Home Town - General Discussion

[CrazyInAlabama]

Tile also requires labor and materials to install, and sheet vinyl is much quicker to install, and no grout.   The quality of sheet vinyl is so superior to what it used to be too.  

My tile was installed with a stain proof, no shrinking grout too, and that costs a lot more than regular grout.  

 

Edited February 7, 2023 by CrazyInAlabama

[Grrarrggh]

No doubt she got that stove either free or at quite a discount. Aside from the wonderful wallpaper in the bathroom everything was quite blah. The way they talked about her style at the beginning I was expecting a lot more. 

[buttersister]

8 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

My tile was installed with a stain proof, no shrinking grout too, and that costs a lot more than regular grout.  

Sorry, every time you mention this I get so excited. Must get off butt and do backsplash and bathroom. Ha, have it done, that is. I hate grout.

[chediavolo]

10 hours ago, Grrarrggh said:

No doubt she got that stove either free or at quite a discount. Aside from the wonderful wallpaper in the bathroom everything was quite blah. The way they talked about her style at the beginning I was expecting a lot more. 

Why free. I’ll answer. Because all these shows are such bullshit. Splurge unnecessarily here, scrimp in places that are used everyday, inflate this cost, minimize this cost. Etc. 

[buttersister]

Still perplexed by the stove vs. shower surround, sorry. I think I heard this woman works for Ben and Erin at their store (manager?) so even if she had her heart set on the stove (and it wasn't a deal or free), don't they owe her more than a "sure, okay, fine" when it comes to this? I've looked at those surrounds (because tearing out a tub and putting in a shower the right way is messy and takes time vs. one or two days) and the ballpark estimate was $10K, so wth? (Also, they're freakin' plastic and don't look good irl.)

Edited February 8, 2023 by buttersister
grammer

[3 is enough]

The wallpaper looked very familiar to me.  Took me a while to figure out that I have a phone case and AirPod case in that very pattern.  It looks a bit muted on a clear phone case though.

The shower surround didn’t bother me - I liked the fact that it looked like tile.  Those tub surrounds really hold up and are low maintenance.

I am willing to bet that they got a deal on the stove in exchange for the plug.  I really have no issue with promoting made in America items but often they are out of reach price wise.  Not everyone has 5K to buy one appliance.

Edited February 8, 2023 by 3 is enough

[chediavolo]

14 hours ago, buttersister said:

Still perplexed by the stove vs. shower surround, sorry. I think I heard this woman works for Ben and Erin at their store (manager?) so even if she had her heart set on the stove (and it wasn't a deal or free), don't they owe her more than a "sure, okay, fine" when it comes to this? I've looked at those surrounds (because tearing out a tub and putting in a shower the right way is messy and takes time vs. one or two days) and the ballpark estimate was $10K, so wth? (Also, they're freakin' plastic and don't look good irl.)

The shower surrounds are ugly and cheap looking.  if you’re redoing the whole house and spending all that money do it the right way. Also, should have put in a shower instead of a tub not many people used tubs these days and she looks like she might have been hard time getting in and out.  if not now, then in the future 

[RoxiP]

I disagree.  I live in a home without a tub and I miss it dreadfully (twice in the last few months we have had bad weather and I have gone and stayed in a hotel and I make sure they have tubs)...and I am sure that relatively young woman is completely capable of getting herself in and out of a tub.  I have seen shower surrounds that were great and some that were not so great - and if I remember correctly she defined this as a starter home so perhaps she was more willing to shell out the money for the stove than she was for tile (and you can take a stove with you when you move as opposed to tile).

She apparently had some input into wallpaper in the bathroom because she said that that was her favorite pattern...makes me wonder if Erin shows homeowners a variety of patterns to get an idea what they like.  So much of the design process is not shown on these shows.

[chessiegal]

1 hour ago, RoxiP said:

and you can take a stove with you when you move

In most markets a stove conveys with the house. You'd have to have it made clear in the listing and sales contract that the stove does not convey. 

[chessiegal]

Y'all made me look. I expected to see a Viking gas stove, which it wasn't. For making a big deal out of Viking being made in MS, the thing they focused on was you could get it in colored finishes. Okie dokie. The smooth top on the range made me think it's induction but they never said. I met someone who couldn't get a gas range in their house, so they put in an induction range. She said she liked it better than gas.

