Good Bones - General Discussion

[dleighg]

Watching the "Shabbiest Townhouse" and wonder why all this angst about their buyers' leases-- they said they were month to month. Isn't that the best situation? They can move out any month they want? My daughter is on MtM now and thinking vaguely about buying a place and this is just a perfect situation IMHO.

[netlyon2]

@dleighg, where I am (DC), month-to-month is a lot more expensive than a longer-term lease, so I assumed that was the reason for the rush. They seemed like they had a very firm date for when they wanted to move. I wonder if they looked at multiple places, so Karen and Mina had competition that wasn’t discussed on the show.

[dleighg]

I see. My daughter's in the Boston area and after her first year it just went to MtM at the same price, which seems a great deal.

[bilgistic]

On 7/17/2017 at 11:15 PM, MrPissyPuppy said:

Mina's dad has apparently been married multiple times.   I remember on one show, they referred to Lenny as being married to Mina's dad's third wife's (don't hold me to the number/sequence of wife/husband) first and fourth husband or something like that - I remember that they had remarried each other.    There needs to be a flow chart or something to explain relationships!   They all seem to get along pretty well - Karen was at Mina's dad's house visiting with current wife (Missy I think) and the kids out of that relationship when they redid that home. 

 

They did do this video, but it doesn't really explain all the wives/husbands for dad.  

http://www.hgtv.com/videos/good-bones-family-tree-0277218

 

I just started watching the back episodes of the show on the HGTV app. I think the family relationship is this:

Karen (mom) and Casey (dad) married and had Mina (daughter).

Karen and Casey divorced. Casey married his second (now deceased) wife, Cheryl (sp?) with whom he had Tad, the young guy who heads the demolition crew and does some construction work. Casey's current/third wife is Missy. Their home remodel is one of the earlier shows.

Tad and Mina share a father in Casey, making them half-siblings.

Casey's second ex-wife (Cheryl (sp?)) was first married to Leonard/Lenny, the contractor, before she was married to Casey. Leonard is (was) therefore Tad's stepdad.

There is no familial link between Karen and Tad OR Karen and Leonard OR Mina and Leonard.

---

I'm a very occasional, very amateur geneologist, so I find these relationships interesting. It's probably because my own family tree is brambled and knotted that I like figuring this out.

Edited April 24, 2018 by bilgistic
Learned that Tad's mother died.

[bilgistic]

I've just marathon-watched the entire run of the show on the HGTV app. The Shabbiest Townhouse episode isn't on the app for some reason, but the other townhouse episode is (the one with the hideous gold fixtures).

I'm sad that Lenny isn't on the show this season, and am curious as to why.

I really enjoy the show. Karen's silliness doesn't really bother me. Mina just rolls her eyes at her and takes her corniness in stride. Having goofball coworkers that make you laugh--even if they get on your nerves a bit--is a hell of a lot better than working with people you hate, speaking from experience. They all seem to really enjoy what they do, and that's so rare.

Having watched something like two dozen shows over the past week, I can say there are definitely things that they do in every house. The base color is usually gray or white and the accent color is either blue (by far), green or smoky light purple. They put carerra marble tile in every bathroom and granite countertops in every kitchen. They put in high, elongated windows along the sides of the houses that face neighbors.

They put kitchen cabinets that go to the ceiling, usually double-stacked. That's controversial in this forum. I think it's a good idea to store the "good" dishes people use for entertaining, small kitchen appliances and cookware used only for infrequent baking and cooking, etc. I've never seen cabinets without a boxed-in header or the top left open so you feel you have to put dust-collecting bric-a-brack there.

I love that they often put in pocket doors. I have seen ONE pocket door in my 43 years. I live in North Carolina. Pocket doors are such great space savers and I don't know why they aren't used more often, other than the fact they might cost more than standard doors.

Their demo techniques have been discussed here. Some of what they throw out hurts my soul. They regularly throw out interior wood doors. Those are so valuable for reuse as doors and for other uses (desks, headboards, tables). Doors like that are expensive. Around here, interior doors are usually hollow with a composite veneer. Even a lot of "wood" front doors have foam core.

