Rehab Addict - General Discussion

[LindaT]

Does anyone think the old 70s sconces looked better?

[Mplsmn]

There was a decision reached in the case, not in Nicole's favor, so she is appealing it. I think she is just dragging this out to torture the guy who owns it, her ex who is the oral surgeon. It probably not too bad for him, the house is rented, and property values In Minneapolis are going up, especially in the SW neighborhood where Minnehaha is located. Despite what nicole may say on TV, it has always been a high end neighborhood, and her ex is making more money hanging on to the house. Here's the latest filing, http://pa.courts.state.mn.us/CaseDetail.aspx?CaseID=1615847108

[Mplsmn]

I should add that I did feel a bit bad for Nicole recently. There was a wedding on the front lawn of Minnehaha, big tent, flowers everywhere, it looked lovely. Someone got married there, just not Nicole.

[larapu2000]

The new house is spectacular, I hope she doesn't ruin it with crap staining & cheap redos like using doors for kitchen counters.

 

When she was talking about the house that sold, she said it was safe because of the restrictions they placed on it. What does that mean? How can you tell people what they can do with something after they buy it?

Yeah, I'm not sure what she meant either.  Maybe the new owner agreed to never tear it down or rent it out, but what if the new owner has some kind of financial crisis and can't sell the home?  And what if the new owner does sell the home, surely her "clause" doesn't extend forever-and-ever-until-the-end-of-time, right?

 

Those 70's sconces DID look better than Nicole's crap salvage.  Look, I'm on board with her salvaging.  But ugly old light fixtures are not better than new, quality reproductions.  They're still ugly.

 

This new home is just stunning.  That dining room and sun room made me melt into the floor.  That buffet!

 

What is the deal with the mansion?  Nicole didn't buy this one, right?  Someone has hired her to rehab the home, right?  She had way too much of a budget on that powder room that she sprayed with 4 coats of paint.  I would love to know the whole story-are these new owners, are the children having her update it so they can sell it and/or live in it?  That is some old money in that home.  

[Mplsmn]

Yeah, I'm not sure what she meant either.  Maybe the new owner agreed to never tear it down or rent it out, but what if the new owner has some kind of financial crisis and can't sell the home?  And what if the new owner does sell the home, surely her "clause" doesn't extend forever-and-ever-until-the-end-of-time, right?

She puts some kind of deed agreement in the sale contract, but I don't know how legally binding it is. Another reason to not buy a house she's selling, work done by volunteer labor and cheap fixes, and she seems to stick her nose in your business. She recently was complaining on social media that she drives by "her" houses regularly and someone who bought one of them doesn't have a flag flying!! What a PITA, they're not her houses anymore. She has yet to sell the open bathroom house, it's been on the market a while.
 

What is the deal with the mansion?  Nicole didn't buy this one, right?  Someone has hired her to rehab the home, right?  She had way too much of a budget on that powder room that she sprayed with 4 coats of paint.  I would love to know the whole story-are these new owners, are the children having her update it so they can sell it and/or live in it?  That is some old money in that home.

Isn't it gorgeous!? From what I have gathered from her posting on social media, this house belonged to...... you guessed it, probably..... another ex boyfriend, Shane of the Gold Guys! They split this summer. It seems like an older person's house, so I am guessing he bought it as an investment, the title was in his name alone, and it sold this past spring. I don't know if she met him when he hired her to reno this house, but from her pics on FB, he gave her the 60s pickup for her birthday before she posted pics of this house, so it looks like they knew each other pretty well when she started this project. At least she has the budget to do this one right, and can hire professionals for almost all the work. It made me laugh when she looked at the wainscotting the carpenter made and installed and she said "A normal person would stop here, but not me, I'm going to do them all!" Or something to that effect. Umm, no, a normal person would finish all the walls too, it's just that the flipper in Nicole would normally stop with one wall! I did like that she gave Scott at Guilded Salvage the credit for the idea to continue the panelled wall into the bathroom, he's a great guy.