[chediavolo]

41 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

Y'all made me look. I expected to see a Viking gas stove, which it wasn't. For making a big deal out of Viking being made in MS, the thing they focused on was you could get it in colored finishes. Okie dokie. The smooth top on the range made me think it's induction but they never said. I met someone who couldn't get a gas range in their house, so they put in an induction range. She said she liked it better 

41 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

Y'all made me look. I expected to see a Viking gas stove, which it wasn't. For making a big deal out of Viking being made in MS, the thing they focused on was you could get it in colored finishes. Okie dokie. The smooth top on the range made me think it's induction but they never said. I met someone who couldn't get a gas range in their house, so they put in an induction range. She said she liked it better than gas.

It was a Viking stove. I don’t know if it was gas or not but it was a Viking they are made in Mississippi.  Booklet they were looking at colors in  said Viking on it

Edited February 9, 2023 by chediavolo
The reason is this forum is a pain in the butt to use see below

[chessiegal]

1 hour ago, chediavolo said:

It was a Viking stove. I don’t know if it was gas or not but it was a Viking they are made in Mississippi.  Booklet they were looking at colors in  said Viking on it

Oh, I know it was a Viking Stove. I just expected more details on the stove itself since they made such a big deal about it being a Viking. I've never seen a Viking stove that wasn't gas. It had a flat black range top - definitely not gas. They spent all that time discussing colors. I cook, and I want details on the stove itself, not what colors you can get it in. If it was induction, they should have discussed that. Some municipalities are not allowing gas stoves to be installed anymore. If you can't have gas, induction is a great alternative over electric.

[MrPissyPuppy]

13 hours ago, chediavolo said:

The shower surrounds are ugly and cheap looking.  if you’re redoing the whole house and spending all that money do it the right way. Also, should have put in a shower instead of a tub not many people used tubs these days and she looks like she might have been hard time getting in and out.  if not now, then in the future 

With a one bathroom home, a tub/shower combo is probably the better option for resale.    

[Barlowe]

What's one thing you'd like to see change or added next season?

I think i'd like it if they were more transparent more often on camera and showed Erin working with the design team instead of just coming up with these ideas on her own and by herself or working with Mallory.

I think I'm.a bit tired of the show trying to maintain that it's just Erin and Ben and Friends doing the work. And it was only in the Buzzard's episode as far as I can remember, that she actually admitted that there's a design team and showed Amanda, the head designer. I don't know why they hadn't done it sooner and it annoyed me a bit the way Erin made it seemed like the audience was wrongly assuming that she works solo. If people assumed that, it's because the show's made an effort to make it seem like that.

Good Bones brought MJ on camera as the head designer who has a team underneath him and Sarah Richardson always shows an assistant on her shows. 

[RoxiP]

On 2/9/2023 at 11:14 AM, chessiegal said:

In most markets a stove conveys with the house. You'd have to have it made clear in the listing and sales contract that the stove does not convey. 

I know.  I have regretted for years that I didn't specify taking the stove I had in my first house...I had picked it out and I loved it.

17 hours ago, Barlowe said:

What's one thing you'd like to see change or added next season?

I think i'd like it if they were more transparent more often on camera and showed Erin working with the design team instead of just coming up with these ideas on her own and by herself or working with Mallory.

I think I'm.a bit tired of the show trying to maintain that it's just Erin and Ben and Friends doing the work. And it was only in the Buzzard's episode as far as I can remember, that she actually admitted that there's a design team and showed Amanda, the head designer. I don't know why they hadn't done it sooner and it annoyed me a bit the way Erin made it seemed like the audience was wrongly assuming that she works solo. If people assumed that, it's because the show's made an effort to make it seem like that.

Good Bones brought MJ on camera as the head designer who has a team underneath him and Sarah Richardson always shows an assistant on her shows. 

I think this season they have shown Erin working with somebody on her design team - at least on one episode - and she had a show a couple of seasons ago where she showed the whole process of how the designs are thought through.

[3 is enough]

A few years back before Discovery+ launched the HGTV website used to show an online series where Erin and her two designers -Amanda and a man whose name I can’t recall went over the design choices for that week’s episode. 

