Beach Flip - General Discussion

[laredhead]

DownTheShore and Chessiegal, how on earth do y'all cook and prepare food in a kitchen with Corian counters?  Don't you know that HGTV tells us we must have granite?  I agree about the marble counters.  One glass of grape juice, fruit punch or red wine is going to stain it.  Renters aren't going to take care of that counter like the owner would.

[ByaNose]

I wonder if the person who buys the woman team house will switch the floor layout? It would definitely look better going straight all through the kitchen & small living room area. I do appreciate how non stressed they get & still have enough time for wine. They really do a great job with time management. Team long distance could learn a thing or two from them. They never get anything done on time. That said, they'll probably end up winning. LOL!!!

[DownTheShore]

DownTheShore and Chessiegal, how on earth do y'all cook and prepare food in a kitchen with Corian counters?  Don't you know that HGTV tells us we must have granite?  I agree about the marble counters.  One glass of grape juice, fruit punch or red wine is going to stain it.  Renters aren't going to take care of that counter like the owner would.

When HGTV offers to pay for those granite counters, then we'll talk about it - lol. Being former shore renters ourselves, we knew what kind of wear-and-tear the fixtures and furnishings are subject to. We did the kitchen countertops and backspash in Corian. It looks good and does the job well.

[txvoodoo]

I found these houses on the web site of their property management company. The pictures are of their original interiors, which makes sense since they don't want to show the finished product before the show finished airing. They all sure could benefit from a good sprucing up, even that hideous master bedroom wall the long distance couple screwed up so badly would be an improvement. I wonder how much they raised the rental fees post renovation. We rented a duplex like these in Atlantic Beach, NC for 2 years about 10 years ago. The other side was not rented out our first year, and we could see through the windows that it was furnished much more nicely, so the second year we rented it instead.

Do you have a link to them? I'm 90% sure that's allowed here. :) 

[chessiegal]

Here's the link to the Gulf Dreams duplex. The property management company is Meyer real estate. You can search on their site for the other houses, Southwind, Comfort Breeze, and Coastal Calm.

 

http://www.meyerre.com/house/Gulf_Dreams

 

[laredhead]

Accidently posted in this subject and removed to post in correct area. 

Edited July 27, 2015 by laredhead

[DownTheShore]

That floating bed, while interesting design-wise, was totally impractical and not only because of the ceiling fan. There were no railings to prevent someone from turning over in their sleep and falling off. They'd never get a rental C-of-O like that.

I have to say, I was talking to the PITA women through the TV screen, asking them if they were wishing that they could have banked their earlier cocktail drinking and cookie eating times for today's challenge.

The smart teams kept the twin beds in the rooms. Much better for families, and if it's a two-couple rental, the folks using that room can just push the beds together. Personally, I would have put in a bunk bed, one of those full-bottom, twin-upper ones, with possibly a trundle bed underneath. That gives much more flexibility and doesn't condemn someone to a living room sofa bed. (With our post-Sandy repairs, we did away completely with the sofa bed in the cottage and instead provide an inflatable queen-size air mattress; it's much more comfortable.)

That was a good save on the wainscoting, but a really dumb error to make.

[GaT]

Melissa & Mahdi’s third bed was waaay too close to the ceiling, & I would be afraid to sleep underneath it. Lucy & Daphney’s room was absolutely the worst one they did, I wonder how much more their appraisal would have been if they hadn’t blown it?. Again, I wasn’t really impressed with anybody’s room this week.

[ByaNose]

Long distance couple have no skills whatsoever. A floating bed above two,other beds with a ceiling fan and inch away. They are so out of their league. That said, none of the bedrooms were that great. Which is odd because a spare room is the easiest room to do. Also, the appraisals seemed over inflated for television purposes. IMO!!!

Edited July 27, 2015 by ByaNose

[mecmimi05]

  My post for last week's episode never seemed to disappear....it was up for a minute.....I'm not sure if I was censored or what.

