Rehab Addict - General Discussion

[tobeannounced]

I thought I had this series set to automatically DVR any new shows, and I haven't seen anything showing up.  But this thread keeps popping up, so I'm wondering if I missed recording it somehow.  Can someone fill me in on if there's a new season going on.  Thanks!

[auntjess]

The new shows are on HGTV, not DIY.  There may be on tonight.

[tobeannounced]

Thanks, auntjess.  Have I missed a lot of shows?

[aptharsia]

That light fixture, wasn't that shown going in a young couples home back in one of the earlier seasons? Did she just diss someone that was letting her redo their home on TV? It was a very small brick home, I remember her redoing the enclosed porch, some of the interior, I think the fixture was put up in the entrance or just inside the front door. Anyone remember that?

[larapu2000]

Yeah, that light fixture was hideous. Was it even period appropriate?

I can't even with Nicole and the kitchen/butler pantry and the refrigerator placement. When you have a butler's pantry, you need less cabinet space in the kitchen, so she could have created a functional layout, but since Nicole assumes that no one uses their kitchen, we once again have a useless kitchen. So sick of it. Calling yourself a designer doesn't make you one.

The sun room windows are beautiful. Also, I would watch a show with the cabinet guy. Is he single? Yes, please.

[GaT]

That light fixture, wasn't that shown going in a young couples home back in one of the earlier seasons? Did she just diss someone that was letting her redo their home on TV? It was a very small brick home, I remember her redoing the enclosed porch, some of the interior, I think the fixture was put up in the entrance or just inside the front door. Anyone remember that?

Yes, that was the show. I couldn't remember, thanks. It was the newlyweds. At the time, I couldn't decide if she knew them, or if they had hired her, but she made them do some of the work to save money (which I can understand if they have a limited budget), but was kind of bitchy about the fact that they could only do it after they worked their regular jobs & might be tired from working a full day already.

[GaT]

So Mplsmn, what's going on in Minneapolis?  What did the mayor do?

(See Nicole's Facebook page.)

http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/story/28233584/hgtvs-nicole-curtis-defends-disapproval-of-minneapolis-council-member

[chessiegal]

I remember that show with the young couple - IIRC the story line was she had sold them the house.

[auntjess]

 

Thanks, auntjess.  Have I missed a lot of shows?

I think they'll show up in the schedule.  It's a Detroit Tudor, beautiful house, and there have been at least 4 or 5.

[aptharsia]

Yeah, that was the episode! That poor couple, I'd love to hear what they think of the real Nicole.

 

The shade wasn't style appropriate. Tudor is considered arts and crafts so something a little more crafts should have been installed not something that looked like it belonged to a 1930's/40's Colonial Revival. Nicole may know how flip houses cheaply (as in taking shortcuts) but when it comes to period designs after the Victorian era, she seems to either not know it or doesn't care to be as period as she lets on she is.

 

Those nail holes drove me crazy. She does all this work on the house but then puts nail holes all over the walls (I can imagine it's like that on other walls.)

[QuinnM]

So here is a pretty well balanced article that includes the history of the vote.

http://www.startribune.com/local/minneapolis/294928651.html

 

As someone that actually knew the house I can tell you if Nicole wanted to preserve the architecture of it she was too late.  It's been a rundown dump with 15 bedrooms and two shared baths for very low income men for a long time.  That is what the city council heard as well.  That it was suffering from a lot of structural issues and all of the original detail was long torn out to make room for more rooms.  Most of the online stuff is coming from people outside of the state.  They don't know how bad the house was.  In addition, it's not a bad little neighborhood but there is no way it would support the cost of rehab on this house.  It's a marginal downtown place with lots of duplexed houses etc.

 

Nicole is really being an ass in my opinion.  She should probably go back to Detroit.  There are a lot more architectural gems being run into the ground there.

