Pet Peeves: The Holy Trinity and Beyond

[meep.meep]

3 hours ago, laredhead said:

Meep.meep, after 13 years of having no counter space in my kitchen, I finally spent the money of a major kitchen remodel 2 years ago.  My #1 priority to the designer was to have as much counter space as possible, and tons of cabinet storage space.  I asked and it was delivered, and it was well worth the expense and hassle of remodeling.  Now I can have my food processor, blender, and a couple of other things on the counters all the time, instead of being stored in a closet in the utility room.  I used them more now that they are readily available.  Yes, my new kitchen is pretty, but it's the utilitarian aspect of it that I most like.  Unfortunately, I see some of these HH's take one look at white subway tile, white cabinets, and granite and they are blinded to the fact that what I see is minimal counter space, few cabinets, etc.  Then they turn around and say they don't cook, so I guess those things don't matter to them.  Good thing I'm not looking for another house, because I would be a picky buyer for things other than bling.

Good to hear!  Think of yourself as an enabler!

It doesn't help that my grown up daughter is living with me now and she got into Magic Bullet so now that's all over the counters, and she eats lots of fresh fruits and veggies so it seems like there's always a watermelon on the counter too.  And we have no utility room - I have to store some of my pots and pans in one of the bedroom closets.

But the HH who don't even cook and then need a ginormous, every-bell-and-whistle kitchen drive me crazy.

[CherryAmes]

36 minutes ago, meep.meep said:

But the HH who don't even cook and then need a ginormous, every-bell-and-whistle kitchen drive me crazy.

What I love is in order to show off how they use their kitchen they are almost always cutting bell peppers.  I'm guessing this is done because it's colourful not because this is the one vegetable that is the must have along with the stainless steel and the subway tile in everyone's kitchen!

[meep.meep]

Don't forget the farmhouse sink and the really big island!

This should be added to the drinking game:  One sip for mentioning the holy trinity; One sip for cutting up bell peppers; One healthy swallow if they are actually cooking (burners on!); Empty your glass if they are cutting up something other than bell peppers.

[Kohola3]

Can you have an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting set aside just for HH viewers?

[meep.meep]

Only on Sunday after the marathon.

[laredhead]

One of the few shows where cooking was involved in the final scene was from Louisiana.  The man was making gumbo on the stove, and not grilling outside.  Yes, we know how to cook here.

[QuinnM]

Once upon a time the laundry was in a lower level.  Homes were built with a clothes chute.  Then they said, we will put these on the same level as the bedrooms and clothes chutes went the way of buggy whips.  Then they said, hey when a hose burst it can cause $$$$ damage in the space of an hour so we need to put laundries on a lower level.  So now they are on a lower level and there is no clothes chute.  So all the towels, sheets, clothes are carted down and then carted up.  I realize that a clothes chute is not a silent butler.  But at least half of that haul and steps is eliminated by a clothes chute.  I had one installed during a renovation and every day I love it more.

[doodlebug]

41 minutes ago, QuinnM said:

Once upon a time the laundry was in a lower level.  Homes were built with a clothes chute.  Then they said, we will put these on the same level as the bedrooms and clothes chutes went the way of buggy whips.  Then they said, hey when a hose burst it can cause $$$$ damage in the space of an hour so we need to put laundries on a lower level.  So now they are on a lower level and there is no clothes chute.  So all the towels, sheets, clothes are carted down and then carted up.  I realize that a clothes chute is not a silent butler.  But at least half of that haul and steps is eliminated by a clothes chute.  I had one installed during a renovation and every day I love it more.

I live in a colonial built in 1940 and the laundry chute is one of my favorite features.  A couple years ago, I finished my basement to make a family/TV room down there and the contractor wanted to close off the end of the chute because it was 'ugly' and detracted from his design.  No way!  I let him cut it flush with the ceiling but it saves so much time and effort hauling dirty laundry downstairs that I would never remove it ever.

[FormerMod-a1]

I really miss having a clothes chute, too.  I grew up with one.  My little townhome has a partial basement, where the washing machine and dryer reside, and 2 levels.  It's such a little thing, but it's annoying to have to keep all my dirty laundry in a bushel or hamper in my room, then haul it down to wash.  I asked about adding a chute but the walls don't line up right. :-/

[scootypuffjr]

On 8/9/2018 at 3:00 PM, CherryAmes said:

What I love is in order to show off how they use their kitchen they are almost always cutting bell peppers.  I'm guessing this is done because it's colourful not because this is the one vegetable that is the must have along with the stainless steel and the subway tile in everyone's kitchen!

