Home Town - General Discussion

[chessiegal]

I liked the exterior house color. I thought it was perfect. From the comments I read here I expected it to be garish, but it wasn't.

[pasdetrois]

I agree the episode felt off - less polished and the results didn't seem to be as well-thought out as some others. It must have been a scheduling issue - maybe they crafted the episode at the last minute, maybe the homeowner had limited availability for production, maybe they knew it would be a kind of filler episode because they had other priorities.

My question about HVAC and other big dollar costs has to do with the costs that Ben cites on each episode. Did the homeowner's $120K cost include stuff we didn't see, or was it really just for property purchase and the stuff they showed us? The show very clearly tries to say "for $xxxxxx you get a move-in ready home," and that's misleading. All of these design shows do the same thing.

One of my complaints about the show is the way Erin dismisses Ben. When he tells a corny joke or makes a suggestion, she takes jabs at him.

Edited March 12, 2019 by pasdetrois

[BckpckFullaNinjas]

I just finished watching Maine Cabin Masters and realized something about Home Town: it has become way formulaic. And I don’t say this critically, or out of dislike. There’s just so many ways you can show a contributor 2 houses, make semi-impolite snarky comments about the physical state of the places or the decor, find out which one they choose, fix it up and reveal it. I’m sure if the shows profitable, the format won’t change, and I’m not sure how it would change, but it’s just predictable. 

Abd again, that’s not a bad thing. I watch What Not To Wear reruns and can FF to the exact same time, every episode, where Carmindy turns the  contributor toward the mirror to see her new self. 

But on WNTW, Stacy & Clinton had the personalities and the characters of most of the contributors to keep the show going for 8 or 9!seasons. The Napiers are cute & mostly pleasant but Laurel’s a small town, at the end of the day.

Maine CM has the whole state to play in. WNTW had the whole USA. 

Unrelated note: tickled me how the Lady’s neighbor, Marty on the porch, was not overehelmed with welcome when  Ben hollered our an introduction. 

Edited March 12, 2019 by BckpckFullaNinjas

[izabella]

5 hours ago, pasdetrois said:

The laundry chute was cute but she has to reach down and inside of that thing to pull out her dirty laundry.

That big cabinet had a bottom door as well, so I think they could just open that and pull out the laundry basket.

[CraftyHazel]

1 minute ago, izabella said:

That big cabinet had a bottom door as well, so I think they could just open that and pull out the laundry basket.

That, plus in the laundry room side there was no door, and she could just pull the basket directly out into the room.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I loved the lady, and her friend.    She picked a great house, and the Napiers did a dynamite job with it.    I loved the porch rail, and screen door matching, and the interior staging was beautiful.      I loved that they refurbished, and kept that great sink.    The homeowner was so nice, and I loved the furniture that she had.       The laundry chute was the bottom of the bathroom linen closet, and had a door on that side, but the laundry room side was open.   

Edited March 13, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[CruiseDiva]

On 3/12/2019 at 9:40 AM, 3 is enough said:

I agree about the house color- it was a little too intense for my taste, and I love green.  The porch floor color on the house may have looked better.  But lighting is tricky and it may look totally different in person- it did look better from a distance.

Agree. The lighter green paint sample is the one I'd have chosen. However, the bolder green did look different in a variety of lighting situations--a sunny vs. cloudy day, bright morning sunshine vs. evening shade.

I really liked that Erin mentioned she used a lot of the homeowner's personal furnishings in the finished interiors. They were lovely and meaningful to her. The kitchen sink was an amazing save.

We have a rocking chair like the ones they put on the front porch...from Cracker Barrel. LOL!

[3 is enough]

Just saw on HGTV.com that Home Town has been renewed for season 4 with 16 episodes.

[chessiegal]

1 hour ago, 3 is enough said:

Just saw on HGTV.com that Home Town has been renewed for season 4 with 16 episodes.

Good for them. Maybe Erin is right, by the time they are done they will have renovated all of Laurel.

