Flip Or Flop - General Discussion

[chessiegal]

The show on DIY with the mom and daughter who rehab houses in Indianapolis was originally named after their business "2 CHICKS AND A HAMMER", but after the pilot the show is called "Good Bones". I'm thinking the network names the shows.

[mojito]

@chessiegal, I strongly suspect that this is true. Branding is a very big deal, and I don't see networks surrendering control of a show's name when that show could eventually spin off other shows like it.

[iMonrey]

Quote

Someone owns the name "Flip or Flop" and will get royalties off "Flip or Flop (insert city here)" just based on the name. 

Not if HGTV owns it. They wouldn't have to pay royalties to themselves.

[WildPlum]

7 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Not if HGTV owns it. They wouldn't have to pay royalties to themselves.

Pretty sure it is more complicated than that - while HGTV likely owns the brand, they are probably not the actual show runner. Each show is going to be run by a production team and that team is probably a semi-independent contractor and, as part of the production fees, will pay HGTV a royalty. That way HGTV gets to collect fees at every step along the way - fees for the use of the name, a cut for their role in "producing" the series, a fee for broadcasting, etc etc. The ins and outs of fees are pretty astonishing (based on friends I have in LA who do series for another cable network).

 

Take a look at this:

http://www.pietown.tv/about-us

and then look at all the TV series they produce.

[ByaNose]

They did a nice Flip with the Latina Beach condo. It was an easy Flip and the price wasn't totally outrageous for the location & view. I wasn't totally crazy with the kitchen tile. I like the color but not the material. It looked a little Southwest to me. The bathroom did look nice once the extra closet was removed and the glass wall was put in pace. The bedrooms were small and there really wasn't too much you could do to mess them up. I didn't care for the outside color of the house. It looked so drab for the California beach. I would have gone more blue. It didn't have to be neon but a little brighter. I wonder if they ever sold it and for how much? Also, it was great to see Izzy back. He works really well with Tarik & Christina. 

[Zoe]

On 3/1/2017 at 10:13 AM, Artsda said:

They're doing 5 new cities. With new people. 

I guess if these or even one take off that will be how they retire the original.

http://www.tvguide.com/news/flip-or-flop-spin-offs-tarek-christina-el-moussa/?ftag=TVG_Twitter

That couple from Vegas has (had?) their own show. It would show randomly in the middle of weekend marathons.

I wonder if that's the case with the rest of the couples? There was one NorCal couple a month or so ago, and another Hispanic couple (can't remember where) a few weeks ago.

[LizBug]

EWWWWWW!!!  While I understand that T&C want to show their "togetherness" in spite of recent events, I don't like them holding hands.  They didn't do that when they were together so it rings so false.  Also her wedding rings are on prominent display in several shots ... huge diamond and diamond band ... unlike before.

[ByaNose]

15 minutes ago, DallasGypsy said:

EWWWWWW!!!  While I understand that T&C want to show their "togetherness" in spite of recent events, I don't like them holding hands.  They didn't do that when they were together so it rings so false.  Also her wedding rings are on prominent display in several shots ... huge diamond and diamond band ... unlike before.

I know the into is new since the breakup news, but are the Flips they are airing before, during or after the breakup news? I noticed the hand holding and thought it was so obvious, too. Then again he didn't say "with his wife" when they put their bid in. Now, I'm all confused with the time line. It's like the soap operas taping months in advance. LOL!!!

[iMonrey]

Quote

I'm all confused with the time line. 

These episodes were filmed before the breakup. You can tell because Brayden looks smaller than he did in the "Selling Summer" episodes. Those episodes were filmed around/after the breakup. The hand-holding might be fake but they weren't actually broken up at this point.

They don't seem to see much luck or profit on homes over one million. They admitted they lost money on that other million+ house they did in the Flip or Flop Follow Up episodes (the one with the huge wrought iron door they bought). They're better off sticking with homes in the 500-700K range, that seems to be where the demand is. Million dollars homes can sit on the market for a long time. Plus, that house seemed to be looking out at busy streets/traffic on all sides. 

Surprised to see Izzy back - I would have guessed they were through with him (or, he with them). But notice: this one didn't have any "surprises" during the reno, aside from the windows over the sliders, that would have made Izzy look incompetent for missing them during the initial walk-through.

