Flip Or Flop - General Discussion

[iMonrey]

There was nothing especially memorable about the house in Anaheim except the weird green kitchen island with the butcher block counter top. I thought for a minute maybe the fourth bedroom was going to turn out to be an illegal addition because they never did explain why there was a garage door there or why it was boarded up. That was odd. If you want to seal a door closed, you can just padlock it, or put sealant around it. Who nails one board across it diagonally? 

I don't get why the A/C unit was up on the roof either. Who does that?

[Broderbits]

I liked the kitchen reno in this latest house, and I liked that green island. I just didn't like them in the same room. Christina was right when she said they were 2 different styles that didn't really go together.

Off topic: I've been watching Nashville Flipped on DIY and it's so refreshing to see vintage renovation at reasonable prices with no drama.

[netlyon2]

1 hour ago, Broderbits said:

I liked the kitchen reno in this latest house, and I liked that green island. I just didn't like them in the same room. Christina was right when she said they were 2 different styles that didn't really go together.

Off topic: I've been watching Nashville Flipped on DIY and it's so refreshing to see vintage renovation at reasonable prices with no drama.

I totally agree about the kitchen.  Upon reflection, I think changing the hardware on the cabinets (to either natural wood or something visually connected to the olive green) might have been another way to help the cabinets and island speak to each other.  

Hey, I love Nashville Flipped!  Troy is so adorkable in his enthusiasm.  

[psychoticstate]

On 6/26/2017 at 8:47 PM, topanga said:

Is anyone going to watch Flip or Flop Atlanta? I think I'll check it out just for the new location & new houses. 

Atlanta is my hometown so I'll be watching (and comparing to my current home of Orange County, California, where Tarek & Christina do their flips) 

[jcbrown]

It was odd that they never came back to the topic of garage access via one of the bedrooms. And I also agree that the island looked like it had been dropped in from a different kitchen. I thought it would have blended better if they had left the butcher block natural wood. rather than staining it.

Our heat pump is on the roof or our 3-level townhome so that did not strike me as odd. 

Edited June 30, 2017 by jcbrown

[MrPissyPuppy]

6 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I don't get why the A/C unit was up on the roof either. Who does that?

My A/C is on the roof as are the rest in my neighborhood.   I think the vast majority of them in Phoenix are there. 

[azshadowwalker]

On 6/23/2017 at 1:15 PM, mojito said:

 

A scene with Christina and the kids that included Tarek would've been silly and forced, and since they've been featuring their kids on the show all along, there was no reason not to now.

Seriously. Couldn't agree more. On one hand, saying that they need to acknowledge the divorce. (Anyone who doesn't already know probably doesn't care. Hell, I know and don't care. The relationship nonsense was always the least interesting stuff to me.) On the other hand, noting that the family shots are of only her and the kids. Someone will complain no matter what, so just do a show about flipping houses and move on. 

And Izzy is a businessman. I don't read a thing into his reactions, especially since they are the same as always. 

And, yes, almost all cooling systems are mounted on the roof and always have been. Evaporative cooling or AC. Very, very rarely located anywhere else, and I have lived all over both Arizona and California. 

Edited June 30, 2017 by azshadowwalker

[doodlebug]

2 hours ago, azshadowwalker said:

And, yes, almost all cooling systems are mounted on the roof and always have been. Evaporative cooling or AC. Very, very rarely located anywhere else, and I have lived all over both Arizona and California. 

Anyone know the reason for this? It seems  like it would make installation and repair of the units much more difficult and expensive, not to mention potential damage to the roof from the unit.

I live in the Midwest and most residential AC units are on the ground next to the house. The only rooftop units I've seen are on office buildings and such.

[WildPlum]

11 hours ago, doodlebug said:

Anyone know the reason for this? It seems  like it would make installation and repair of the units much more difficult and expensive, not to mention potential damage to the roof from the unit.

I live in the Midwest and most residential AC units are on the ground next to the house. The only rooftop units I've seen are on office buildings and such.

Because most of the houses are slab on grade, so any ducting has to be in the ceiling. Once the ducting is in the ceiling, then it makes sense to put the air handler up there as well. Heat pumps are still usually mounted on the ground, though.

