Restored - General Discussion

[Mrs peel]

On ‎4‎/‎6‎/‎2017 at 11:36 PM, biakbiak said:

I wish for a followup mainly to see where they all put their televisions.

My major beef with the show.  Especially in these smaller houses, Brett usually doesn't have a TV anywhere (there was one show where the carpenter did huge built-in for a TV in a very small den).  It's just now how people live today.

[izabella]

OMG, all the white in the second house they did last night was blinding.  Every room was white upon white, except the bathroom where there was black penny tile to go with all the white in the room.

Loved how the house in the first reno turned out, but she used color there, so much less sterile.

[biakbiak]

Wait this show is back? Must go fix my season pass!

56 minutes ago, izabella said:

Loved how the house in the first reno turned out, but she used color there, so much less sterile.

Oh wait she?, are you talking about a different show or did Brett add someone?

Edited March 21, 2019 by biakbiak

[chessiegal]

6 hours ago, biakbiak said:

Wait this show is back? Must go fix my season pass!

Oh wait she?, are you talking about a different show or did Brett add someone?

Different show - "Restored by the Fords".

[izabella]

Oh, jeez, sorry!  I didn't realize there could be two reno shows called Restored/Restored with the Fords.

Edited March 21, 2019 by izabella

[laredhead]

My DVR recorded what I think is a new episode of Restored.  Brett was in Fontana, California restoring a Spanish style house.  As usual, the finished restoration was beautiful, and there was the added bonus of revamping the front yard landscaping.  I don't think the average homeowner could have done all of that work on a $95,000 budget, but I am assuming that deeply discounted materials, and perhaps some labor made this one possible for that amount.  Hope this is the first of several new episodes. 

[CruiseDiva]

7 hours ago, laredhead said:

My DVR recorded what I think is a new episode of Restored. 

Yes, that was a new episode. So glad to see Restored has a new season. Brett's work and the historical aspects are so interesting and the results are always stunning.

[Irlandesa]

7 hours ago, laredhead said:

Hope this is the first of several new episodes. 

I think I read there will be six episodes this season.  So fewer than in the past but I'm glad it's back.

[friendperidot]

I don't have a dvr, and I'm terrible at scrolling through show guides, so when and where is this on? It was one of the first shows I watched when I got streaming a couple of years ago. I like this one a lot. And I agree, not so big on "open concept."

[Irlandesa]

32 minutes ago, friendperidot said:

I don't have a dvr, and I'm terrible at scrolling through show guides, so when and where is this on?

It's on the DIY Network at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

[friendperidot]

Irlandesa, thank you. I'll look for it.

[Irlandesa]

2 hours ago, friendperidot said:

Irlandesa, thank you. I'll look for it.

Oops.  Forgot to mention Wednesdays. 

[friendperidot]

thank you again!

[biakbiak]

Thanks for the heads up. I had to switch DVRs a few months ago and though this wasn’t coming back but was able to set it and get the first two eps of the new season. 

I know that they only can do a few rooms but I would love to see a full floor plan/tour just to see how the house works as a whole.

[laredhead]

Loved the restoration of the Dutch Colonial.  Would have been nice to see what the rest of the house looked like.  People who like an open concept were probably shrieking when the pass through from the dining room to the kitchen was closed.  I liked the trellis piece over the sunroom better than having a railing and balustrades along the roof top.  A pretty vine would look nice planted on it.   

[Vivigirl10]

The Dutch Colonial restoration was great, as usual.  Although, all the joys of rehabbing the home are the central focus of this show, I just absolutely love the owners and extra people that are involved too! How do they find such gosh-darn wholesome and wonderful people?  Is it a requirement that you are an exceptional person if you like to salvage old homes?  I think Brett is a special soul and all around good guy, but I typically like the rest of the people featured as well.  The older folks are especially touching, like the Mother in the Dutch Colonial episode.  This show leaves me all warm and fuzzy feeling.  It's not like anything else on t.v.    

[friendperidot]

thank you so much for letting me know this show had some new episodes. I finally remembered to watch today and I think I am caught up on the new season, it's on an episode right now that I've seen before, I like the Mission Revival house, it was one of my favorites.  I think I'm going to switch over to Supermarket Sweep now though.

