Beach Flip - General Discussion

[chessiegal]

All 4 of these houses are for rent. If you go to Meyer Realty, Gulf Shores, AL you can see that they part of the rental market there. I'd be more interested in finding out how much they could increase the rent because of the improvements than the increase in the home's value.

[DownTheShore]

Watching this show and other shows where people are purchasing vacation homes, I wonder how it came to be that people went from spending a week at a great place packed into a house, sleeping in bunk beds and having fun outdoors, to having to live in relative luxury with "space" and decor? It's sad how people's values have gone so upscale for no good reason.

They are incapable of truly down-sizing. They have to be able to do everything they normally do in their own home, only in a different location.

The ones that drive me nuts are the ones who need the big kitchens in a vacation home. What, are they planning on cooking Thanksgiving dinner every night? The whole point of a vacation is not to be chained to the usual routine. You make sandwiches, you make salads, you throw food on the grill, you go out to eat. You don't spend hours in the kitchen.

[NYGirl]

I remember when my mom and dad rented at the shore when we were in our teens.  My goodness the furniture smelled of mildew.  There were showers and dressing rooms in the basement.  We used to have the best summers ever! 

 

I swear I feel sorry for the kids today.  They will never be able to have the fun we had as kids.  Their noses are always in their phones.  Imagine a week without internet?  ::gasp::

[ByaNose]

I was in a family of 7. Mom & Dad and the 5 kids. We always went to the shore and at most it was 3-4 bedrooms and one bath. Also, a shower outdoors which is what we used everyday. Amazingly, we all survived with that and the small kitchen. We never thought twice about it. I'm sure it was the same for everyone back then (I'm 50 now) and, we were greatful to even go on vacation for 2 weeks for over 20 years. Now, everything has to be bigger, better and with air conditioning. Those we the good ole days. That said, I'm sure the makeovers for all of the rentals will really help and were probably needed.

[Bitterswete]

Watching this show and other shows where people are purchasing vacation homes, I wonder how it came to be that people went from spending a week at a great place packed into a house, sleeping in bunk beds and having fun outdoors, to having to live in relative luxury with "space" and decor? It's sad how people's values have gone so upscale for no good reason. 

 

They are incapable of truly down-sizing. They have to be able to do everything they normally do in their own home, only in a different location.

 

I've watched quite a few "vacation home hunter" shows on HGTV. And it often seems like the buyers would be happy getting something a little less than ideal if it was just about them. But a lot of them have an eye on renting the place out when they aren't there, so they're also thinking about what might appeal to potential renters. But I've actually seen quite a few buyers picking a place that probably won't bring them as much in rent but was close to the beach, or right on the lake, or whatever. I remember an ep of one show where the three teen-aged kids, male and female, were willing to squeeze into one pretty small room because one house was in a great location.

 

So I think there are plenty of people still willing to "rough it," and not everyone wants all the luxuries in a vacation house. Although the latter are probably more likely to sign up for one of these shows.

Edited August 5, 2015 by Bitterswete

[txvoodoo]

I'm ok with having a big kitchen, because a lot of the time, you end up with a lot of family there & you have big dinners. Whenever we went down the shore, we always made seafood (crabs, mussels, etc) or spread out cold cuts and stuff for lunches. You want a lot of counter space for that. eating every meal out gets expensive when you're a family. Also, this way you can just go back to the house still in your bathing suit.

 

You certainly don't need an office though, or uber luxury.

[laredhead]

The before pictures of those rentals look just like what we rented in Gulf Shores back in the 80's & 90's and we thought they were great.  Of course, that type of beach house was standard then, and was an improvement over the few that had been built in the 60's and 70's.  I guess each generation has their own idea of what is acceptable.  We were in the bedrooms only at night when we were sleeping.   All other times we were on the beach, on the decks, and in the big living rooms that most of them had.  My favorite house was one we rented that had hammocks hung between the support posts under the house.  There was always a breeze blowing there and I spent most afternoons reading and dozing while it was too hot to be on the beach.  Would be nice to find out what the rental rates were before the makeovers and compare to what the owners are getting now with the redo.

[mojito]

 

I remember an ep of one show where the three teen-aged kids, male and female, were willing to squeeze into one pretty small room because one house was in a great location.

