Home Town - General Discussion

[justdoit10]

On 4/26/2021 at 7:42 PM, RoxiP said:

I liked the color they painted the dining room and thought that was a good use of shiplap  I'm not a fan of wallpaper in any way and I thought the foyer paper was too busy but the homeowner liked it and it had meaning to her so that is all that matters.

Same here.  Loved the dining room blue paint but didn't like the foyer wallpaper. 

[justdoit10]

On 5/4/2021 at 6:22 PM, Grrarrggh said:

I wonder where the foster couple moved from? And if they only moved because they were getting a free reno?

I think from Montgomery Alabama, basically 16 miles away.

[justdoit10]

13 minutes ago, justdoit10 said:

I think from Montgomery Alabama, basically 16 miles away.  He still works there.

 

[MollyMelrose]

Think it's great having other familiar faces showing up to help with the renovations, but come on, HGTV.

Jenny and Dave Marrs make comfortable TV.

Christina in the Backwoods would be all kinds of awesome. 

[irisheyes]

27 minutes ago, MollyMelrose said:

Think it's great having other familiar faces showing up to help with the renovations, but come on, HGTV.

Jenny and Dave Marrs make comfortable TV.

Christina in the Backwoods would be all kinds of awesome. 

She probably doesn’t even know Alabama is part of the USA. 😂

[CrazyInAlabama]

2 hours ago, MollyMelrose said:

Think it's great having other familiar faces showing up to help with the renovations, but come on, HGTV.

Jenny and Dave Marrs make comfortable TV.

Christina in the Backwoods would be all kinds of awesome. 

I live in Alabama, and I refuse to allow Christina to come here.    

[MollyMelrose]

So that's Modern Farmhouse over Haughty Derision for the win. 😉

[3 is enough]

I'm a bit confused.  Both Erin and Ben posted about today being the last day of filming before her maternity leave.  There has been no official announcement about being renewed for season 6.  All of the Wetumpka episodes wrapped up filming months ago, and we have already seen the season 5 finale.

I guess they were filming new episodes ahead of her leave and will make a formal announcement after Home Town Takeover finishes airing.  I believe Home Town is the number one show on HGTV, so I can't see them cancelling it.

[Barlowe]

https://tv.avclub.com/hgtvs-ben-and-erin-napier-say-everyone-should-move-to-a-1846824204?utm_source=AV_Club_Daily_RSS&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2021-05-07

Erin & Ben did an interview with the site The AvClub promoting Home Town Takeover

[readheaded]

23 hours ago, 3 is enough said:

I'm a bit confused.  Both Erin and Ben posted about today being the last day of filming before her maternity leave.  There has been no official announcement about being renewed for season 6.  All of the Wetumpka episodes wrapped up filming months ago, and we have already seen the season 5 finale.

I guess they were filming new episodes ahead of her leave and will make a formal announcement after Home Town Takeover finishes airing.  I believe Home Town is the number one show on HGTV, so I can't see them cancelling it.

I don't think they'd cancel, but I do think they'd move it to Discovery+. 

[CruiseDiva]

37 minutes ago, readheaded said:

I don't think they'd cancel, but I do think they'd move it to Discovery+. 

I sure hope they don't move to Discovery+. 🤢

[readheaded]

34 minutes ago, CruiseDiva said:

I sure hope they don't move to Discovery+. 🤢

Me, too!

[3 is enough]

I took a closer look at the picture, and the board  Ben was holding said Home Town Episode 5-17.

Someone asked in the comments when it would air and Erin replied  "Sometime in the distant future is all we know for now."

I was under the impression that Season 5 was supposed to have 16 episodes, but Covid has shortened the seasons of most shows. I really think that they are just banking a couple of episodes because of Erin's maternity leave.  

I doubt they would go to Discovery +  They have to know that not everyone is willing to pay extra. By "they" I mean HGTV.  You don't make your top show suddenly inaccessible and not expect a backlash.

Edited May 8, 2021 by 3 is enough

[TVJunkee]

So did anyone notice that that was Wendell from Survivor who is now apparently a member of HGTV family on last night?

I remember he was billed as a furniture maker on Survivor and was such a nice guy and winner but I was stunned to see him show up on Home Town Takeover helping Ben and Erin while they were back in Laurel.   

