Pet Peeves: The Holy Trinity and Beyond

[mojito]

 

I always figured that the first thing I would do would be to install screens.

Or reinstall them. Whenever I see these expensive homes without screens, I wonder why someone uninstalled them. My Caribbean experience was limited to only a few islands. The three places (just run-of-the-mill places) I lived in had screens, lots of louvers, lots of screens. The louvers were good for directing the breezes.

[Bastet]

I don't know, the whole "what, no screens?" reaction was long my default, but I've stayed in quite a few places around the world where the windows had no screens, and have never been invaded by bugs (or seen a child fall out, crazy-ass Michigan-to-Paris woman).  And at home (in Los Angeles), I leave the French doors from my home office to my patio open quite a lot, with no screen, and don't have any problems. 

[Rhondinella]

Yeah, I've lived in Belgium and Kenya, and spent copious time in England, and in all three places our windows opened out to the air with no screens.  I really enjoyed that.  Belgium and England have relatively few bugs compared to parts of the US and other places in the world.  And Nairobi, which is in the mountains, was surprisingly bug-free until it got dark.  We had to shut the windows then because they were attracted to the light.

[auntjess]

I can't imagine not having screens.
Bats are the first thing I'd think of, because I had a bat get in several times, and they freak me out. 
I know there were rabid bats in Maryland.

Down here, an ocasional frog or lizard gets in just by being there when you open the front door, so I'd never be without screens.
 

[txvoodoo]

Wait, you mean they AREN'T?? ;)

 

Yes, laminate floors and the same with counter tops. They can be perfectly lovely new countertops, but if they aren't granite or marble, oh, heavens, that's awful!!

And then the flip side - the ones who think laminates ARE wood floors, and I start laughing. All that glitters, people. 

 

Or those who turn down quartz countertops because they're not granite - no, they're better, don't require sealing, etc. 

[OSM Mom]

Or the ones who tear out a new beautiful laminate floor or look at it like it was garbage. It's *brand new*

[DownTheShore]

That's what I don't understand.  It's really rare when a couple will buy a house and say that they can live with the things that they don't like for a while, with the plan to improve them some years down the line.  I mean, is it really necessary to get rid of almost-new kitchen applicances just because you want stainless steel ones?  Or a Corian countertop because you want granite?  Does everyone expect immediate gratification now?  They seem to want the "perfect house" to create a "perfect life" in the "perfect neighborhood" as soon as they move in together or just get married. 

 

Wouldn't it be great one day if House Hunters did a spoof of itself with the folks from Mystery Science Theater, and have their comments added to the show's sound track as the episode was being aired? 

 

I am surprised at the number of people who aren't even somewhat handy around the home.  The ones who don't know how to cook or who can't even do a simple repair.  Didn't their parents ever show them (or make them) do things around the home, or were they all just little princes and princesses?  I mean, I realize that some people have non-typical backgrounds that wouldn't lend themselves to such learning experiences, but how can you not know how to cook or change a light switch?  My parents made sure my siblings and I knew our way around both the kitchen and the toolbox, and my siblings have made/are making sure that their kids learn the same things so they can function on their own.

 

I can't tell if I'm getting old and cranky, or if I'm just out-of-step with society, or if it's just the type of people HGTV thinks makes good TV.

[preciousperfect]

Ugh the "I absolutely need stainless steel appliances and granite counter tops or I will die" people are just the worst. You know stainless appliances work exactly the same as non stainless right? Also I must be the only person who doesn't really care for granite countertops.

[LazyToaster]

We have granite countertops at my office and I hate them. You can't even tell where it has been wiped and where it needs wiped. I never feel like it is clean enough.

[Amethyst]

I am surprised at the number of people who aren't even somewhat handy around the home.  The ones who don't know how to cook or who can't even do a simple repair.  Didn't their parents ever show them (or make them) do things around the home, or were they all just little princes and princesses?  I mean, I realize that some people have non-typical backgrounds that wouldn't lend themselves to such learning experiences, but how can you not know how to cook or change a light switch?

 

You answered your own question, though.  Some people are just lazy, but a lot of people were never taught home repairs, even the basic ones.  I grew up in rentals and apartment buildings, so when something broke down, we called the landlord or the property manager.  Repairs were included in the rent and security deposits, and rentals tend to have cheap fixtures anyway, so they're more likely to break down.  