Way to go, kids! I would think that situation would be worth a lot of laughs and fond memories in the future. They'd be among the last ones you'd probably remember of your sibs.

 

I guess some of us just see vacation homes as a very luxurious step above sleeping in tents on the ground, using latrines, cooking over a campfire. Others see a vacation home as their other primary home as opposed to a secondary home.

[Koffee Kup]

I want to punch Lucy and Daphne in the throat so they won't be able to speak.  Their voices are so grating.  They are going to be insufferable next week and seriously they didn't know that herringbone was so labor intensive?   Have they never watched HGTV before?

[NYGirl]

I think Martha and her boyfriend are their own worst enemies.  They think they know everything and refuse to listen to the mentors.  Not sealing the cedar?  Not a good idea.  It serves them right that they didn't finish.

 

It was so nice to see the woman of the arguing team actually do some work this week.

 

I cannot stand Lucy and Daphne (The PITAs).  I hate that they finished on time and it looked good. I hate that they won.   I was really rooting for the Queens couple tonight.  They did a nice job and have less money than the others.

 

There's no way Lucy and Daphne don't win this.

[Gregg247]

Nick and Sarah are my favorites, but their master bathroom was horrendous!  All that brown/beige tile, alternating styles back and forth down the wall; plus, the 1980'2 tile floor.  What a disappointment!

 

The PITAs really screwed up with all the fancy tile work they planned.  Way too complicated.  Plus, shouldn't they know how much these things cost?  They're in the business, I believe.

 

I don't like these artificial time limits imposed on the contestants.  I wish they gave them more-than-adequate time so that the show is more about judging the teams' designs and work rather than their time-management skills.  I don't like the blond lady (Martha?), but thought her 2 master bath design was great; too bad they lost because they just couldn't get it all done in 4 days.

[ByaNose]

Lucy & Daphne don't bug me as much as everyone else. I like their work minus the blue whale. That said, I'm not sure how they won when the bathroom door blocked the entire vanity when life opened. The long distance couple continue to suck. I think blonde Martha is really pretty but she & her husband really think they know everything. They seem so entitled which is odd since they haven't won much. The other couple with the dark hair seem like nice people and he did well on the barn door. All in all, none of the bathrooms wowed me and I doubt they would influence me much if I was to rent one of the houses.

[GaT]

I didn't think any of the bathrooms were great, & there was a lot of sloppy work. Also, everybody went over budget.

[mecmimi05]

I really didn't like the horrible sloppy tile work the long distance couple did. Also the signs propped everywhere were a distraction and not original at all. Loved the unsealed wall in Martha & Alex's bathroom. Like the way they made two on suite bathrooms.....too bad they didn't finish and I do wish they would listen to advice.The winning bathrooms were finished and looked nice, nothing spectacular. I was surprised the women did not seem to understand that herringbone tile work would be harder and more costly to install...aren't they the "experts". Nick and his wife's master bath looked good to me until they showed the floor, it really was awful. Seems like everyone did a better job in the smaller bathroom, maybe they over thought the master bath.

[laredhead]

After seeing how the 2 Alabama women have handled their projects on this show, I would never hire them.  They cannot measure or seem to have a clue about costs for some things.  Maybe the decorator of the duo is used to working with people who have unlimited budgets and money is no object.  They could have had their carpenter flip the opening on the bathroom door.  All of them should have used the professional services provided to them, even if it cost a little more, especially Martha and Alex.  He keeps taking on larger projects than he can handle and doesn't seem to learn from past experience.

 

Nick and Sara should have used the same decorating scheme for both bathrooms which would have made the house have a cohesive look.  Their master bath was a mish mash of finishes and that floor did look cheap.

 

When I was watching the woman of the long distance couple putting down the floor tile I thought she wasn't using enough thin set and wondered how good of a job she (and the others who laid tile themselves) actually did.  What happens in a year when some of these DIY projects like tile, begin to come up, fall off the walls, etc.  It's not like a fix it episode can fix badly installed tile in a reasonable time frame.  That grouting job done by the long distance couple looked horrible.  Reminded me of their kitchen project.  Does HGTV provide a professional crew to fix things for the owners after the series is over?