[doodlebug]

4 hours ago, iMonrey said:

They don't seem to see much luck or profit on homes over one million. They admitted they lost money on that other million+ house they did in the Flip or Flop Follow Up episodes (the one with the huge wrought iron door they bought). They're better off sticking with homes in the 500-700K range, that seems to be where the demand is. Million dollars homes can sit on the market for a long time. Plus, that house seemed to be looking out at busy streets/traffic on all sides. 

Surprised to see Izzy back - I would have guessed they were through with him (or, he with them). But notice: this one didn't have any "surprises" during the reno, aside from the windows over the sliders, that would have made Izzy look incompetent for missing them during the initial walk-through.

I was surprised when they kept gushing about the 'ocean views', completely ignoring the busy freeways in the foreground.  They were also so thrilled with the decks on the house, not seeming to notice that the amount of noise and dirt from the busy roads right in front of them would render the decks virtually unusable.,

[ByaNose]

4 hours ago, doodlebug said:

I was surprised when they kept gushing about the 'ocean views', completely ignoring the busy freeways in the foreground.  They were also so thrilled with the decks on the house, not seeming to notice that the amount of noise and dirt from the busy roads right in front of them would render the decks virtually unusable.,

I guess that's why they didn't put any furniture on either deck. They probably didn't want people actually sitting there and realize that's there is a major freeway in front of their million dollar home.

[captain1]

I feel sorry for them and their family.

[mojito]

Quote

I was surprised when they kept gushing about the 'ocean views', completely ignoring the busy freeways in the foreground.  They were also so thrilled with the decks on the house, not seeming to notice that the amount of noise and dirt from the busy roads right in front of them would render the decks virtually unusable.,

I so agree. I didn't think there was much of an ocean view in the first place. And to have to look over a busy intersection to see it kind of makes the home's proximity to the beach unappealing to me. Perhaps if I were a surfer who went out most mornings to surf, the home's location would impress me more. Otherwise, I'd be happy enough living further down the street where I might have a better view of the water, be away from the intersection, and be farther away from the cars crawling around, looking for parking.

I thought it was outrageous that Tarek wanted to sell that dinky place for $1K less than the bigger home with a better view.  Did not like the bathroom tile; that was too much pattern for my taste.

[azshadowwalker]

On 3/4/2017 at 5:37 PM, captain1 said:

I feel sorry for them and their family.

Absolutely  agree . It  is  a  TV  show, so  I  am  not  morally  invested  in  it. Besides, it's  2017. Divorce  happens. The  only  thing  that  matters  is  that  they  are  able  to  move  on  in  a  way  that  is  good  for  the  kids. Everything  else  is  outrage  porn.

[roughing it]

On 3/2/2017 at 10:00 PM, ByaNose said:

Also, it was great to see Izzy back. He works really well with Tarik & Christina.

I would watch Flip or Flop with just Tarek and Izzy.

[topanga]

7 minutes ago, roughing it said:

I would watch Flip or Flop with just Tarek and Izzy.

Spin off show for Izzy? Or can he join another show? I like him so much more than the other contractors. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

I was surprised when they kept gushing about the 'ocean views', completely ignoring the busy freeways in the foreground.  They were also so thrilled with the decks on the house, not seeming to notice that the amount of noise and dirt from the busy roads right in front of them would render the decks virtually unusable.,

It should be a crime that a cracker box like that goes for over a million bucks just because you can see the ocean from your window (and that you can walk to the beach from it). Not to mention the fact that there is no outdoor space whatsoever - that house didn't even have a back door. I guess the thinking is that if you're that close to the beach you don't need any other outdoor space around your house.

[doodlebug]

25 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

It should be a crime that a cracker box like that goes for over a million bucks just because you can see the ocean from your window (and that you can walk to the beach from it). Not to mention the fact that there is no outdoor space whatsoever - that house didn't even have a back door. I guess the thinking is that if you're that close to the beach you don't need any other outdoor space around your house.

Not to mention, the bedrooms were absolutely TINY!  I believe they only had a twin bed in the second bedroom.  Several of the potential buyers at the open house had young kids.  There was absolutely no place for more than one kid to sleep and nowhere for any of them to play except the living room.  I guess the new owners could tell their kids to play in the traffic literally, but I just cannot believe anyone would look at that place and think, 'Wow! What a great family home!".   All of the rooms seemed quite small and, with no yard, there was no room for entertaining, either.