[biakbiak]

1930s Spanish Bungalow: I wonder if the reason they tore down the laundry room addition because it was not permitted and not up to code. It looks tons better. And the outdoor space looked lovely both now before it fills out and will look even more.

I get that she said she wanted it and it was next to her sewing room but I would have no use for an ironing board in the kitchen. 

The stove was beautiful but I really hate not having counter space near the stove. And the placement of it between two doorways would also be annoying.

I hate his aversion to TVs. Yes the room looked lovely but the furniture plan wasn’t great for a tv which is clearly one of the things that room was used for and they had a large one in there before the reno.

it appeared they got rid of the half bath which is another reason I wish we saw finished floor plans for the whole house. 

Edited July 25, 2019 by biakbiak

[laredhead]

I also wondered about the loss of the half bath, but since it was so small and in an awkward place, it probably wasn't used that much.  The occupants were the mother and her young daughter, so one bath was probably an OK plan.  The back porch was a much better feature than that shack looking room that was there previously.  I also would have liked some counter space at least on one side of the range, and would have sacrificed that part of the originality to get it.  The range was beautiful, and I wish they had stated the price of that thing.  Loved the changes in the outdoor front courtyard. 

[biakbiak]

30 minutes ago, laredhead said:

range was beautiful, and I wish they had stated the price of that thing.  Loved the changes in the outdoor front courtyard. 

There was a chryon that said it was $6,000.

[laredhead]

I'm a mid-century style fan, so last night's episode was right up my alley.  California has such beautiful houses in all styles - bungalows, Spanish, mid-century, etc.  The finished remodel was beautiful, and I loved the kitchen wall tile color.  It's not going to be a favorite or many people I know, but I liked it.  Does anyone know if the remodel budget includes the furnishings?  I thought the 2 chairs were very pricey, and they could have saved some $$ there.  The fireplace brick looked like it had been painted in the reveal, because it did not look like that when they were cleaning it.    

[Dessert]

I love his show. What they did with the mid-century house was amazing - especially the entrance, the foyer, and the kitchen. I wish they had shown where they found that astonishing front door. Loved the kitchen tile! ...and that cement tile with the circles that was used in the entrance and the foyer!

[biakbiak]

24 minutes ago, Dessert said:

especially the entrance, 

I loved it too and found it interesting that the last two episodes have featured losing interior square footage which is something that most real estate professionals would say was a horrible idea but they made the house function better and provided beautiful working outdoor spaces that added value in my opinion. I still think last weeks teardown was probably because it was non-permitted and might be required but this week clearly wasn’t and both worked very well.  

[laredhead]

Dessert, they said the door came from a mid-century house in another city in California (can't remember where) that was being torn down.  The door was jaw dropping.

[msrachelj]

First home I did not like. I think some mid century modern's are stunning. But this was just too cold. The door was incredible but I don't care if the glass is not clear, you can still see into the house if you get close. Not for me. And the kitchen tile color was horrendous. 

It's getting to be a little hard to watch, being a paycheck to paycheck gal, all this money being put into these transformations and the wealthy people who can afford it. Last nights husband looked familiar? Was he a "celebrity" in any way? 

[biakbiak]

Given that this was another episode this season that converted interior space to exterior space I wonder how “surprised” they were that it used to be a porch and how they choose the houses for the seasons.

[CruiseDiva]

17 hours ago, biakbiak said:

Given that this was another episode this season that converted interior space to exterior space I wonder how “surprised” they were that it used to be a porch and how they choose the houses for the seasons.

The porch turned out beautiful with the brick floor. Personally, instead of benches on either side of the porch I'd have preferred a couple comfortable chairs, a full length door for more privacy, and screening inside those shutters to keep out the bugs so I could actually sit outside and use it. The living room was still meh with the long sofa against the wall and only one chair. It was rather barren looking, but with the fireplace so oddly positioned the furniture placement will always be difficult. On the other hand, I thought the dining room was much improved and the kitchen was stunning.

