on a roof, for a house she bought for $65k, in one of the most depressed RE markets in the country, and keeps filling the rooms with new modern furniture, makes me really think she's keeping this house, and hopefully moving to Detroit.

Edited February 23, 2015 by Mplsmn

[Chai]

I stumbled across the tile-cleaning segment. The grout still looked grungy after she cleaned the tiles with her "not chemicals."  She said she was leaving the cleaning solution on overnight. The next day the grout was very, very white. Maybe vinegar will do the trick but grout stains are stubborn. Somebody came in and worked on those tiles for a long time. With bleach?

I thought the same thing! Those tiles had more work than vinegar and baking soda for sure. How stupid does she think we are? Believe me, somebody (not her) used plenty  of chemicals! LOL!

[Chai]

Okay, did I miss the fridge? The kitchen looked pretty good but you really can't mess up a kitchen, right? Like all of the HGTV shows if you keep the kitchen white you are good to go. LOL!! I didn't care for the wood island & green towel bar. It looked cheap even thought the wood guy does nice work. The upper cabinets looked nice but I agree about the hardware. While it was shinny and new it wasn't very practical. It's not like you are ever going to lock the uppers, right? As for the "budget". There are out budgets which are real (like ours) and there are home makeover/flip shows with a TV "budget". It never adds up or realistic. Once you get over that you can sit back and enjoy the show. LOL!!!

I agree with this whole post. I also thought it was very unkind to sneer at someone who wanted oil rubbed bronze on the towel bar. I've seen some very nice ORB done very well. If anything the towel bar would've looked better if it was spray painted than left the way it was. As it was, I agree it didn't match. If you are going to get that picky, the tile and marble didn't match either. The darker strip of tile tried to tie it together. Overall, it was a very nice kitchen reno, but don't be nasty about it, Nicole, nobody's perfect.

[txvoodoo]

I was sort of sad to see the green glass towel bar used on a live-edge island. A Very unsuccessful mashup, and those towel bars *are* nice pieces to use when you're doing a period style kitchen or bath! Which, she actually doesn't do. It would've been really nice in a 20s or 30s kitchen, with some pastel tiles & thinner black trim. A counter of manmade surface with chrome trim, and some appliances like Smeg reproductions, or old gas ranges that still are out there.

 

Yup, that'd be nice. And as I think about this, I realize I just recreated my nana's kitchen in my mind. :D

[Alyner]

If you look at the Trullia listing, you will see where the house sold in 2012. 

[Mplsmn]

If you look at the Trullia listing, you will see where the house sold in 2012.

That was when her BF at the time bought it. She has been suing him and appealing judgements for 3 years, the courts repeatedly rule in his favor. Edited February 23, 2015 by Mplsmn

[Alyner]

She purchased the house in 2009. Again, if you look at the listing you will see that the sell in 2009 was for the amount that she said she paid for the house. When she was talking about the husband and the ring and the whole nine yards, that was in 2010 (the episode aired in 2011, I believe, but I could be wrong.) 

[Mplsmn]

She purchased the house in 2009. Again, if you look at the listing you will see that the sell in 2009 was for the amount that she said she paid for the house. When she was talking about the husband and the ring and the whole nine yards, that was in 2010 (the episode aired in 2011, I believe, but I could be wrong.)

Yes, she bought the house with one guy in 2009, they split up, at some point she began dating another guy, he bought the house in 2012, they split up eventually, Nicole moved out and has been fighting him in court for years.

[GaT]

I thought the butler's pantry & solarium came out looking nice, & the floor guy (Reba?) did another good job. The didn't show them refinishing the drawers in the butler's pantry, but it sounded like they did it after they put the drawers back. Wouldn't it have been easier before?