[3 is enough]

It's been years since I watched Survivor but I did like Wendell very much.  No idea how he was on Survivor, but he came across as a nice guy last night.  

I need to rewatch- I kept getting interrupted last night.  As of now my cable company doesn't have the episode up on demand.  I like what I saw of the Big Fish house but I really want to be able to look more closely.

[Grrarrggh]

6 minutes ago, 3 is enough said:

It's been years since I watched Survivor but I did like Wendell very much.  No idea how he was on Survivor, but he came across as a nice guy last night.  

He definitely showed his worst side on Winners at War. I hope he took some of the things that happened there to heart. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I think Wendell's show is on Discovery + streaming service.   I think they had a preview of part of an episode on HGTV recently. 

It was shocking to find out the second story was simply built over the top of the first floor roof, on the Big Fish house.    That was awful.   Since one argument for stripping shingles when you redo a roof is the weight, then the thought that the film set was an entire second story built on the existing roof and walls is scary.    

I was fascinated at the Mayor/Barber's story about the Doctor's/Dentist's office, to Barber shop history of the building, and the shootout.    Finding the bullet in the door was interesting.  

Edited May 12, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[3 is enough]

I liked the barber shop.  I thought they did a great job there.

The Big Fish House- the outside looked really nice, the stairs and living room and entrance were nice, but I was not fond of the kitchen.  I didn't like the blue and yellow combo- one or the other would have been fine, and although I do love green, that particular shade did nothing for me.  The appliances were great, as were the countertops.  Not a huge fan of bead board backsplashes but I understand there were probably budget constraints.

I never saw the movie, so the house was just another old home to me.

[chessiegal]

Home Town: Takeover got an AL.com article to talk about things to see and do in Wetumpka.

Things to see and do in Wetumpka

[CrazyInAlabama]

I love the makeover on the police officer's house, and that outdoor kitchen/BBQ was spectacular.  

The Coaches Corner makeover was great too.  

I love the Home Town episode with Jesse and Lauren, when Erin, and Lauren both are having little girls.  Helen is so adorable, and getting so big. 

[NoThyme]

Couldn't he have made 3 burgers so the husband and wife didn't have to share? the patio looks great however putting bar seating all-around was a big mistake. Should have put tables all along the Windows and throughout the dining area. Such a lost opportunity as it really limits who want to sit in a straight line and state at the water.

[absolutelyido]

4 minutes ago, NoThyme said:

Couldn't he have made 3 burgers so the husband and wife didn't have to share? the patio looks great however putting bar seating all-around was a big mistake. Should have put tables all along the Windows and throughout the dining area. Such a lost opportunity as it really limits who want to sit in a straight line and state at the water.

I thought the same thing. Sitting at a bar you can really only have a conversation with one other person. Most of the tables on the patio were also only for two. The restaurant seems more like a place families would go, so it would have been more practical to have tables for four or more.

[buttersister]

Coaches Corner was filled with 4-, 6-, and 8-tops so it made sense to put a lot of 2-tops and the bar on the patio—especially after making it all about the view.

Ella’s place was great, but I wondered if they didn’t also tweak her bedroom into what Erin calls a well-deserved sanctuary. I know they wanted the outside to shine and it would have muddied the story a bit, but I’m hoping there was something extra.

[Grrarrggh]

4 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I love the Home Town episode with Jesse and Lauren, when Erin, and Lauren both are having little girls.  Helen is so adorable, and getting so big. 

Helen deserves privacy. 

[3 is enough]

It's a bit puzzling, because on Erin and Ben's public Instagram accounts they never show Helen's face.  I just don't know why they go to all that trouble and then allow her to be filmed for the show.  Granted, they are short shots, and only once or twice a season, but still, everyone watching sees her.

 

Edited May 17, 2021 by 3 is enough

[3 is enough]

11 hours ago, buttersister said:

Ella’s place was great, but I wondered if they didn’t also tweak her bedroom into what Erin calls a well-deserved sanctuary. I know they wanted the outside to shine and it would have muddied the story a bit, but I’m hoping there was something extra.

My guess is there were time and money constraints.  It appears that the homeowners are not paying for these improvements with their own money, and the cast and crew had to fit a lot of work into a fairly limited time frame.