[topanga]

8 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

Not to mention, the bedrooms were absolutely TINY!  I believe they only had a twin bed in the second bedroom.  Several of the potential buyers at the open house had young kids.  There was absolutely no place for more than one kid to sleep and nowhere for any of them to play except the living room.  I guess the new owners could tell their kids to play in the traffic literally, but I just cannot believe anyone would look at that place and think, 'Wow! What a great family home!".   All of the rooms seemed quite small and, with no yard, there was no room for entertaining, either.

I wonder who lives in the unit next door? I'd love to know more about those people: singleton, childless couple, couple with kids and a bunk bed in the 2nd room? And how is their unit decorated?

[ByaNose]

1 hour ago, topanga said:

Spin off show for Izzy? Or can he join another show? I like him so much more than the other contractors. 

 I don't mind the young guy with the gray hair & tats. Which is amazing because I hate tattoos. That said, I don't like the older guy with the goatee and tats. Christina is pretty to look at but I think I could live through a show with the guys versus Christina. 

[chipsnsalsa]

There was one of the usual marathons on this weekend. I saw part of a 2016 episode and a 2017 episode (not exactly sure of season/ep number). I couldn't watch. It felt awkward.  Very inauthentic*, especially when I knew these episodes were taped before news of the breakup went public.

I used to LOVE this show. Now I'd rather watch something else.

*I realize there are staged scenes and scenarios for the sake of the show, but pretending to be together is a different animal.

Edited March 6, 2017 by chipsnsalsa

[zoeysmom]

I never understand the smashing that goes on during demo.  When we remodeled, my cousin, was our contractor.  He needed to remove drywall, he took out a blade (box cutter) scored the wall and then pulled the drywall and folded it like a book and walked it out to the dumpster,  It took all of five minutes per wall and used a lot less dumpster space.  He also removed the cabinet doors, and removed the upper cabinets and then put the doors with the matching cabinets and called his recycle guy.  They weren't particularly nice cabinets but he claims it takes less time to remove cabinets than to smash them and clean the mess.  Same with tile in the shower, it can be removed in great big sections.  Whenever he watches a HGTV show with us he always shakes his head when they smash everything up, especially mirrors.

[doodlebug]

44 minutes ago, zoeysmom said:

I never understand the smashing that goes on during demo.  When we remodeled, my cousin, was our contractor.  He needed to remove drywall, he took out a blade (box cutter) scored the wall and then pulled the drywall and folded it like a book and walked it out to the dumpster,  It took all of five minutes per wall and used a lot less dumpster space.  He also removed the cabinet doors, and removed the upper cabinets and then put the doors with the matching cabinets and called his recycle guy.  They weren't particularly nice cabinets but he claims it takes less time to remove cabinets than to smash them and clean the mess.  Same with tile in the shower, it can be removed in great big sections.  Whenever he watches a HGTV show with us he always shakes his head when they smash everything up, especially mirrors.

I think its done purely for show.  I've had plenty of remodeling done in my day and I agree, legitimate contractors know how to remove old fixtures without destroying them and creating a huge mess.  Working on home remodeling is messy enough, real professionals know how to minimize the mess and get the job done.  They're also far less likely to inadvertently damage the wrong thing.  On so many of these shows, we've seen them remove the wrong cabinets, knock a hole in the wrong wall, damage the flooring.  In real life, those kinds of mistakes cost time and money and contractors avoid them at all costs.

[ByaNose]

I still don't understand the 3 car garage. It's inches away from the house and you can't actually put a car in any of them? Okaaaaay! Yeah, I'm tearing that sucker down.....PRONTO. Why didn't they? I hated the orange accents. It didn't go with the floors or the glue backsplash in the kitchen. Overall, the kitchen & great room made the place look a lot bigger which was a good thing. I liked the flooring but it looked like it was too much for some reason. 

[MrPissyPuppy]

10 hours ago, ByaNose said:

I still don't understand the 3 car garage. It's inches away from the house and you can't actually put a car in any of them? Okaaaaay! Yeah, I'm tearing that sucker down.....PRONTO. Why didn't they?

Motorcycles?  Workshop?  Run a driveway through the great room?  I agree it was weird and I wouldn't like it, but it could work for someone somehow.    

[ByaNose]

15 minutes ago, MrPissyPuppy said:

Motorcycles?  Workshop?  Run a driveway through the great room?  I agree it was weird and I wouldn't like it, but it could work for someone somehow.    