[ByaNose]

Well, I think next week they get to finish up their mistakes and what the didn't get done. Maybe,Mehta will help somewhat. One thing, I did notice was when they were walking up the deck steps for the walk through was the bad condition they were in. Obviously, they are out in the elements with the weather & sand but they look awful. Hopefully, all the decks are being rebuilt, too.

[Former Nun]

I want to punch Lucy and Daphne in the throat so they won't be able to speak.  Their voices are so grating.

 

 

WHEW!   I hoped I wasn't the only one.  I'd like to visit the area where they live to see if everyone else speaks that way.  OY!

I was in another room when the show was on.  Hearing them without seeing them is even worse.

My solution?   Duct Tape ~ Duct Tape ~ Duct Tape.

[Bobcatkitten]

Their voices are grating but I have loved most everything they have done and there is no doubting their rooms look very professional (I'm not counting the whale. That was just dumb.)

[carrps]

I don't understand how they don't seem to  have knowledge of really basic design concepts. And I think their place looks over-designed and too fussy for a beach condo. I hated the design in their second bath. That hideous twine octopus thingy did not go at all with the sorta Hollywood Regency flaming red mirror. It was like the mishmash in their office/den from last week.

 

Lucy's voice is like an icepick stabbing my ears.

[ByaNose]

I see that next week Lucy or Daphnee are sanding down the whale. My suggestion would be to take the sucker down. That was the worst craft project done ever!

[KarmaG]

 I'd like to visit the area where they live to see if everyone else speaks that way.  OY!

 

 

Some of my IL's are from the area and have a similar accent but not the nasally thing going on. Also the wife on Fixer Upper is from here in TX and sounds almost identical in the way she speaks.

[needschocolate]

Yeah, the show can do what ever it wants, and everything is technically fair if everyone had the same chance/opportunities.  I am not calling shenanigans.  However, it bugs me that the only week there was no cash prize was the week the dark haired couple won.  Why did that week not have a cash prize? What was the reasoning behind that?  And , why do the cash prizes increase every week? - first $2,500, the $3,500, then $4,500, then $0, the $5,500, then $6,500.  Why give more money when they have less things to spend it on?  If they were going to skip a week, they should have skipped this week and tell them "you are doing both bathrooms this week and next week you are making whatever changes you want, all with the money you have right now, so budget wisely." 

 

I think they should give the same cash amount each challenge, or skip the cash and give them extra time or a set amount of free labor.  But it should be the same prize each week.

 

And, since I am ranting anyway, I cannot stand hearing them say "value added through smart decisions."  Why not just say "value added"? Were they afraid that a team would add value through pure luck or a bad decision and they didn't want them to benefit from it?  Since the $50,000 winner is determined by who adds the most value, are those "Real estate experts" going to also determine if the value added was the result of a "smart decision" or just a fluke?

[Former Nun]

I see that next week Lucy or Daphnee are sanding down the whale. My suggestion would be to take the sucker down. That was the worst craft project done ever!

 

 

ByaNose...I agree.  The idea is cute--the execution amateurish.  Aside from the badly done whale, there were the poorly placed lights (heat and head-bumpers) and the sofa where one should roll out to the floor before standing up.  Looked good on paper.

[meep.meep]

And the sofa where nobody over 5 feet tall can ever sit....

 

I think that Melissa and Mahdi just need to wipe off the excess grout from their tile.  It's installed correctly, they just didn't have time to properly wipe it down.  Likewise, the folks with the unsealed cedar wall can seal it.  Sarah and the nosy guy didn't seal their barn door either, but that didn't turn into a federal case.

[GaT]

I think that Melissa and Mahdi just need to wipe off the excess grout from their tile.  It's installed correctly, they just didn't have time to properly wipe it down. 

Nope, the grout has dried, there's no wiping it off, it's down to some kind of scrubbing at this point which is time & work intense.

[MomCat]

I've been catching up with this on On Demand - I love David Bromstad and was happy to find out that HGTV is still utilizing him.

 

Martha is very familiar.  I think she was a contestant on a season of "Design Star" several years ago.  Both she and Nicole have skin that looks very sun damaged, though.  I'm not surprised to find out I'm not alone in not being able to get used to the whiny sing-song voices of  Lucy and Daphne.  They sound like female Gomer Pyles sped up to a higher pitch.  Just the thought of that is revolting....