I don't have stainless steel and I don't have subway tile, but I always have bell peppers on hand. They are a staple for me, you can find me cutting up lovely, colorful bell peppers on my ratty old wooden kitchen table several times a week, though no one would want to film that, lol

[Mittengirl]

Don’t ask me how I know, but a clothes chute can work both ways if you do it right.   Things like Christmas lights, small laundry bags, stuff from a basement freezer, etc., can be hauled up a laundry chute if a rope is dropped down.   At least in a one story house I am familiar with.   It can come in very handy if one injures a knee and needs both hands free to hoist oneself up stairs.

Edited August 11, 2018 by Mittengirl

[QuinnM]

4 minutes ago, Mittengirl said:

Don’t ask me how I know, but a clothes chute can work both ways if you do it right.   Things like Christmas lights, small laundry bags, stuff from a basement freezer, etc., can be hauled up a laundry chute if a rope is dropped down.   At least in a one story house I am familiar with.  

Giirrrllll, I have a plan all worked out for my ‘golden years’.  So I’m very glad someone says this works. I have singlefloor with a full basement, all finished with bath.  So I figure that I can just set something like you described up.  I can lower down lunch, and just spend the day downstairs getting things done like laundry, sewing etc.  

[HooHooHoo]

At my sister-in-laws house...husband has a man cave. He definitely uses it to avoid family responsibility and get lots of alone time. She has a sign that says “Mom Cave”....in the laundry room. Makes me so mad every time I go there. 

[irisheyes]

21 hours ago, aquarian1 said:

I really miss having a clothes chute, too.  I grew up with one.  My little townhome has a partial basement, where the washing machine and dryer reside, and 2 levels.  It's such a little thing, but it's annoying to have to keep all my dirty laundry in a bushel or hamper in my room, then haul it down to wash.  I asked about adding a chute but the walls don't line up right. :-/

We had a clothes chute in one of the houses I lived in as a kid. (We moved a lot when I was growing up). We LOVED dropping our clothes in it and having them fall all the way to the basement from the second floor.  And, I bet my mom loved having all of the laundry dropped right by her washing machine. 

[biakbiak]

10 minutes ago, irisheyes said:

We had a clothes chute in one of the houses I lived in as a kid. (We moved a lot when I was growing up). We LOVED dropping our clothes in it and having them fall all the way to the basement from the second floor.  And, I bet my mom loved having all of the laundry dropped right by her washing machine. 

I don’t think it’s something I would need but I do find it’s just interesting enough desire on these shows that highlight barn doors and subway tile.

[CherryAmes]

13 hours ago, HooHooHoo said:

At my sister-in-laws house...husband has a man cave. He definitely uses it to avoid family responsibility and get lots of alone time. She has a sign that says “Mom Cave”....in the laundry room. Makes me so mad every time I go there. 

That would infuriate me too!  I saw someone justifying his need for a man cave by saying the rest of the house "is hers".  Ugh.  I get that in some situations the wife makes the decisions about the decor, the furnishings, paint colour etc.  But how is the rest of the house hers?  Unless she controls the TV what the rest of the house really means is she gets to do the cooking and cleaning and laundry while poor hubby sits quietly in a corner waiting to be called to the table.  Ugh.

[Bastet]

Yeah, "I need a man cave because the rest of the house is hers" means "I do not come close to doing my share of the housekeeping and parenting, so she's the one cooking and picking up after the kids evenings and weekends; I need a room to hide in or I might have to pitch in."

[doodlebug]

2 hours ago, CherryAmes said:

That would infuriate me too!  I saw someone justifying his need for a man cave by saying the rest of the house "is hers".  Ugh.  I get that in some situations the wife makes the decisions about the decor, the furnishings, paint colour etc.  But how is the rest of the house hers?  Unless she controls the TV what the rest of the house really means is she gets to do the cooking and cleaning and laundry while poor hubby sits quietly in a corner waiting to be called to the table.  Ugh.

And, of course, if the decisions about paint color, furnishings and overall decor had been left to him; they’d be living with the previous owners’ wall colors and have no furniture but a couple of beanbag chairs and a book case made from cement blocks and plywood he scavenged from the trash in college.

[Nysha]

13 hours ago, irisheyes said:

We had a clothes chute in one of the houses I lived in as a kid. (We moved a lot when I was growing up). We LOVED dropping our clothes in it and having them fall all the way to the basement from the second floor.  And, I bet my mom loved having all of the laundry dropped right by her washing machine. 

I had one in one of the houses we lived in when my kids were young. I think every single toy they owned ended up down that thing the first month. Then we got smart & put a lock on it.

[irisheyes]

1 hour ago, Nysha said:

I had one in one of the houses we lived in when my kids were young. I think every single toy they owned ended up down that thing the first month. Then we got smart & put a lock on it.

We MAY have done that as well. ?

[mojito]

Quote

Why do guys need a man cave? 

I read an article (don't know where) about how many married men still need to feel "single" sometimes and thus want space dedicated just to themselves. I'm gonna leave now before you start pelting me with tomatoes. 