[MoreCoffeePlease]

Yay for the renewal!  This is my favorite HGTV show. 

I loved the green on the exterior, and the kitchen sink was awesome! The granite was beautiful as well.

[Automne]

I wish HGTV would give this show a little more love. It doesn’t get the “Let’s fill up air time” marathon treatment that LIOLI, PB, and FU get. It’s not easy to even find a replay of the episode if it’s not the same evening it premiered and they weren’t really showing episodes in between seasons.

[3 is enough]

I agree!  But maybe it's because they only have 33 episodes.  HGTV tends to show a whole afternoon of the same show, so they would start repeating in less than 2 weeks. 

Season 4 will be 16 episodes.  It took them 7 months to film Season 3.  An extra 3 episodes will add at least a month to filming.  Somehow, I can't see Erin and Ben being on board to film 2 seasons per year.  I think they like to have time for other projects. 

[3 is enough]

I was able to watch tonight's episode on the HGTV  website this morning.

Super low budget - $75,000! 

And , surprise! 

Spoiler

The kitchen counter tops were LAMINATE!

Another great job.

[Automne]

That house and land is my absolute dream. I don’t need a big house (though I only would want a bigger home to get a dream baker’s kitchen) because it would be just me and a dog or two. Plus, I totally would compromise house size for that land. That land was gorgeous. Ugh, I live in the DMV suburbs and land and house like that would not be going for nobody’s $12,500. The land alone would be seven figures easy. But it’s so easy to imagine having a grill and smoker set up and inviting my friends over for a bonfire.

And small houses like that, I don’t mind the open concept because you actually need it. It’s the 2500sq. ft homes that turn 3-4 separate rooms into one giant room that drives me nuts. And the kitchen is always relegated into a small space of that giant room.

I like how Erin doesn’t shy away from colors and patterns, unlike our favorite shiplap-loving farmhouse chic interior designer.

Edited March 19, 2019 by Automne

[CrazyInAlabama]

I loved the house, and everything Erin and Ben did to bring it back to life, and stay on budget.      I loved the homebuyer, who had a budget, stuck to it. and ended up with a lovely home.   

[buttersister]

Not my taste, doesn’t matter—they did creative, reasonable work and the house looked great.

Plus, when they found the milk bottles, they were excited and ready to do something fun. Ben didn’t run on and on and on in amazement over finding them. Nor did he breathlessly ponder what Jo-Jo, er, Erin would do with them.

[BckpckFullaNinjas]

Well, well, well.

Pictures of ... whatever the laminate countertop pattern was. LOL!

I ff’ed through to the reveal and didn’t catch how much acreage came with the place. Anybody? Please?  Thank you in advance.

i liked the place fine but would be saving up to screen in those porches, on a pond!!

Wasn't one of the S2 homeowners a Rubenesque baker named Matthews?  

[CrazyInAlabama]

The nice thing about Formica brand laminate, is they have a lot of retro designs available.   Of course, the granite look is popular in laminate, but they still have the older patterns that fit a vintage look, like the kitchen Erin did in that lovely house last night.     I'm hoping the second house shows up on a future episode, because I'm sure Erin would do a lovely job with it also.   

[2727]

I was so glad the buyer picked the house she did because I really wanted to see how it turned out on a tight budget. I was surprised they were able to save the fireplace/chimney, because that was a mess.

Going forward, I hope the owner does screen the back porch and put in a front walkway. It looked like there was only street parking and having some way to get to the door besides through the grass would be nice.

Erin kept referencing midcentury style, which I didn't see much of except a few of the staging choices. I was hoping she'd lean in with the kitchen countertops and straight up do a colorful vintage formica boomerang or confetti. 

It wasn't overpowering, but I didn't like the speckled glass backsplash.

[3 is enough]

1 hour ago, BckpckFullaNinjas said:

Wasn't one of the S2 homeowners a Rubenesque baker named Matthews?