I'll try not to be overly critical, but I do not know how Team Long Distance made it to this show. They are so out of their element and I am tired of the judges telling them how great they are.....then why don't they win a challenge?? The floating bed was scary and unsafe, David should have talked them out of it.

   I agree with posters about twin beds being a better choice for rental property.I really liked the bedroom that won and felt it was that couples best room.

  I like Martha and Alex's style sense and also think the women have great skills and really know what they are doing. I hate the short time period the couples are given to complete the rooms and feel it is just done that way to make failure certain.                        

[Bobcatkitten]

So on the long distance team - anyone besides me super annoyed that it doesn't appear the woman ever DOES ANYTHING. I mean other than sit and go through papers and buy stuff off the computer. She is always sitting. I never see her doing any of the actual work.

[laredhead]

Just finished watching tonight's episode where the room makeover was the guest room.  After emphasizing to the teams that one of the important things to remember was the number of people who could occupy the beach house, 2 of the teams proceeded to put a queen size bed in the guest room.  While I have not been a fan of the long distance couple's decorating ideas, their use of twin beds bed was creative, but once again they jumped in with tearing out something (closet) w/o enough time and money to complete that project.  The New York couple also used twin beds.  I would have not tried to make larger closets, because it has been my experience in occupying many beach houses, that 99.9% of all clothes taken to the beach can be folded and put in drawers.  The 2 women from Alabama totally blew it this week.  I kept thinking about what I would have done in 3 day, and while it didn't seem to be that daunting to me, I wasn't there doing the work.  I would have kept the concept very simple with new flooring, repainting, and made it a bunk room with 2 sets of bunk beds and then used furnishings & accessories to complete it.  I would also never have a large rug in a beach house.  That's nothing but a sand attractor.  I'm sure they are using them for decorating purposes and pictures, but it would be something I would save money on by not buying.

 

ByaNose, when you mentioned the appraisals, were you referring to the increased percentages or the overall value?  If overall value, I can tell you that on the beach property is not cheap in that area and Gulf Shores is probably less expensive than the Gulf coast property in Florida now.  The appraisers were looking at the things that are of value in a house, not the decor.  I noticed that they didn't say anything about the 2-way direction of the flooring in the Alabama women's house so it evidently did not detract from their evaluation.  I always tell myself if I win the lottery, I want to buy a beach house that I can use year round and not have to rent it out to justify the expense. 

[NYGirl]

I laughed at the Alabama women this week. They are so cocky and arrogant. That being said I'm upset that they are leading in resale value or whatever it is.

I said the same thing last night about the floating bunk. It's like the have on cruise ships except the steward folds it away during the day. Didn't Dan even notice the close proximity of the fan? Dumbasses.

[DownTheShore]

When those PITA women start talking fast, I have absolutely no idea what they are saying; their voices sound exactly alike to my ears.

If I was Mahdi I'd be sceaming at Melissa to get off her butt and actually DO some of the work. She really seems to be next to useless - she doesn't do her fair share of the work and her design ideas are either rudimentatry or else poorly thought out.

[NYGirl]

I knew I had a question.  They kept saying they are halfway done but what rooms are left?  Just the den and bathroom?

[buttercupia]

the long distancers could exchange their too large fan with the two women's too small fan. although i'm not sure anything could make that bed safe or doable for anyone but a small agile child.

[chessiegal]

Comfort Breeze is on the market for $475,000.

 

Listing

http://www.zillow.com/homes/1451-W-BEACH-BLVD-.num.W-GULF-SHORES-AL-36542_rb/

Spoiler tagged because the listing shows the "after" renovation pictures.

 

 

 

 

[biakbiak]

Did they take it down because that link says no results found.

[chessiegal]

Did they take it down because that link says no results found.

 

Link works for me. ????

[txvoodoo]

Works for me.