[mojito]

Quote

Troy is so adorkable in his enthusiasm. 

So true. His eyes are so expressive, the way they widen as he talks about something he's happy about. 

Thought the green kitchen island looked out of place, too. A more subtle green and lighter counter top would've been better. T&C are pulling off the post-marriage convincingly. Too bad they're not going to continue the show, but I really don't mind leaving California. Wish HGTV would go to less popular/populated places  (Nashville's okay, though), like Richmond, VA; Portland, Maine; Las Cruces, New Mexico; Billings, Montana; Boise, Idaho, etc. Different places. 

I liked when Taylor announced that this was the best house she ever designed.

[ByaNose]

I didn't like the burned ship lap at the entry way. Either leave natural or maybe a white washed. The green door was fine but not my favorite color. The island was a nice contrast (then the typical blue they use) but the butcher stood out and looked dated. I would have used the same white marble (or whatever they used) all around. The back yard looked nice. It was simple with a table, umbrella & grass. Overall, it was a nice job and Christina said Tarek has come along way. Side eye and insult all at once. Too funny!

[tabloidlover]

I live in CA and just about all newer housing has it's AC units on the ground.  Years ago it was standard to have the unit on the roof (no idea why) but they are not as energy efficient as those on the ground.  Both the house we live in now and our first house in 2000 had the "newer" on ground units.

[sue450]

flip or flop atlanta is starting later this week......and the wife is not blonde for a change...I liked them in the commercial...guess we will see!

[sue450]

I will watch the atlanta flip or flop...will give it a go and see if I like it...some of that decorating on flip or flop vegas is over the top!!! I Know it's vegas but still

[Gam2]

In the South, all of our AC units are on the ground beside the house or garage, usually hidden by fences or shrubs because they're not exactly attractive. I've never seen one on the roof. Guess it depends on where you live. 

[topanga]

Does California flood? I wonder why almost none of the houses we see have basements.

[Broderbits]

21 hours ago, topanga said:

I wonder why almost none of the houses we see have basements.

A quick Google search gave me this answer:

Where it freezes in the winter, the land contracts and expands and will literally heave the foundation of a house up. Builders in those areas have to take the foundation well below the 4-foot frost line level to anchor it.

Read more: http://www.city-data.com/forum/california/267063-how-come-california-homes-have-no.html#ixzz4loF2qCZA

So basically, builders don't need to spend the money on sinking footings below the frost line.

[mojito]

Put another way, places that get really cold in winter need to have their water pipes buried deeper, so as long as builders have to go that deep, they put in a basement. 

Where I live, our water tables (uppermost layer of earth where there is water saturation) are high. Additionally we also have clay soil that contracts and expands; many of us water our foundations in the summer to prevent foundation cracks, which is common. 

Considering the tornado threats we have, you can believe we'd love to have homes with basements.

[iMonrey]

They sure do a lot of houses in Garden Grove. It's amazing how many houses there are in such horrible shape. But, this had to be one of the most amazing transformations we've seen on the entire series. It really went from being a cheap looking cracker box into an open, spacious, modern looking SoCal home.

It's always good to see Izzy on board but part of me wonders what his deal is WRT this show. We went almost a whole season without seeing hide nor hair of him, and I have to think he was in some kind of negotiations with the show about his involvement, because it seemed like they dropped him for awhile, or else he dropped them. 

For instance, I notice they don't really have the "surprises" anymore that involve things like bad roofs, bad plumbing, mold, etc. - things that should have been obvious on the first walkthru. And I speculated awhile back that missing stuff like that made Izzy look incompetent, which is maybe why he stopped doing the show for awhile.

Instead we get stuff like the city threatening to fine them for having a bad pool (so it's the city's fault, not Izzy's) - which is also something that would have come up on previous flips with crappy pools. 

I'm not seeing much of the typical bickering between Tarek and Christina anymore either - not over stuff like whether to spend extra money on removing walls or on design choices. They've really backed off of that, probably because they are keenly aware of how they come across now that their separation is known. What might have been considered "cute" when they were married now seems like plain animosity if they are divorced. Funny it was OK to see them arguing when they were married but not anymore.