[Honey]

Nicole Curtis is nothing but an entitled bitch.  She's a hack, and she's kidding herself, and everyone else, if she thinks she is saving the integrity of the interior of these houses, because the crap workmanship she puts into these beautiful homes almost guarantees that the next owner will rip it out in order to have it done properly.

[QuinnM]

 

Nicole Curtis is nothing but an entitled bitch.  She's a hack, and she's kidding herself, and everyone else, if she thinks she is saving the integrity of the interior of these houses, because the crap workmanship she puts into these beautiful homes almost guarantees that the next owner will rip it out in order to have it done properly.

You know I'm usually in her court for this.  These houses that she has done in Mpls will not be redone, ripped out etc.  They are all in marginal neighborhoods and simply aren't worth the money.  You would end up underwater.  So it's fine what she does.  I'm just not with her on the battle for what was one step up from a flop house for 15+ years.  And the fact that she called for her followers to act crazy and make t-shirts shows how insane she gets.  Did Detroit run her out on a rail?  What is she doing back in Minneapolis?

Edited March 4, 2015 by QuinnM

[Mplsmn]

So here is a pretty well balanced article that includes the history of the vote.

http://www.startribune.com/local/minneapolis/294928651.html

As someone that actually knew the house I can tell you if Nicole wanted to preserve the architecture of it she was too late. It's been a rundown dump with 15 bedrooms and two shared baths for very low income men for a long time. That is what the city council heard as well. That it was suffering from a lot of structural issues and all of the original detail was long torn out to make room for more rooms. Most of the online stuff is coming from people outside of the state. They don't know how bad the house was. In addition, it's not a bad little neighborhood but there is no way it would support the cost of rehab on this house. It's a marginal downtown place with lots of duplexed houses etc.

Nicole is really being an ass in my opinion. She should probably go back to Detroit. There are a lot more architectural gems being run into the ground there.

I totally agree with you. Nicole thought she could get some good traction and publicity out of this, but a lot of people are starting to see her how we have for a while.

Here is a lengthy, but fairly accurate article, with lots of links to info.

http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/news/2015/03/03/orthy-adversary-battle-orth-house-told-local-internet-junkie

A few more, because there are plenty!:

http://blogs.mprnews.org/newscut/2015/03/pols-push-back-against-online-mob-in-mpls-house-demolition/

http://fortheloveofmnblog.com/2015/03/02/openletternicolecurtis/

This is the letter Lisa Bender wrote, she posted it on FB, but it got reported and was removed, most likely the result of Nicole's fans.

http://www.southwestjournal.com/voices/voices/a-call-for-civility-and-cooperation

Nicole keeps posting things on Facebook to keep up the drama, and I suspect to inflate her bruised ego. She still has massive FB support from people who seem to have low I.Q.s, (and/or just al lack of spelling and grammar, maybe they are emulating Nicole), and live in rural areas, not even in MN. They really have no idea of what is going on, and don't want to know. I saw one post where someone shared a link to and article with facts, and someone replied, "We don't need to read that, Nicole tells us all we need to know." Nicole directs her fans to the Healy Group, her NIMBY cronies who's interpretation of facts is definitely biased, they're the ones who started this whole Orth House thing. Most of Nicole's FB fans are under the impression that the city of Mpls forced the demolition of this house so they could have the land, to spite Nicole Curtis, whom they think was going to rehab it, none of which is true. Her fans on FB are really scary, it really is like a cult, it's bizarre. They have been harassing council members for months, specifically targeting Lisa Bender, whom Nicole has a personal issue with, (she beat Nicole's friend Meg Tuthill in the last election by a landslide) and Nicole encourages them. It wasn't until after the mayor, Betsy Hodges, wrote an open FB letter to Nicole, asking her to rein in her rabid fans, that Nicole finally removed threatening comments and asked for civility. Yet she keeps fanning the flames and playing the victim, poor little bitty Nicole. Nicole really reminds me of Sarah Palin, she's using all the same tactics, with the same results and fan base.