Breaking intact old wood-framed windows kills me, too. Those have great resale value for crafters. I have two such windows hanging on my walls; one is just plain and looks just as it was taken out and the other's panes were painted by my sister. I love old windows!

I had wondered about all the furniture and crap they put in each house to stage it. Is it on loan? I just read in this House Beautiful article that

Quote

People Don't Always Keep The Furniture Shown In Renovations.

You may see a fully furnished home at the end of each episode, but that doesn't mean that's what the homeowner's space actually looks like after camera crews have left. The home buyer has the option of buying the furniture Starsiak and Laine used to style each room, but they don't have to, according to Two Chicks And A Hammer's website.

Edited April 28, 2018 by bilgistic

[bilgistic]

On 4/20/2018 at 2:40 PM, netlyon2 said:

@dleighg, where I am (DC), month-to-month is a lot more expensive than a longer-term lease, so I assumed that was the reason for the rush. They seemed like they had a very firm date for when they wanted to move. I wonder if they looked at multiple places, so Karen and Mina had competition that wasn’t discussed on the show.

I finally saw the Shabbiest Townhouse episode. I just renewed my lease last month at my apartment complex, and a month-to-month lease was something like $300 more per month than a 12-month lease renewal. That's been the case everywhere I've rented over the past nearly 25 years in Charlotte--MTM is much more expensive than long-term.

Tonight's episode was another "we built this for a client we have in mind, but they didn't buy it" episode. I thought the whole thing was odd. The structure beside of it looked like a warehouse or some other commercial building--a foot away. There was no yard, but it wasn't like a row house structure before demolition. Just weird.

[lucygoose]

11 hours ago, bilgistic said:

Tonight's episode was another "we built this for a client we have in mind, but they didn't buy it" episode. I thought the whole thing was odd. The structure beside of it looked like a warehouse or some other commercial building--a foot away. There was no yard, but it wasn't like a row house structure before demolition. Just weird.

I noticed that when they were tearing the house down, her brother was sitting on the roof of that house watching, and the shingles were old, and it looked like the gutter got bent when tearing down the house, then when the house was put back up as 2 stories, that house had new shingles and no gutter.  I wonder what happened because it seemed like an abandoned building as there didn't look like there were actual windows in that house (from what you could see on the side of the house anyways)

[RemoteControlFreak]

WRT month-to-month vs. year leases, it all depends on the particular situation (location, type of rental property, preference of landlord or management company, etc.) I don't think you can generalize that one is always less expensive than the other.

WRT this show, Mina and Karen are appealing and their mission to restore Indianapolis properties is noble.  But Karen's interior design approach is over-done and the homes are too staged with furniture and accessories. It's impossible to see what the actual house renovation is because of all the pillows  and plants and art work.

[AnnieBeez]

On 4/23/2018 at 9:53 PM, bilgistic said:

I just started watching the back episodes of the show on the HGTV app. I think the family relationship is this:

Karen (mom) and Casey (dad) married and had Mina (daughter).

Karen and Casey divorced. Casey married his second (now deceased) wife, Cheryl (sp?) with whom he had Tad, the young guy who heads the demolition crew and does some construction work. Casey's current/third wife is Missy. Their home remodel is one of the earlier shows.

Tad and Mina share a father in Casey, making them half-siblings.

Casey's second ex-wife (Cheryl (sp?)) was first married to Leonard/Lenny, the contractor, before she was married to Casey. Leonard is (was) therefore Tad's stepdad.

There is no familial link between Karen and Tad OR Karen and Leonard OR Mina and Leonard.

---

I'm a very occasional, very amateur geneologist, so I find these relationships interesting. It's probably because my own family tree is brambled and knotted that I like figuring this out.

And then Lenny remarried Tad's mom Cheryl and became his stepfather: http://people.com/home/good-bones-karen-e-laine-and-mina-starsiak/

Pretty confusing. 

[AnnieBeez]

On 5/3/2018 at 5:46 AM, RemoteControlFreak said:

WRT month-to-month vs. year leases, it all depends on the particular situation (location, type of rental property, preference of landlord or management company, etc.) I don't think you can generalize that one is always less expensive than the other.

