Renovation Realities - General Discussion

[Null 302]

Editor's Note:

Discuss Renovation Realities Here!

 

OK, here we can chat about the show generally, not limited to a specific episode. I'm pasting below what I originally posted in the Small Talk topic:

Oh, man, I miss the DIY Channel. Eighteen months ago I cut out cable TV. It's saved me a ton of money even after I pay to keep up with my handful of must-see cable shows via Hulu, Amazon streaming, iTunes, and Netflix. It's been hard to find many of the DIY shows, though.

Renovation Realities is now on Amazon, and I sometimes tune into an old episode just for the Schadenfreude. I'll have to check in here for the latest misadventures. I've called shenanigans on some episodes in the past, as being just too stupid not to be staged. But I'd hate to think that all of them were phony.

I can't remember his name, but I think my all time most hated guy in this series was the obnoxious guy with the equally unlikable wife who set out to build/replace a deck in his backyard. He expressed contempt for the local building codes, his neighbors, and I think the world in general. Because he of course was so infinitely superior to all of them. I think he lassoed a friend in to helping him, then treated the friend abominably. I was just astonished that he had any friends. My grasp of the rest of the details of that mess has failed me. I just remember how easy he was to hate.

EDITED to add: I've now found that at diynetwork.com they have full episodes of RR available to stream, for free. I haven't explored it all but it looks like most of not all of the shows are there. If I find the one with the obnoxious guy I'll add the episode info to identify him.

Edited January 9, 2019 by kariyaki

[auntjess]

I see the Ellis job, which I was told was the "how hard can it be" good ol' boy, listed in the middle of the night, early Sunday 4/13, on DIY.

[mojito]

If ever you need incentive to save up more money to hire a competent contractor, just tune into this show.

If ever you think it'll take 5 days to complete a project, just tune into this show.

If ever you need a decent chuckle, just tune into this show.

[cattykit]

 

I think my all time most hated guy in this series was the obnoxious guy with the equally unlikable wife who set out to build/replace a deck in his backyard.

Wow, I'd forgotten about that guy.  He was on a LONG time ago.  I think he was in NJ, no?

I do notice that certain geographic areas tend to be heavily represented.  I see a lot of Knoxville, TN, for instance.  Does DIY actively recruit for certain cities?

[auntjess]

DIY is showing some episodes on a similar sounding show, Renovation Rookies from a couple of years ago. 
They're on tomorrow, late morning.

 

I watched the Ally job, because the guy had a southern accent, but he wasn't the "how hard can it be?" guy either.

[equinoxx]

I liked The Ally Job (Georgia girl renovates her kitchen with help from her cousin), pretty much entirely for Ally and Dustin's relationship. They were fairly competent overall, and while they had a couple of minor setbacks, there were no major disasters. My favorite part of that job is when they got to the third day, right in the middle of the reno, where they're exhausted and frazzled and get on each other's last nerve; they walk away from one another and sulk separately for about a half hour and then... they're over it. They go right back to working side-by-side like nothing happened. It was just such a family thing, and I totally got it.

In the end, Ally got the kitchen she wanted, on time and under budget, and then is all, "I guess we'll tackle the bathroom next week?" And Dustin's just, "I'm goin' on vacation next week." Cue intertitles: "Dustin finally agreed to help with Ally's bathroom renovation... but only after a much needed break from each other."

Edited June 18, 2014 by equinoxx

[LittleIggy]

Wow, I'd forgotten about that guy.  He was on a LONG time ago.  I think he was in NJ, no?

Yeah, NJ. I watched that one at the diy website tonight. I love that it said the friend who had helped him was no longer returning his calls. I just started watching this show online and am hooked. I love the snarky captions!

[auntjess]

I saw one tonight, don't know if it's new, but a fireman and his buddy were replacing a stairway.