I guess I could see motorcycles and such. It looked like you could barely open the doors without hiting the house. LOL!!!! Also, it was the view....the only view. Yup! I would pass on that house but I'm sure someone bought it and they're quite happy for the workspace/

[psychoticstate]

Regarding the flip in Laguna Beach from last week, I live in a neighboring Cali beach town and visit Laguna.  Bedrooms that size are the norm for the age of the property.  In that specific area you're not going to get properties that are right on the sand so this is as oceanfront as you'll likely see.  The road in front of the property is Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) so not a freeway but it does get busy.  The downside to Laguna (besides the high price tags) is that it's very much a one way in, one way out kind of place. In the summer traffic can be absolutely horrendous.  But the beach itself is gorgeous and there are fantastic galleries, shops and restaurants in the "downtown" area.

I am surprised the property did not sell, at least by the airing of the episode - - even though it would take a very specific buyer (i.e., not a family, generally a professional or someone who can afford the price tag and not everyone wants to live at the beach.)

The Anaheim flip from last night - - I think this may be the only flip we've seen Tarek and Christina do that we didn't get to see the bedrooms.  They mentioned there was no master bathroom and I was waiting to see how they would address that, given that there were 2 bedrooms upstairs with a bath and two bedrooms down but they did not go any further, which was a disappointment.  I'd rather see that than the garages and outside space, frankly.  

[doodlebug]

12 hours ago, ByaNose said:

I still don't understand the 3 car garage. It's inches away from the house and you can't actually put a car in any of them? Okaaaaay! Yeah, I'm tearing that sucker down.....PRONTO. Why didn't they? I hated the orange accents. It didn't go with the floors or the glue backsplash in the kitchen. Overall, the kitchen & great room made the place look a lot bigger which was a good thing. I liked the flooring but it looked like it was too much for some reason. 

Because the cost of tearing it down was more than the cost of cleaning it out, putting on new doors and painting it.  If they'd torn it down, they would've then had to fix the landscaping in the area where it stood after all the expense incurred with the demolition and hauling the stuff away.  Tarek and Christina are trying to maximize their profit; they don't really much care how functional the building is.  They undoubtedly figured that somebody somewhere had a use for the building or they'd get a buyer who would be willing to pay to tear it down after the sale went through.  We've seen them leave extraneous weird buildings on the properties they've flipped in the past.

Edited March 10, 2017 by doodlebug

[camom]

My ex-husband would have loved those garages.  He is into large woodworking projects and that would be the perfect workshop.  Unfortunately, he is also into landscaping and gardening, so the small yard would have been a big no-go for him.

[iMonrey]

The transformation on that Anaheim house was truly astounding, considering how many additions and add-ons there were. And yet - open as that space was, without staging to define the spaces you'd wonder what do with it all. It was almost too open - there were almost too many seating areas. Personally, I would have torn down the back add-on or shortened it so you could get cars into the big-ass garage. I guess they didn't need to since it sold over list price though.

[quarkuud]

20 hours ago, camom said:

My ex-husband would have loved those garages.  He is into large woodworking projects and that would be the perfect workshop.  Unfortunately, he is also into landscaping and gardening, so the small yard would have been a big no-go for him.

Yeah, I told my husband it was his dream house.  Workshop space for him and he wouldn't have to convince me not to park my car inside.

[jcbrown]

On 3/10/2017 at 9:06 AM, psychoticstate said:

The Anaheim flip from last night - - I think this may be the only flip we've seen Tarek and Christina do that we didn't get to see the bedrooms.  They mentioned there was no master bathroom and I was waiting to see how they would address that, given that there were 2 bedrooms upstairs with a bath and two bedrooms down but they did not go any further, which was a disappointment.  I'd rather see that than the garages and outside space, frankly.  

I wanted to see what they did with the bedrooms, too.

Had Tarek really never heard of a kiln? That seemed quite bizarre to me.

[ElDosEquis]

On ‎3‎/‎9‎/‎2017 at 11:56 AM, zoeysmom said:

I never understand the smashing that goes on during demo.  When we remodeled, my cousin, was our contractor.  He needed to remove drywall, he took out a blade (box cutter) scored the wall and then pulled the drywall and folded it like a book and walked it out to the dumpster,  It took all of five minutes per wall and used a lot less dumpster space.  He also removed the cabinet doors, and removed the upper cabinets and then put the doors with the matching cabinets and called his recycle guy.  They weren't particularly nice cabinets but he claims it takes less time to remove cabinets than to smash them and clean the mess.  Same with tile in the shower, it can be removed in great big sections.  Whenever he watches a HGTV show with us he always shakes his head when they smash everything up, especially mirrors.