[vesperholly]

On 7/4/2017 at 0:17 PM, mojito said:

Put another way, places that get really cold in winter need to have their water pipes buried deeper, so as long as builders have to go that deep, they put in a basement. 

Interesting. I'm in upstate NY and there are plenty of slab homes with no basements (or sometimes crawl spaces). I ran into this when I was house hunting last summer - never thought I'd need to specify that a basement was a must-have here!

[dleighg]

1 minute ago, vesperholly said:

Interesting. I'm in upstate NY and there are plenty of slab homes with no basements (or sometimes crawl spaces). I ran into this when I was house hunting last summer - never thought I'd need to specify that a basement was a must-have here!

Yeah I grew up in NJ and every home I was ever in growing up had a basement. I lived in California in my 20s and *no* homes had basements there so I thought the cold weather thing was "gospel." But our first home (in suburban NYC) had no basement so I was disabused of that notion (and funny enough had a recurring dream that I would "discover" a basement behind a closet door!)

[mojito]

Quote

Interesting. I'm in upstate NY and there are plenty of slab homes with no basements (or sometimes crawl spaces). 

 

Quote

 But our first home (in suburban NYC) had no basement so I was disabused of that notion (and funny enough had a recurring dream that I would "discover" a basement behind a closet door!)

Maybe there's some sort of geological reason for these homes with no basements, or maybe the builder just wanted to spend less money on the build.  I know of homes built in the 1960s up north that did not have basements. Maybe it was a period in which basements fell out of favor, I don't know. 

Maybe the Grays of Christina have worn me down, but I thought the last flip was very nice.

Edited July 8, 2017 by mojito

[ellebelle]

On ‎6‎/‎22‎/‎2017 at 11:56 PM, topanga said:

Oh, and Tarek needs to stop designing bathrooms. Every one he's done has been awful. The master bathroom did look nice in the end, but I did not like that round, glass tile. 

I caught this episode for the first time this morning, so I'm just a tad late to the party. I just couldn't resist posting that I now have definite proof, having seen it with my own eyes, that Tarek doesn't know what he's doing with the tile work. That penny round tile was from Lunada Bay Tile, it's actually gorgeous stuff in person, and I saw enough of the design board while they were at the store to see that it was the Tozen line. Anyway, there was one ribbon that had already been done, perfectly, and then Tarek was supposedly doing the recessed square area.  He had the paper backing pressed against the wall. Um, NO.  Although most mosaic tile has netting that holds the tile pieces together which gets pressed into the mud, the glass tile actually gets installed with the paper backing facing outward, and then after a period of time to let it partially set, you wet/dissolve the paper. I had some installed at my house, and had my doubts about how my contractor claimed it all worked, so I went online to double-check, and had to quickly get him to pull the glass tile off before it set because he had done the same thing.

[Mommyduke]

Am I the only one who thinks that they often overspend on their flips. There are many episodes where they can save money and get the same effect. They should see the comps first and have in mind what is the max they can spend before actually spending it. They probably do this first anyway but it's just seems that they price the homes they renovate at the highest price in the area just to be able to get a profit

Edited July 14, 2017 by Mommyduke

[MaKaM]

10 minutes ago, Mommyduke said:

Am I the only one who thinks that they often overspend on their flips. There are many episodes where they can save money and get the same effect. They should see the comps first and have in mind what is the max they can spend before actually spending it. They probably do this first anyway but it's just seems that they price the homes they renovate at the highest price in the area just to be able to get a profit

We don't know what the actual comps are, only what they tell us so them being "market leaders" is their thing so they could be claiming low comps when in reality everything is selling for more than their stuff.

The Laguna Beach episode was weird. Maybe they were prevented from putting on an addition but there was a spiral staircase outside the kitchen window that was never mentioned--maybe it was the neighbors, but they didn't do anything to the decks (which looked shitty for a 1.2m house) and overall, it just looked like a basic lipstick job that anyone could have done. And the marble tile thing must have been a setup. There is NO WAY they would have thought that looked good with the fancy tile past installing the first piece much less the entire floor and border. The outside paint job also looked patchy and awful.