 

I don't count cooking in the same vein because everyone needs to eat, so cooking is a skill that will serve you on a daily basis.  But some home repairs don't need to be fixed immediately, such as a light switch or the dishwasher, so it's easier to call someone to repair it.  For what it's worth, I wouldn't know the first thing about fixing a toilet or a leaky faucet.  That's the beauty of Google and YouTube, because you can find a step by step tutorial to do so.  

 

IA that HHs getting rid of appliances and flooring in good condition just to have the current trend is silly.  At the very least, I hope they're donating those appliances to an organization or people who can use them.  I cringe when I watch shows like HH Renovation and the like, where they tear out perfectly good cabinets and tile and trash them.  It just feels so wasteful.

[peggy06]

Regarding open concept floor plans "so they can talk to their guests while they cook." More like, so they can watch TV while they cook. I know if I had a kitchen that was open to the family room, that's what I'd be doing! Of course no one is going to admit such a thing - on HH, it's about the apparently endless entertaining.

[FozzyBear]

My pet peeve is "Open Concept", not the floor plan, but the term. The floor plan is fine. I personally prefer a formal living/dinning room separate from the kitchen, but that's just me. For some reason the term drives me up the wall. It's so pretentious for no reason. Every time someone uses it I want to scream "It's not a philosophy! It's a floor plan!".

Oh and people who complain that their neighbors could see into their house. You know, if the stood on a ladder and balanced on one leg and really wanted to. Want are you doing in your house that's so secret anyway? Cooking meth?

[Patrizio]

I don't understand the appeal of an open floor plan- I have been to houses where it would have been better if the kitchen was not part of the view due to the mess. I also cringe when I see the crap granite and low end stainless appliances these people ooh and ahh over. Have some originality.

[DownTheShore]

For what it's worth, I wouldn't know the first thing about fixing a toilet or a leaky faucet.  That's the beauty of Google and YouTube, because you can find a step by step tutorial to do so.  

 

But you know that you can find a tutorial and are willing to look it up.  Most of the folks on HH seem as though the thought that they could do it themselves has never occurred to them.

 

One of the first household repairs I did after my father died was to patch one of those cracks that occur in the sheetrock below a window corner.  The reason I knew that I could do it myself was because I always watched This Old House and I had seen it done there once.  I've lived in apartments, too, but I prefer to paint and fix the small stuff myself, rather than have strangers in my apt.

[auntjess]

 

I have been to houses where it would have been better if the kitchen was not part of the view due to the mess.                                                  

That has been my kitchen at times, especially during a party.

Also, I want to be able to keep a dog or a toddler in or out of a certain room, often the kitchen.

Wonder if "open concept" has made a dent in the child/pet gate business?

[DownTheShore]

Here's something that people don't think about with that "open concept" - the noise of the refrigerator.  Unless you have a really high-end refrigerator that runs quieter, newer refrigerators are noisier in certain ways than older ones.  One of my siblings bought a new one and returned it because of the noises it was making, got a replacement and it was just as noisey in its "open concept" setting because there were no walls to block the noise from the rest of the area.  She talked to others who had gotten new refrigerators and they said that they noticed the same problem.

[DoraNi]

Every time I see a couple oohing and aaahing over a gigantic master bedroom and its palatial ensuite bath, I can't help but think, "Blah, just more space to clean.  No thank you."  Unless these people really love cleaning.  Or maybe they hire someone to do their cleaning for them?  Me, I'd much rather have a small-but-perfectly-functional bathroom that takes much less time to clean!

 

Of course, the first house I remember from when I was growing up didn't even have a master bedroom with an ensuite bath.  One shower for everybody (though we did have another half bath downstairs).  Then we moved to a new state and our new house had an ensuite in the master bedroom, but my parents never really treated it like it was their own private bathroom.  We were five people with two bathrooms, to be split however was most practical at the moment, and one of the bathrooms just happened to be off of a bedroom.  I remember sometimes I'd have friends over and if the front bathroom was occupied and someone else needed to go, I'd tell them they were welcome to use the one in my parents' bedroom at the end of the hall.  I would get these horrified looks in reply.  I didn't get it; to me, I thought, "It's just a bedroom, and they're not in there at the moment, so...? It's okay, I promise!  They don't care!"  One of those things where it takes you awhile to realize that not everyone thinks the same thing is "normal"!