They'd had to take out a load-bearing wall and were putting up a temporary support, but it sure looked like that temp support was leaning in to the beam, rather than being under it.
And I'd be afraid to use the plugs in there, unless they late called in an electrician.

[LittleIggy]

People doing their own electrical freaks me out.

[LittleIggy]

If you want to DIY that's fine for most things, but why not budget for a licensed electrician to do the potentially dangerous stuff?

[LittleIggy]

I just watched an episode in which a married couple who were both in wheelchairs (she could stand up and walk some) renovated the master bathroom to make it wheelchair accessible. Their son-in-law helped them. He did the plumbing with the results you would expect from someone who wasn't a plumber!

[auntjess]

The Treatt Job is on tonight, 8/16, at 9:30 ET.

How not to use a chainsaw.

[cattykit]

Could not believe the couple in AZ taking out a perfectly good LR and kitchen with granite countertops.  I never rooted so hard for a fail, and they had several fails.  Stand on a brand new marble countertop and be surprised that it cracks.  And I loved that the concrete countertop broke, too.  The subway tile was fugly.  I hate it when Nicole Curtis uses subway tile in every one of her renos and I hated it here.  They could have just taken out the half-wall and redone the floor and it would have been perfectly fine.

 

However, the puppy was beyond adorable.

[GaT]

Just watched "The Harris Job" & I'm amazed at how much I hate the husband. I believe the wife really is trying to kill him, I would.

[MsTree]

...and the fact that the idiot couldn't figure out why his air gun didn't work. Um, how about turning on the compressor dufus?

[RedKoolAide]

He was extremely annoying. Counting the spoonfuls left of oatmeal was what made me stabby. The wife did most of the floor demo. Their kitchen was beautiful when they finished.

[mojito]

I liked the Harrises. The oatmeal thing was just him trying to get under his wife's skin; it seemed clear to me that this was how this couple operated: messing with each other. She goes down as one of the most useful and game wives I've ever seen on the show.

[GaT]

I just watched “The Wright Job” with the 2 women trying to remodel the master bedroom of a bed and breakfast. These women were so over the heads, I can’t even imagine what made them think they could do this. I was afraid watching them the whole time. They had never used power tools, they knew nothing about structure or wiring, & they were just hacking away. They budgeted $8,000 & ended up spending over $15,000 & finishing 3 months later.  It didn’t say they hired someone to do the work, but I can’t imagine any way they did it themselves.

[Linky Loo]

I just watched “The Wright Job” with the 2 women trying to remodel the master bedroom of a bed and breakfast. These women were so over the heads, I can’t even imagine what made them think they could do this. I was afraid watching them the whole time. They had never used power tools, they knew nothing about structure or wiring, & they were just hacking away. They budgeted $8,000 & ended up spending over $15,000 & finishing 3 months later.  It didn’t say they hired someone to do the work, but I can’t imagine any way they did it themselves.

 

I found a story about the Wright job.  It was definitely beyond the women, but not for the "guest" contractor husband.

 

http://www.pressrepublican.com/news/people/huge-home-spurs-dreams/article_1240140a-3c9f-5a45-8858-6b2bbec11feb.html

Edited May 7, 2015 by Linky Loo

[GaT]

I found a story about the Wright job.  It was definitely beyond the women, but not for the "guest" contractor husband.

 

http://www.pressrepublican.com/news/people/huge-home-spurs-dreams/article_1240140a-3c9f-5a45-8858-6b2bbec11feb.html

Thanks for the link. They really had no clue about what they were doing.

[GaT]

I just watched the McDowell Job, & boy did that look like a setup for the show. The husband is a contractor, but since he’s on vacation, he isn’t doing the job. The wife, who has absolutely no experience & her BFF, who also has no experience, are going to do it. No surprise, they can barely move the furniture, never mind do the reno. I think they must have gotten paid for doing the show, & they used the money to pay the contractors to do the reno. Also, who has their kitchen & master bedroom together? Why wouldn’t they leave the kitchen where it is, instead of moving it to the 2nd floor with the master bedroom? 