The homeowner wife looked so underwhelmed during the reveal that I would have loved to know what she was thinking.

[laredhead]

Cruise Diva, I thought the same thing about the woman homeowner.  I am guessing that this probably isn't the first time the homeowners have seen their finished house, so maybe she was trying to act surprised.  If not, then she didn't seem all that happy with the final result.  The kitchen was certainly an improvement over the old one.  That house was only 1200 sf with 2 bedrooms and only 1 bathroom.  There isn't much space for a family to gather.  I guess the kids would play in their bedroom, but kids grow up and that bedroom is going seem smaller.  I would have found a way to incorporate that porch into some usable interior space.  Yes,  the goal of the show is to restore, but in this case, if I were the homeowners, I would have opted for more interior square footage. 

[izabella]

I think I would have opted for more interior space.  It's a very cute cottage, but it is small and lacks storage space  That's probably why that side porch had been closed up into a room in the first place.  I suspect they will eventually want to turn that into an enclosed porch with a full door and windows so they have a place to put shoes and jackets and stuff.

[msrachelj]

House is way too small for that family. Again no TV. And come the **** on! White couches? Who has white couches with children? I can't see them period but with kids?!  Didn't like this one either. Too white washed. 

[friendperidot]

I was thinking pretty much the same things, 1200 sq ft with 2 young children might be fine, but at 12 and 13 are they going to want to share a room? I liked the porch, but agree, I would want chairs and screens and a full door, but those are changes that can be added later.

I didn't care for the all white living room, but I never do, I have large dogs and that's not too different that very young children, white is out! But, they can add color, and add family touches, personal items, pictures, those are what make a home. This was for staging. I wouldn't want to live in such a high end historical home because I want to live in my home. I'm glad the house is restored, but I don't want to live with all one period and style. I like more color, more eclectic furniture, I like a lot of styles and eras and couldn't possible settle on one to live with. And most families don't either, they get pieces as they can afford them or need them, maybe they try to stay in a general era, I'm in a FB group of Mid Century fanatics and while I like MC, I also like Art Deco and Victorian.

[sheetmoss]

On 8/11/2019 at 9:41 AM, msrachelj said:

 And come the **** on! White couches? Who has white couches with children? I can't see them period but with kids?! 

I don't think the white sofas would be an issue, Brett probably  used a performance fabric

www.ballarddesigns.com

Typical performance fabric traits are: water resistance, stain resistance, mold and mildew resistance, light fastness, durability, and antimicrobial traits. The most common threads used for performance upholstery fabric are olefin, acrylic, nylon, and polyester.Jan 11, 2019

[laredhead]

On last night's episode, once again what was indoor space was restored to the original outdoor porch.  It looked great, and losing that space on the inside didn't seem to be a loss for the owners because it wasn't really used by them.  The California cooler was a new one for me, and I am assuming that house had a basement, because the effectiveness of the cooler depended on a basement.  That would never work here in Louisiana where our humidity rates are very high.  We don't have basements for the most part either, because they turn into indoor swimming pools because the water table is also high.  I was not wild about the furniture, and it did not look comfortable or practical for being in what I assume was the only room where the family could gather together.  I hope it was for staging purposes only.  The wife in this episode was definitely more excited about the transformation than the one in last week's episode.  

[Jeeves]

On 8/11/2019 at 11:54 AM, friendperidot said:

I was thinking pretty much the same things, 1200 sq ft with 2 young children might be fine, but at 12 and 13 are they going to want to share a room? I liked the porch, but agree, I would want chairs and screens and a full door, but those are changes that can be added later.

I didn't get a good idea of how large the lot is. They may be thinking that in five or ten years they will add on to the house. They could add a new master suite at the back. Which would free up the existing bedrooms and bath for the kids. 

Or, despite vowing that this is their "forever home," they will sell it and move into something larger sometime in the future if the size of the house starts to feel cramped.

In the meantime, they have a sweet period house, with a great kitchen, charming and surprisingly spacious dining room, and a decent sized living room. The side porch is really an asset in their location, with a year round temperate climate. And, as has been noted, it wouldn't be hard to enclose it again if that were wanted. And all that stuff will be a big advantage if they sell it.