Things that made me laugh in these first two episodes:
She was not in Minneapolis looking at St. Paul, that is not possible, they are not directly across the river from one another, she was most likely in West St. Paul, or Mendota Heights. Why say "I'm in Minneapolis looking at St. Paul..."? I know someone who doesn't live here wouldn't know that, but still, I find it odd.

She now has a little title under her name when she does the ending monologue that says "Restoration Expert", really? Tell that to your bath and kitchen countertops in the 4th St House!

Could her son Ethan be less enthusiastic to be "working" with her, or on camera? Yeah, he got to clean the fake log fireplace! He doesn't seem to want to be part of the show, ever.

[illini1959]

I get the same vibe about her son, too.

 

I also wasn't enthused about the mirror frame pictures and mirror she ended up hanging over the bathroom sink. They didn't seem to fit at all, to me.

 

We wondered about the background of this house, did we tune in too late or did she just not mention how she came about doing this one?

[GaT]

Mplsmn, the link just leads to the search function, what should I be searching for?

[GaT]

I also wasn't enthused about the mirror frame pictures and mirror she ended up hanging over the bathroom sink. They didn't seem to fit at all, to me.

 

We wondered about the background of this house, did we tune in too late or did she just not mention how she came about doing this one?

I forgot about the mirrors, they both looked stupid hanging the way they were, how could she forget that she was going to need a mirror in the bathroom & plan accordingly? I'm pretty sure they had mirrors in 1904.

 

She didn't say how she got involved with the house, but my guess is she didn't buy it & was hired by someone just by the amount of lacquer she used in the bathroom. If she had bought the house, she would have slapped one coat of white paint on it & called it a day. 

[Mplsmn]

Sorry, I thought it would copy the case page. Follow the link, click on Civil, Family & Probate Case Records Search Results, enter the search under the party name, Nicole Curtis, it's the one v. Jason Jenny.

[Chai]

Does anyone know whatever happened with the Minnehaha house?

[Chai]

Thank you for the updates and detective work! It was a beautiful house and I did feel badly for her that her dreams for it didn't go her way.

[Mplsmn]

Here is a youtube sales clip of the house before Shane Maguire purchased it, for $950k, in 2012.

Now we know how Nicole knew what the bathrooms were before they were gutted, and why she was so upset, they were gorgeous! The house seems to be in good condition, it just needs some decorating, the previous owner sure liked pink!

[auntjess]

 

I also wasn't enthused about the mirror frame pictures and mirror she ended up hanging over the bathroom sink. They didn't seem to fit at all, to me.

The picture frames look like something you'd see in the store now.

I liked the bathroom better before she painted the wood.

[GaT]

I thought she did a nice job on the pool house, though I can't believe the town made her dig all across the front of the house to connect to the sewer lines. The ending was ridiculously fake, when I saw her walking out my first thought was "why isn't she wearing shoes?" well, obviously so Ethan could pull her in the pool.

[larapu2000]

Sometimes it's really annoying how pleased she is with herself.  The shrieking about her perfect doors was way over the top.

[auntjess]

That was a hell of a long time span, because she's in shorts, in the pool, next scene it's covered with snow, and then she'a back in the pool.
Wonder what the hold-up was that it too so long to film.
 

[Mplsmn]

That was a hell of a long time span, because she's in shorts, in the pool, next scene it's covered with snow, and then she'a back in the pool.

Wonder what the hold-up was that it too so long to film.

Nicole said on facebook that it took 2.5 years to complete. It was her boyfriends house and I don't think he was doing it all at once, the pool house was one of the later projects. Plus she had other projects she was working on during that time, her own flips for profit, with her regular crew. I do like seeing the inside of this house, it's gorgeous, and luckily it doesn't need a lot of structural work. Nicole has someone else's money to use, and a bigger budget, so she's actually hiring professionals to do a lot of the work, which is great. I'd rather see someone else do the work right, and have Nicole jump in now and then for a photo op, But that pool scene was really fake and dumb. She keeps saying it's in Minneapolis, it's not, it's in St. Paul, whole different city. I don't know if she's just trying to simplify it for us stupid viewers, or she gets easily confused, but then again this is the woman who was amazed that there were antique snow globes, she had no idea they weren't a new invention...