Those penny round tiles can be nice, but when you can see the sheet lines in the grout because someone didn't take the time to space them perfectly, it looks worse than cheap big box store tile.

 

I did notice that be opening montage says "I'm Tarek. And I'm Christina" instead of "I'm Tarek and this is my wife Christina."

[Zoe]

They needed to put red shower curtains in those bathrooms to go with the Twin Peaks floors.

[TheGreenWave]

On ‎5‎/‎16‎/‎2017 at 5:34 PM, chessiegal said:

so blatantly trying to save the brand

This is how I have viewed the latest episodes.  Not that I expect them to go at each other's throats, but they are oddly deferential to one another on design ideas or whatever.  And, I didn't really love her constantly eye rolling at him every time he opened his mouth, but the trying to be platonic kind statements are just as uncomfortable.  Give me Vintage Flip any day.

[iMonrey]

Great googly-moogly, that zig-zag tile was hideous! Just imagine waking up one morning with a hangover and having to look at that tile. Your head would start spinning even worse than it already is. 

I want to know what the hell is up with Garden Grove. The last three houses in a row have all been deals where the seller hasn't listed them yet but plans to the very next day, if they don't make an offer. I wish they would show more about how their business works. Clearly, they have some way of finding these sellers and scooping up these properties before they are even listed. How do they find these people? Gone are the days when they went to auctions and had to compete with other investors. 

I really didn't care for this renovation. I actually thought the front porch looked nicer with the little picket fence around it. Since they removed it, they should have at least staged the front porch with some potted plants or some chairs or something. It looked so barren. And I don't get why they went to the trouble and expense of doubling the size of the master bath shower only to use a plain, cheap Delta shower head. Why not spend the extra $15 bucks and get something a little more state of the art like a rain shower head with an adjustable arm?

[amcfar]

Wow, I absolutely can't stand that black and white chevron tile flooring; it's so unbelievably busy and jarring! As someone who happens to suffer from occasional migraines, I absolutely couldn't tolerate looking at that. The very first thing I'd do is tear it out and install a nice light-colored tile in its place. if Christina was set on the black and white theme, she should've done a simpler pattern. Really disliked it as a "showpiece" on the island too (all black would've looked better, IMO - if she was going for something other than an all-white kitchen). Guess I'm into a simpler look. 

[tljgator]

7 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Clearly, they have some way of finding these sellers and scooping up these properties before they are even listed. How do they find these people? Gone are the days when they went to auctions and had to compete with other investors.

I thought he said that the person had contacted them through their website? Seems folks are seeking them out -- they've probably seen how quickly they cave and pay full asking price no matter the condition of the house, lol.

[LizBug]

Anyone else notice Christina baring her teeth at Tarik when he suggested taking out the black/white chevron on the peninsula?  And she practically screamed "What!!?" at him.   She did something similar later in the episode but without the yelling.  Not a good look.

And, perhaps the cameras are not being as flattering to her because it seems that she has the beginnings of a double chin.

[MakingBacon]

My guess is that they have regular realtors they work with who let them know about houses that are about to go on the market. My friend is working with a realtor to find a new home and her realtor was able to get her in to see a home before it was listed. 

There are a few homes in Los Angeles that have basements. I recently saw a home listed in Santa Monica with a basement but it was an older home that looked like it belonged on the east coast. 

I am not really liking Christina's design choices this season. She is usually almost always on point with her designs.  Now it seems as though everything is either crazy patters or the colors are too bold. I feel like she is slowly moving into Flip or Flop Las Vegas design choices territory. 

[saylubee]

Didn't they say in one of the follow up shows that one of the guest flippers they've featured now works for them finding new properties?  I'd guess they are the California version of the "WE BUY UGLY HOUSES!" letter offering pennies for the property.  Then there are the people that probably like seeing their old weird houses on TV.  I know I'd be tempted if I inherited a junk house that I'd never want to live in.

I also wonder if maybe some of these houses aren't auction homes and they just fake the intro.  Easy enough to have a producer on the other side of the call pretending to negotiate then it is to stage an auction.