Edited March 4, 2015 by Mplsmn

[Mplsmn]

You know I'm usually in her court for this.  These houses that she has done in Mpls will not be redone, ripped out etc.  They are all in marginal neighborhoods and simply aren't worth the money.  You would end up underwater.  So it's fine what she does.  I'm just not with her on the battle for what was one step up from a flop house for 15+ years.  And the fact that she called for her followers to act crazy and make t-shirts shows how insane she gets.  Did Detroit run her out on a rail?  What is she doing back in Minneapolis?

Unfortunately she still lives here, for the time being. I strongly hope the Detroit Tudor is for herself and she will be moving permanently to Detroit, I'm not sure I will be able to ignore her after this recent stunt, and I see her out and about quite a bit!

[GaT]

As someone that actually knew the house I can tell you if Nicole wanted to preserve the architecture of it she was too late.  It's been a rundown dump with 15 bedrooms and two shared baths for very low income men for a long time.  That is what the city council heard as well.  That it was suffering from a lot of structural issues and all of the original detail was long torn out to make room for more rooms.  Most of the online stuff is coming from people outside of the state.  They don't know how bad the house was.  In addition, it's not a bad little neighborhood but there is no way it would support the cost of rehab on this house.  It's a marginal downtown place with lots of duplexed houses etc.

 

 

But this is typical Nicole Curtis. She thinks that because it exists, it needs to be saved & never takes into consideration that sometimes things are not only past the point of saving, some of them weren't worth saving when they were in good shape. Just because something is old doesn't make it valuable, there's a difference between an antique & old junk.

[annzeepark914]

Last night RA showed the powder room being renovated so I guess this was a re-run?  Since I missed it the first time it was all new to me.  In some lights, the walls looked like a deep grayish-purple.  Also got to see the exterior worked on + the front door and screen door (which at first I didn't like since it hides that beautiful front door).  I wonder who would leave the front door open so that a breeze comes through the screen door...in a house that's situated in a big city (not I, that's fer sure!)  Toward the end of the 9:30 show, I figured out how to watch this program peacefully and that is to hit the mute button frequently.

[Mplsmn]

So news around town is that Nicole is most likely moving back to Detroit! Yeah! Apparently she has one house to finish in Mpls, then she's free to leave. She has been involved in working on a house in North Mpls, 1522 Hillside, for the last 1.5-2 years. I don't think she's doing much of it herself, it's not for the show. She got it from the city for $2, said she would rehab it in a year for $100k, but I suspect both those numbers have grown a lot over time. She hasn't been able to unload the bungalow with the open toilet master bed/bath in a year, so she's got lots of loose ends to tie up here, but hopefully she will be focusing on Detroit in the future. She has burned so many bridges in Mpls, and I don't think she's going to be getting much help from the city council in the future! I even heard the guys at a salvage yard laughing about her antics recently, not that they didn't joke about her before. Also she posted on Twitter that she recently bought the house her grandfather built, so hopefully she will be happy in Detroit, or Lake Orion, or wherever she ends up. I will be happy shes not here spreading her misery and negativity around!

[Lola16]

I figured as much from watching her recent shows.  Is her son graduating HS this year?

[txvoodoo]

That makes sense - I wonder if she'll move into the Tudor. We've said how it seems she's been doing it for herself. 

[txvoodoo]

I caught a few minutes of a rerun yesterday that had me laughing. I'm pretty sure it was the monster mansion, but I'm not sure - but she was talking about how she was using "chemicals - yes, chemicals" to clean something up. 

 

I just love how in the course of one season she can contradict herself so many times!

[Lola16]

That makes sense - I wonder if she'll move into the Tudor. We've said how it seems she's been doing it for herself. 

Where she moved the bar that was in her parents basement I think and hung all the personal family photos and put up her son's initials over the fireplace.