WRT this show, Mina and Karen are appealing and their mission to restore Indianapolis properties is noble.  But Karen's interior design approach is over-done and the homes are too staged with furniture and accessories. It's impossible to see what the actual house renovation is because of all the pillows  and plants and art work.

I totally agree. I was just telling someone yesterday that people fall in love with the decor, not the house. I guess that's the point of staging, but it would really bother me if I was looking to buy. Too cluttered for my taste, and I hated that pressed paper accent wall. Some of their choices just seem way too specific to me. 

I did a quick search to see if I could find out why Lenny's not involved. I couldn't find anything. 

[2727]

 No room for double stacked kitchen cabinets!

I wish we'd gotten a look at some of the other "colorful" houses on the block. I'm from San Francisco and used to Victorian painted ladies, but that purple and green wouldn't have been my choice. Probably looks better in person.

We've seen the same layout several times with the front door being accessed down a sideways porch; it still strikes me as slightly odd looking from the street.

The gambrel that "ended up" in the dumpster? Sigh.  Mina and Karen deliberately avoided saying it, but I'm assuming Tad was involved somehow.

I like how Karen is always so joyful about tackling the garden.

[suebee12]

A couple of thoughts about this episode. I didn't mind the purple and green but think it would have looked better reversed using the purple as trim. As for the layout, what I have noticed is that almost all of their houses have a very similar layouts....almost shotgun style. It must be a regular thing in Indianapolis.

Did anyone else notice the barn door to the master closet /bathroom? It actually looked like a front door with a mailslot and  doorknobs and lock....but did they work or were they for looks only? It also had glass that could be seen through but at least the closet came first so it didn't look into the bathroom directly.

As for the long wall before the entry door, I didn't mind it but I wish they had added one of their long high windows which would have added to the exterior appearance and added light to the bedroom.

I noted that Mina mentioned that changing the furniture could change the whole look of the house. Big budget, big price but overall a nice house with lots of room.

[izabella]

The house on the narrow empty lot they built turned out a lot bigger and brighter on the inside than I was expecting.  They went way overboard with the cluttered bohemian staging, but I confess I loved some of the pieces they had in there, lol.  It turned out to be a very cute house, and even had a cute outdoor space.  I was also pleased they made it an eat-in kitchen instead of trying to cram an island in there.  It made it seem cozy.

I still really like this show.  I don't always agree with their color schemes, but I really appreciate that they work on smaller houses instead of McMansions.  I also like the family dynamics - good natured, rather than showboating.

Edited May 16, 2018 by izabella

[sheetmoss]

Oy - $13,000. to install a sprinkler because of a convoluted  building code ,- though it was worth installing to keep the place a 4bdrm.

 

Some other observations...

Why no basements?  I know it would have been a bit more $$, but it would have been good done in the new build

Getting a bit tired of their  general front of house kitchen placement

Also, it was an attached garage, I don't recall if you could enter directly from the house.

Edited May 16, 2018 by sheetmoss

[bilgistic]

How do 20-somethings afford a $365,000 house?!?

Edited May 16, 2018 by bilgistic

[ChickenLatte99]

Was Mina pregnant during filming or is currently? I noticed strategic clothing and angles the last few episodes. The most recent episode I saw a little bump during the reveal to CR.

[2727]

There was a cute HGTV video on demand about Mina announcing her pregnancy to Karen but I can't find it online.

Here's one that "explains" their family instead.

Not for nothing, but Karen't current husband is easy on the eyes. It was sweet of him to make her that sign for their guest house -- we all knew she was gonna cry!

Speaking of that, I liked the way Karen used the reclaimed heating grates in the balcony pickets, and her piano key starburst clock was pretty impressive as well. If I ever remodel again, I might consider her idea about using colored grout; the pale blue with the white tile looked good from what I could see. It might age poorly though, like 70s brown grout.

Edited May 30, 2018 by 2727

[bilgistic]

Mina is in her seventh month of pregnancy now, as much as I can tell by her Instagram (@mina_starsiak_hawk). I saw the pregnancy announcement on the HGTV app.