[DownTheShore]

We all lived in an apartment with one bathroom, with the kids sharing a bedroom, and we all managed.   We didn't have to worry about "open concept" in order to be near one another; we couldn't avoid one another.  My mother would have been just as happy if we all got out of the kitchen instead of hanging around in it, getting in her way.

 

And horrors! Our bathroom was off the kitchen!!! ~insert an eyeroll here~

 

That has given me much less tolerance for the families where the parents have to have their own bathroom and the children have to have their own bedrooms.  I think that sharing a bedroom with siblings forced me to learn to compromise and to deal better with aggravation; I didn't have a room where I could retreat to and slam a door behind me.

[jnymph]

IA that HHs getting rid of appliances and flooring in good condition just to have the current trend is silly.  At the very least, I hope they're donating those appliances to an organization or people who can use them.  I cringe when I watch shows like HH Renovation and the like, where they tear out perfectly good cabinets and tile and trash them.  It just feels so wasteful.

 

I always shake my head at that as well, Amethyst.   If something is functional and not falling apart, I don't understand why you wouldn't just live with it ?  What a colossal waste of time, energy and MONEY!   In my opinion a lot of these HH's are spoiled prima donnas with an overinflated sense of entitlement.   If some of them saw my white (horrors!) outdated cabinets they'd run off screaming and pulling their hair out.   I won't even mention my white appliances and corian countertops, they'd drop dead on the spot.

We all lived in an apartment with one bathroom, with the kids sharing a bedroom, and we all managed.   We didn't have to worry about "open concept" in order to be near one another; we couldn't avoid one another.  My mother would have been just as happy if we all got out of the kitchen instead of hanging around in it, getting in her way.

 

LOL DownTheShore !   I grew up that way as well.    3 kids, 2 adults and 1 bathroom and somehow we managed to survive our deprived childhood.

I recall when my Dad eventually installed a toilet in the basement.   We thought we were rich people.   Bwah !

Edited June 9, 2014 by jnymph

[DownTheShore]

And I bet you all didn't eek and squeak over having to go down into the basement to use it, right?

[formerlyfreedom]

We had a shower, sink, and toilet in the basement; all visible to the entire basement, as it was completely unfinished. We had a decent sized bathroom (for a family of four) upstairs with a tub only, a toilet, and one sink (it was a double sink space, but the second spot was left as solid counter). And at our peak, we had seven kids and three adults (one of whom was pregnant) sharing that space. We learned multitasking in the bathroom early on; one on toilet, two in tub, one at sink and one at counter space (sometimes changing a baby there).

[chessiegal]

People who use a modifier in front of "unique" - as in, It's really unique, it's very unique. Read the definition of unique, people.

And people who don't know how to use the objective case of a personal pronoun. Example: For my husband and I. Just no. It's for my husband and me.

[Taylorh2]

DownTheShore: Bathrooms that are off the kitchen are nasty. 

Edited June 10, 2014 by Taylorh2

[LakeGal]

I just rewatched Newlyweds Buy A Big Home in Richmond episode from last year.   The husband was so obsessed with his raised elongated toilet.  Nobody buys a house for the toilet.  He could put in whatever type of toilet he wanted.  But he went on and on about it.  I was hoping the real estate lady would stick his head in the toilet.  This guy just rubbed me the wrong way. 

[Amethyst]

A raised, elongated toilet is such a specific need, too.  That had to be made up, because most houses have the standard round toilet.  Just for the sake of comparison, I looked up some prices of elongated comfort height toilets, and they range from $100 - $5,000.  Seriously, he could have just taken out the standard toilet in the house and installed his own.  Given what the rest of the house is costing, buying a new toilet is not that big a deal.

 

Other pet peeves I can't stand:

 

When people say they want an older house with lots of character, then complain when they see how small the rooms and closets are.    

 

The girlfriend gushing over the walk-in closet, and telling the boyfriend that all his stuff will be in a little corner or outside.  On the flip side, the boyfriend gushing over the basement which will be his man cave.  Just once I would love to see the guy do backflips over the large closet to hold all his stuff, while the girlfriend claims the basement for her woman cave.  Or her lady cave.  There has to be a better phrase for it, but you get my point.