[GaT]

Nicole said on facebook that it took 2.5 years to complete. It was her boyfriends house and I don't think he was doing it all at once, the pool house was one of the later projects. 

How many projects of hers involve one of her boyfriends? Does she do any projects that a boyfriend isn't somehow involved in?

[auntjess]

And is this a current boyfriend, or the Minnehaha guy?
I would like to see her get to live in something she's designed with herself in mind.

[cattykit]

 

She now has a little title under her name when she does the ending monologue that says "Restoration Expert", really? Tell that to your bath and kitchen countertops in the 4th St House!

Could her son Ethan be less enthusiastic to be "working" with her, or on camera? Yeah, he got to clean the fake log fireplace! He doesn't seem to want to be part of the show, ever. 

I've seen that title shown under her name multiple times and it always makes me grimace a little.  But then I'm heartily sick of subway tile and flowered floor tile, I'm appalled that someone comes to work in shorts and a tank top and thinks that constantly running out of gas is somehow cute, I'm annoyed that she brags about taking shortcuts and using cheap substitutes in the name of a false economy, and I'm irritated that she gets volunteer labor for projects where she's looking for a profit.  And she doesn't get the signals her son puts out at all.  When she got a HS shop class to do one of her woodworking projects and she tried to get her son involved, Ethan made it abundantly clear he wasn't the least bit interested, and she was just oblivious. 

 

The idea that she can put into the deed her own personal restrictions on how the houses she sells may be used, and then stalks the owners after they've paid her money, is creepy beyond words.  They are NOT her houses after they've sold and she needs to STFU.

[NikSac]

I am soooo sick of her subway tile!  I don't care for it all that much to begin with, so maybe I'm biased, but does it really belong in EVERY SINGLE HOUSE?

Edited October 14, 2014 by NikSac

[GaT]

I am soooo sick of her subway tile!  I don't care for it all that much to begin with, so maybe I'm biased, but does it really belong in EVERY SINGLE HOUSE?

You know what I really sick of? Seeing that same damn shower curtain in every place she stages. 

[NikSac]

You know what I really sick of? Seeing that same damn shower curtain in every place she stages. 

 

Good point!  It's really not that great to begin with. And like the subway tile, it doesn't belong in every house.

 

The problem for this series is that DIY and/or HGTV (sorry, I don't always pay attention to which channel is on) are showing repeats in blocks. So we get to see several episodes in a row. With that kind of repetition, I'm getting tired of seeing Nicole having to get her hands into every. single. trade that shows up on the site. Whether it's the stained/leaded glass restoration, the onsite continuous gutter installation, whatever - we have to see her at some point grabbing a tool and performing some task while the real guys with the knowhow watch/help her. 

 

I realize, there are some things she's got real firsthand experience with, including hardwood floor restoration, and she seems to really be involved when she's shown working with her floor guy on replacing boards, taking off layers of gunk, etc. But it's getting annoying to see those staged "hands on" bits when it's a trade she obviously knows little about. She says that whenever she hires pros to do work on her projects, she tries to learn as much as she can from them. Fine, but that doesn't mean you do those fakey little bits for the camera.

 

And on repeat viewings, I'm less and less impressed with some of her wood staining jobs. There was one house with a fabulous built in buffet that had water damage on half the top. She sanded away the water damage, leaving the obviously glossy original finish on the other (back) half, then we saw her rubbing stain onto the sanded front area of the top. We *didn't* see any closeup of how that job ended up, and I suspect it was a hot mess. Unless she put a finish on the redone area to match the gloss on the rest of that top, which if she did I'm sure we'd have been shown. I think she probably stained the sanded area to sort of match the color of the rest but didn't match the gloss of the old finish. Ick.