[Mplsmn]

I caught a few minutes of a rerun yesterday that had me laughing. I'm pretty sure it was the monster mansion, but I'm not sure - but she was talking about how she was using "chemicals - yes, chemicals" to clean something up. 

 

I just love how in the course of one season she can contradict herself so many times!

I love how Nicole is a paid spokesperson for Grime Boss, she even did a series of "infomercials" for their website, the commercials are pretty bad. I am not familiar with Grime Boss, but it appears to be a sort of Swiffer type products, and cleaning/disinfecting/degreasing cloths, I'm pretty sure they contain some level of chemicals. I would not be happy if I were GB and saw Nicole on TV telling people to just use vinegar, baking soda and Bar Keepers Friend! I don't think she understands the concept of sponsorship.

http://home.grimeboss.com

[Mplsmn]

I figured as much from watching her recent shows. Is her son graduating HS this year?

 

He recently turned 17, according to her FB page she bought him an older Mercedes for his birthday, he's such a retro hipster! I suppose he could be graduating this year, lots of HS kids get college credits and graduate early. He goes to a private school, that might make transferring to a private school in Detroit easier, if he's not graduating.

 

That makes sense - I wonder if she'll move into the Tudor. We've said how it seems she's been doing it for herself.

 

Thats the only reason to spend big money on it, like the roof, and fill it with new furniture, not trash pickings.

 

Where she moved the bar that was in her parents basement I think and hung all the personal family photos and put up her son's initials over the fireplace.

She seems to personalize every house for staging, the C shower curtain, E's artwork, family pictures, pictures of herself, etc. Someone said earlier, it's not what is recommended for staging, but hey, she's a "celebrity" and wants everyone to know it's "her" house.

[annzeepark914]

Well, tonight I saw the dining room and then the basement renovations (I'm presuming these are re-runs).  Loved the window with the crest in the middle of the grids or whatever you call the metal crisscross things.  I know she loathed that the ceiling beams in the dining room had been painted but if I were going to buy that house, I'd be pleased (do not care for dark or plain wood trim or beams indoors...too dreary for me).  Nice that the neighbors noticed something funny going on with that house so that the thieves couldn't finish ripping out the hardwoods.  Didn't they get all the glass doorknobs? (love glass doorknobs!)  In the basement, I wonder why she left the mortar between the bricks looking so nasty.  To me it looked like either it was filthy w/ 100 years of dirt or something had been smeared on it.  That enormous bar is gorgeous in the basement, especially with the mirrors. Once again, my good friend Mr. Mute Button came in handy while watching both episodes tonight (why do these shows needs so much faux rock music?)

[txvoodoo]

So, wait, if she moves to Detroit, she won't be able to drive by and stalk, I mean, check on her deed restricted properties to see if the new owners are living in the house like she wants them to, right? 

[GaT]

Is this season done? I don't see any new episodes coming up.

[bubbls]

I saw some of the Tudor episodes last night. What a beautiful house!! But I'm surprised she put marble in that kitchen. As far as I can see most of these homes are in low income neighborhoods, so I perfectly understand her patching things rather than restoring. She'd never make any money if she chose to do much beyond patch. So the marble surprised me. Having just priced marble for my kitchen I can only assume she must have gotten some kind of steep discount in exchange for the company's exposure on national TV.

 

Anyway, aside from not seeing a fridge, I loved that kitchen. It had, IMO, the perfect combination of old and new to it.

 

I thought the AC guy was hilarious...."I PERUSED the instructions." LOL!!

Edited March 20, 2015 by bubbls

[aptharsia]

I'm so confused over how she is going to make any money off this house. Detroit has some nice neighborhoods here and there (they hire their own security to patrol) but it's not nice enough to warrant what she is going to have to price this house at in order to make much of a profit. All those guys working, all the stuff that has been done to the house, it's got to be costing a crap load of money to restore this one.

