Pet Peeves: The Holy Trinity and Beyond

[auntjess]

Exactly, laredhead.  
I've seen at least one remodeling show when the husband was tall, and had his vanity and sink, and mirror, higher than the one his wife had.

[Kohola3]

1 hour ago, auntjess said:

I've seen at least one remodeling show when the husband was tall, and had his vanity and sink, and mirror, higher than the one his wife had.

I must admit that's a new one on me.  But how many new builds, except custom builds, would have such a thing? Why would that even be something a house hunter would even expect? 

[aguabella]

On 1/29/2018 at 8:43 PM, chocolatine said:

I once worked with a lady whose husband was a writer on Hoarders. According to him, all reality shows have writers.

Depends what you're calling a "reality" show.  HGTV tried to pass off HH as more of a documentary, say docu-drama or docu-lite !!!  Oops, they got busted b/c the show's semi-scripted, typically by the director-producer.  (That's usually 1 person - they run lean, indeed.)  Others might call the story-editor a "writer", culling that 40 hours filming down to 22 minutes during post-production.

If we're talking about a larger, traditional reality show, e.g. Bachelor, Survivor, etc., then yes, it's my understanding they have a more traditional writing staff.

Talked about this upthread.  It's been a sore spot for the writers' guild as they try to unionize reality tv.

[CruiseDiva]

On 1/22/2018 at 10:37 PM, chocolatine said:

You can get one of those over-the-tub drying racks and hang your delicates to dry on it. At least that way the tub gets some use. :)

On occasion we've had to use a shower chair (broken leg) and I keep it in the tub. It's out of the way there and handy if ever needed again.

DH put up a wall-to-wall clothes hanging rod in the laundry room to dry delicates :)

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I saw this article and thought of House Hunters!

The case against open kitchens

[answerphone]

On 1/27/2018 at 5:07 PM, suebee12 said:

I wonder how many writers HH and HHI have because I am starting to hear every other homeowner(mostly the men) say, "Now that is what I mean......"! There cannot be that many people who say that spontaneously upon entering a room! I have been noticing this statement more and more(and it is driving me crazy more and more!)
 

I notice the men say "industrial look", everyone mentions Craftsman, mid-century modern, French Provincial, Tuscan, etc. I've never heard anyone say those in real life and mid century modern just means 65 years old.

And no one ever says "floorplan", they say "nice bones", no one says "master bath", they say "en suite", no one says, "I like both white and wood cabinets, it doesn't matter".

When my husband and I looked at homes, we just wanted the nicest neighborhood we could afford, best floorplan, close to good schools, nice layout in the kitchen.

We didn't care if one light fixture was ugly, if a room needed to be painted... Those are easy and inexpensive. And I never yelled, "Total gut job!"

[chessiegal]

Craftsman, Mid-Century Modern, Colonial, and Cape Cod are real architectural styles of houses. My problem is the house hunters and/or the producers don't use them correctly. Watching a marathon yesterday, someone walked up to a Cape Cod and declared it was a Colonial. Just no.

[Nysha]

22 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I saw this article and thought of House Hunters!

The case against open kitchens

I like open kitchens, with the kitchen and dining room combined, but I'm meh on adding the family room to that mix. But, I've never lived in a house with a separate dining room. It's either been attached to the kitchen or to the living room, with a tiny galley kitchen.

[roseslg]

On 2/25/2018 at 12:04 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I saw this article and thought of House Hunters!

The case against open kitchens

I get it, I don't like to be on display when I cook.  I am a bit of an introvert, so when we are entertaining, I like to be able to escape to a place and just have some quiet.   People will naturally wander into the kitchen anyway, but I can shoo them off if need be.   I like the kitchen being connected to the dining room for ease of transport, but outside of that, give me rooms, give me walls, leave me alone! lol 

[Neko]

Back to watching reruns on YouTube.  I'm getting tired of hearing HHer's saying, "Oh, wow!" over every little feature:

"That is an original light fixture, from 1910."