 

You know this makes a lot of sense. If they weren't running a bunch of episodes back to back, it's entirely possible we wouldn't notice things like the shower curtain - although she makes such a big deal about the subway tile every time, I think I'd still notice that. Who knows, maybe she buys this stuff in bulk and uses it on several houses.

 

I think it's admirable that she tackles these houses, and jobs, and even that she tries to learn so much from the tradespeople but I bet it drives them nuts that she has her hands in everything. I actually really liked this show a lot (other than the title) until I started watching it more.  I think this needs to be more of a once or twice a year show for me.

[NikSac]

I thought she did a nice job on the pool house, though I can't believe the town made her dig all across the front of the house to connect to the sewer lines.

 

Oh I nearly forgot I meant to comment on this too. I have no idea what the laws are where that house was, but they did something similarly ridiculous at my husband's family's cabin when they hooked up to city water (in California, so different state). They had to dig a trench 8' deep and about 4' wide all the way from the street all to run a 1" diameter water pipe. It killed several trees because they cut through so many roots. The depth I can kind of understand due to freezing winters, but the width makes no sense. Anyway back to the show the pictures from the cabin looked fairly close to her tractor scenes in this episode. To me it looked like "okay someone got carried away with the tractor!" but maybe there's some legal reason she had to dig it like that.

[larapu2000]

I am soooo sick of her subway tile!  I don't care for it all that much to begin with, so maybe I'm biased, but does it really belong in EVERY SINGLE HOUSE?

I absolutely love subway tile and I'm sick of it!  I also love hex/penny tile and she makes me sick of that, too. 

 

  I'm pretty sure square ceramic tile was used in bungalows, right?  At least, when you see "original" tile in bungalows, they all seem to be square, about halfway up the wall, and usually a weird color, like pink or blue.  Something in white or a classic neutral instead of her subway tile would be a welcome change of pace.

 

But, yes, I'm also inclined to believe that she purchases subway tile in bulk and re-uses it in job after job because she just has to buy X more for the next project, etc.

[NikSac]

I absolutely love subway tile and I'm sick of it!  I also love hex/penny tile and she makes me sick of that, too. 

 

  I'm pretty sure square ceramic tile was used in bungalows, right?  At least, when you see "original" tile in bungalows, they all seem to be square, about halfway up the wall, and usually a weird color, like pink or blue.  Something in white or a classic neutral instead of her subway tile would be a welcome change of pace.

 

But, yes, I'm also inclined to believe that she purchases subway tile in bulk and re-uses it in job after job because she just has to buy X more for the next project, etc.

haha oh my, you just described our bathroom tile - square ceramic tile. I'm in California and I think the tile was done in the 1970s. If it's original it would be 1950s. When we bought it one bathroom was pink (halfway up the wall even) and the other was blue. Subway tile would be better but still just not appropriate for every single house.

Edited October 14, 2014 by NikSac

[Mplsmn]

I am soooo sick of her subway tile!  I don't care for it all that much to begin with, so maybe I'm biased, but does it really belong in EVERY SINGLE HOUSE?

I love it when she puts subway tile in a house built before 1904, when subway tile was invented, and then says it would have been original to the house.

[NikSac]

I love it when she puts subway tile in a house built before 1904, when subway tile was invented, and then says it would have been original to the house.

 

lol... I don't think I ever would have noticed that before, but can guarantee I will now.

[cattykit]

Y'know, not everything that's original to these houses is necessarily...good.  If an original house didn't have indoor plumbing, wouldn't she have to rip out the bathroom and install an outhouse? 

 

And I think subway tile is ugly as hell, because it looks like it belongs...in the subway station. 

[BearCat49]

I believe she's buying the tile in bulk and reusing it, too.  Had to laugh during the powder room episode when she conveniently had a bucket of just the right floor tile, stored underneath the Christmas stuff in her basement or attic.