 

I was relieved to find out that both David B. and Nicole wanted the female duo's kitchen to win.  I feel like they were robbed and don't like the way the show is formatted to have one judge do the choosing.

 

I also thought the Queens couple (Nick and Sarah) should have won the bedroom challenge.  I thought their bedroom looked like it came out of a decorator's catalog.  The winning room was OK but not my favorite.

 

Even though they are supremely annoying, I hope Lucy and Daphne take this, they deserve it.

[KarmaG]

And , why do the cash prizes increase every week? - first $2,500, the $3,500, then $4,500, then $0, the $5,500, then $6,500.  

 

 

Because in the end it's a game, really. And they're following the original formula from the original show 10yrs ago. The only thing they've changed this time is the contestants aren't living in the apartments they are remodeling/renovating.

 

ETA: Oh and to amp up excitement. It'd be boring for the teams to win the same amount every week, from their perspective, I believe.

Edited August 13, 2015 by KarmaG

[scenicbyway]

I didn't think Lucy and Daphne's bathrooms were worthy of the prize, it seemed like they won because they'd only have $800 to spend next week and that wouldn't work.

I didn't think Lucy and Daphne's bathrooms were worthy of the prize, it seemed like they won because they'd only have $800 to spend next week and that wouldn't work.

[ByaNose]

But, Daphne & Lucy have to close the bathroom door to use the sink. How did they do that? Why?

[KarmaG]

But, Daphne & Lucy have to close the bathroom door to use the sink. How did they do that? Why?

 

If using the sink, don't most people close the door anyway?

[needschocolate]

If using the sink, don't most people close the door anyway?

 

Based on myself and other people I have lived with, whether you have the door closed when you use the sink depends on what you were doing before you used the sink.  Obviously, if you had used the toilet, you would still have the door closed when you wash your hands.  But if you just changed a diaper or something and just need to wash your hands then you would just go into the bathroom and use the sink, and leave the door open. 

[chessiegal]

Couldn't the door have been made to open outward? We have a tiny powder room that does that - works great.

[laredhead]

I do not understand why Lucy and Daphne did not use some of their money to have professionals paint that guest room.  I think they said they would use the remaining money for the outdoor project, but from the promo tonight, next week doesn't involve another challenge and will be the final appraisal and winner announcement.  

 

Once again, Melissa found a way to spend a lot of time on the computer and ordering things instead of helping.  Nicole emphasized that the fixes and any changes should add value to the house.  Curtains do not add value to the property.  Mahdi was correct when he said that.   If he is frustrated with her now, he needs to realize this is behavior that is not going to change so that long distance relationship just might stay long distance.  Personally, I think all those curtains are very impractical in a rental property.  

 

Did the Chicago couple ever seal the wooden wall in the bathroom?  Josh emphasized that it needed to be done and I would have assumed it would have been on the "fix" list, but it was never mentioned.   

[breezy424]

I do not understand why Lucy and Daphne did not use some of their money to have professionals paint that guest room.  I think they said they would use the remaining money for the outdoor project, but from the promo tonight, next week doesn't involve another challenge and will be the final appraisal and winner announcement.  

 

Once again, Melissa found a way to spend a lot of time on the computer and ordering things instead of helping.  Nicole emphasized that the fixes and any changes should add value to the house.  Curtains do not add value to the property.  Mahdi was correct when he said that.   If he is frustrated with her now, he needs to realize this is behavior that is not going to change so that long distance relationship just might stay long distance.  Personally, I think all those curtains are very impractical in a rental property.  

 

Did the Chicago couple ever seal the wooden wall in the bathroom?  Josh emphasized that it needed to be done and I would have assumed it would have been on the "fix" list, but it was never mentioned.   

Totally agree.  And I was wondering about sealing the wood as well.

[CN42]

Lucy and Daphne just needed to admit defeat and remove that whale thing. I don't think anybody but them thought it "added value."

 

[ByaNose]

Seriously, is it bad editing that we have never seen Melissa working? Once again, he is doing all of the work and she's on the computer ordering (badly) from Joss & Main. All of the other woman are doing equal work except Melissa. She doesn't deserve half of the $50,000, if they were to win. I think the most she has done (that I've seen) is paint.