Yes.  Season 1.  Amanda Mathews.  They are sisters.  They run a cookie dough shop.  I guess it is inevitable that in such a small town you are going to have some family connections on the show.  I think there were two Trests featured as well.  Not sure if they were brothers or cousins, or if it is just a common name in the area.  

When I was reading Erin's blog, I realized that  lot of the people featured on the show were friends of the Napiers.  Again, small town.  I was looking at the live tweet last night and someone asked if all the featured homeowners were still living in their houses.  Only one has been sold. 

I think they said the house came with 14 acres, but all that land for only $12,500 does not seem right. 

The chimney looked great, but after all the work they did redoing the mortar that rusted tin chimney cap stood out like a sore thumb.  I understand it may have been pricey to replace, but surely someone could have spray painted it? 

[izabella]

What a cute house on such a great property!  Love how they handled this reno, except the back of the house should have had big windows to showcase that view!  I understand the layout wasn't set up for that, which is why the back porch should get screened in when possible to create a room (without mosquitoes!) to enjoy the view.

I don't remember seeing bedrooms in the house.  It was late while I was watching, so I might have missed it.  Did they show the bedroom/s? 

Edited March 19, 2019 by izabella

[BookWoman56]

33 minutes ago, 3 is enough said:

I think they said the house came with 14 acres, but all that land for only $12,500 does not seem right. 

Assuming that the property was on the outskirts of Laurel (haven’t seen this episode yet), then the price is low but not outrageously so. Prime farmland in that area can be bought for $1-2K/acre, so small acreage with a rundown house can be pretty cheap. Now, if it were in downtown Laurel or in some of the more expensive areas, I’d be skeptical. Essentially, in that part of the country, if you’re willing to live out in the sticks, you can get a nice chunk of land for not much money. 

[pasdetrois]

Loved this episode because it saved a piece of history, was in a gorgeous setting, and they worked with a tight budget. I love that the show isn't about trendy, expensive, cookie-cutter monstrosities.

I could do without the craft projects, but then what would Erin and her friend do for camera time? I love design but running around looking at samples and shopping is not always interesting to some viewers. And it drives up production costs.

Interesting that they mentioned that two of Ben's pals are a developer and a finance guy. I assume they are in a partnership.

[BckpckFullaNinjas]

2 hours ago, pasdetrois said:

could do without the craft projects, but then what would Erin and her friend do for camera time? I love design but running around looking at samples and shopping is not always interesting to some viewers. And it drives up production costs.

Heh — contrasting Erin’s projects to Ashley’s at Maine Cabin Masters (my all-time favorite re-do reality, I acknowledge), Ashley’s more often use power tools, snd that’s game, set snd mstch fot me.

Guessing that the shopping trips & visits on HT  come with promotional considerations, etc., so any costs involved are offset. 

Two things: the promo for this episode talks about “walking distance to town” but the Budh House doesn’t seem to fill that bill; I’m watching on-demand and can’t rewind - where do they talk about the acreage that comes with the house?  I’m beginning to think it’s a fraction of an acre. Just my educated guess. 

[chessiegal]

23 minutes ago, BckpckFullaNinjas said:

Heh — contrasting Erin’s projects to Ashley’s at Maine Cabin Masters (my all-time favorite re-do reality, I acknowledge), Ashley’s more often use power tools, snd that’s game, set snd mstch fot me.

Guessing that the shopping trips & visits on HT  come with promotional considerations, etc., so any costs involved are offset. 

Two things: the promo for this episode talks about “walking distance to town” but the Budh House doesn’t seem to fill that bill; I’m watching on-demand and can’t rewind - where do they talk about the acreage that comes with the house?  I’m beginning to think it’s a fraction of an acre. Just my educated guess. 

I think they said it came with 14 acres.

[suebee12]

3 hours ago, pasdetrois said:

Interesting that they mentioned that two of Ben's pals are a developer and a finance guy. I assume they are in a partnership.