"Oh, WOW!"

"If you pull back the carpet, you'll find hardwood floors."

"Oh, WOW!"

"These stainless steel appliances and granite countertops are brand new."

"Oh, WOW!"

Jeez, make it stop.

[chocolatine]

My new pet peeve is the demand for "original" hardwood floors. What does it matter if the floors are original? As long as they're real wood and in good condition, I'd be happy regardless.

Edited March 6, 2018 by chocolatine

[doodlebug]

1 hour ago, chocolatine said:

My new pet peeve is the demand for "original" hardwood floors. What does it matter if the floors are original? As long as they're real wood and in good condition, I'd be happy regardless.

The only thing about 'original' hardwoods, according to the guy that refinished mine, is the quality of the workmanship.  He told me that, back in the 40's, 50's, and even earlier, they did almost everything by hand and that, although nowadays, wood floors can be installed very quickly using modern power tools; the old floors are sturdier and stronger.  Also less likely to develop creaks and squeaks.  He said they just took their time and did a far better job than is done nowadays and he personally would do everything possible to save an original old floor before replacing it.

[mojito]

My latest pet peeve is hearing "I want what I want". It usually comes out of the mouth of some smack-worthy diva who wants to convert a bedroom into a closet with a chandelier.

[scootypuffjr]

Today I saw two split-level houses described as ranches. I always assumed a ranch house was one that was only one level, with no stairs (unless they led to an attic or basement). I'm no expert, but I've seen all kinds of houses described as one style that I would definitely call something else. I guess everybody's turned into Alice in Wonderland's Humpty Dumpty, where a word "means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.” 

[chessiegal]

5 minutes ago, scootypuffjr said:

Today I saw two split-level houses described as ranches. I always assumed a ranch house was one that was only one level, with no stairs (unless they led to an attic or basement). I'm no expert, but I've seen all kinds of houses described as one style that I would definitely call something else. I guess everybody's turned into Alice in Wonderland's Humpty Dumpty, where a word "means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.” 

They do it all the time! They call split foyers split levels. I've owned 2 split levels - you walk into the main level with living room, dining room, and kitchen. You go up half a flight of stairs to the bedroom level, and down half a set of stairs to the basement. In a split foyer, you walk in the front door, and immediately either go up or down.

[laredhead]

What is a raised ranch?  That is a term I have heard on HH several times. 

[mojito]

Quote

What is a raised ranch?  That is a term I have heard on HH several times. 

Maybe it's a ranch sitting a top a basement that's not predominately below ground level?

[Kohola3]

From House Plans and More:

When entering a true raised ranch home, there is a landing foyer on the first floor with a flight of stairs that leads to the main living areas. This allows the foundation to be right at ground level. Raised ranchhomes are often considered in the real estate business as bi-level homes.

[chocolatine]

17 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

From House Plans and More:

When entering a true raised ranch home, there is a landing foyer on the first floor with a flight of stairs that leads to the main living areas. This allows the foundation to be right at ground level. Raised ranchhomes are often considered in the real estate business as bi-level homes.

Yes, I see a lot of those in the NYC suburbs, built in the 60s and 70s. I really didn't like the ones I've seen from the inside, nor how they look from the outside. Walking immediately into a flight of stairs and having to go either up or down really bothers me for some reason.

[aguabella]

On 3/6/2018 at 5:02 PM, laredhead said:

What is a raised ranch?  That is a term I have heard on HH several times. 

In my RE vernacular, it's a sad attempt to dramatize / disguise a split-level, lol !!!

Edited March 8, 2018 by aguabella

[CherryAmes]

Around here there is difference between a split level and a raised ranch.  The big difference being that in a typical split level you enter the main level of the house - i.e. the living, dining room kitchen but in a raised ranch you enter a foyer and are usually facing two stairways, one leading up to the main living area of the house and the other down to the basement.

[aguabella]

In my world, it's just another type of split level.