[CoolMom]

That had to be made up, because most houses have the standard round toilet. 

 

When people say they want an older house with lots of character, then complain when they see how small the rooms and closets are.    

 

The girlfriend gushing over the walk-in closet, and telling the boyfriend that all his stuff will be in a little corner or outside.  On the flip side, the boyfriend gushing over the basement which will be his man cave.  Just once I would love to see the guy do backflips over the large closet to hold all his stuff, while the girlfriend claims the basement for her woman cave.  Or her lady cave.  There has to be a better phrase for it, but you get my point.

In our area elongated toilets are the norm.  We just bought a new house that has a round toilet in the hall bath and the bathroom is GOLD.  Not yellow metallic gold, we are redoing it this summer. But I am too cheap to change out the toilet so it's staying. 

 

I also hate when people want the charm of an older home then rip out all the charming stuff like built-ins, paint over the beautiful wood trim and replace the kitchen with cookie cutter granite and stainless steel. 

 

On our house hunting trip we were looking for a fixer with a mountain view.  Yes, I do stare out the windows because I am a southerner who has always lived in flat areas.  But we went with a partial mountain view because the house was amazing and the price was right.  Finally, we were looking for a house with a perfect craftroom instead of a man cave.

[OSM Mom]

Just as a side note, we just bought a new house, and it has elongated toilets. All the ones in this new area do. But it certainly isn't a deal-breaker. I want a toilet to work and flush properly. I don't care if it's round or elongated.

[DownTheShore]

DownTheShore: Bathrooms that are off the kitchen are nasty. 

 

Not really.  It wasn't as if people were using it often when any cooking was going on or when meals were being served, and there was a window in it that opened so the air was always fresh.   We were the lucky ones because we had a bathroom actually in the apartment (it was a very old apartment house) made because my father remodeled two closets into one small bathroom.  The rest of the apartments had just a toilet out in a small room in the common apartment hallway.  Everything is relative; we had a three-piece bathroom right in the apartment; the other apartments in the building didn't.  Its location off the kitchen wasn't even an issue to us.

[Amethyst]

Color me surprised, because I didn't know that more homes are coming equipped with elongated toilets.  

 

I wouldn't want a bathroom right off the kitchen for the obvious reasons, but I have lived with it before, and it's no big deal, really.  

[Taylorh2]

People stopping cooking and using the 'off the kitchen bathroom' or getting up from the table to go use the 'off the kitchen bathroom' is exactly what I imagine happening  .NASTY!!!!!

 

There is no need for an 'off the kitchen bathroom'    IMO

[FormerMod-a1]

I think it depends on how far "off the kitchen" is.  If it's between the stove and refrigerator, than yah (page down now if you don't want to think about this too much)

 

too close for me with the chance to hear sounds and for certain "aromas".

 

.

.

.

 

But if you can just see the bathroom door form the kitchen, but it's not "right there", than not so bad.    In my home, the downstairs powder room is right by the front door (which I sometimes think is odd), but my place is small, so you can also see it from the kitchen table, but you do have to take a few steps to get there from the table.  And I think that's fine.

[walnutqueen]

You are all cracking me up with this "off the kitchen bathroom = "nasty" stuff.  What kind of unsanitary world do we live in these days?  Both rooms had sinks and windows!  Old, old, old timey - plumbing was an issue and an expense.  Water and pipes in proximity = savings and ease of construction.  It was quite common to have one kitchen and one bathroom sharing a wall or hall, and in multi-level houses, the plumbing was all vertical.    We had doors on our kitchens, and on every other room & hallway, too!  An old man taking a toxic dump in the en-suite in the middle of the night?  Now that's nasty!  :-)

[cpcathy]

There are soooo many things that make me stabby about this show! I'll pick only a couple for now:

 

"It's small"

Needing granite countertops and stainless steel appliances or else they will die. And, coming into a beautiful (to me) kitchen and instantly going, "this has got to go."

When the wife turns to the husband and says, "honey, you can cook for us!" Learn how to cook, bitch. He doesn't want to cook all your meals.