[abbyzenn]

After a serious car accident I'm currently immobile in a skilled nursing home and so watching a lot of tv.  I've never seen this show and in the past 2 days have watched about 10 episodes.  With the size of Laurel MS I'm surprised they find so many houses to redo.

One thing I've noticed that in almost every episode she moves the stove, refrigerator and sink around which adds to the price because then you need to add the water line to where the stove was..  She loves putting in free standing tubs (those huge curved ones) and put it in front of a huge window.   There also doesn't seem to be a doorway that she likes to keep - she likes closing off one door and creating one on a opposite wall.  All of this just seems to jack up the price. 

At least I don't find them irritating so they're tolerable to watch.

[chediavolo]

9 hours ago, abbyzenn said:

After a serious car accident I'm currently immobile in a skilled nursing home and so watching a lot of tv.  I've never seen this show and in the past 2 days have watched about 10 episodes.  With the size of Laurel MS I'm surprised they find so many houses to redo.

One thing I've noticed that in almost every episode she moves the stove, refrigerator and sink around which adds to the price because then you need to add the water line to where the stove was..  She loves putting in free standing tubs (those huge curved ones) and put it in front of a huge window.   There also doesn't seem to be a doorway that she likes to keep - she likes closing off one door and creating one on a opposite wall.  All of this just seems to jack up the price. 

At least I don't find them irritating so they're tolerable to watch.

❤️‍🩹 get well

[RoxiP]

I HATE SUPER BOWL SUNDAY BECAUSE ALL MY FAVORITE SHOWS DO RERUNS!

Get well soon!  She does like to remove a door, but in old houses that were built before air conditioning there were always a lot of doors to allow for air flow, which is just not necessary in today's homes with (PRAISE JESUS!) central air and heat.  (Having said that - I lived in a 1920s era house with an attic fan and loved it although it would suck the pictures off the wall if you forgot to open a window before you turned it on.)  I would love a free-standing tub and I could certainly figure out window coverings for it (or get film on the window which would obscure the view from the outside).

If the house is on a pier and beam foundation the cost of moving the fixtures wouldn't be so bad, but it does make me wince when I see them jackhammering up concrete to move the lines because it does seem like money pouring out of the end of that jackhammer!

The thing is - they do seem like a nice couple and haven't changed much since the show began.  

Edited February 13, 2023 by RoxiP

[chessiegal]

Erin and Ben are doing a renovation of a home that the owner has chosen. They go over what changes they are suggesting with the owner. I don't watch as often as I used to, but it seems to me the changes make the home more functional. I don't ever remember them going over budget.

[RoxiP]

Well there was that woman who picked a home that ended up having to have the entire foundation redone and then the floors and it went way over budget but that was a weird deal (and a complete failure of the appraiser if you ask me).  I do think they've mentioned a couple of times that they have had to call the homeowner but it seems they strive to make up for some of the costs involved.

[pasdetrois]

On 2/13/2023 at 9:56 AM, RoxiP said:

it would suck the pictures off the wall if you forgot to open a window before you turned it on.

This made me laugh hard. So very true.

[RoxiP]

3 hours ago, pasdetrois said:

This made me laugh hard. So very true.

That house also had a cedar closet in the attic  My roommate owned it but it was one of my favorite houses (also had a big front porch - it was in the old east Dallas area and some of the best houses are there).

[buttersister]

What is happening? I rewatched the one in which this woman was all in for $100K, got the house free, they moved it to the other side of the big tree next to her Mom's place and found economical ways to fix it up. Americana, Erin called it. But with luxury. Yep, the example of that was a wacky backsplash she drew in a random shape. Previously, I could not understand WTH that was. This time, I kind of saw some thought to it.

Still don't like it.

 

[3 is enough]

That backsplash with the grey granite reminded me of a headstone.  Plus I was envisioning grease getting stuck in all the nooks and crannies along the edges.  Not one of my favourite designs.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I didn't like the back splash granite either.   I think a nice tile would have been better, and cheaper.    I did see the same backsplash design on another HGTV show though, and I didn't like it then either. 

[buttersister]

4 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I did see the same backsplash design on another HGTV show though, and I didn't like it then either. 

Ack!