[chessiegal]

I just watched the McDowell Job, & boy did that look like a setup for the show. The husband is a contractor, but since he’s on vacation, he isn’t doing the job. The wife, who has absolutely no experience & her BFF, who also has no experience, are going to do it. No surprise, they can barely move the furniture, never mind do the reno. I think they must have gotten paid for doing the show, & they used the money to pay the contractors to do the reno. Also, who has their kitchen & master bedroom together? Why wouldn’t they leave the kitchen where it is, instead of moving it to the 2nd floor with the master bedroom? 

That whole show was so off. All we saw them do is move stuff and tear things out. It made no sense at all. And if they could barely get the mattress up the stairs, there is no way box springs would fit - that they didn't show. Very weird.

Edited November 22, 2015 by chessiegal

[GaT]

Who does demo and construction in SANDALS???

 

You're not a Rehab Addict watcher, are you? It drives me crazy when I see Nicole Curtis walking around the construction site in her little sandals & tiny shorts.

[Spunkygal]

One of my favorite episodes recently aired again. Curt Willis enlisted the help of friend Rock to build a deck. Their banter was so hilarious. I personally would not want a movie screen in my backyard but these two are so cute that I want to be their friend and get invited over!

And I, too, could not believe my eyes that Mr. Smug wore open toed sandals. Idiot.

[Josette]

New episodes have been airing back top back on Saturdays. 

[Blergh]

It's amazing to me how many times folks wanting to knock out kitchen walls seem genuinely surprised that said walls often contain drainage pipes from the upstairs commodes directly overhead. Hello, did you all think it zigzagged under floor to the outside wall?

 

 Speaking of commodes- why would any grown person not realize that one should  completely drain and scrub out said fixture beforeattempting to MOVE it?

 

 But what do I know? I'm a complete home repair klutz who still thinks its silly to want to record and broadcast to the world my reno fails.

[Mittengirl]

The toilet issue bugs me as well. If you flush the toilet, scrub it, then flush again, there is no "pee water" to splash on yourself. Or do these people not know how toilets work?

I can't believe how many people decide to mess with electricity when they admit to knowing nothing about it. Recipe for disaster. Although it does seem to me that a very high percentage of these people have a relative or friend who knows construction and just happens to be available and willing to help when the phone rings.

Another thing that has always bugged me is all of the people kicking in drywall instead of just tearing it down. So I kind of laughed last night when a guy got a nail in his foot from kicking down a wall. His dad then asked if he was now ready to just pull it down instead. Ha!

Another episode featured a woman using a power drill to mix cement. She had very long hair that was not pulled back and I kept waiting for it to get tangled in the drill. Alas it did not, which disappointed me greatly.

[Sup wit dat]

I stopped watching this show for a couple years because the renovators got way too over the top clueless for me to tolerate. But this season is much better so I'm hooked. :)

My favorite episode from a long time ago was of two nerdy guys. Whenever they ran into a problem they'd put it off and say getting it done was 'future us.' I say that now! 'Future me will get it done.' I love that saying. Wish I could find that episode again.

[mojito]

When are husbands going to STOP trying to get their wives to hang drywall on the ceiling?

[auntjess]

You can rent a thing that hoists and holds the drywall up there, but don't know the costs.
Also, splurge on drywall installers.

[Mondrianyone]

I was wondering if anyone but me was watching the new season!

I really like this show and the humor of it.  I just kind of wish they'd stray from the same old formula occasionally.  Ridiculously unrealistic timeline, something goes wrong (even something totally minor) or someone gets a cold, the project comes to a screeching halt.  I get that they can't spend more than five days or so shooting at the people's house, but there must be some way to work around that issue that isn't so predictable.

On the father/daughter kitchen reno last week, I would've happily duct-taped the daughter's mouth shut and locked her in her own basement while her dad was allowed to work alone in peace and quiet.  Not everyone who thinks she's adorable really is adorable.  There's a reason we all aren't on TV.