[drafan]

7 hours ago, 3 is enough said:

It's a bit puzzling, because on Erin and Ben's public Instagram accounts they never show Helen's face.  I just don't know why they go to all that trouble and then allow her to be filmed for the show.  Granted, they are short shots, and only once or twice a season, but still, everyone watching sees her.

 

This is so funny since Helen is a DNA clone of Erin......I could pick her out of a crowd of 1000 kids.

[CruiseDiva]

21 hours ago, buttersister said:

Coaches Corner was filled with 4-, 6-, and 8-tops so it made sense to put a lot of 2-tops and the bar on the patio—especially after making it all about the view.

I loved what they did with the patio bar at Coaches Corner, but I'm not terribly tall and I might not be able to see the view over that wide horizontal bar just below the windows that open. Maybe the tall bar chairs are actually taller than I realize 😊

Really like the new paint job, football field markings, the saying across the top of the front, and new Coaches Corner logo. They really make the restaurant stand out!

[RoxiP]

I thought the outdoor entertainment area on the policewoman's house was still pretty small and the table and the grill took up all the space - plus here in the south I think a pergola is just stupid - it looks pretty but it doesn't really give any appreciable shade - at least put shade cloth over it!

[CruiseDiva]

9 hours ago, RoxiP said:

I thought the outdoor entertainment area on the policewoman's house was still pretty small and the table and the grill took up all the space - plus here in the south I think a pergola is just stupid - it looks pretty but it doesn't really give any appreciable shade - at least put shade cloth over it!

Well, they did also have the area in the back of the yard with chairs and a little "fire pit" thing for sitting around.

I agree about the pergola. We live in Georgia and built one on our deck over our hot tub. It provided no real shade so we had to put sail cloth over the slats to shade the tub.

[tvmom]

17 hours ago, CruiseDiva said:

I loved what they did with the patio bar at Coaches Corner, but I'm not terribly tall and I might not be able to see the view over that wide horizontal bar just below the windows that open. Maybe the tall bar chairs are actually taller than I realize 😊

 

I had the same thought! 

[sadtvjunkie]

Who goes to a sports bar to look at the view? Where were the TV's for people wanting to see sports? I liked the 4 season  patio room just not the bar all around it. Should have been 2 tops and 4 tops around windows and 6 and 8 set back but on a riser to still get the view.

[RoxiP]

When I am on a river I want to look at the river.  I think there are way too many tvs in restaurants these days - sports bar or not.  

[Lesia]

I think this show is lovely.  The sense of community, of history, of a shared experience is simply beautiful.  Thinking about all the small towns all over this country, how many wonderful people are out there, makes me emotional.  Enjoying this immensely.

[CrazyInAlabama]

Erin, Ben and Helen welcomed their baby on 28 May.   Mae Napier is named after Erin's Aunt Mae.  

In their announcement on FB, they said that if people want to donate, there is a local charity that is in need.   What a generous thing to do.  

[3 is enough]

Two weeks with no comment on the new Home Town Takeover episodes?  Is anyone watching?  I liked the house owned by the women who ran the theater.  Company Street looked nicer but it is still full of vacant buildings.  Not sure if the facelift will help attract tenants.

 

[RoxiP]

I watched the last two episodes but for some reason this hasn't charmed me as much as Home Town (MS) does.  I do hope this gives the town a boost and bring people downtown.  I loved the Farmer's Market idea but think if they had built a children's playground it would have been a better use of space (along with the Farmer's Market).  Quite honestly I could live without seeing Ty Pennington (and I used to really like him).  He just seems so full of himself and hasn't aged well IMO.

[Gam2]

My favorite show for some time now has been Home Town. I’m familiar with Wetumpka because my daughter/sil lived about 20 miles from there. I admire Erin and Ben trying so hard to improve another small town like they’ve done for Laurel but I’m not sure it’s going to succeed. I truly hope that I’m wrong!

[chessiegal]

As I said upthread, my stepdaughter's in-laws live in Wetumpka, but not in the downtown area. She reports not much has changed.

[3 is enough]

To be fair I don’t think the revitalization of Laurel happened overnight- it was a slow, gradual process. It got a huge boost from the popularity of Home Town but even that took a couple of years.  And Laurel is right off a major highway that goes to New Orleans, plus there is an Amtrak station in town.  Wetumpka does not have that advantage.

It’s a nice gesture by HGTV, but it’s still going to take time and the residents have to be willing put in some effort.