To each his/her own, lol

[CherryAmes]

Oh I can see it being described as a split level, I mean I guess technically that's what it is,  but to be honest if I was house hunting and a house was listed as a split level but when I went to see it I saw a raised ranch I'd be pretty surprised and would think the listing agent made a bit of a boo boo!

[aguabella]

13 minutes ago, CherryAmes said:

Oh I can see it being described as a split level, I mean I guess technically that's what it is,  but to be honest if I was house hunting and a house was listed as a split level but when I went to see it I saw a raised ranch I'd be pretty surprised and would think the listing agent made a bit of a boo boo!

Didn't say the agent won't call it a "RR".  Sure, they try to impress with terminology.  The buyers, however, see a split level. 

A few people like them.  My guess is the majority of buyers say, "Next listing."

Edited March 8, 2018 by aguabella

[aguabella]

On 2/25/2018 at 2:24 PM, answerphone said:

I notice the men say "industrial look", everyone mentions Craftsman, mid-century modern, French Provincial, Tuscan, etc. I've never heard anyone say those in real life and mid century modern just means 65 years old.

And no one ever says "floorplan", they say "nice bones", no one says "master bath", they say "en suite", no one says, "I like both white and wood cabinets, it doesn't matter".

 

When my husband and I looked at homes, we just wanted the nicest neighborhood we could afford, best floorplan, close to good schools, nice layout in the kitchen.

We didn't care if one light fixture was ugly, if a room needed to be painted... Those are easy and inexpensive. And I never yelled, "Total gut job!"

Nice post, answerphone, describing a Reality TV, i.e. not real, house hunt v. a real life house hunt.  (I added the line spacing, above.)

Can't have drama w/o conflict and it's tough to film / dramatize the importance of good schools or spouses that either simply agree and/or compromise for the best overall result.  But gut job, yeah - that's the ticket!  Everyone can visualize some HGTV yahoo ripping out cabinets and throwing a sledge hammer through a window.

Unfortunately they don't film the actual house hunt, i.e. the real life hunt that occurred prior to the producers arriving on set.

[CherryAmes]

13 hours ago, aguabella said:

The buyers, however, see a split level. 

Perhaps this is an "in your area" thing because around here buyers see a raised ranch or they see a split level.  They are pretty different animals.  For some reason raised ranches seem to be a much more common style of home than split levels - at least for houses built in the last 20 years or so anyhow.

[juliet73]

I think a "raised ranch" is the same as a "split foyer" depending on where you are in the country. I also understand "split level" to be kitchen, DR, LR on the same level as the front door. Steps up would be the bedrooms and steps down would be the family room, etc. 

I hate when a standard ranch is referred to as MCM. Or if a regular traditional house has a large porch, the buyers will say "it has craftsman touches". Ugh!!!!!! 

[BlossomCulp]

1 hour ago, juliet73 said:

I think a "raised ranch" is the same as a "split foyer" depending on where you are in the country.

This reminds me of a conversation I was having with an online American friend where I described the house we were living in at the time to be semi-detached.  She didn't understand at first what I meant.  Then said "oh you mean a duplex".  No, not here anyway.  A semi-detached is not a duplex (well it can be but usually they are two separate styles of housing).  This was definitely one of those times when I had no idea there was a difference in terminology between the US and Canada.

[twinks]

4 hours ago, CherryAmes said:

Perhaps this is an "in your area" thing because around here buyers see a raised ranch or they see a split level.  They are pretty different animals.  For some reason raised ranches seem to be a much more common style of home than split levels - at least for houses built in the last 20 years or so anyhow.

A friend of mine has a raised ranch.  My parents have a split level. I don't consider them similar at all. The split has 3 levels, the ranch has a landing level on the ground floor which is where you enter. I have heard it called a bi-level.