[Bastet]

Everyone deserves to be able to say, "I need to be by myself" from time to time without having to leave their home.  If you have a game room (bar, pool table, comfy couch and big TV, etc.), that provides a good option.  It's a room that can be used by the whole family, but also a place where one person can unwind.  Mom can claim it to go watch a game.  Dad to catch up on his TV shows.  The kid to play video games.  That's great - it's an option other than your bedroom to shut the door and say, "Fend for yourselves for a few hours; I'm taking some Me Time."

What's not great is labeling it a Man Cave and acting like only Husband/Father can use it, and that he'll be tucked away in there nightly while Wife/Mother does all the work. 

[BlossomCulp]

1 hour ago, mojito said:

I read an article (don't know where) about how many married men still need to feel "single" sometimes and thus want space dedicated just to themselves. I'm gonna leave now before you start pelting me with tomatoes. 

Everyone needs some space that's just for them now and then.  It's one reason I was glad when I was raising my kids that we were able to live in a house where they could have their own rooms.  If the house is big enough for a "man cave" and also for a private room for mom it wouldn't bother me quite so much as the reality I see played out most of the time which is Dad gets the man cave because Mom has the kitchen and the laundry room!

[Kohola3]

Or mom is relegated to a "she shed" which, to me, sounds like she's been assigned the same importance as the canine family member with its own doghouse.

[laredhead]

When I was a teenager we lived in a house with a "formal" living room, and a room called a den where the TV was.  When my mother wanted some quiet time, she would go to the living room and read or play the piano while we watched TV in the den.  That was in the days before people had more than one TV in the house.  I think some of the houses that are built today have what is called a bonus room or flex space which can be used for anything.   My house now (built in 1957) has a living room plus a den/family room.  I'm not a fan of the open concept, one room for all activities style.   

[meep.meep]

19 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

Or mom is relegated to a "she shed" which, to me, sounds like she's been assigned the same importance as the canine family member with its own doghouse.

My daughter and I have great love for a HH episode where the wife insists that she needs a "casita" - I think it's in Phoenix.  It's a little bonus house, think pool house, that she intends to use for her own devices.

And, my grandparents had a laundry chute that went from the second floor all the way to the basement.  I have a lot of cousins and many of them went down the chute.  I was always too chicken.  They make sense to me, but I've never lived in a 2 story house, much less one with a basement.  My laundry is in the detached garage.

[Kohola3]

29 minutes ago, meep.meep said:

They make sense to me, but I've never lived in a 2 story house, much less one with a basement. 

Basements are pretty much a standard in my area with the laundry down there so clothes chutes are great.  No dirty clothes in a hamper waiting to be carried down.  Zip - down the chute and into the laundry basket to be scooted over to the washing machine on laundry day.

[MsTree]

Everytime I hear the word "beachy" I want to choke the seaside house hunter. Even more irritating is the obligatory crab and/or swordfish (or sailfish) hanging on their walls. And let's not forget the starfish lamps and the goldfish shower curtain. It's as if this "fishy" design" is a prerequisite to living at the beach.

In retaliation, since I live in the desert, I'm going to start hanging pictures of scorpions on my walls, along with a few tumbleweeds as accent pieces in my living room. I will also make sure my cactus lamps and shower curtains match. And I will call this decor "deserty". Ugh. Shoot me now...

[chessiegal]

9 hours ago, MsTree said:

Everytime I hear the word "beachy" I want to choke the seaside house hunter. Even more irritating is the obligatory crab and/or swordfish (or sailfish) hanging on their walls. And let's not forget the starfish lamps and the goldfish shower curtain. It's as if this "fishy" design" is a prerequisite to living at the beach.

In retaliation, since I live in the desert, I'm going to start hanging pictures of scorpions on my walls, along with a few tumbleweeds as accent pieces in my living room. I will also make sure my cactus lamps and shower curtains match. And I will call this decor "deserty". Ugh. Shoot me now...

We live in a waterfront home, and it is kitcshed up to the hilt with beachy waterfront décor and I love it!

[izabella]

My MIL's lake cottage is all decked out in a lighthouse theme, plus driftwood and sailboats as accents.  I think it's a rule that if you have a beach cottage, it must have lots of kitsch.

[Kohola3]

I have a lake house as well and have a couple of rooms with nautical decor.  My guest room is all lighthouse stuff which seems to go over well.  It's kind of expected, I think. And, yes, I like it, too!  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

[FormerMod-a1]

I don't mind lake/sea decor in beach front property.  I do think it's odd that that the landscape really only influences beach property in this way.  Yes, color scheme is often influenced by locale, but we really don't see mounted scorpion carcuses and cactus lamps in desert homes.