 

BTW, the shower curtain she reuses is a Tarjait original so local and authentic for MN, right?  (lol)

 

Thanks for the backstory, Minneapolis posters! 

 

Very curious about her supposed deed restrictions.  Bottom line, IMHO, she's a flipper so I'd have a hard time believing that she'd jeopardize a sale by tacking on additional requirements.  Could it be the homes purchased with some sort of city deal, e.g. the Dollar House and/or the Detroit home?  (Sorry, I can't remember the purchase details of her various renos.)

Edited October 15, 2014 by BearCat49

[ByaNose]

Tonight, Nicole fixed up the living room & study. Oddly enough, I thought they looked really ugly. I'm not really into the whole Victorian look to begin with but her work (and, results) are usually pretty nice. I think Nicole tried so hard to restore the history and integrity of the house but ended up making it look a thrift store. IMO!

[GaT]

Tonight, Nicole fixed up the living room & study. Oddly enough, I thought they looked really ugly. I'm not really into the whole Victorian look to begin with but her work (and, results) are usually pretty nice. I think Nicole tried so hard to restore the history and integrity of the house but ended up making it look a thrift store. IMO!

I didn't like the way they looked either, usually her staging looks better than this. I noticed that she did a better job of staining the floor than she normally does, so I'm sure she doesn't own the house. I didn't really care for the matte finish though, all the other woodwork had a shine, the floor looked odd in contrast.

[larapu2000]

I agree, the matte finish was a mistake.  As was her dumping an entire container of stain down the stairs, I find it convenient they didn't give us a close up on that, though, lol.

 

Nicole, seriously-you didn't know those were fake books and that there were no shelves?  Did you not see how shallow the wall was?  

 

I like the Victorian look, but found her furniture and choices somber.  The living room was dark, she pretended she lightened it up.  Not so much.  She needed much smaller and lighter furniture to make that happen.  Those wingback chairs were huge AND in front of windows.  Way to block the natural light!!

 

I still can't get over how gorgeous this house is.  

[emma675]

Oh good, I thought I was the only one who hated the matte stained floor and the shiny wood paneling. Plus, I felt like the stain on the floor looked "off" compared to the stain on the rest of the wood in the house.

 

That house is just gorgeous, though.

[cattykit]

I'm a little confused on the timeline.  First they drain the pool and spend huge $ and effort refilling it.  Then it's snowing and I'm wondering why they would bother to go to that trouble at the onset of winter instead of waiting til spring.  Then Ethan is swimming in the pool.  (And pulls Nicole into the pool so unexpectedly, except there's already an underwater camera to capture the action.  No, this show isn't staged.  Not a bit.)

[GaT]

As to the mansion project, have they explained what her role is? She obviously doesn't own the place. Is there a general contractor for the project? Did her boyfriend, as the house owner, act as his own GC? Maybe we'll be told if we pay attention. Maybe we *were* told already and I wasn't paying attention. Wouldn't be the first time I didn't, LOL.

 

 

The part I highlighted seems to be the criteria for Nicole IMO. The houses all seem to have something to do with a boyfriend, & they all appear to be different boyfriends. Hopefully, this latest house won't turn into as much trouble as the Minnehaha house.

[auntjess]

 

Isn't the DIY channel's Amy Matthews also in Minneapolis?

Yes, I think Minneapolis is a DIY city. 

The Renovate to Rent guys, Drew & Danny are there too.

[txvoodoo]

Watching tonight's episode, and:

 

1 - PUT ON SOME SHOES, NICOLE. I fully expect to find out some day that she got a nail through her foot, or lost a toe.

 

2 - they did too have cars in 1910. Those people were rich, and they were on horseback for rich-people riding. The woman had on a formal riding habit. If Mrs. Rich Lady wanted to get somewhere, she either had her chauffeur take her, or if they didn't yet have a car, she had her driver take her in their carriage. She didn't ride horseback to the department store.