[mojito]

You're not alone. I've been tuning in, too.

Couldn't believe the woman who didn't care about the load-bearing wall. Damn it, she wanted to watch her kids from the kitchen, and that wall was coming down. This couple didn't seem to plan a thing. They didn't check the wall situation first,  realize that they'd need a larger car to pick up the drywall, or know that the cabinets would have to be in place for the granite template to be measured.

[chessiegal]

Just watched a repeat with Whitnee and Cody who had a beautiful renovated kitchen with granite countertops and very nice cabinets gut it because she couldn't see into the family room when she cooked. So they lose cabinet space to take down half a wall, replace the granite with ugly concrete, replace a very nice large tile backsplash with generic white subway tile, put in some open shelving held up by pipes - the end product was so much uglier than the start. Really unusual for this show - I think a first for me. smh

[SandyToes]

I just saw that one!  And I kept looking for storage as well!  I know at the beginning they mentioned something about a pantry or something, but it did look like they only gained a little more counter top space, but lost cabinetry.  But being able to see the rest of the house would be a big plus, so I can appreciate that, but the pipes and planks just puzzled me.  I was wondering if this was the ep references above about ripping out a load-bearing wall. 

[GaT]

They've been dumping multiple episodes of this show every Saturday (except this past Saturday, there was only one), I wonder why? I believe they're all new episodes, it just seems odd to not put the show on for a very long time, then show 3 or 4 episodes in a night.

[Mondrianyone]

I agree, it's odd.  I watched two new episodes last night.  The first was a couple in L.A. redoing the master bath in what looked like a pretty expensive house.  All we got to see in the show itself was demo.  They couldn't get a P-trap for their bathroom sink, so they had to shut down the reno.  What else is new?  I Googled the woman's name, since I wondered how being a "blogger" could buy her a house like that.  It turns out she's a yoga teacher to the stars, so that makes a little more sense.

Second epi had a thoroughly obnoxious wife in a couple also redoing their master bath.  She was constantly "on."  Five minutes in, I was muttering, "Stop auditioning already."  And then she mentioned wanting to do a second project and be filmed for that one, too.  I'll be sure to have something else to do that night.  On the upside, they actually finished their project.  That happened on another episode last week.  Maybe the producers are listening to us gripe.

Edited August 14, 2016 by Mondrianyone
typo

[Spunkygal]

On August 14, 2016 at 3:02 PM, Mondrianyone said:

I agree, it's odd.  I watched two new episodes last night.  The first was a couple in L.A. redoing the master bath in what looked like a pretty expensive house.  All we got to see in the show itself was demo.  They couldn't get a P-trap for their bathroom sink, so they had to shut down the reno.  What else is new?  I Googled the woman's name, since I wondered how being a "blogger" could buy her a house like that.  It turns out she's a yoga teacher to the stars, so that makes a little more sense.

Second epi had a thoroughly obnoxious wife in a couple also redoing their master bath.  She was constantly "on."  Five minutes in, I was muttering, "Stop auditioning already."  And then she mentioned wanting to do a second project and be filmed for that one, too.  I'll be sure to have something else to do that night.  On the upside, they actually finished their project.  That happened on another episode last week.  Maybe the producers are listening to us gripe.

I continue to watch this show but it is quickly losing its charm for me. The two episodes that Mondrianyone mentioned really irritated me. The yoga blogger..yeesh! If she shouted "woo hoo!" one more time, I was going to twist her leg around her neck. And she didn't do a dang thing. And I laugh when anyone uses a battery powered drill. Yeah, years and years and years ago I learned my lesson. If it doesn't plug in, it doesn't have enough power. So yoga blogger's guy didn't go to the store to buy a drill...he just waited for the LONE lame battery to charge. And he gets defeated by a p-trap? 