[CruiseDiva]

1 hour ago, laredhead said:

.I was not wild about the furniture, and it did not look comfortable or practical for being in what I assume was the only room where the family could gather together.  I hope it was for staging purposes only.  The wife in this episode was definitely more excited about the transformation than the one in last week's episode.  

I gasped at the prices of the piano and furniture. The total for the piano, sofa, and chair was nearly $10,000. The restoration budget was $70,000 and ended up at $76,000 due to unexpected costs. Hopefully, those period pieces were borrowed or rented for staging purposes. I can't imagine a homeowner would be happy having such a large chunk of their budget being eaten up with period furniture that they had no input into selecting.

[Jeeves]

11 minutes ago, CruiseDiva said:

 I can't imagine a homeowner would be happy having such a large chunk of their budget being eaten up with period furniture that they had no input into selecting.

I think it's show shenanigans. Either that stuff was there for staging or the homeowners did approve those purchases, despite their "surprise" reactions at the reveal.

I've always thought that in these design/renovation shows, the homeowners have more specific input and knowledge during the process than the show ever discloses. There may be some real surprises at the on-camera reveals, but. It's TV. There have to be times when the reveal has to be re-shot in whole or in part. And yet the homeowners *always* act like it's their first time to see all the stuff in the finished house/rooms. 

[biakbiak]

13 hours ago, laredhead said:

The California cooler was a new one for me, and I am assuming that house had a basement, because the effectiveness of the cooler depended on a basement.  That

Yeah they mentioned the basement when they were talking about the ducting in the living room.

That porch was glorious. 

Once again he didn’t take into account the family is going to want a tv in the living room! 

[amarante]

The furniture is not part of the restoration budget and would go back to wherever it came. The reveal would lack the wow factor if it wasn't so beautifully staged. The homeowner would probably have the option to purchase at a decorator discount since the prices they are quoted are clearly retail.

The budgets are fantasy as well and there is no way on earth any kind of those renovations could be achieved on those budgets. I would imagine it excludes most labor costs and substantial discounts on all the special materials he sources from all those shops which get a bit of promotion from being featured. I am just finishing up a major remodel in Southern California where I needed some vintage hardware and I just smiled when the Arts & Crafts sconces were remade, finished, glass put in for $300 - that was the Arts & Crafts farmhouse episode - they would have been lucky to get both sconces as is for that amount. 

This isn't knocking the show or the premise - he's an extremely talented guy and the results are always beautifully and lovingly restored - just not possible for a "normal" person who needs to hire a designer, architect, structural engineer, General contractor, various skilled and unskilled laborers plus all the materials to achieve those results without probably triple the budget.

Edited August 22, 2019 by amarante

[msrachelj]

17 hours ago, amarante said:

The furniture is not part of the restoration budget and would go back to wherever it came. The reveal would lack the wow factor if it wasn't so beautifully staged. The homeowner would probably have the option to purchase at a decorator discount since the prices they are quoted are clearly retail.

The budgets are fantasy as well and there is no way on earth any kind of those renovations could be achieved on those budgets. I would imagine it excludes most labor costs and substantial discounts on all the special materials he sources from all those shops which get a bit of promotion from being featured. I am just finishing up a major remodel in Southern California where I needed some vintage hardware and I just smiled when the Arts & Crafts sconces were remade, finished, glass put in for $300 - that was the Arts & Crafts farmhouse episode - they would have been lucky to get both sconces as is for that amount. 

This isn't knocking the show or the premise - he's an extremely talented guy and the results are always beautifully and lovingly restored - just not possible for a "normal" person who needs to hire a designer, architect, structural engineer, General contractor, various skilled and unskilled laborers plus all the materials to achieve those results without probably triple the budget.

If I could get all the unbelievable craftsmanship, hand made cabinets, landscaping and furniture for a $70,000 budget, I'd go to the bank right now for a loan. They really do you a dis service by having viewers think this is at all possible. You would need to triple that amount,  I agree, especially in CA.