I thought I was the only one who did demo methodically!

The worst is the fucking drywall dust - especially when you are in the middle of the house with NO cross ventilation.

------------------

IF you buy a house - next to a CA freeway - be prepared to put up with the noise and a continuous grey dust that settles on everything.

It's a cross between brake dust (check out the rims on your car), the toner from a Xerox machine and black talcum powder.

On hot summer days, you can smell the roadway and the cars.

And you eventually get used to the noise........but never the accidents.

[Sharon]

Sitting here watching tonight's Washington Capitals v Anaheim Ducks hockey game.  And who should appear on the TV screen but Christina, sitting in the audience with a blond woman.  Commentators didn't know who she is but made a comment about '2 good reasons to visit the area'. She must be a Ducks fan.

[okerry]

Anybody catch the reference to this show - at least, I think it was - on the opening monologue of Saturday Night Live? Kate McKinnon was talking to Scarlet Johannsen about how Kate wasn't invited to the good parties and had to sit with Z-listers like "that house-flipping guy who held a gun to his wife's head." Was she trying to reference Tarek??

[iMonrey]

Quote

I still don't understand the 3 car garage. It's inches away from the house and you can't actually put a car in any of them? 

The garage was almost certainly built before a previous owner added onto the back of the house. There were no less than five additions to the house, and one of them cut off access to that big garage. I guess the owner felt it was more important to have more living space than to be able to get the cars into the big garage. And he appeared to be correct, considering it ended up selling over list price. 

[MaryMitch]

4 hours ago, okerry said:

Anybody catch the reference to this show - at least, I think it was - on the opening monologue of Saturday Night Live? Kate McKinnon was talking to Scarlet Johannsen about how Kate wasn't invited to the good parties and had to sit with Z-listers like "that house-flipping guy who held a gun to his wife's head." Was she trying to reference Tarek??

I didn't see it, but it sure sounds like it.

[ByaNose]

A million dollar flip for a small house. They did a great job with what they had to work with. It wasn't a huge house but it seemed like the houses were all the same size on that street. It was the usual white shaker cabinets with white herringbone tile in the bathroom. It wasn't horrible but it's the usual Christina flip. The bard doors looked nice but I was confused where they were. Were they near the front entry way? To the living room? I couldn't tell from the angle of the room. Also, aren't mirrors on closet doors very 1990's? Of course, it wasn't a huge room and they needed to put a mirror somewhere, right?

[iMonrey]

I can't believe they spent over $200,000 on the reno and did not replace that 1960s front door with the yellow ocher beveled glass. This is the second million dollar house they've flipped this season that didn't sell by the time the episode was finished. Where did they say it was? I'd be interested in seeing if I could find it online and see if it's sold by now. They have to know that million dollar houses are going to sit on the market for a while. There just aren't that many buyers for them. 

Quote

 The barn doors looked nice but I was confused where they were. 

They closed off the entry into the main hallway from the great room they created in the front of the house. 

[ByaNose]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

I can't believe they spent over $200,000 on the reno and did not replace that 1960s front door with the yellow ocher beveled glass. This is the second million dollar house they've flipped this season that didn't sell by the time the episode was finished. Where did they say it was? I'd be interested in seeing if I could find it online and see if it's sold by now. They have to know that million dollar houses are going to sit on the market for a while. There just aren't that many buyers for them. 

They closed off the entry into the main hallway from the great room they created in the front of the house. 

The Flip was done in Palos Verdes, California.

[saylubee]

10 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I can't believe they spent over $200,000 on the reno and did not replace that 1960s front door with the yellow ocher beveled glass. This is the second million dollar house they've flipped this season that didn't sell by the time the episode was finished. Where did they say it was? I'd be interested in seeing if I could find it online and see if it's sold by now. They have to know that million dollar houses are going to sit on the market for a while. There just aren't that many buyers for them. 

They closed off the entry into the main hallway from the great room they created in the front of the house. 

The address is listed on Tarek and Christina's Facebook page in a post a few months ago.  It looks like it closed in January for $1,315,000.

Edited March 18, 2017 by saylubee

[ByaNose]

11 hours ago, saylubee said:

The address is listed on Tarek and Christina's Facebook page in a post a few months ago.  It looks like it closed in January for $1,315,000.

I've been trying to find information on that Flip but I don't see anything on their Facebook page about it. Anyway, $1,315,000 sounds good....I think. I forgot how much they payed & invested to begin with. 