[Lola16]

I'm so confused over how she is going to make any money off this house. Detroit has some nice neighborhoods here and there (they hire their own security to patrol) but it's not nice enough to warrant what she is going to have to price this house at in order to make much of a profit. All those guys working, all the stuff that has been done to the house, it's got to be costing a crap load of money to restore this one.

I think Nicole is planning on moving into that house, like she did with Minnehaha.

[ellebelle]

First post here after lurking for a while, so please excuse any odd formatting.

 

There was a little blurb about Nicole and Rehab Addict in The Detroit Free Press today, discussing her next project, an 1876 house in Detroit's Brush neighborhood. The article mentions that Nicole "considers Detroit her home base these days," so folks who thought she might be considering living in her Detroit Tudor project might not be off the mark.  Sounds like this house is in a promising area too, close to Comerica Park (where the Detroit Tigers play) and will be close to the location of a new hockey arena that is in the planning stages, so Nicole may have picked a location where she'll be able to invest more with the idea of ultimately making more when the house is sold. The house is also little more than a shell at the moment, so I'm looking forward to watching the progress.

 

Much as Nicole grates at times, I do enjoy watching the transformation of her houses (some more successful than others, of course).

[tobeannounced]

I've been able to catch all the episodes of the newest season except for Leaky Bedroom Disaster and Solarium Refresh.  Have those aired?  If so, is the season over?  Really love this project.

[GaT]

I've been able to catch all the episodes of the newest season except for Leaky Bedroom Disaster and Solarium Refresh.  Have those aired?  If so, is the season over?  Really love this project.

Yes, they've both aired, so I guess the season is over? I didn't feel like they had an ending episode, because I wasn't sure, it feels like the season just stopped.

[CN42]

Nicole posted this on her FB page yesterday (3/28/15).

 

There was a rumor that we stopped doing the show-come on now! I actually build my homes and own them-had to take a pause because I decided to do a master suite instead of leaving a nasty third floor in the Detroit Tudor-keep your eyes open for the open house. You know I give very little notice and it's only one day that we show it off 

what rooms are coming up next? The inglenook bedroom, master bath, master bedroom, garage and wrapping it up with the "shack" and a very special surprise:)

 

And this, the same day:

 

For those of you following this story -I bought back the house my grandparents built. Working on it today and everywhere I look -my gramps, a sharpie market enthusiast, has notes. How fun it is exploring....and yes, I'm filming cause this is the greatest story for me to share. And they are my experts on call- already 5 phone calls today to ask questions smile emoticon makes my job so much easier to be able to talk to the "builders"

[GaT]

Redoing the house her grandparents built should be interesting.

 

I keep forgetting to post this. I've been watching Fixer Upper & catching up on all the episodes. In one of the episodes they stained the wood floor, & they did it the same way we've seen Nicole do it, with a rag & rubbing in circles. Only, their floor came out great, the color was beautiful, & it didn't look blotchy at all. So what is Nicole doing that her staining looks so bad? Could it be the brand of stain she uses?

Edited March 30, 2015 by GaT

[Lola16]

Redoing the house her grandparents built should be interesting.

 

I keep forgetting to post this. I've been watching Fixer Upper & catching up on all the episodes. In one of the episodes they stained the wood floor, & they did it the same way we've seen Nicole do it, with a rag & rubbing in circles. Only, their floor came out great, the color was beautiful, & it didn't look blotchy at all. So what is Nicole doing that her staining looks so bad? Could it be the brand of stain she uses?

There's nothing wrong with that technique.  What I've seen Nicole do which has provided less than optimal results is:

1) Lack of surface prep.  You have to sand correctly (with the grain always), and clean correctly.  Remember the one window Nicole repaired?  She gave a very quick rough sand on the sash but did not remove the saw dust.  So when she painted, it went right over it.

2) Good surface.  Subfloor is not meant to be a finished floor.