[biakbiak]

Did the Chicago couple ever seal the wooden wall in the bathroom? Josh emphasized that it needed to be done and I would have assumed it would have been on the "fix" list, but it was never mentioned.

I think that there were enough things wrong with the master bath that they just folded that into the overall repairs because it was actually the easiest thing to do.

[GaT]

Seriously, is it bad editing that we have never seen Melissa working? Once again, he is doing all of the work and she's on the computer ordering (badly) from Joss & Main. All of the other woman are doing equal work except Melissa. She doesn't deserve half of the $50,000, if they were to win. I think the most she has done (that I've seen) is paint.

The only thing Melissa does is shop online, & she didn't think about the budget? And I wanted to smack her at the beginning when Madhi wanted to start the work & all she wanted to do was talk about things. I also hate the words & sayings they put all over the place.

 

 

I do not understand why Lucy and Daphne did not use some of their money to have professionals paint that guest room.  I think they said they would use the remaining money for the outdoor project, but from the promo tonight, next week doesn't involve another challenge and will be the final appraisal and winner announcement.  

 

 

I think they do the outside next week, & I hope that they all get a new budget & lose whatever they had left over so that Lucy & Daphne realize what morons they were about how they handled things this week.

[alexa]

Those ladies annoy me to no end--if they win I will be an unhappy viewer.  That whale bed still looks awful....what do they see in it?   I do like that the judges praised the other teams for making fixes, and really laid into the women for not doing much.  I agree with the above, as to why they wouldn't have paid someone to help paint and then they could have done some other more obvious fixups to add more value to the house (such as remove the awful whale bed, etc).

[Gregg247]

After seeing the "fixes" done on the latest episode, I think perennial third place finishers Nick and Sarah should win the whole thing.  The addition of the chair rail and crown moldings really tied the entire house together and made the place look fantastic.  They managed to do all that work in 2 days and for only $800 for the cost of the wood!  

 

Where did their carpenter come from?  Do all the teams have a carpenter to work with them, aside from the usual "hiring out to sub-contractors" thing?  I believe this was the first time this guy was presented to us.

 

Aside from their master bathroom tile, they've done a consistently good job, and I'm really pulling for them to win the $50k.  

Edited August 17, 2015 by Gregg247

[NYGirl]

I was so happy last night to see the PITAs finally get their smackdown!  That stupid whale bed..ugh.  They only capped the light.  I would have taken that whole bed away and gotten a couch that opens.  There is already a guest room upstairs!  I've seen decorators ..I think Hilary Farr, put a murphy bed with has built ins on either side...someone should have done that.

 

I'm am so rooting for Nick and Sarah.

 

I agree about Melissa not working..I saw her do something once.  She couldn't even hang a damn picture?  Really?

[ByaNose]

I still think Marta is beautiful. Yes, I'm that shallow. It's too bad she doesn't listen to anyone though. LOL!!! I would be happy with her & her husband or Nick & Sarah winning. The long distance couple don't even look like they like each other. No wonder they are in a long distance relationship. I think Luck & Daphne have talent but there is just to saving that whale. The wood looks cheap with the blue paint. I'm not sure why they are insistent on keeping it. It just block the space for someone to jump into the bed. Of course, the winners are dependent on the realities and their appraisal. It's really a toss up.

[absolutelyido]

I am also rooting for Sarah & Nick, but am afraid that the judges smacking Lucy & Daphne was just to create drama about who is going to win, because otherwise it looks like L&D will be the obvious winners. I do hope that awful den will cause Lucy & Daphne to lose. They reduced the closet in that room to a sliver, and I hope that comes back to bite them. I hope the appraisers say that it no longer can be considered a bedroom so knocks down the value of the townhouse.

Edited August 18, 2015 by absolutelyido

[chessiegal]

It's a beach rental house. Who needs lots of closet space and crown molding and wainscoting? I want to be on the beach, I'm wearing bathing suits, flip flops, shorts and casual clothes. I've never stayed in a beach rental where there wasn't enough closet space or fancy finishings. I want beach front, lots of seating and beds.  I wouldn't pay more rental money for more closet space - don't need it, or fancy crown molding and other finishes. It's all about what these owners can rent their units out for.

[KarmaG]

 

 

Where did their carpenter come from?  Do all the teams have a carpenter to work with them, aside from the usual "hiring out to sub-contractors" thing?  I believe this was the first time this guy was presented to us.