The end segment when all their useless friends come over and they have the fakey fake party, gathering scene.

[OSM Mom]

Don't forget the obligatory chopping veggies/fruit scene.

[walnutqueen]

Why don't couples EVER want the same things in a house, or have the same taste or style?   Until the end of the episode, when a happy "compromise" is reached and it all works out with bells & roses.  Rinse, lather, repeat.

[Rhondinella]

Yeah, I mean clearly they choose people for the show who will be "interesting," which often probably entails different ideas of a house.  But seriously, most men I know really couldn't care less about countertops, appliances, hardwood floors, fixtures, etc.  I mean, maybe my husband is unusual, but none of that matters at all to him.  I mean, seriously, if he's got a bathroom, a place to make food, and a bed to sleep in he's good.  I'm not trying to imply that no men care about their surroundings, but I don't think it's as common for a man to be that invested.

 

Seriously, my hubby and I would be the most boring couple in the world on one of these shows.  After living as missionaries overseas in a few different places for a number of years, we've learned to be able to live wherever you're put.  We usually had very little to zero input as to our accommodations, so we learned to just deal.  I think that's why I've had to stop watching this show so much cause it drives me crazy.

[DownTheShore]

  I mean, maybe my husband is unusual, but none of that matters at all to him.  I mean, seriously, if he's got a bathroom, a place to make food, and a bed to sleep in he's good.  I'm not trying to imply that no men care about their surroundings, but I don't think it's as common for a man to be that invested.

 

 

 

That holds true for most of the guys in my family.

 

Something that always makes me laugh is when a couple is shown a house with an upstairs laundry and they dislike it because the noise from the washing machine/dryer will "wake the baby".  First of all, don't wash the clothes when the kid is asleep if you think it'll bother him/her.  Secondly, most babies will fall asleep to the sound of motors, since it mimics a white noise machine.  If the kid is tired, he/she will sleep no matter what the noise.  One of my nephews slept in his stroller on the boardwalk while a fireworks show was going off on the beach right in front of him.  He didn't even stir.

[Haleth]

I have to thank you all (really, from the TwoP posts) for saving me from making an expensive error.  At one point I had drunk the koolaid and was this [] close to replacing my perfectly sensible, suitable Corian countertops with granite so that prospective buyers (in the future) would not turn up their noses at my kitchen.  Thank you for making me realize how dumb this would be.  I also resolved to not replace my black stove with a SS one to match the other appliances.  (I bought a can of SS appliance paint and painted some of the trim.  It came out awesome.)

 

Now I can use the $ I saved on new hardwood floors.

[Gel]

Oh, this is a pet peeve! I do not understand the stainless steel appliance trend. Granted, my dream house would be one ripe for horrified commentary from prospective HH buyers, because if you are going to go with stainless steel, go with stainless steel countertops, not appliances. The stainless, or more like 'stainless-look' as they say in the advertisement fine print, is doing nothing practical for you on the front of a fridge other than appearance. We had a stainless steel 1950s era countertop in a rental house once that was the size of a pea, but man that thing was a dream to keep clean. I never paid attention if it was shiny, but it was easily scrubbed and you never had to worry about it etching, scratching, cracking or setting down a hot thing by accident.

Plus, the whole open kitchen floor plan concept--maybe it is just the way I cook, but doesn't grease film and cooking smells just get into all your furniture/carpet if you have a kitchen that opens up into the living area/family room? And how can you hear anything over whatever noise is being made in the kitchen?

I shudder when I see the ginormous master baths that get ooh-and-aahed over. Perhaps it is age, but I do not see fun sexy relaxing bath time--I see acres and acres of grout and scrubbing. And this would be the other reason my dream house would not sell: bathroom would be the size of a closet with laminate floors and composite countertops. I can hear them ripping it out and putting in one of those countertop bowl sink fixtures now.

[chessiegal]

I have an open concept kitchen into the great room, which has upholstered furniture. I cook dinner every night, and I've never noticed grease or a smell in the furniture from the food cooking. I like it because I can watch TV while I'm preparing a meal. Now the furniture we inherited from my mother-in-law, who was a smoker, is a whole other story - it took a lot of Fabreeze and wiping down wood surfaces to get rid of that odor!