Edited June 3, 2021 by 3 is enough

[CrazyInAlabama]

I think that Erin said the revitalization of Laurel has been on-going for almost 15 years.   The downtown with the mercantile, the restaurants, etc. have been going for at least 10.  The one lady that leads the Main Street effort, she was on two or three seasons ago, had been working on that for at least 10 years.         I've seen towns around where I live working on getting the shops back in the downtown, and it's not a fast process, but it really can work.   The change in redoing the fronts of the empty storefronts was a start, but it's going to take a long time for businesses to end their leases, and relocate.       

I think the biggest issue for Wetumpka is that a lot of visitors go out to the casino/hotel, and never leave the property.   They have a lot to do there, (concerts, cooking classes, and all kinds of attractions.  

[justdoit10]

I enjoy watching the show but I want to take Erin's orange and yellow shades of paint colors away from her.  I hate them on the inside walls, cabinets and on the outside of a house.  She painted the house last week's living room in some ugly orange shade and I hated the yellow shade of cabinets she had for Ella's kitchen.  My last pet peeve is why do they not put tv's back?  People watch tv.  Figure out in your design how to make them look less obtrusive and attractive.

[3 is enough]

There was an episode a couple of years ago where they put some sort of mirror over the tv to camouflage it. As I recall the picture was visible when the power was switched on.

In Erin and Ben's own home they have a tv that looks like a painting when they aren't watching.  I think it has an option to change the display.  

But almost everyone as a tv, so just show where it will go.  The new flat screens are so much more attractive than the old big hulking boxes of the past, and you can hide the wires.

You just know that the big piece of art on the mantel will be replaced by a tv.

[deirdra]

1 hour ago, 3 is enough said:

You just know that the big piece of art on the mantel will be replaced by a tv.

Of course it will, despite the fact that watching TVs mounted higher than your eye level when seated causes neck strain.

[buttersister]

3 hours ago, deirdra said:

despite the fact that watching TVs mounted higher than your eye level when seated causes neck strain.

Drives me nuts when that's done on these shows.

[absolutelyido]

In Wetumpka, the pavilion area they built was great. It would be a nice venue for small weddings, family reunions, company picnics, etc. But I don't understand the logic of having a weekly farmer's market there, across the river from downtown. It would seem like you'd want the farmer's market downtown, in the hopes that people who come to the market also shop in the stores.

I wonder if the people who got home renovations get to keep the furniture? I know that in Hometown they don't, except for what Ben builds for them. In Wetumpka, since the renovations are free, I wonder if it includes the furniture. 

[susannot]

On 6/1/2021 at 7:19 PM, 3 is enough said:

Two weeks with no comment on the new Home Town Takeover episodes?  Is anyone watching?  I liked the house owned by the women who ran the theater.  Company Street looked nicer but it is still full of vacant buildings.  Not sure if the facelift will help attract tenants.

 

I've been watching.  I think Wetumpka is a lovely little town and I understand they chose it because of the beautiful bridge and view over the Coosa River.  I wonder how long it will all last.  I love the Farmer's Market.  In my home town ( a big city) farmer's markets are the most popular food sources.

[buttersister]

2 hours ago, absolutelyido said:

But I don't understand the logic of having a weekly farmer's market there, across the river from downtown. It would seem like you'd want the farmer's market downtown, in the hopes that people who come to the market also shop in the stores.

Made for good TV. But your point about driving traffic to the shopping district is spot on.

Good luck, Wetumpka. You survived a tornado and Ty Pennington. Happy for the people who got the makeovers (looking at you, Chip and Stephanie and your bathroom death trap), we’ll check back. 

Farm to “deli”. 😂 

[3 is enough]

I thought they did a great job on the house.  Wasn’t a fan of the stained glass though- I found the colors to be too vivid, but I suppose they were trying to be historically accurate.

The farmer’s market looked really nice.  I think they just didn’t have a good spot for it on the other side of the river.

There are two episodes of Home Town that have not aired yet.  Not sure when that will happen, or when they will start filming Season 6.  There has not been a formal renewal announcement but I can’t see them cancelling it.  I guess it all depends on how long Erin’s maternity leave lasts.  

Edited June 7, 2021 by 3 is enough

[CrazyInAlabama]

I think they put the farmer's market on the land because the city owned it, and no one wants to buy and build on it.