[dleighg]

6 hours ago, ByaNose said:

I've been trying to find information on that Flip but I don't see anything on their Facebook page about it. Anyway, $1,315,000 sounds good....I think. I forgot how much they payed & invested to begin with. 

their break even was 1.230 million

[ByaNose]

3 hours ago, dleighg said:

their break even was 1.230 million

A profit is a profit they say. It was a nice house but small. That said, they had to put a lot of money into a small house.  Even with all backstage drama I still like this show. It's a perfect half hour show. I wish Fixer Upper would follow suit. I just forward to the end to see Joanna's design. If I wanted to see her family life I would look at my own. LOL!!!!!

 

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2880-Via-De-La-Guerra-Palos-Verdes-Estates-CA-90274/21342498_zpid/

Edited March 18, 2017 by ByaNose

[ByaNose]

On 3/17/2017 at 0:37 PM, iMonrey said:

I can't believe they spent over $200,000 on the reno and did not replace that 1960s front door with the yellow ocher beveled glass. This is the second million dollar house they've flipped this season that didn't sell by the time the episode was finished. Where did they say it was? I'd be interested in seeing if I could find it online and see if it's sold by now. They have to know that million dollar houses are going to sit on the market for a while. There just aren't that many buyers for them. 

They closed off the entry into the main hallway from the great room they created in the front of the house. 

Now, I see the the barn doors better

 

[valdawn]

On 3/17/2017 at 9:37 AM, iMonrey said:

 

Trying to quote but I'm not smart enough, anyway I came here to say the same thing about not replacing that front door! I couldn't believe they left that. 

Also, one thing that bugs me about all the flips is they never have a bath tub in the master bedroom. I guess it's cooler to have a way to big if a shower but that would seriously be a deal breaker for me. I like my baths in my own room. I also like to have room in my shower to turn around and do what I need to do, but don't see the point in one big enough to fit my whole family! 

[Honey]

8 hours ago, valdawn said:

Trying to quote but I'm not smart enough, anyway I came here to say the same thing about not replacing that front door! I couldn't believe they left that. 

Also, one thing that bugs me about all the flips is they never have a bath tub in the master bedroom. I guess it's cooler to have a way to big if a shower but that would seriously be a deal breaker for me. I like my baths in my own room. I also like to have room in my shower to turn around and do what I need to do, but don't see the point in one big enough to fit my whole family! 

Nah.  We've seen them put some beautiful freestanding tubs, and tub fillers in the master baths before.

[Maharincess]

I've never understood the need for a shower so big you can park your car in it. It makes no sense to me.  Just like when people complain that the master bath is too small for two people to get ready at the same time.  How often does that really happen?  I've never known a couple that must use the bathroom at the same time. I don't get the need for huge bathrooms. 

Count me in on wondering why they left that ugly front door. My last house had one of those doors and the first thing I did was replace it.  

[dleighg]

we just redid our two upstairs baths and we left the "kids'" bath as a single sink. Isn't the counter space more important? Why do the two kids need to brush their teeth simultaneously? And yes, my DH and I never inhabit our MB at the same time.

[doodlebug]

18 hours ago, Maharincess said:

I've never understood the need for a shower so big you can park your car in it. It makes no sense to me.  Just like when people complain that the master bath is too small for two people to get ready at the same time.  How often does that really happen?  I've never known a couple that must use the bathroom at the same time. I don't get the need for huge bathrooms. 

Count me in on wondering why they left that ugly front door. My last house had one of those doors and the first thing I did was replace it.  

The double sink thing is a mystery to me, too.  Most people who I know who have double sinks only use one of them anyway.  A friend 'stores' her makeup in the other sink, which just looks messy to me.  I'd much rather have a single sink and counter space and some drawers for makeup, etc.

The big shower also seems a waste to me, too.  Once again, I think people aren't really thinking it through.  If you really don't want to shower alone, you don't need that much space anyway.  I suppose the home remodeling businesses are behind some of these trends; since double sinks and huge showers are a fairly new development, getting people thinking that they want or need such things is good for business.

For that matter, what is the purpose of a breakfast bar in an open concept home where the dining table is less than a yard away anyway?  I have a peninsula with stools in my not-open-concept home and they are rarely used because the dining room is just steps away.  At least, they're rarely used for sitting; they do make for a convenient place to toss coats, packages, mail and assorted other detritus.

Edited March 20, 2017 by doodlebug