[AnnaRose]

4 hours ago, BlossomCulp said:

This reminds me of a conversation I was having with an online American friend where I described the house we were living in at the time to be semi-detached.  She didn't understand at first what I meant.  Then said "oh you mean a duplex".  No, not here anyway.  A semi-detached is not a duplex (well it can be but usually they are two separate styles of housing).  This was definitely one of those times when I had no idea there was a difference in terminology between the US and Canada.

So, a semi-detached home is a home with only one shared wall, right?  Like an end-unit townhome or brownstone, or a duplex?

[Gothish520]

18 minutes ago, AnnaRose said:

So, a semi-detached home is a home with only one shared wall, right?  Like an end-unit townhome or brownstone, or a duplex?

Based on Wikipedia's definition, it fits what some in the US would describe as a duplex. Only two dwellings, so an end-unit townhome or brownstone wouldn't fit the description unless the building only contained two units. 

[BlossomCulp]

54 minutes ago, AnnaRose said:

So, a semi-detached home is a home with only one shared wall, right?  Like an end-unit townhome or brownstone, or a duplex?

Yes, here a semi is what we called two houses that share a single wall. A duplex is usually 4 apartments - so two on each side sharing a single wall.  A triplex is six apartments sharing a single wall.  I don't think we have a special name for 8 apartments sharing a single wall (if there is such a thing!).  

[Gothish520]

As for pet peeves, double sinks and hardwood floors are not my thing, nor my husband's. When we were looking for our house, we couldn't have cared less about either. Our wish list included at least a semi-open concept (kitchen/dining room or dining/living room), a front porch, a one-car garage minimum, a finished den, and an updated kitchen. Stainless and granite were not essential, but good appliances and counters were. As luck would have it, we found a home that had stainless and granite, as well as everything else we were looking for. 

That being said - while I love the look of stainless, it's a pain in the arse to keep clean. It's a bonus looks-wise but not a necessity. Granite counter tops, on the other hand, are fabulous. They are beautiful and so durable - heat resistant, stain resistant, cut resistant. I love them.

Also, the cliched "lots of natural light" was a necessity for me. I'm thrilled that my home lets the sun in!

Edited March 8, 2018 by Gothish520

[BlossomCulp]

26 minutes ago, Gothish520 said:

That being said - while I love the look of stainless, it's a pain in the arse to keep clean.

Both my kids have stainless appliances and the stove tops look like hell.  I don't know how much of that is them being terrible at cleaning and how much of that is the stoves being terrible to clean!

Edited March 8, 2018 by BlossomCulp

[Gothish520]

9 minutes ago, BlossomCulp said:

Both my kids have stainless appliances and the stove tops look like hell.  I don't know how much of that is them being terrible at cleaning and how much of that is the stoves being terrible to clean!

For me, it's keeping the front of the stove, dishwasher and fridge clean - even cleaners and wipes made specifically for stainless steel fall short.

Do they have flat top stoves? They are also good and bad - good because there's only a flat surface to take care of, and bad because stuff gets baked on quickly. Mine is black and really needs to be wiped down after every use. I will freely admit that I sometimes...ok, often...skip a day cleaning it, and that can lead to buildup. But, with the right cleaner and a little elbow grease, it can be done.

[Kohola3]

1 hour ago, Gothish520 said:

But, with the right cleaner and a little elbow grease, it can be done.

I swear by Cerama Bryte.  I love my smooth top stove!

[Gothish520]

1 hour ago, Kohola3 said:

I swear by Cerama Bryte.  I love my smooth top stove!

Cerama Bryte's the best! I ran out and have been using Cook Top, which is ok but not as good as CB.

[CruiseDiva]

I love my black smooth top Bosch cook top. I got their cleaner that makes it simple to remove anything that gets "baked" on while cooking (such as spills). Will look for Cerama Bryte for cleaning in the future--the Bosch cleaner is pretty expensive.

Even though I have placed a large wood cutting board adjacent to the cook top, my husband tends to use the cook top as a prep area when making sandwiches and leaves greasy spots on it so I'm washing it every day when I wipe down counter tops after dinner.