[CrazyInAlabama]

Tony and Jennifer moving to Laurel from California "A Drop of Sunshine".  He wants to introduce Mediterranean cooking to Laurel.   They need headroom for their 6'8" son. 

I like the first house a lot, but don't think there is enough closet space in the main bedroom.   Taller ceilings. 

Second house The Sullivan House, on a much bigger lot.  This one was recently remodeled and updated.    Raise the ceilings, at least the doorways, and one vaulted room the living room.    Kitchen is smaller, and boring.  Erin's plans to improve the kitchen look amazing.   Main bedroom would take over the small bedroom next door for an ensuite, and closets.   Huge back yard.  

They pick house #2 for the big yard.    The kitchen counters aren't even attached.    I love seeing the paintings, and the one they chose for the house.    The tongue-and-groove ceiling was such a nice surprise.      I love the bathroom tub, and vanity.   The built-ins are so nice.   The exterior house colors are such a welcome relief to me from the black/gray that so many other shows always do exteriors in.   I love the bathroom, especially the shower tile. 

Adding the ensuite made it a 2 bed 2 bath home.   I bet the gutters were waiting for installation. 

I thought the kitchen and bathroom were a little bland for color, but it's what the homeowners wanted I guess. 

My guess is that the screened porches are redone and put back, but where I live that's not a quick process for scheduling, and like the gutters have a waiting list.  

Edited February 21, 2023 by CrazyInAlabama

[jaimesommers]

2 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I love the bathroom, especially the shower tile. 

That shower tile was gorgeous!!

[Grrarrggh]

29 minutes ago, jaimesommers said:

That shower tile was gorgeous!!

The kitchen and bathroom needed more colour. Green/gold vanity or bottom cupboards maybe. Something. 

[3 is enough]

I noticed when they did a close up of the outside that there were no gutters or downspouts.  In Mississippi?  That seemed very odd to me.

Inside looked nice.  Loved the shower tile.

[ECM1231]

14 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Tony and Jennifer moving to Laurel from California "A Drop of Sunshine".  He wants to introduce Mediterranean cooking to Laurel.   They need headroom for their 6'8" son. 

I like the first house a lot, but don't think there is enough closet space in the main bedroom.   Taller ceilings. 

Second house The Sullivan House, on a much bigger lot.  This one was recently remodeled and updated.    Raise the ceilings, at least the doorways, and one vaulted room the living room.    Kitchen is smaller, and boring.  Erin's plans to improve the kitchen look amazing.   Main bedroom would take over the small bedroom next door for an ensuite, and closets.   Huge back yard.  

They pick house #2 for the big yard.    The kitchen counters aren't even attached.    I love seeing the paintings, and the one they chose for the house.    The tongue-and-groove ceiling was such a nice surprise.      I love the bathroom tub, and vanity.   The built-ins are so nice.   The exterior house colors are such a welcome relief to me from the black/gray that so many other shows always do exteriors in.   I love the bathroom, especially the shower tile. 

Was this only a 2 bedroom home? I understand wanting an en suite bathroom, but I would not want to be left with a one bedroom home. 

The painted tongue and groove ceilings in the kitchen and dining room looked kind of rough to me.  I'm not a fan of the currently popular gold fixtures. I did like the exposed brick and the built in in the living room, plus the window seat and new closets in the main bedroom. Main bedroom was kind of small, though, and I am not a fan of beds in front of windows.

[mojito]

On 2/6/2023 at 9:23 AM, RoxiP said:

never have understood why they tear so many of them off in the south where the mosquitoes can carry away small pets! 

Speaking from my experience, people don't spend much time outdoors when it's hot. We can still be in the mid-90s at 10 pm easily, so there's not much reason to go outside. For me, it seems that when it's nice to be outdoors in the evenings, like March, April, even May, and then October and maybe November, mosquitoes aren't much of a problem. I've had people over in the early evening for an hour and a half, and rarely does anyone even mention bugs or reach for the repellant I put out.

We don't have evenings that cool down and get a pleasant breeze in the summer like I've experienced in northern places.

I honestly know no one with a screened-in porch. The ones I've seen on TV look like eyesores to me, particularly the ones in the front of the house, and are yet another thing easily damaged by hail.