 

Maybe you have to be lgoged into zillow?

 

It seems overpriced compared to other properties in the area. 

 

Here's the listing without the map: http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1451-W-Beach-Blvd-E-Gulf-Shores-AL-36542/2102764227_zpid/ 

[shok]

One thing I don't like in Martha and ?'s house is all the wood they're using on the walls. Wood gets all dusty and spider-webby and isn't easy to clean and, imo, is a bad option for a summer home. 

[Bobcatkitten]

I assume they have a den, bathroom and probably outdoor patio space. But not sure what else is left.

[chessiegal]

Have they done a bathroom yet? According to the listings, they are all 3 BR, 3BA, which I'm thinking is probably 2 full baths up and a 1/2 bath down. Looking at the pictures of the one for sale, it looks like one bathroom may not have been updated.

[ByaNose]

Deck space is always a big draw when I rent. That said, I doubt they are doing anything structural with them. I guess it will just be a table, 4 chairs & umbrella. I would hope they do a bathroom because they are usually hard to do. Does anyone know how many rooms and/or shows are left?

[KarmaG]

I am wondering who needs a den at a beach house? Seriously? I'd use it as another sleeping area.

Also, I wondered why nobody went the bunkbed route after being told to maximize the sleeping area.

[chessiegal]

Deck space is always a big draw when I rent. That said, I doubt they are doing anything structural with them. I guess it will just be a table, 4 chairs & umbrella. I would hope they do a bathroom because they are usually hard to do. Does anyone know how many rooms and/or shows are left?

 

There are 4 episodes left for a total of 8. Next week a den/office space (waste of money, who wants an office at the beach). then week 6 is bathrooms, week 7 is fix what they screwed up until then, week 8 is outdoor space and reveal the winner.

[laredhead]

Chessiegal, agree with you about the waste of an office/den at the beach.  Lots of deck space, both covered and open is nice.  In 1985, 6 of us rented our first house at Gulf Shores.  It was a new house with 4 bedrooms and 2 baths, huge deck, open plan from front to back with bedrooms down one side - $800 a week!  Oh for those days again.  We haven't seen deck space on these houses except the small one off the master bedroom have we? 

[ByaNose]

I actually love this season & theme. I love the beach (Jersey) and, I have been in many homes that look exactly like that. I'm sure they can keep up the beach flip theme for every summer. I also agree with not needing a den but I remember as a kid being in a different watching tv at night while parents partied up stairs or on the deck. It's defiantly an added bonus when renting.

[chessiegal]

Chessiegal, agree with you about the waste of an office/den at the beach.  Lots of deck space, both covered and open is nice.  In 1985, 6 of us rented our first house at Gulf Shores.  It was a new house with 4 bedrooms and 2 baths, huge deck, open plan from front to back with bedrooms down one side - $800 a week!  Oh for those days again.  We haven't seen deck space on these houses except the small one off the master bedroom have we? 

 

All the homes have nice decks off the first floor. I've only been to Gulf Shores a few times, but wonderful memories.

 

OT: My cat's been walking over my keyboard all afternoon and making my computer do whacky things. Finally got everything back to normal. :)

[Honey]

Comfort Breeze is on the market for $475,000.

 

Listing

http://www.zillow.com/homes/1451-W-BEACH-BLVD-.num.W-GULF-SHORES-AL-36542_rb/

Spoiler tagged because the listing shows the "after" renovation pictures.

I think the price should have been in a spoiler tag too.

[txvoodoo]

I think the price should have been in a spoiler tag too.

We don't know that the listed price has anything to do with the winners - they're going with appraisers valuations & percentage increased. 

[meep.meep]

Why in the world didn't they paint the walls before putting up beadboard/wainscoting?  You're in a hurry, decrease the amount of paint edging you have to do.  Slap your non-lurid color on the walls, then put up the wood.

 

Rather than the floating bed, M & M could have put a pull out in the sitting area they were putting in.  Comfy chair by day, twin bed by night.