 

3 - she put her hand print & her dogs' paw prints in the path. For a house that isn't hers.

 

4 - bunting. Ok, then.

[Skittl1321]

Did NOT like the bunting. But a buyer could easily take that down.

I don't mind the weird timelines. It reminds me of my favorite show : Sarah's house. And one season where she progressed through pregnancy at absurd rates due to how the projects were simultaneous but was edited to look discrete.

[KittyS]

Call me shallow, but I have a hard time getting past her voice, her big veneered teeth, and her wardrobe, which is completely inappropriate for doing renovations. I do enjoy her appreciation of architecture and original materials.

[iwasish]

Her compulsion to put her initials on shower curtains and even on those beat up cabinets in her garage, drives me nuts. 

 

And how do you renovate a whole house one or two rooms at a time? She finishes off the living room, dining room  and stages them, then starts ripping off sheet rock and sanding floors upstairs? All the dust is going to find its way downstairs and it will be hell to clean up. Not only that, I considered renovating my moms house one room at a time, but the cost to have someone tape and sheet rock on a piece meal basis was astronomical. We ended up stripping the inside completely, removing the plaster and lathe and doing all new electric and installing A/C. In the long run it was faster and probably cheaper than one room at a time. But when she has money to spend, not her own, she goes for the good stuff.

[iwasish]

Nicole made an interesting comment in the recent mansion episode, when she was cleaning up the marble fireplace in the library. She said that fifteen years ago she'd have been the person they hired to do that grungy fireplace cleanup, and now she's in charge of the project. That it shows you can do things when you're determined enough, or some similar sentiment.

 

I admire her for a lot of things, but I think she's kind of coming off in this series as some kind of general contractor, but is she?. As far as I know. she's a licensed real estate agent or broker, maybe a Realtor. And when she owns the house that's being renovated, I assume she can either coordinate all the trades/vendors she hires, OR hire a general contractor.  In an earlier season of this show, she was between flips and worked as a designer on some small projects. She was careful to say in those episodes that she was not a licensed contractor. I can't remember if the clients had to hire a general contractor for those projects, or how they dealt with that.

 

As to the mansion project, have they explained what her role is? She obviously doesn't own the place. Is there a general contractor for the project? Did her boyfriend, as the house owner, act as his own GC? Maybe we'll be told if we pay attention. Maybe we *were* told already and I wasn't paying attention. Wouldn't be the first time I didn't, LOL.

 

Isn't the DIY channel's Amy Matthews also in Minneapolis? Amy is a licensed contractor. I wonder if Nicole and Amy have ever encountered each other on a project. For all I know they are good buddies, but based on how they appear on their respective shows I'm having trouble seeing them working together. Nicole's the emotional risk-taking flipper/"designer" and Amy's more cool and cerebral. I enjoy watching each of them. I know that my perceptions of each of them are to a large degree controlled by the TV editing monkeys.

DO you recall an episode Amy did with a couple who redid their home, I think it must have been in that general Minneapolis area. I think the house was a mustard color, they redid it with all new Hardy siding, recycled all the aluminum they pulled off and the fellow remade all new storm windows. He redid the front stairs and wingwalls with this thin veneer coating. I remember thinking how his arms must have ached after that job. My point is that  they kept the old look of the home but used more modern product to do it. And did it on a very small budget I recall.

 

I think Nicole covers up stuff she knows she won't get a return on investment on when she sells. I do like some of the guys she works with, that clearly love the "old" stuff. Her brother and his friend who helped her did a beautiful job, as did the guy who redid her wooden door and the gent who built the faux fireplace.  I like her dad also, and her mom.

[larapu2000]

Yeah, I think the focus is on each room for "before" and "after" for the sake of episodic television.  I'm sure she does all of the hardwood sanding, staining, and sealing at the same time because otherwise, those guys would lose their minds and it would look like shit since Nicole refuses to find a stain she likes out of the can, and insists on mixing her own.  idiot.