Edited February 20, 2023 by mojito

[chessiegal]

We put screen porches on 2 houses, both on the back. We spent $25K on the first one - it had an Italian tile floor that was professionally laid. The wood was teak with a vaulted ceiling with skylights and a ceiling fan. It had a sitting area and dining table and chairs. The couple that bought the house said the porch was what made them choose our house. Our current porch has Trex flooring, skylights, and 2 ceiling fans. It also has a sitting and dining area. Being in the Mid-Atlantic, we use it regularly from April through September, sometimes out of that window if it is warm enough. The back of our house is waterfront. We've never had any damage from weather. When we were looking for our current home, a screen porch was a must - it had to have one or we had to be able to put one on. We love it, and so does our cat.

[Book Junkie]

I put in a screened-in patio in the back of my house and I love it. I had to have a screen because of the bugs, especially wasps! I'm in mid-Tennessee and I've had to go inside when it was still really pleasant outside, because the wasps started flying around so bad before I had the screened patio. I have a ceiling fan in there too, so I can enjoy the patio for longer. I also like the screened patio for when I have something to drink or eat out there, I don't have to worry about flies and other bugs getting over everything. I don't understand why anyone in the south would take out a screened-in patio or porch unless it was just so rundown. I think it would add a lot to resale too.

[pasdetrois]

On 2/20/2023 at 3:45 PM, mojito said:

Speaking from my experience, people don't spend much time outdoors when it's hot.

Perhaps attitudes are changing now that AC is readily available. I lived in three Deep South states and my parents always insisted on porches, usually an open one in front and a screened one in back. We had 2nd story screened sleeping porches on two old houses. We kids delighted in "camping" out there, often with fans blowing on us. I have two porches now on my 100-year-old home in Virginia and use them regularly, although definitely not the open one during mosquito season.

Edited February 22, 2023 by pasdetrois

[RoxiP]

My farmhouse has a screened in porch (where else are the smokers in my family going to go?).  Honestly we sit out there all the time (and this is in deep East Texas where it is hot and humid).

[CruiseDiva]

Many of my neighbors here in Georgia have front 'rocking chair' porches, but they seldom sit out there. Our house had a deck out back when we bought it in 1987 and we replaced the deck with a screened in sun porch nine years ago. I love it and spent the entire afternoon out there today--the first day this year that the temperature hit 83 degrees. With low humidity it was perfect porch weather. In the heat of the summer I run the two ceiling fans and often watch tv out there at night.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I loved the house from last night's show.    The dining room wallpaper was exactly what the homeowner wanted.   I really like that they mentioned that the downstairs would be updated, but the upstairs would have to wait.   That house was so big, and I'm sure the owner and his kids will enjoy it so much. 

I loved the portrait of the owners adult kids.  The other artwork was spectacular.   I loved the porch swings too. 

I'm glad they kept the one lion, and from a poster below, the second lion is in the shed.  

My guess is the other rooms were liveable, if not trendy and redone.    I bet the first house was in very bad shape from woodrot, and maybe termite or foundation issues, so it will work better for someone like Erin's Uncle Danny who spends a lot more on remodels.   

Edited March 6, 2023 by CrazyInAlabama

[RoxiP]

I thought the final product was lovely and exactly what the homeowner wanted.  Unfortunately what he wanted was to pretty much strip all the original charm of a craftsman home and make it a beach cottage.  

Personally I would have selected the first house.

His son was so sweet and I did love how apparent the love was between the two of them and how dad was so comfortable being openly affectionate with his son.  

And I would have kept both the lions.

[Vivigirl10]

1 hour ago, RoxiP said:

And I would have kept both the lions.

Me too!  What happened to the other one?  I think we know ☹️

That house was one of my favorites though.  It was fun seeing the first house but all I could think of was if the first level was in that condition, I can't even begin to think of what the bathrooms looked like.  Which they did not show and were not going to remodel.  The 2nd house was in so much better shape, maybe the bathrooms were at least livable for the time being.

I like to record and watch episodes later because I'll admit, I find Ben's workshop projects and Erin's art project scenes to be boring.  

[buttersister]

Whatever I thought of the house (blue is my favorite color and it wasn't for me), that guy and his son were so happy with the results. Ben's woodworking skills have really improved over the seasons--his pieces are so much more sophisticated now. Erin's crafty stuff is .. still crafty;-)

Nice kitchen!