3) Not all floors can be saved.  If there are stains, warps, worn patches etc, you will get uneven results.  My own living room floor had about a 2 foot area that was almost black and the rest of the floor was a golden oak.  I hand sanded that myself and used a wood bleach on it to lighten it.  Then picked a medium to dark stain for the entire floor (I had pros do that).  Luckily for me, that spot is off towards the window and is mostly covered by the area rug.  If it was in the entry or main area, I probably would have had to have new boards spliced in.

[GaT]

There's nothing wrong with that technique.  What I've seen Nicole do which has provided less than optimal results is:

1) Lack of surface prep.  You have to sand correctly (with the grain always), and clean correctly.  Remember the one window Nicole repaired?  She gave a very quick rough sand on the sash but did not remove the saw dust.  So when she painted, it went right over it.

2) Good surface.  Subfloor is not meant to be a finished floor.

3) Not all floors can be saved.  If there are stains, warps, worn patches etc, you will get uneven results.  My own living room floor had about a 2 foot area that was almost black and the rest of the floor was a golden oak.  I hand sanded that myself and used a wood bleach on it to lighten it.  Then picked a medium to dark stain for the entire floor (I had pros do that).  Luckily for me, that spot is off towards the window and is mostly covered by the area rug.  If it was in the entry or main area, I probably would have had to have new boards spliced in.

That may be it (I know nothing about staining) but she should know better. Whenever she has the guy (whose name I can never remember) do her floors, they look beautiful, but anything she personally stains looks like crap.

[txvoodoo]

There's nothing wrong with that technique.  What I've seen Nicole do which has provided less than optimal results is:

1) Lack of surface prep.  You have to sand correctly (with the grain always), and clean correctly.  Remember the one window Nicole repaired?  She gave a very quick rough sand on the sash but did not remove the saw dust.  So when she painted, it went right over it.

2) Good surface.  Subfloor is not meant to be a finished floor.

3) Not all floors can be saved.  If there are stains, warps, worn patches etc, you will get uneven results.  My own living room floor had about a 2 foot area that was almost black and the rest of the floor was a golden oak.  I hand sanded that myself and used a wood bleach on it to lighten it.  Then picked a medium to dark stain for the entire floor (I had pros do that).  Luckily for me, that spot is off towards the window and is mostly covered by the area rug.  If it was in the entry or main area, I probably would have had to have new boards spliced in.

 

Emphasis mine, for agreement. :D For all that she says "every floor can be saved", she sure manages to do it wrong. 

 

My husband always tell me when I'm working on old furniture, prep is 90% of perfection. And yes, cleaning off the dust, keeping your work area clean, etc. It's all important. You can see when she's painted cabinets or furniture, she does a crap job - on HD tv it really shows up. Bubbles and bumpy painting. 

 

And oh, yes, WORD: subfloor is not flooring. It's there for support, to reinforce structure, and to keep floors stable, quiet, etc. Pine is great subflooring, but in general it's far too soft a wood for walking surface. Whenever she calls pine "hardwood" I cringe. A year of high heels on pine will make it look like a hail-damaged car hood.

[Mplsmn]

We saw a new show on HGTV today, Five Day Flip. The host is an Australian woman, Cherie Barber, who makes Nicole Curtis look like a total hack who wastes months making decisions. Cherie is a rehabber who buys and flips a house in five days! She has a crew, who probably put in 20 hour days, but she is extremely knowledgable, she tells them what to do, she doesn't pretend to know, and then ask the crew. She doesn't resort to drama and personal stories to make the show interesting, it's interesting enough without the drama. Cherie shows a few houses, she explains what she likes or doesn't, picks one of the houses, explains what and why she's doing the work, they show the costs involved, and at the end they say how much profit there was. This episode was filmed in Mpls or St. Paul, I missed it when they described the house she picked, but this is more along the lines of Renovate to Rent, except she sells the house. Cherie has a nice, clean, design style, and she respects the time period of the house, but doesn't disregard contemporary lifestyles. I get the idea it was a one time thing though, maybe a pilot, but the production was really well done, not shaky cameras and rough editing. Cherie is a big deal in Australia, she does seminars, writes how to books, has a TV show etc., I doubt she would move here to do another show, but I wish she would!