 

One thing I saw that kind of pissed me off was when she was hanging the mirrors in the solarium. She was hammering all those nails into the wall after they just fixed all the drywall & painted. You could see there were 4 holes where she was trying different mirrors. She's just staging the room, not permanently decorating it, now whoever buys the house is either going to have to hang something in those exact spots, or repair that whole section of wall. Since it's only temporary, why wouldn't she use something like Command picture hanging strips? They're reusable so she can take them with her when she takes the furniture, & the walls don't get ruined. 

[Lola16]

I thought the butler's pantry & solarium came out looking nice, & the floor guy (Reba?) did another good job. The didn't show them refinishing the drawers in the butler's pantry, but it sounded like they did it after they put the drawers back. Wouldn't it have been easier before?

 

One thing I saw that kind of pissed me off was when she was hanging the mirrors in the solarium. She was hammering all those nails into the wall after they just fixed all the drywall & painted. You could see there were 4 holes where she was trying different mirrors. She's just staging the room, not permanently decorating it, now whoever buys the house is either going to have to hang something in those exact spots, or repair that whole section of wall. Since it's only temporary, why wouldn't she use something like Command picture hanging strips? They're reusable so she can take them with her when she takes the furniture, & the walls don't get ruined. 

I've only see a few episodes of the DT tudor house.  Why doesn't the fridge fit in the kitchen?  I thought maybe she was going to put a stackable washer dryer in the butler's pantry.

 

It's funny watch Nicole add all these personal touches to houses when most real estate shows tell you to remove all personal possessions and make it neutral so the buyer can envision themselves there.  Yet, Nicole is framing photos, adding Ethan's initials to stuff etc.  Most of these shows always tell you to do the opposite of what you've already done so that's not surprising (because 1) they have to change something, 2) if what you had worked, your house would have sold).

[annzeepark914]

I just discovered this show a week ago so I've only seen these last two episodes at the Tudor house (which I love...it's the windows...they're gorgeous!).  Since I was alarmed to see them working on the upper floors seemingly after they finished the main floor, I decided to learn a bit more about RA by reading older posts.  I see that you're saying the shows are edited...that they probably worked on the roof and upper floors first, right?  At least I sure hope so.  I was horrified when I saw rain water dripping through holes in the roof onto hardwood (or pine?) floors in the attic.  Also...when she removed the radiator from underneath the stair landing window seat, I wondered if she'd installed a new heating/central AC system to this big house.  Didn't hear any mention of that during the two shows I watched but that sure would've cost her plenty. Did not care for the "island" in the kitchen; not a fan of subway tile anywhere.  I just hope this is in a safe neighborhood so that it'll sell and be taken care of by the next homeowners.

[GaT]

not a fan of subway tile anywhere. 

For your own piece of mind, you might want to stop watching this show NOW. LOL

Edited February 28, 2015 by GaT

[Lisin]

I just discovered this show a week ago so I've only seen these last two episodes at the Tudor house (which I love...it's the windows...they're gorgeous!).  Since I was alarmed to see them working on the upper floors seemingly after they finished the main floor, I decided to learn a bit more about RA by reading older posts.  I see that you're saying the shows are edited...that they probably worked on the roof and upper floors first, right?  At least I sure hope so.  I was horrified when I saw rain water dripping through holes in the roof onto hardwood (or pine?) floors in the attic.  Also...when she removed the radiator from underneath the stair landing window seat, I wondered if she'd installed a new heating/central AC system to this big house.  Didn't hear any mention of that during the two shows I watched but that sure would've cost her plenty. Did not care for the "island" in the kitchen; not a fan of subway tile anywhere.  I just hope this is in a safe neighborhood so that it'll sell and be taken care of by the next homeowners.

 

My assumption is they show the episodes out of order depending on what narrative they want to focus on each week... I think in reality they do the whole house sort of at once, like any normal person would, and then they film her "showing us" the rooms all in one day when the house is fully finished and then they cut it up so the episodes go room by room rather than week by week. I could be totally wrong though. This is just my head cannon :).