Yes, they are!  Jim is Erin's first cousin and Mallorie is Erin's best friend....

https://www.laurelmercantile.com/pages/our-story

[MoreCoffeePlease]

Loved this project! What a nice shade of blue on the exterior and I loved the yellow door. They said something about the shower ... it is fiberglass, but you can put a decorative insert in, is that right?

Erin, I know designers don't like to put TVs in the living room or family room for the show, but come on! Where will the TV go in that cozy front room?

[3 is enough]

38 minutes ago, MoreCoffeePlease said:

Erin, I know designers don't like to put TVs in the living room or family room for the show, but come on! Where will the TV go in that cozy front room?

My guess is over the fireplace. Erin and Ben are actually big tv /Netflix watchers and in their house the tv is mounted over their fireplace.  I wouldn't be surprised if there was a plug hiding behind the artwork.

[3 is enough]

That was a big house!  

As usual, they did a great job.  I liked that they put a new roof on the house, and that was a BIG roof.  

Everything was gorgeous, and there were no unpleasant surprises.  It must have been really different for them to not have to worry about keeping to a strict budget.

I think I prefer the older homes with the unique details though.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I loved the house last night.   I had to laugh at the downsizing, it was only the yard that was downsized, not the house.    I loved the kitchen, and the pavilion.       I hope someone buys the other house though, I think it could have been wonderful too.    I love that Ben repurposed so much of that wood.  

I know the Texas yard was three acres.     Did they say how big the previous house was?  

Edited March 26, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[3 is enough]

Well, to be fair, they didn't say how big their house in Texas was. It's possible that 3000 sq ft would still be downsized for them.

I liked the other place too!  Hopefully someone else will pick it in Season 4.

My DH and I are starting to consider downsizing.  But our definitions of "downsized" are very different.  When I mention all the rooms we just don't use he says "Yes, but it's nice to know they are there."  He really isn't ready yet I guess. 😉

[chessiegal]

I liked the final reno too. I wonder since they didn't show bedrooms and baths if they were left alone or will be part of another renovation we won't see.

[CrazyInAlabama]

My guess is the bed and baths were fine, and maybe needed paint, or else they simply couldn't afford to do everything right now.   

Good point about being ready to downsize.   I live in a new street of houses aimed at smaller families, with small lots, and a couple of people have downsized from acreage, and huge houses, and it hasn't gone well for them.  

Edited March 26, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[BckpckFullaNinjas]

15 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

My guess is the bed and baths were fine, and maybe needed paint, or else they simply couldn't afford to do everything right now.   

Good point about being ready to downsize.   I live in a new street of houses aimed at smaller families, with small lots, and a couple of people have downsized from acreage, and huge houses, and it hasn't gone well for them.  

I’m intrigued! Can you tell us a little more??

[CrazyInAlabama]

The houses are about 1500 square feet, and some of the neighbors have come from properties with huge houses, acreage, and cattle or pecan orchards.      On move in they always have way too much stuff to fit, usually one spouse wanted to downsize, but the other person is ticked.    I suspect a few of the downsize people here won't be around forever, and fortunately there is great resale.        We also have some that think the HOA rules are for the rest of us, and not them (totally wrong on that too).     

Downsizing the way the couple on the show did was the right way, where they both know what they want, and downsized to a substantially large house, but the land was a lot smaller.     I don't remember how big the house is Texas was, but 3,000 sq ft, that is updated like that house in Laurel would work for almost any situation.       I bet the bedrooms only needed carpet, and paint, and anything else beyond that will be phase 2.      I really loved what Erin and Ben did with that house.  

[BookWoman56]

On 3/26/2019 at 4:32 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

I know the Texas yard was three acres.     Did they say how big the previous house was?  

I don't think anyone gave an exact number for the TX house's square footage, but at one point when Erin is talking about the 3,000 sf house she's showing them, she says that it will still be smaller than their TX house. I didn't get the impression that their previous house was huge; my guess would be they "downsized" from a ~3600 sf house to the 3000 sf house in Laurel. Despite their talk of downsizing, I don't think either of the couple was ready to move into what I would think of as a downsized house, such as 1500 sf. 