[ByaNose]

I didn't care for the chevrontile for the kitchen peninsula. Way too busy when walking the front door. It didn't look as bad when used on the bathrooms floors. The (non) master closet was a total failure and for the price of the house it was highway robbery. Everything else looked nice.  I liked the outside house color in the dark gray/blue/black (what color was it?) and, lasndscaping was well done considering what they had to work with. That said, for that price the asked and living in California I want a built in ground pool in my backyard. Hell to the No. LOL!!!!

[MsTree]

7 hours ago, DallasGypsy said:

Anyone else notice Christina baring her teeth at Tarik when he suggested taking out the black/white chevron on the peninsula?  And she practically screamed "What!!?" at him.   She did something similar later in the episode but without the yelling.  Not a good look.

And, perhaps the cameras are not being as flattering to her because it seems that she has the beginnings of a double chin.

Definitely noticed. In fact, I think she's becoming increasingly nasty towards Tarek to the point where I can't stand her anymore.

She really needs to listen to his suggestions once in a while because I think he speaks for the masses. But no, everything's all about Christina. Ugh!

[MsTree]

^^^ A thousand times yes! HGTV should just cancel the show, or give it to Tarek and Izzy.  Christina is getting on my last nerve lately. Knock it off Christina, ok?

[LizBug]

Quote

But no, everything's all about Christina.

Definitely, MsTree.  Even when she's letting Taylor choose tiles and colors.  She humors her and then says, "We'll go with this one" (which was Christina's choice).  

Taylor is getting so big and, it seems, is not as well groomed as she was before.  Her hair was definitely messy.  Of course, that may be part of her learning to do it herself.

[MaKaM]

On 2017-06-20 at 11:40 PM, Maharincess said:

A lot of those messy houses are probably fake just like everything else on this show. I'm sure they have some PAs messing everything up to make the fix up look even better. 

Nothing about this show seems real. Especially Christina and Tarek. 

The one I thought seemed particularly staged was the one a few seasons ago where they bought the house that had nice laminate flooring and then over the weekend, the owners had a party and "trashed" the house. Including taking a hammer to portions of the flooring. Color me not convinced. The party part, maybe (though aren't there rules about the condition of the house at purchase matching the "at possession" condition?) but someone just happened to have a hammer ready and decided to use it on the floor? Now an big bubble/laminate explosion because water was left standing on it? I could have bought that. They just didn't like the laminate and needed an excuse to get rid of it and conjure up some "drama" and sent a production assistant in to vandalize it. At least that is how I saw it.

[Hotel Diva]

I hate how it was the same tile on the floor and bathroom. It was just ugly. They were disagreeing a lot on this episode, actually. The floors looked amazing. 

Anyone know why it is illegal to expand a bedroom into a garage? I predict the owner was a thief who was just trying to get away with himself, and he closed the garage up with his walls. I think the police might have caught him driving fast with the material in his hand, trying to get to his new house before they put him in cuffs and arrested him. It is illegal to turn a garage into a living space.

Can this forum be renamed "All Episodes Talk: Flipping in Tennis Shoes"? All I need is one last person to slip wearing flip flops during reno or construction.

[answerphone]

Or how about "Precariously walking thru litter-filled homes in spike heels"?

[answerphone]

I don't believe for a minute the majority of buyers would choose her wacky, bold designs. Everyone has their own taste and I'd guess there's plenty of negative comments, but they're not televised. For their company to have been successful, they would have a few stock favorites they usually choose from; white cabinets, dark cabinets, ditto the flooring, and light, medium and dark granite.  All of them in stock and ready to go. They wouldn't be wasting time going to building supply stores, sometimes with two young kids, if they're on a strict time line and doing multiple flips at once. It's all for TV. 

[Oldernowiser]

I only recently started watching HGTV again after several years...where are all these women learning to talk??? The vocabulary consists of design catch phrases strung together with "totally," "literally," and "like" used interchangeably. Then the voice itself...nails, meet chalkboard.

They spend a fortune on hair and makeup...they can't spring for a few sessions with a vocal coach? 

I had to turn it off, totally, and like, literally.

[Oldernowiser]

The chevron is already dated. Bad enough to use it, bad enough to use it in such a "look at me!!!" black and white, but then to put in on the island? 

In two years, they'll have some TV couple wrinkling up their noses and sniffing, "This is all SO DATED. It will have to go!"