[chessiegal]

I saw that show on the on-line guide today, didn't recognize it or check it out, watch it, or even record it. Dang. Knowing HGTV, they will repeat it. I feel like I missed something.

 

I'm grudgingly going to forego my not watching Rehab because from the promos, I'm interested in seeing what she does with that Tudor.

[Lola16]

Cherie's voice bugged me but I agree about the lack of unnecessary drama.

[GaT]

I guess the season isn't over after all. I've very glad she didn't paint the bathroom pink, & the guy did a great job on the floors again.

[ByaNose]

And, I liked "Ethan's" room. You can't go wrong with a Big E on the wall. Very cool.

[txvoodoo]

She is SO doing this house for herself. That master bath cost a bundle, and she never does that for other peoples' house.

 

ETA - in last week's episode, it's TuDOR, not TuTOR. Yeah, I'm a history geek.

 

Also, in this week's episode, 2 things I noticed: the knobs on the drawers on the vanity had "C" on them - for Curtis. The C shower curtain can go with her, but is she swapping out knobs, too?

 

The other thing - when they showed the bathroom, they blurred the bedroom beyond it. (see below)  I just thought that was odd!

 

Edited April 17, 2015 by txvoodoo

[GaT]

She is SO doing this house for herself. That master bath cost a bundle, and she never does that for other peoples' house.

 

ETA - in last week's episode, it's TuDOR, not TuTOR. Yeah, I'm a history geek.

 

Also, in this week's episode, 2 things I noticed: the knobs on the drawers on the vanity had "C" on them - for Curtis. The C shower curtain can go with her, but is she swapping out knobs, too?

 

The other thing - when they showed the bathroom, they blurred the bedroom beyond it. (see below)  I just thought that was odd!

 

 

I hated all the different knobs on the dresser, of you can't find enough antique knobs, just use some reproductions. Putting different knobs in each section looks stupid.

 

I noticed that they photographed the room strangely too, it made me think of tilt shift photography.

[iwasish]

I hated all the different knobs on the dresser, of you can't find enough antique knobs, just use some reproductions. Putting different knobs in each section looks stupid.

 

I noticed that they photographed the room strangely too, it made me think of tilt shift photography.

I like her dad.

 

Ellwood is the nieces's name? I thought at first it was a nephew. Loved her costume at the Aquarium!!

She gave a very quick rough sand on the sash but did not remove the saw dust.  So when she painted, it went right over it.

 

There was one window she painted/stained and when she brushed over the top edge of the moulding, at least a half inch clump of dust and dirt dropped off the edge.

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!

And they work so cheap!! Is that the going rate or is the economy so depressed people will work for that little, Northeast NJ here and you couldn't get that kind of craftsmanship that cheap.

 

I agree that this house is for her. Too much money and care on stuff. I guess the show has helped out her finances and she can afford it.

 

I lived in a big Tudor house like that in Detroit in the early/mid 60's. It was gorgeous. Years later my brother drove thru Detroit on a memory trip and all that was left was a burned out shell. A year or two later and it was just a hole in the ground.  Sad what has happened there. We move just before things went south.

Edited April 17, 2015 by iwasish

[bubbls]

 

I hated all the different knobs on the dresser, of you can't find enough antique knobs, just use some reproductions. Putting different knobs in each section looks stupid.

 

 

Funny how subjective taste is because I adored all the different knobs. They blended well without being matchy. I wouldn't want a whole house of it but for one piece i liked it a lot and plan on doing a piece I have like that. 

[GaT]

At the end of tonight's episode when she talks about the rooms, she used phrases like "my dressing room", & at one point said "if I don't keep this house" so I think this is her new Minnehaha.