[amarante]

In a few homes I have seen the air conditioning units disappear and have wondered how they solve the A/C unit. Homes were built without ducting systems so there is no ability to have central air unless you add ducting systems throughout the house. You either have units in the window or more typically especially in a climate like California where you might use A/C year round, you put it in the wall permanently. 

I think the transformations are fantastic but I don't understand the need to understate the cost of renovations to the point of it being a fantasy. Why is it necessary to make the costs of doing stuff so low as to boggle the minds of anyone who has had any work done. I can't remember which show but there was a show where a wall was opened up because it needed to go to improve the flow and the electric panel was discovered and the "cost" was $1000. I just had mine moved during a remodel and the cost was closer to $5000 for a new panel and to get electrical up to Code. You open up a wall and touch the electrical and Code is that it all has to be brought up to Code. I was told if I moved an outlet it would mean all the wiring would have to be redone - I could ADD an outlet (and I added lots of those) but if I moved an existing one, Code wouldn't grandfather in any of the wiring.

[izabella]

I've been catching reruns lately, and just really love this show!  I do feel sad sometimes when the homeowners don't want to restore something that is original to the house, though.  I saw an episode where Brett pulled up old tiles and linoleum in the kitchen floor and found the original hardwood which was in great shape, but they homeowners decided to put linoleum over it anyway because of their dogs.  Sigh.  I didn't really understand that since they had hardwood on other floors in the house.

[RoxiP]

Watched a Restored marathon last night and couldn't help but wonder whether any of those houses were lost in the California wildfires because I think that area was definitely affected.

[chediavolo]

I hope their are new houses this season and not just this rehashing. I saw it the first time!

 

[CruiseDiva]

2 hours ago, chediavolo said:

I hope their are new houses this season and not just this rehashing. I saw it the first time!

It was fun to revisit those houses, but I'm with you. I want honest-to-goodness new episodes, not rehashed shows being presented as "new" simply because they've been re-edited.

[Irlandesa]

I went on Brett Waterman's Twitter to just see what he was saying and it sounds like they started filming back in November.  I don't know how long it takes to film a season but I would imagine they got quite a few houses done in the four months or so before they had to shut down.

There's also an announcement that they're "casting" for a season set to start filming this summer so it looks like there will be a Season 5.  That makes me happy. I was worried because isn't this the network that Chip and Joanna Gaines is taking over? 

[biakbiak]

6 hours ago, chediavolo said:

I hope their are new houses this season and not just this rehashing. I saw it the first time!

 

Especially for me because I basically watch the beginning, ffwd the middle unless my boyfriend is watching, and then watch the reveal!

[chediavolo]

Well it looks like all repeats damn it but I'm watching most anyway. The last one, with the Victorian cottages...the father and young daughter, I don't know if I caught it first time around. Her minuscule make shift bedroom was behind his master bedroom. She has to walk thru daddy's room every time she wants to go in and out of her room for any reason. How is this reasonable for a grown man and a young daughter? It may work for the next couple of years but after that is feels really ICKY! Should have taken some of that reno money and configured a way to make 2 separATED bedrooms. And speaking of money. If I could get Brett to redo my home the way he does for anywhere from $50 to $100,000, I'd go to the bank Right....this....minute...I am fixing up my fixer upper and there is NO WAY it costs so little to do all that work. I can bull shit on the producers.

[CruiseDiva]

1 minute ago, chediavolo said:

Well it looks like all repeats damn it but I'm watching most anyway. The last one, with the Victorian cottages...the father and young daughter, I don't know if I caught it first time around. Her minuscule make shift bedroom was behind his master bedroom. She has to walk thru daddy's room every time she wants to go in and out of her room for any reason. How is this reasonable for a grown man and a young daughter? It may work for the next couple of years but after that is feels really ICKY!

He probably has shared custody of the daughter and she might only be spending a couple nights a week at his house.

[chediavolo]

4 minutes ago, CruiseDiva said:

He probably has shared custody of the daughter and she might only be spending a couple nights a week at his house.

I certainly hope so, still going to be awkward to say the least, real fast.

[biakbiak]

8 hours ago, chediavolo said:

I certainly hope so, still going to be awkward to say the least, real fast.

And be bad for resale.