[WI GIRL56]

If you follow Erin on Instagram she did say the other Lion was left out in the shed. So it is still on the property.

[RoxiP]

I just figured it was tucked up under some bushes or something...LOL!

[chediavolo]

On 2/27/2023 at 10:04 AM, RoxiP said:

I thought the final product was lovely and exactly what the homeowner wanted.  Unfortunately what he wanted was to pretty much strip all the original charm of a craftsman home and make it a beach cottage.  

Personally I would have selected the first house.

His son was so sweet and I did love how apparent the love was between the two of them and how dad was so comfortable being openly affectionate with his son.  

And I would have kept both the lions.

I agree. if he wanted a beachy house he shouldn’t have ruined that nice 1920s house with all the ugly blue and that horrendous looking thing they hung from the ceiling. All it’s vintage charm has been eradicated once again. 
The son was lovely and I agree I liked the lions too although I think they should’ve left them where they belong,  on the stoop.

[DonnaMae]

I thought the redo on the Craftsman house was lovely.  Ugly blue?  Not what I saw.  It was in such a great location, and I really liked Erin's redo into a beachy look, which is what he wanted.  I don't believe a Craftsman house has to be painted in dark colors.

[sheshark]

I liked the house and am ready to move to Laurel and date the silver fox owner!

[CrazyInAlabama]

"What's Good for the Goose".    Marissa, works for Sanderson Farms (chicken production company, they also own Wayne Farms which is in my town), the headquarters in in Laurel.       She wants entertaining space, and really does entertain.  Marisa has a heavy goose statue, Lucy,  and it will have to go on the front porch.   They put outfits on it.   Her friend is Kendall, from another episode.   She loves to make charcuterie boards.  She needs room for her dog Daisy too. 

Budget maximum $200k. 

House 1-brick exterior.  3 bed 2 bath 2,000 sq ft,  Interior paneling is hideous, someone painted knotty pine paneling, and antiqued it.   Many different floors, kitchen is smaller, Erin will make it U-shaped. Move the dining room to the family room with the dining room. Yard is huge.   Lucy, the goose looks good on the front porch.

House 2-covered by out of control landscaping.   3 bed 2 bath 1900 sq ft. Erin's ideas for the outside lovely.   Hardwoods under the carpet.  Erin wants to put in a dining room bar with serving space.   Kitchen could stay in place.  One bedroom has a shower right in the bedroom, and will be turned into a mudroom, laundry room, and room for Daisy the dog.   Shower will become a shower for a dog wash. Back yard is small, but the covered back porch looks great for parties.  

Marisa picks #1, for the kitchen in the middle of the house, and the yard for the dog, and for privacy.    I love the charcuterie board she brought Ben and Erin.    Marisa wants to save the granite counter tops.  The upper cabinets don't want to come down.    Ben and Josh's trip to Camp Polly Wiggle (Marissa's family place) produces a lot of great stuff for the house.   Ben is going to fix a mantle and fireplace surround that's probably about 160 years old into a non-working fireplace, but will still be a focal point Marissa wants.   

The small kitchen is now huge.  Even without windows, the open space to the dining and living room will give plenty of light.   

I love the mudroom/Daisy room, with the cabinets and the Dutch door.    I love Erin added a tiny Lucy the Goose to the watercolor of the house.    I love the exterior landscaping, and the interior is stunning. 

I love Ben's cabinet in the living room/listening room.   The mudroom/Daisy's room is perfect.  The kitchen is great, with the dining area, and family room.   The kitchen looks so beautiful.   The bar area and charcuterie storage is so nice.  The faux fireplace look great in the living room.  (the log ends in the fireplace aren't my taste, but it's not my house and the homeowner was thrilled.)

 

Edited March 7, 2023 by CrazyInAlabama

[RoxiP]

While I don't dislike the faux fireplace I did not like the log disks - all I can think of is that they are going to get dusty and will be impossible to dust because of the texture.  I'm much more of a fan of putting beautiful candles in that space instead.  I guess just my personal preference and my dislike of dusting...LOL!

[absolutelyido]

I didn't love that the kitchen had no windows. That would bug me if it were my house.

Edited March 7, 2023 by absolutelyido