[amcfar]

On 7/15/2017 at 3:08 AM, MsTree said:

^^^ A thousand times yes! HGTV should just cancel the show, or give it to Tarek and Izzy. Christina is getting on my last nerve lately. Knock it off Christina, ok?

I'm in favor of this idea!

Edited July 17, 2017 by amcfar

[psychoticstate]

I hated that chevron tile.  Like Tarek said, it was way too busy.  I wouldn't want it on my bathroom floor period but if it had to be there, just as an accent, not the whole damn floor.  And most certainly NOT on the island.  WTF?  What happened to just painting it?  At least that way if the buyer doesn't particularly care for the color, it's a relatively easy change. 

I know it's supposedly cost effective for them to use the same tile in all bathrooms and then again on the fireplace (or island) but to me, it screams "builder special."  I'd want it to look a little more custom and would rather have less expensive but different tile in each bathroom.  It doesn't have to be wildly different; they could do variations of the same color scheme or theme but not EXACTLY the same.

For house flipping, Orange County is insanely expensive.  I understand why we're seeing a lot of Garden Grove.  There are a lot of "starter" homes there with many built in the 80s so it's a prime location to find homes that need updating and where you can make a decent return on your investment. 

I was driving through Newport Beach maybe 2 months ago and saw a T&C Construction van, headed toward the peninsula.  I'm guessing they were headed to a job site.

[sue450]

On 7/2/2017 at 2:19 PM, sue450 said:

flip or flop atlanta is starting later this week......and the wife is not blonde for a change...I liked them in the commercial...guess we will see!

I made a mistake flip or flop atlanta  starts july 20th....I couldn't remember which site I posted this on and happened in here...couldn't edit but repost with correct date

[iMonrey]

Maybe it doesn't make any sense but I would never want the same tile in my bathroom and in my kitchen or in any other living space. It would just remind me of the bathroom. Kind of like how some people don't want the toilet paper in the same grocery bag with the food I guess.

Quote

My guess is that they have regular realtors they work with who let them know about houses that are about to go on the market. My friend is working with a realtor to find a new home and her realtor was able to get her in to see a home before it was listed. 

Why would a realtor want to do themselves out of a commission? It makes more sense for a realtor to want to list the property and drive up the bids so they get a higher commission. I think it's more likely someone working for T&C have a way of finding these places (or, as someone above suggested, they have become so well-known that property sellers seek them out. Who knows - maybe there are fliers all over Garden Grove with T&C's website on it). 

[doodlebug]

48 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Maybe it doesn't make any sense but I would never want the same tile in my bathroom and in my kitchen or in any other living space. It would just remind me of the bathroom. Kind of like how some people don't want the toilet paper in the same grocery bag with the food I guess.

Why would a realtor want to do themselves out of a commission? It makes more sense for a realtor to want to list the property and drive up the bids so they get a higher commission. I think it's more likely someone working for T&C have a way of finding these places (or, as someone above suggested, they have become so well-known that property sellers seek them out. Who knows - maybe there tare fliers all over Garden Grove with T&C's website on it). 

T&C do offer all cash and a quick close on properties.  If a seller is interested in getting their money ASAP, calling someone like T&C who've been around long enough to have a rep for reliability, could well make sense rather than waiting for an offer, having the buyer have to work to get financing and running the risk of the whole thing falling apart and having to start all over again.

[ByaNose]

On ‎7‎/‎17‎/‎2017 at 0:11 AM, Oldernowiser said:

The chevron is already dated. Bad enough to use it, bad enough to use it in such a "look at me!!!" black and white, but then to put in on the island? 

In two years, they'll have some TV couple wrinkling up their noses and sniffing, "This is all SO DATED. It will have to go!"

Yeah, I think the chevron tile (or, any tile) on the island is too limiting. In theory, they should just paint it a neutral color and call it a day. It would save tons of money but this is "drama" for a television show. That was the only thing I didn't like about the house. That island was way too in your face when you walked in the door.

[Finagler]

I wish they would revisit some of these houses to show us what the homeowners changed after they've lived in it for a while.  That black and white tile would have been the first thing to go.

 

ugly.