[larapu2000]

She talked about that one room being a dressing room but didn't pay the extra money to create hanging racks and shelves for the clothes.  Wha???

 

Loved that floor guy telling her the pine was old and brittle and that there were cracks, and Nicole hand waving her choices again as, "well, since I don't do something, other people don't either," about wearing shoes in the house.  And if this house is for her, then FINE, but pretending it's a choice that potential homeowners will be okay with based solely on her own habits is seriously delusional.  

 

While I like that she tries to remain true to the original footprint of the home, it probably would have been wiser to combine at least 2 of the 3 random rooms up there-a sitting room, and 2 dressing rooms, plus the bathroom and bedroom!  

 

That rehabbed building those guys were doing was just stunning and beautiful.  I really do love Detroit, I'm there a lot with work.  The downtown, although it can be depressingly empty and boarded up, is full of gorgeous gems like that.  

[Mplsmn]

At the end of tonight's episode when she talks about the rooms, she used phrases like "my dressing room", & at one point said "if I don't keep this house" so I think this is her new Minnehaha.

I have no doubt she will be moving there herself. I just hope she sells her Mpls home, she's so negative and obviously unhappy in Mpls. She gets a lot of support and attention in Detroit, plus she's a local there. I get the impression she gets the "star treatment " in Detroit that she thinks she should get in Mpls, but doesn't.

She talked about that one room being a dressing room but didn't pay the extra money to create hanging racks and shelves for the clothes. Wha???

Loved that floor guy telling her the pine was old and brittle and that there were cracks, and Nicole hand waving her choices again as, "well, since I don't do something, other people don't either," about wearing shoes in the house. And if this house is for her, then FINE, but pretending it's a choice that potential homeowners will be okay with based solely on her own habits is seriously delusional.

While I like that she tries to remain true to the original footprint of the home, it probably would have been wiser to combine at least 2 of the 3 random rooms up there-a sitting room, and 2 dressing rooms, plus the bathroom and bedroom!

That rehabbed building those guys were doing was just stunning and beautiful. I really do love Detroit, I'm there a lot with work. The downtown, although it can be depressingly empty and boarded up, is full of gorgeous gems like that.

She also talked about one of the rooms being a nursery. There were comments on FB that she looked pregnant in last night's show, so I watched it. Sure enough, she sure looks like she is expecting! The final walk through bit she does at the end usually seems to be filmed shortly before the episode airs, and this one we never saw Nicole below the shoulders really. Lots of close up of her face while talking, shots of just the rooms, and a bit where Nicole is carrying the recycled mirror the woodworker made in front of her body, hiding her possible bump? At the end, with the dogs, there's a shot where she definitely looks pregnant. A perfect reason to move home to Detroit, to be near her family and raise a baby!

I've said it before, Reba is amazing, I hope he's getting a lot of work from this show. Nicole only called pine a hardwood a few times this episode, maybe she's learning the difference. Her attitude towards floors still confuses me. She says there's not a floor she can't save (because her standards are much lower than most people's regarding floors) loves original floors, yet stands there and tells the floor pro that no one takes their shoes off in her house, they carelessly trash the floors. Doesn't she know you really can't repeatedly refinish floors?

That commercial building is gorgeous, and I'm glad to see they are doing it right. That chandelier they gave Nicole was hideous, in my opinion. It looked more 50s and didn't fit the house at all. It's sort of a shame Nicole is doing her 100 shades of white (except the lower bathroom cave, oddly) and Pottery Barn style in every single room. She has used that nice deco bedroom set to stage two rooms, the "Jack" room and again in her dressing room, but other than that most of the furniture seems to be brand new and in cold neutral tones. That Tudor really cried out for arts and crafts colors, warm earth tones, and antique oak furniture. Nicole is decorating to her tastes and current trends rather than celebrating the time period of the house.

Edited April 25, 2015 by Mplsmn