But Randi Harvey who was always "on" takes the cake. She did pull her weight on the reno, but OMG. She wore me out. DNA Hair Baby was the stupidest thing I think I've ever heard. They did finish the bath but I slurped down the wine to get through her cuteness and constant auditioning. So glad I am not this chick's neighbor.

oh, the couple that didn't check whether it was a load bearing wall and she didn't care what was holding up the a/c and kept crying....I wanted to slap her. Why were they even on the show? Shit, I am pushing 60 and last summer accomplished more demo in three days by my own self than they did in however long they were supposed to have "demo'd". I should have given RR a heads up to come film me and my rather cute behind as I worked my guts out everyday.

I flushed Fixer Upper after last season and I am afraid that RR is circling the drain too. See what I did there?

[Mondrianyone]

I do see what you did there!  And I agree with everything in your post.

It's a relief to know that somewhere else in America, another woman was yelling at her TV screen, "Go out and buy a corded drill, you moron!"  Jeez, you can get one at Walmart for probably 30-40 bucks.  Is his time worth that little?

[mojito]

I like that the homeowners of late are finishing their projects and show some knowledge or ability to research before (or during) renovation. Spunkygal, I gave up on Fixer Upper during the second season when they decided to make Chip a celebrity, and would be giving up on RR were it not for a couple of recent shows.

Things people frequently say or do on Renovation Realities:

* "I'm so over this."

* Bzzzz (sound of shock)

* "I can't hold this much longer." (woman holding drywall to ceiling, of course)

[Spunkygal]

Enjoyed a recent episode. I think their names are Matt and Tina. They live in Carmel, IN and I fell in love with the front and back of the house. So pretty! They renovated their master bath and there was not too much drama. They were cute working together. I really enjoyed their new bathroom. And as they walked through the house during the episode, it looked beautifully and tastefully decorated. They're crazy if they ever move. The neighborhood looked so cared for and quiet. So this afternoon I went out shopping for new bedroom furniture and linens and paint!!!

[CrazyInAlabama]

DIY is having another marathon of this.    I'm surprised that no one died doing this show.   Apparently today's show theme is 'replace your kitchen' but most look about the same after, as they did before.    I'm sure since this show has been off for so long, that the kitchens are so outdated, since they use everything trendy.   

The "Nyebrink Job" is hysterical.   The husband got zapped a couple of times, the wife insisted they were the blue booties to shield the floors, but then finally stopped when she almost slipped off the counter removing cabinets.    Also, they're filling in the space without floor tile that the old cabinets covered, with plywood, including under the fridge, and sink.  Then, they put what looks like cheap laminate on top of the subfloor, even under the cabinets.   Then they scratch the new floor, and the upper cabinets weren't firmly pushed against the wall, so they're tilting forward.     One water leak, and they're going to have a lot of rot going on under their cabinets, and separating laminate.    

There were some seriously scary moments on the series.   The last one I remember seeing was one of the final episodes, where a man wanted to fix his terraced back yard, and was using a chain saw for the first time.   The chain saw bounced back, and hit his sweater, didn't even touch him.   

The other time the camera operator told everyone to leave the house, because the homeowners hit a live gas line.      The camera guy telling everyone to get out, and call 911 saved a lot of lives.    

Edited November 26, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[auntjess]

I just got this notification in my email.  
This had sounded familiar, but when I got this email, I really remembered.  
I'll have to look and see which ones are there.
I remember watching one, and the cameraman finally yelled run.

[auntjess]

I can't see any more upcoming.
I remembered another one, when the guy was standing on a hill, and trimming is tree with a chainsaw, and it almost got him in the neck.
I'll keep checking to see if it shows up again.

 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I think that was the last episode, the chain saw kicked back, hit on his shoulder, neck, and he didn't even have a scratch.   You could tell the camera crew was upset.   I really thought he was going to die, right on the TV screen.     His back yard didn't really look any better after they finished either.