[Kohola3]

3 minutes ago, aquarian1 said:

I do think it's odd that that the landscape really only influences beach property in this way. 

Well, I think a lot of cabins out in the woods lean toward lots of decor with moose on the shower curtains and lamps made of antlers!

[MsTree]

Ok, then...for all you lovers of the "beachy" theme who never get tired of it...I don't want to hear you complaining when Christina & Tarek do another gray & white kitchen, ok? (LOL)

[meep.meep]

On 8/9/2018 at 12:00 PM, CherryAmes said:

What I love is in order to show off how they use their kitchen they are almost always cutting bell peppers.  I'm guessing this is done because it's colourful not because this is the one vegetable that is the must have along with the stainless steel and the subway tile in everyone's kitchen!

I tried to watch a few episodes this weekend - no chopping of anything!  The homeowners just pulled trays of hors d'hoeuvres out of their giant refrigerators (stainless steel, natch), and placed them on their granite counter tops (what else?) for their "guests" to enjoy in the wonders of the open floor plan.

I'll keep watching......

[WarnerCL45]

Not having double sinks is a deal breaker?  Nobody gets in the bathroom when I’m in there.  

On 2018-08-08 at 6:52 PM, Kohola3 said:

Good for you, topanga!  Parenthood is a choice and there are responsibilities attached.

Only for mom, though.  LOL

[Tony]

On 8/11/2018 at 10:03 PM, HooHooHoo said:

At my sister-in-laws house...husband has a man cave.

Wouldn't that make him your brother?

[biakbiak]

6 minutes ago, Tony said:

Wouldn't that make him your brother?

Or her husband’s sister’s husband.

[whirlygirly]

On 8/7/2018 at 1:27 PM, Nysha said:

Why do guys need a man cave?

Farts.

[HooHooHoo]

On 8/23/2018 at 5:35 PM, biakbiak said:

Or her husband’s sister’s husband.

Yes, this!

[chessiegal]

I make a motion that we ban the phrase "complete gut job" from the HH lexicon. Any seconds?

[Bastet]

Let's just skip to "motion carries." 

Because, yeah.  Especially since "complete gut job" usually means "the appliances aren't stainless steel."

[auntjess]

And the counter isn't granite.

[Kohola3]

And the cabinets aren't white.

[auntjess]

When they go into a bathroom that's in great shape, just has colored tiles on the wall, I'd love to see someone say, "let's keep this."
I'm old enough to remember when all bathrooms were white, w/black, and my great-aunt even had those octagon-shaped tiles (which I hate) on her floor.
I like a bit of color.

[suebee12]

I have been binge watching this weekend so I'm not sure which episode this came from BUT do people really move so much they have a "family real estate agent?" This woman said that this particular agent had been theirs for over 30 years. I had one real estate person who I hired when I moved. He was a friend because he came into the store where I worked. He and his brother were great, got the house "fixed up" and sold in a month! But really a family agent?

[biakbiak]

41 minutes ago, suebee12 said:

from BUT do people really move so much they have a "family real estate agent?"

When I was growing up we had a lot of family all lived in the same area and tons of my family members used the same realtor, they did a good job for one family member and they recommended them to others. When my grandmother died a year ago my mom and uncle used his daughter to sell the house because he had retired and my cousin also just used her to buy a house.

[CherryAmes]

7 hours ago, auntjess said:

I'm old enough to remember when all bathrooms were white, w/black, and my great-aunt even had those octagon-shaped tiles (which I hate) on her floor.
I like a bit of color.

In the house I grew up in we had three bathrooms, one was green, one blue and one yellow.  As in all the fixtures.  Years ago this became one of those "gut job" type things and everyone was tearing out those colourful bathrooms.  Now enough time has gone by that they're considered vintage.  How the hell did it happen that stuff I grew up with is vintage?????  But I digress -  I bet there are people out there now just kicking themselves that they gutted perfectly good bathrooms in their vintage mid century homes.

Edited August 27, 2018 by CherryAmes

[Nysha]

8 hours ago, auntjess said:

When they go into a bathroom that's in great shape, just has colored tiles on the wall, I'd love to see someone say, "let's keep this."

I hate tiles on bathroom walls! I would take a pink tub & toilet over pink wall tiles.

This show has spoiled me. I've been perusing houses on Zillow and there have been several somewhat expensive houses that were built in the 80s and haven't been updated. My mental monologue keeps saying that for that kind of money I expect more than laminated countertops and varnished plywood cupboards. Not to mention the horrors of carpet in the living room!

[laredhead]

My son and I joke that we have a family real estate agent, because my next door neighbor, who is a real estate agent, has helped members of my family buy and sell 5 houses in the last 10 years.  She has become a good friend, and loves being called the family agent.  She tells me that she refuses to list my house for sale because she doesn't want to lose me as a neighbor.