[Enigma X]

My biggest pet peeves are the open floorplan concept--to each their own though--and the abundance of people who do not want to live within eyesight of everyone else. It leads to me to ask "What the hell is everyone hiding?" 

 

I am a big introvert, recluse, and anti-people person but still think some of these housebuyers on all of these types of shows annoy me with the not wanting to live within miles of anybody.

[DownTheShore]

Or the guys who don't want to live next to anyone because they can't run outside in their underwear.  I mean, if going outside in your underwear is what you like to do, what do you care what your neighbors might think?  Plant bamboo around the perimeter of your yard and no one will be able to see you.

 

Every time I see one of those remodeled bathrooms with a clear glass bowl as a basin, the first thought in my head is "constant water spots".

[auntjess]

@Rhoninella, I hope you had sufficient spare bedrooms for all you friends and family to visit.

 

I never thought the off (but not opening into) the kitchen, was odd, because when I was little, my aunt had one like that, so it forever seemed OK.

 

There was one guy who wanted great privacy, and seemed so abrasive, that I got the feeling that the wife should run like hell before he buries her in the non-overlooked yard.

I wonder if the stainless as status symbol came about when at first, the only stainless refrigerators, were the SubZero ones, which were very expensive.

I've never had an upstairs washer and dryer, but would never want one, because I've had at least 3 washers (decent ones) that caused floods, and it was a lot cheaper to retile the utility room, that deal with hardwood floors and ceiling damage.
A side note is that the floor never seemed especially unlevel, until the water went not to the back door or drain, but right down the hall to finished sections.

 

[QuinnM]

 

Every time I see one of those remodeled bathrooms with a clear glass bowl as a basin, the first thought in my head is "constant water spots".

I can handle despotting what I want to know is how your keep it clean were the bowl intersects with the counter?  Are they using putty?  Can't you see that through the glass?  What kind of brush will let you clean that edge underneath the bowl?  I'm puzzled every time I see that.  Plus I'm thinking that in 20 years people will walk into that house and sneer at those vessel sinks like they sneer at brass fixtures now.  'That's so 2000.'

[auntjess]

When they were first being shown, a friend said, "great, a sink I have to clean on the outside too."

[OSM Mom]

I don't understand the ooing and aahing over the clear glass shower doors either. No privacy and those things have got to be a bitch to keep clean.

[Bastet]

I don't find them difficult to keep clean at all; a 30-second job with a squeegee after use keeps them looking nice, and then regular cleaning is no different than anything else.  They don't cause privacy issues for me, either, because anyone in the bathroom while I'm using the shower is someone allowed to see me naked.

 

But for awhile those doors seemed like a recurring storyline, and I don't understand HHs getting excited over them, either, or just in general making curtain vs. door, what type of door, etc. more than a minor consideration given how easy and inexpensive in the grand scheme of home buying it is to change.

Edited June 15, 2014 by Bastet

[Jynnan tonnix]

The talk about bathrooms off the kitchen a little bit upthread made me think of the house we lived in when I was in high school (35 years or so ago). The house was already about 50 years old when my parents bought it, and had been updated to a point...It must have been a one-bathroom house originally, as many older homes were, and the previous owners had added a second bathroom in the only spot downstairs which it could fit in. I suppose the space must have once been a butler's pantry or something with pocket doors on each side, serving as a connecting space between the kitchen and the dining room. In fact, both doors generally WERE kept open since the room functioned as a passageway more than anything else unless someone was using it, so the bathroom was generally open and in full view. My parents lived in that house throughout my high school and college years, then I moved back in for another few years before getting married and moving on, and I suppose it just got to the point that it seemed normal to have a bathroom there. I recall them trying to figure out how else to incorporate a downstairs bathroom into the place, but eventually gave up and lived with it. It didn't even take them that long to sell it once they put it on the market after having been in it for 14 years, so obviously it wasn't a deal-breaker to prospective buyers either.

[Blergh]

Watching this show, I have to wonder if there will be ANY granite left over in another ten years since these homeowners seem to think 'granite countertops' are as vital as air [evidently never having heard about how hard it is to clean once knives cut grooves into it]and there's NO more granite being made for a few more million years!

[OSM Mom]

Not to mention the radiation that those granite counters give off. Not good.