I liked what Erin and Ben did with the house. Brick floors are not my thing, but Erin and Ben worked well with the features the house had and gave the clients something they wanted. I don't think the rooms aside from the kitchen and adjacent living area needed much work; Erin said something when they first walked into the house that the rooms at the front were fine as is. I suspect the bedrooms were also okay as is, and the rooms that weren't shown got nothing other than maybe a fresh coat of paint. 

[Finagler]

Hubby and I have been talking about downsizing in a few years.... His idea is to go from our current 3600 s.f. house to one that is 1500 or less.  😞   My idea is to get to a 2000 s.f. house.   He forgets that we have tons of books- hardback, paperback and comics.  I have a few years to work on him.  😉

[pep4]

If I were the doctors tonight I'd think, "Why do they hate us?"  The only 2 choices they were given were both UGLY houses.

(Though the renovation turned out fine.  Really enjoyed the couple's calm demeanor.)

Edited April 2, 2019 by pep4

[ECM1231]

13 minutes ago, pep4 said:

If I were the doctors tonight I'd think, "Why do they hate us?"  The only 2 choices they were given were both UGLY houses.

(Though the renovation turned out fine.)

I am watching the 2nd viewing( midnight) right now. Hated the 1st choice and definitely think they chose the right one. It's turning out nice...loved all the Mississippi art work!

ETA: sweet about the wife's grandma's swing. And on a shallow note... how good-looking were these doctors!

Edited April 2, 2019 by ECM1231

[3 is enough]

The inside of the house looked much better than the outside. It looked nicer after it was done, but the wrought iron over the porch roof line was very odd. 

I did like the kitchen very much. 

Totally understood the need for a lower priced home due to student loans.  My daughter and her husband are doctors.  They rent right now because they already have the equivalent of a mortgage.  She is in the first year of a two year  fellowship and won’t reach her full earning potential until she is done.  Residents and fellows don’t make much  and the minimum loan payments do not even cover the interest.  

[suebee12]

I really didn't like the exterior even after it was done. I personally would have done away with the rod iron completely and found something that looks more like the south. Having that trim just looked out of place. That said, I really liked the interior with one big exception.....those huge doors in the back. There is really no time here in Mississippi that I can see opening the house up completely. It is either too cold(we do get down into the teens sometimes) or too hot and buggy. Heck, last night it was in the low 40's, upper 30's and there were mosquitoes the size of B52's flying around when I took my garbage out. I also would have wanted a rail on the deck and stairs no matter what Ben told me!

Someone mentioned up above that both houses were "ugly" but don't the home owners already have their home when they apply? Ben and Erin only have to find the "other" house so there seems to be a choice?

[3 is enough]

Has the fact that the homeowners have already bought the house been confirmed? I know that’s the case with House Hunters.

[CrazyInAlabama]

On every TV remodeling show, the person has already bought the house.    When ever any show does a house hunt, it's only for the show.       Otherwise, there is no guarantee the person will actually buy a house, or qualify for the house, or close on one within the time period needed to redo it.      Some people take a very long time to buy, I actually know someone who looked for years before they actually purchased.    It wouldn't work for the show to film house hunts, and then wait for the person to get the house, and actually own it before remodeling.  

I liked the inside of the house last night, and think the doctors were being very sensible about spending.     I loved the kitchen, and the new pantry.      I bet that the homeowners will do a screened back porch, so the doors to the back will be very useful then.    However, since they didn't live in the far south before, from what they said, they might not realize the bug problem, but they will.   

Edited April 2, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[buttersister]

How do Ben and Erin not know?! Unless a screened-in porch is their next project on the house when the docs can afford it.