[peggy06]

In fairness to Nicole and the show, they are restoring these houses to be lived in in 2015, not as museum pieces. I don't think it's necessary (or even a good idea) to use deep paint colors for a house you intend to sell. A more neutral palette is much easier for the buyer to change. (Of course, that doesn't explain that bathroom with gray walls.) And after all, they probably didn't have electric lights and certainly didn't have a modern stove, refrigerator, washer/dryer, and so on, when the house was built. I think some compromise with the present day is necessary.

 

Regarding Command hooks, I don't trust them. They also seem very hard to get down, and I've heard of people tearing off the top layer of drywall. That would be a harder fix than some nail holes.

Edited February 28, 2015 by peggy06

[LoveIsJoy]

I've read that cabinets in older homes are more shallow than modern ones, and that many dinner plates don't fit in them. I wonder if that's why she opted to leave the doors off and convert them to shelves. I did notice that the plates were displayed vertically rather than stacked horizontally. Also, count me in as wondering why the cabinets weren't refinished before being reinstalled.

I do admire Nicole a lot. She doesn't mind getting her hands dirty, and she's incredibly strong to be so petite. She doesn't mind appearing on camera with minimal makeup and messy hair, which I find that refreshing. I know she has her flaws, and there have been decisions she's made on her rehab projects that I disagree with. But mostly, I really enjoy the show and these lovely old homes.

[Lisin]

not a fan of subway tile anywhere.  

 

See, and my husband and I love it lol. It's one of my favorite things about most of her bathrooms. I know it's boring, but I really like the way it looks! 

[cattykit]

 

Regarding Command hooks, I don't trust them. They also seem very hard to get down, and I've heard of people tearing off the top layer of drywall. That would be a harder fix than some nail holes.

My experience was that they were not hard to get down, nor did they tear the drywall, but they snap--which led to some painful fingers for me.  When I used nails, I would put a piece of tape on the wall first to protect the paint from splitting.  Nicole just hammered in the nails.

 

They recently re-ran the Minnehaha season, and I found myself getting so annoyed at the chop-the-top Christmas trees and stick them in pots to simulate greenery.  If a seller did that for a house I was buying, I would have been expecting evergreens, not dead trees ready to turn orange, and they'd be buying me new trees as a result of their fraud.

 

I also noted that she used a professional stager for Minnehaha, followed by all those seasons of dumpster dived staging, and now apparently purchasing new furniture from a furniture company (at what price?).  I assume she's thinking she can sell the furniture with the house, or why else would she do this? 

 

When it's so obvious that Ethan wants nothing to do with his mother's productions, why does she keep dragging him along as slave labor?  Isn't he old enough now to say no?

 

I'm not sure why she says solariums are no longer in modern design when I see sunrooms everywhere.

 

I guess now we know where the refrigerator went--to the butler's pantry!

 

 

My assumption is they show the episodes out of order depending on what narrative they want to focus on each week... I think in reality they do the whole house sort of at once, like any normal person would, and then they film her "showing us" the rooms all in one day when the house is fully finished and then they cut it up so the episodes go room by room rather than week by week. 

 

It almost has to be that way or nothing would make sense.  Why would they have staged the living room when the other rooms were still being renovated?  Staging is the last step before putting the house on the market, and why would you have the furniture company come back multiple times?  You wouldn't.  And there was that episode at the real mansion where they were both in snow and the pool in the same half hour.

 

I hate staging.  I end up looking at the furniture instead of the house.

 

Oh, and yes, you can reuse the crockpot, if you buy the kind with the removable liner.  Looks like she has the old kind that has to be washed by hand and can't be immersed because it includes the heating element and cord.  That kind, probably not a good idea to reuse.  But she could have snagged a replacement at some Detroit thrift store rather than hauling that thing on a flight from Minneapolis.

 

Someone would buy a Nicole Curtis house and complain that something made it look like her grandmother's house?  For real??  Isn't that the whole idea?

[auntjess]

So Mplsmn, what's going on in Minneapolis?  What did the mayor do?
(See Nicole's Facebook page.)