[iwasish]

When did she over come her fear of heights? A couple seasons ago she was pissing herself on the roof and Shane/Slade had to help her down. Tonight she's all over the roof of the mansion no fear at all.

I don't believe that she does an entire house project in that piecemeal manner. Especially the houses that were total wrecks to start with. I think that's just how the production company puts together the episodes after the house is all done.

 

The exception IMO would be the mansion that's currently being shown on the new season. First, it wasn't a complete wreck at the beginning, and second, there's some info reported above that the mansion renovation was done in parts/pieces.

That makes more sense. Even her way of describing her process sounds as though she finishes a room or two and then starts another. But your explanation clears it up. Thanks!

[iwasish]

Sorry, I thought it would copy the case page. Follow the link, click on Civil, Family & Probate Case Records Search Results, enter the search under the party name, Nicole Curtis, it's the one v. Jason Jenny.

Jeez she's got a lot of cases out there "Jake the Plumber"?

[Lola16]

Call me shallow, but I have a hard time getting past her voice, her big veneered teeth, and her wardrobe, which is completely inappropriate for doing renovations. I do enjoy her appreciation of architecture and original materials.

I imitate her "Why in the hell would you cover that up?!" screech every time the show comes on and it makes my cat nuts!   Her teeth is product of her dentist ex-bf that she also has legal action with.

[txvoodoo]

Tonight, she made a big deal about the birds eye maple trim she found in this house. Towards the end of the episode, she's voicing over the finishing touches, including installing hardware for window coverings. And then they show some guy drilling RIGHT INTO this pristine birds eye maple. I cringed.

 

She makes such a big deal about preserving original things, then lets that happen? bah.

[Meraji]

I've enjoyed all the past seasons of Rehab Addict and was really looking forward to this season.  But strangely, I'm not liking much about it.  I really bristled at everything in this most recent episode when Nicole justified so many of her design quirks by saying it's what the house wanted. I can see removing gaudy fixtures and wallpaper.  After all, this house will need to appeal to a modern buyer. But her disdain for any sort of color drives me nuts! I'm sorry, but people in the past liked colors. I'm sure the pink fireplace room was not originally painted a stark white. After Nicole was done with the room the fireplace looked ridiculous and completely out of place.  I think she's terrible at picking room and house colors.  Her usual black and white color scheme is wearing thin.  Oh yeah, there was also way too much furniture staged in that sitting room.

 

I appreciate that she wants to save and restore old homes, but I wish she wouldn't try to fool us into thinking she's being historically accurate in her renovations.

 

Tonight, she made a big deal about the birds eye maple trim she found in this house. Towards the end of the episode, she's voicing over the finishing touches, including installing hardware for window coverings. And then they show some guy drilling RIGHT INTO this pristine birds eye maple. I cringed.

 

I didn't catch that and I'm glad I didn't. I thought the window covering she used in the gentleman's bedroom were cheap looking and sad. The old coverings, though possibly (probably?) not original to the house at least amplified the grandeur of the home. The new ones just didn't fit.  And to hear they drilled new holes for the (hopefully temporary) curtains is even worse.

Edited November 2, 2014 by Meraji

[NikSac]

Yes, people in the past definitely liked colors. I spent days stripping the crappy wallpaper out of our house and it was almost educational seeing each decade come down.

 

I used to like this show bit it's rapidly wearing on me.... I think she's making stuff up a lot of the time and trying to make it sound historical.

[NikSac]

So true Suz. I think you called it because I used to like this show a lot when they were focused on restoring/fixing things. I could even handle the tank tops and socks with flip flops. Now it seems more like "ooh I get to drive a tractor" and then she comes back briefly to paint stuff that probably shouldn't be painted, with a few interviews in between with the pros. I think it's frustrating!  Maybe it's just the mansion project and she'll get back to her roots, so to speak. We can hope.