 

 

I haven't watched yet but wanted to answer the carpenter question. In the beginning it was stated that each team has their own dedicated carpenter. I am wondering though if it's not one carpenter dedicated to the entire show, not just one team.

[DownTheShore]

All that moulding and those tchotchkes are dust gatherers. If it's a rental property and the owners aren't coming down to do the cleaning between renters, then they probably use a cleaning service. There is a narrow window of time between check-out and check-in, and the services try to fit in as many clients as they can. I've timed the cleaning services our neighbors down the shore use, and they are in and out usually in under 15 minutes, sometimes in as little as 5. That is basically a lick-and-a-promise cleaning of the place. I've seen them bring in a vacuum cleaner and never heard it turned on.

You'd be amazed at how sand gets in and on everything in a shore house. If you're designing a rental property, you need to take into account the amount of cleaning that will be required to keep it looking attractive so that people will want to rent it again. Repeat renters are people you want, because they are a known quantity.

---------

I hope that couple sealed the wood in that bathroom. Unlike normal home-bathing, at the shore the family group comes back from the beach en masse, so showers occur one right after the other, only waiting for the water heaters to heat up a new tankful. So those bathrooms get seriously damp.

Edited August 19, 2015 by DownTheShore

[bentley]

Shaking my head at Lucy and Daphne. The minute the judges said what this week would be about, my first thought was "Lucy and Daphne won't think they need to change much at all". And they didn't. Ugh. Did they even replace that small-ass ceiling fan in the master bedroom?

 

 

I think perennial third place finishers Nick and Sarah should win the whole thing.

 

 

That's where I'm at as well.

[needschocolate]

I know that everyone had an equal chance to win money, so it is all fair, but I think that the amount they spent should be factored in when determining the winner. In theory, the more you spend, the more you increase the value. It is not "value added through smart decisions" but "value added through larger spending" 

 

Take the value added, subtract what they spent to add that value, and then figure out what percentage increase that would be.  Larges percentage is the winner.  I think if they did it that way,  S&N would win. 

 



I I do not understand why Lucy and Daphne did not use some of their money to have professionals paint that guest room.  I think they said they would use the remaining money for the outdoor project, but from the promo tonight, next week doesn't involve another challenge and will be the final appraisal and winner announcement.  

 

I thought one of the judges (whoever came in for the mentor talk - Nicole, I believe) told them, while they were working, that this was no time to hole back and there was no reason to save their money. 

 

L&D are fine decorators, I think their choices have been good, except for that horrible den, but they are not very handy/crafty.  I seems to me that they hired people to do most of the work and that the projects they did themselves turned out to be the worst parts of their house. 

 

I think I read a description of next week that said they work together to fix up the outside.  I assume they give them new money for that. 

[KarmaG]

I know that everyone had an equal chance to win money, so it is all fair, but I think that the amount they spent should be factored in when determining the winner. In theory, the more you spend, the more you increase the value. It is not "value added through smart decisions" but "value added through larger spending" 

 

 

That's not necessarily true. The during the bathroom challenge the mentors said the team that spent little on the guest bathroom actually did a better job in that bathroom than the one they spent a fortune in. You CAN spend way more and add less actual value to a home than you think. The amount you spend/value added are NOT mutualy exclusive.

[needschocolate]

That's not necessarily true. The during the bathroom challenge the mentors said the team that spent little on the guest bathroom actually did a better job in that bathroom than the one they spent a fortune in. You CAN spend way more and add less actual value to a home than you think. The amount you spend/value added are NOT mutualy exclusive.

 

This is true.  I was speaking in generalities - someone spending 50k re-doing their kitchen is probably going to end up with a nicer kitchen than someone spending 10k (not that the dollar amounts were that much on the show).  But there are a lot of other factors that play a part, like how handy the DIYers are and the quality of their work, and taste matters a lot.  Someone spending 50k on their kitchen installing fluorescent orange cabinets and one-of-a-kind light fixtures made from petrified cow dung will not have a nicer kitchen than someone who spends 10k on good cabinetry and does a good job on tiling. 

 

I just like the idea of taking the amount spent into consideration when determining the value added because it lessens the chance of L&D winning, and increases the chances for S&N.