[carrps]

Gawd, I hate those two Alabama women! Way over inflated opinions of themselves. It's really marring my enjoyment of the show. Melissa and Mahdi just seem clueless, and, yeah, Melissa seems to do nothing more than sit and "shop" on the computer, but I can laugh at them. Clearly, they're not going to win.

 

I found it interesting that the percentage of increased value was pretty closely correlated to the pre-renovation appraisals. The two harridans had the most expensive unit, and they increased their value by the highest percentage. Their place seems over stuffed and too dark to me. I don't think there is any seating at all on the downstairs that faces the view. Huh?

 

And is there any interesting topography around there at all? Everything seems so flat and featureless. 

[ByaNose]

The long distance couple really did have the best den. It was so spacious compared to the other rooms. The ladies & their blue whale was dumb & looked cheap.

[txvoodoo]

I admit, I skipped to the end of the episode because it the middle drama is starting to bore me. 

 

Martha and Alex: WAY too much furniture, shoulda had a sleeper sofa, removed a closet? Never do that. Also, they replaced a wicker chair with..2 wicker chairs. :D

 

The Obnoxious Ladies: That bunk bed looked horrible. The "whale" looked really unfinished. That closet they left over is like one you'd put in your kitchen to store cookie sheets. Why bother? (except you can't list it as a bedroom with NO closet). Good on the sleeper sofa but under that bed is ridiculous. But the furniture doesn't..match. The desk doesn't go with the wicker chair doesn't go with the sofa, etc. And they're right - the lighting isn't good.

 

Sarah & Nick: love the wainscoting. Nice desk nook. Pullout sofa, check. Desk, check. And they managed to get it in without shrinking the closet down to nothing. TV, good move. I like the shelves near the desk. :D They really created a lot of storage, versus the others who lost it.

 

Mahdi & Melissa: Wow,  it's really really pretty. I'm usually not a big modern fan but that's nice. Also, way to KEEP the closet structure but use the space for other things. That means that a buyer can turn it back into a dedicated bedroom really easily - as most will, because that's more important in a vacation house! 

[GaT]

I've decided I really don't like Martha & Alex, & every room they do is too crowded, they remind of "antique" type shops where everything is crammed together. I also hate all the sayings & words that keep showing up on the walls & furniture.

[biakbiak]

The mouth of the whale is going to break in five minutes of someone sleeping in it.

[Peanutbuttercup]

I usually like Lucy and Daphne's work, what the hell happened to them last night? Both the platform bed and the sofa were unusable, the "whale" looked like the result of a 7th grade woodshop project, and the whole idea of integrating a cutesy themed child's bedroom with an adult work/lounge space just is terrible. I've been watching Unreal -- so my mind goes to, are the producers encouraging them to drink? Did someone swap out their mood stabilizers for probiotics?

[alexa]

Yes, the women's room was awful.  There was no actual look of a design in there--just a bunch of awful thrown together.  

[KarmaG]

When they filmed this episode it must have been extremely cold out. I noticed in between team visits the other teams were sitting in a living room in one of the places rather than outside.

 

L&D: The whale had to be the dumbest thing we've seen on here yet. It's even worse than the mural M&M did in their living room. Also, the chandelier/light that was in the whale, I noticed it would be in the way when they first put the cutout up to see how it'd look. How they missed that I have no clue. The mouth of the whale, the piece that runs at the end of the bed on the side with the light, looks like it could hurt someone. Since they put a soda under it, they should have just built bunk beds.

 

M&A: What were they thinking NOT getting a sleeper sofa?! And why didn't they check sizes? That ottoman definitely takes up too much space. The chair arms being too tall to fit under the desk is not smart either.

 

S&N: It seemed to me that we didn't see them much this episode. I liked their room the most.

 

M&M: Totally out of their league. Like the colors minus the yellow. Was my second favorite room.