Edited March 9, 2018 by CruiseDiva

[Kohola3]

21 minutes ago, CruiseDiva said:

Will look for Cerama Bryte for cleaning in the future--the Bosch cleaner is pretty expensive.

This is definitely cheaper than the Bosch cleaner although sometimes hard to find.  I try and clean up spills as they happen but that's not always possible, especially when cooking for a group.  But Cerama Bryte has conquered event the worst stuff - sugary syrup that boiled over.  Took a little elbow grease but it looks good as  new.

[laredhead]

When I had an electric smooth top range, the glass surface was white with gray markings to show where the rings were located.  I loved it, and kept it clean with a product from Sears that was for cleaning these ranges.  For the worst cooked on spots that happened once in a while, I used a single edge razor blade to gently scrape the spot clean.  I had the range for 12 years and it looked brand new when I traded it for a stainless gas cooktop that shows every speck of grease and film.  I wipe and clean that thing daily, and it's twice the work as the smooth top to keep looking nice.

[Kohola3]

42 minutes ago, laredhead said:

I wipe and clean that thing daily, and it's twice the work as the smooth top to keep looking nice.

Yes, but at least now you can cook your grandmother's sauce.

[chessiegal]

I just finished reading Julia Chilld's My Life in France. She talked about when Paul was transferred to Germany, she hated their apartment, especially the electric range, as you can't control the heat as well as you can with gas. That was amusing since on the original French Chef set she was cooking on an electric range. Guess if you're good enough of a cook, you can cook with either.

[CherryAmes]

Until I learned the tricks for keeping my smooth top electric range clean I was actually missing my coil top stove.  Well until we rented a cottage that had a coil top stove and some soup boiled over!  I'll keep the smooth top thank you very much!!

[scrb]

What do you use, baking soda?

[CherryAmes]

My cheap alternative to buying the specialty products is Vim with bleach!  It works well.  I know people who swear by baking soda and vinegar for almost all their cleaning but I guess I just don't have the patience or the elbow grease!

[Kohola3]

26 minutes ago, CherryAmes said:

My cheap alternative to buying the specialty products is Vim with bleach! 

I've never heard of Vim.  Where can it be found?

Personal note:  I have, however, heard of Cherry Ames. I have the whole collection.

[CherryAmes]

It's a line of cleaning products, the one I use is called Vim Cream Bleach.  I don't know for sure but maybe they are not available in the US (I am in Canada) or perhaps they are under a different name?   Re: Cherry Ames - I don't have the whole collection - am missing a few titles but I really need to get onto that - with all the online booksellers out there I'm sure I can fill the gaps pretty easily,  Probably not cheaply though!

Edited March 10, 2018 by CherryAmes

[Kohola3]

3 minutes ago, CherryAmes said:

It's a line of cleaning products, the one I use is called Vim Cream Bleach.  I don't know for sure but maybe they are not available in the US (I am in Canada) or perhaps they are under a different name?   Re: Cherry Ames - I don't have the whole collection - am missing a few titles but I really need to get onto that - with all the online booksellers out there I'm sure I can fill the gaps pretty easily,  Probably not cheaply though!

I will have to look for it in the US but haven't ever heard of it here. 

And good luck with finding the missing books, they are really hard to find now.  She was my inspiration - I ended up as a flight nurse!

[auntjess]

On 3/7/2018 at 8:17 PM, CherryAmes said:

he big difference being that in a typical split level you enter the main level of the house - i.e. the living, dining room kitchen but in a raised ranch you enter a foyer and are usually facing two stairways, one leading up to the main living area of the house and the other down to the basement.

To me, you're describing a split foyer, which my house was.
And I'm for closed kitchens, a place for dirty dishes, and half-full pans on the stove.
A bonus is a wall in the living room, for a piano.

[roughing it]

My latest pet peeve, right before and after commercial break - with furrowed brow: "this is SUCH a tough decision...."  Um, no it's not, you made that decision weeks ago.

Edited March 13, 2018 by roughing it