[BckpckFullaNinjas]

The whole “remove the screens!” trope makes me think (a) these people wear a crap-ton if bug repellent and/or (b) they entertain indoors at least as much. LOL

When I see the finished places I always wonder how they look after the staging bunnies come in and carry off all the stuff that looks so great but which the homeowners don’t want or can’t afford. It’d be fun to have a quiet little site somewhere to see how HT contributors actually live in their reno’s.

[BckpckFullaNinjas]

On 4/2/2019 at 9:18 AM, 3 is enough said:

The inside of the house looked much better than the outside. It looked nicer after it was done, but the wrought iron over the porch roof line was very odd. 

This must have been a mid-century option. A friend’s parents built their otherwise gorgeous split-level about 1960 and it still has the wrought-iron fence along the roofline. Not as ornate as the docs’ house but still “Wait, what? Why?” distracting. Adds nothing to the place. 

[3 is enough]

I realize that there is a lot of manipulation of the facts and timelines behind the scenes to get the episodes completed on schedule. 

Of course Ben and Erin don’t actually do all that physical labor.  

I guess I just assumed the house hunting scenes were filmed far enough in advance to get through closing and be ready for the renovations to start.

It makes sense that the house has already been purchased, but I have to say all of those home owners are half decent actors.

[3 is enough]

1 hour ago, BckpckFullaNinjas said:

When I see the finished places I always wonder how they look after the staging bunnies come in and carry off all the stuff that looks so great but which the homeowners don’t want or can’t afford. It’d be fun to have a quiet little site somewhere to see how HT contributors actually live in their reno’s.

On one of the Home Town Facebook pages there are some photos posted by Alise Mathews of her little blue house on the dairy farm.  You can see her own furniture, and, yes, there is a tv sitting on the mantel.

ETA:  The post is on the HGTV Home Town Show Followers page.  

Edited April 3, 2019 by 3 is enough

[BckpckFullaNinjas]

On 3/12/2019 at 12:04 AM, 2727 said:

Homeowner: "Oh, Erin. Oh, Erin. Oh, Erin. Oh, Erin. Thanks so much, Erin."
Erin: "Thanks to Ben."

I noticed that as well. And I really appreciated Erin saying that.  Somebody somewhere fussed about how Ben & Erin are almost always touching each other, and someone else explained  that they were that way because of Erin’s Introversion and Ben’s protectiveness. 

And I realized the source of my disenchantment with the duo. I followed her daily blog from the time I learned about it pre-S1.  She frequently wrote of how Ben cooked for her, drew her bath every single night, was there for her 1,000%. She lauded his “servant’s heart” and deep devotion. 

The same themes run through their memoir book. So — when she’s snippy or dismissive or snide with him — yuck!  My ex- expected to be served. His needs were always primary, always. 

I know we only see carefully edited interactions between them and that those times are an infinitesimally small portion of their life together. But the examples we do see, really bug me. 

Anyhow, TL;dr — I discovered the source of my disillusionment w HT & the Napiers. I still watch the reveals, though!! 😋

Edited April 3, 2019 by BckpckFullaNinjas

[suebee12]

1 hour ago, BckpckFullaNinjas said:

The whole “remove the screens!” trope makes me think (a) these people wear a crap-ton if bug repellent and/or (b) they entertain indoors at least as much. LOL

The one thing I do know from reading Erin's journal from way back, is that they do seem to live outdoors a lot! She posted photos of the parties, etc that they had outdoors. In fact, when they did the outdoor living area last week with the television outside, it reminded me of the many photos she posted of football parties they had while watching Ole Miss play. The gazebo type space was very reminiscent of Erin's parents backyard.  These photos were long before the show started. Plus they seemed to end up on everyone's porches to "enjoy" the great weather! I lived in Florida for many, many years before moving here(Starkville, MS....home of Mississippi State University-Hail State!!!) and never was one for outdoor living without screens! But I do have to admit there are many homes around here that have swings and rockers on front porches with no screens in sight! I personally do not like mosquitoes and other flying bugs so it is a screened porch for me!

Edited April 3, 2019 by suebee12