[laredhead]

I liked Mahdi and Melissa's room the best, but white sofas at a beach house that will be rented to hundreds of people is not a good choice, IMO.  It looked nice for photos though.  Melissa finally took some advice and they were able to finish on time for once.  Sarah and Nick's room was my second favorite.  Isn't the brunette on the Alabama women's team a designer?  She has made a measurement mistake on every episode.  I would never hire her for a project after seeing her on this show.  I agree with everyone's comments about Martha and Alex and her use of too much furniture and not space plan in advance.  I couldn't believe they made them demo the bathrooms w/o professional assistance.  When you don't know where plumbing lines run, disasters happen.  Maybe there were plumbers standing by that we did not know about, but I would never attempt to demo my bathroom w/o prior experience or knowledge.

Edited August 3, 2015 by laredhead

[alexa]

I didn't understand their role in the demo either.... why have them work on so much of the house, and then just set them loose to create potential water leaks all over the finished parts of the houses.  They should have had the option to have their contractors do the demo.

[MelineB13]

I have no idea what Nicole was talking about with that sectional in Melissa and Mahdi's room. She'd rather sleep on that couch than a bed? Really? And two people could sleep on it? Maybe in a pinch if it was in the living room, but in a dedicated room, that seems silly.  Can you imagine paying a portion of a beach rental and having to sleep head to toe on a couch all week? 

 

Their room did look huge though. So well done them. 

 

They make sectionals with a sleeper sofa section, that would have been perfect. 

[DownTheShore]

I liked Sarah & Nick's room the best. Melissa and Mahdi did their best work this week, but I think that winning the room challenge was a bone the producers threw to them to keep them in the game. Sarah and Nick had a much more functional shore house room. M&M's white sofas are a no-no in a rental property, and those drapes are going to get grimey from people grabbing them if the owner doesn't clean them regularly.

The PITA women mist have been doing drugs this week. It's like they were replaced by doppelgangers. I mean, two different light fixtures in that upper bunk, both of which extended down into head-bumping territory? A bunk too low that requires careful head manoeuvring in order to sit on the sofa below it? That whale cut-out had nothing to do with the rest of the decor.

Edited August 4, 2015 by DownTheShore

[NYGirl]

I agree with everything previously said.  I do believe they had to pick the long distance couple because I don't think they had enough money left for the rest of the projects.  Again the woman did no work other than make the space plan and shop.  I did like Sarah and Nick's room best and I hated the PITA's room.  I can't imagine a child sleeping in the room when the parent has to do some work. 

 

Martha and what's his name never listen to the mentors and think they know better but it came back to bite them in the ass this time.  Way too much furniture.

 

I would have looked into a murphy bed with built ins along with a desk.

[absolutelyido]

I do believe they had to pick the long distance couple because I don't think they had enough money left for the rest of the projects.

 

Nick & Sarah were next-to-last in money left. I think the week that Nick & Sarah won was only only week where there wasn't a monetary prize for first place. Am I remembering wrong? That seems unfair.

[Bitterswete]

I agree with everything previously said.  I do believe they had to pick the long distance couple because I don't think they had enough money left for the rest of the projects. 

 

Nick & Sarah were next-to-last in money left. I think the week that Nick & Sarah won was only only week where there wasn't a monetary prize for first place. Am I remembering wrong? That seems unfair.

 

Well David said he picked M&M in large part because their room was the one that really stood out in his mind. While watching the episode, I heard the comment but didn't really give much thought to it. But, today, I find myself agreeing with him because, while I can clearly remember, in detail, what M&M's room looked like, I can barely recall what N&S's room looked like. I remember thinking it was well-done, and I liked it, but I don't really remember many details, or what it looked like overall.

 

I've been feeling like M&M were out of their league since the show started. This last episode was the first time I actually thought they had a shot at winning.

Edited August 4, 2015 by Bitterswete

[needschocolate]

I was on vacation so I watched the last two episodes (guest room and den) back to back. 

 

Nick & Sarah were next-to-last in money left. I think the week that Nick & Sarah won was only only week where there wasn't a monetary prize for first place. Am I remembering wrong? That seems unfair.

 

I agree.  I don't understand why no money was awarded last week.  Just because they did the half-way appraisals?  That makes no sense, especially since no one got anything for having the best half-way appraisal. When they first announced that there was no money prize I thought they would say that the prize was a trip for two or something else worthwhile.  So was the theory that instead of a money prize they all got help from David or Josh.  That doesn't seem right either.

 

And if I was offered help from David or Josh, I would definitely want Josh.  Josh actually uses tools and builds things.  Josh put in some wainscoting, while David painted a picture (nice one, IMO, but not that helpful in get a room finished in the allotted time) and showed Mahdi how to use a paint roller (if he really didn't know how to roll paint, he should never have been on this show).

 

Add me to the list of people who thought the PITA women's den was ridiculous.  A combination office and kid's room? I think a guest would have an easier time getting work done on vacation while sitting with a laptop on the beach than trying to do it at a desk in a kid's room.  And the only thing that made it a kid's room was the silly, yet dangerous, whale.  And, while I am ranting anyway, I might as well add - how are you supposed to change the sheets in the whale bed?

[carrps]

L&D: The whale had to be the dumbest thing we've seen on here yet. It's even worse than the mural M&M did in their living room. Also, the chandelier/light that was in the whale, I noticed it would be in the way when they first put the cutout up to see how it'd look. How they missed that I have no clue. The mouth of the whale, the piece that runs at the end of the bed on the side with the light, looks like it could hurt someone. Since they put a soda under it, they should have just built bunk beds.

 

M&A: What were they thinking NOT getting a sleeper sofa?! And why didn't they check sizes? That ottoman definitely takes up too much space. The chair arms being too tall to fit under the desk is not smart either.

Re: L&D: Yeppers. My sister needed to pee, so I had paused the dvr at the PITA's room for a couple of minutes. I had a lot of time to peruse how horrible it was. I said that "mouth" was a dagger, and the tail was a scimitar just sitting there ready to impale or slash an active kid. And it looked SOOOOO BAD. The cut-out lines were all crookedy the paint was splotchy-looking, and the shape was odd. Also, I thought those lights were really dumb. They didn't even fit with the look of the bed. Why not get one of those fold-arm lamps that attach to the wall? And, yeah, that's going to be really convenient to keep pulling that futon couch out to sit on it. Dumb. Also, the design was so disjointed. Neither half related to the other. It was like two tiny rooms that had their dividing wall removed. I would never hire these two women to do anything.

 

M&A: What a dope M is. I haven't moved a lot in my life, but I know when I've moved to a new place and tried to space plan in my head like she's doing, I always am a bit off. It's so easy to either under- or over-estimate the size of the space and/or the furniture pieces -- especially with non-standard antiques or vintage stuff.

 

And who didn't know Melissa's desk would have issues with fit when she was crowing about how perfectly she'd measured for it? That said, I did like the look of their room a lot. The sectional would be more comfortable to sleep on than the loft beds in their previous room and the PITA's current room.

 

I can't root for any of these people. Sigh.

[mojito]

Late to the party.

 

I wouldn't have watched this show for as many episodes that I have had it not been for the fact that I like all the contestants. PITA are just hamming it up for the cameras, as they've undoubtedly been asked to do. They're probably confident, but not all that confident. I find everyone fairly likable although the one thing that bugs me is that Melissa seems to be a diva who thinks her contribution is special. Meanwhile, Mahdi is struggling with his limited skills.

 

Maybe I just have no design sense: I wondered why do stripes have to take up an entire wall? Why can't people do a couple horizontal stripes of different widths for a pop of color and a little pizazz? 

 

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.