It was shocking to me that Karen's guest house cost $180K to build. I guess she just didn't care because she wanted what she wanted, and to hell with the cost. It was coming out of her pocket, and she didn't need a profit to reinvest in the company. Must be nice to have that kind of money!

Edited May 30, 2018 by bilgistic

[sheetmoss]

On 5/16/2018 at 4:28 PM, bilgistic said:

How do 20-somethings afford a $365,000 house?!?

My son's friend is 25 and making $100k/yr --started  job 1.5 yrs ago at $65k, and has no debt - he marries somebody making equal $$, well...

2 hours ago, bilgistic said:

Mina is in her seventh month of pregnancy now, as much as I can tell by her Instagram (@mina_starsiak_hawk). I saw the pregnancy announcement on the HGTV app.

It was shocking to me that Karen's guest house cost $180K to build. I guess she just didn't care because she wanted what she wanted, and to hell with the cost. It was coming out of her pocket, and she didn't need a profit to reinvest in the company. Must be nice to have that kind of money!

Congrats to Mina..

As for the $ coming out of Karen's pocket,  I'm sure  the production company is sharing a healthy portion of that $180k

Just like when they film in either of Mina's or Karen's homes, it wouldn't surprise me if they didn't get compensated $$ using both as a sets

    Martha Stewart mad out really well  renting our her homes for filming and photography   for her TV show, commercials, books, magazines, etc

[ECM1231]

10 hours ago, 2727 said:

There was a cute HGTV video on demand about Mina announcing her pregnancy to Karen but I can't find it online.

Here's one that "explains" their family instead.

Not for nothing, but Karen't current husband is easy on the eyes. It was sweet of him to make her that sign for their guest house -- we all knew she was gonna cry!

Speaking of that, I liked the way Karen used the reclaimed heating grates in the balcony pickets, and her piano key starburst clock was pretty impressive as well. If I ever remodel again, I might consider her idea about using colored grout; the pale blue with the white tile looked good from what I could see. It might age poorly though, like 70s brown grout.

I tuned in late and didn't get to see Karen's husband but did see her son, his wife, and 2 cute kids at the end. I view this show off and on as I watch it on the late 2nd run at night (no DVR) and invariably fall asleep. So, am I correct that Tad is Mina's half-brother? And Karen is on her 3rd husband? Yikes!  I know that is a little judgmental of me. LOL  Karen is pretty creative and I also loved her piano key starburst clock and all of her design choices for the guest house.

10 hours ago, bilgistic said:

Mina is in her seventh month of pregnancy now, as much as I can tell by her Instagram (@mina_starsiak_hawk). I saw the pregnancy announcement on the HGTV app.

It was shocking to me that Karen's guest house cost $180K to build. I guess she just didn't care because she wanted what she wanted, and to hell with the cost. It was coming out of her pocket, and she didn't need a profit to reinvest in the company. Must be nice to have that kind of money!

I was surprised too that she spent that much, considering the land was free. I thought I heard her say the living space (minus the garage) was only about 750 sq feet.  I had to laugh at her son as he was touring the guest house. For some reason he just did not seem all that excited or impressed by it.  He made some offhand comment about how the bath was small but functional. In what world was that bathroom small? It had 2 vanities, for goodness sake and that gorgeous re-glazed clawfoot tub. It was outstanding. IDK why folks need such large bathrooms. You just go in there and take care of business.  In my area the standard size bath is about 5 foot by 7 foot. It will fit a standard sized 5 foot tub on the shorter wall, nestled in nicely. Anything larger than that is gravy in my book.

[bilgistic]

39 minutes ago, ECM1231 said:

I tuned in late and didn't get to see Karen's husband but did see her son, his wife, and 2 cute kids at the end. I view this show off and on as I watch it on the late 2nd run at night (no DVR) and invariably fall asleep. So, am I correct that Tad is Mina's half-brother? And Karen is on her 3rd husband? Yikes!  I know that is a little judgmental of me. LOL  Karen is pretty creative and I also loved her piano key starburst clock and all of her design choices for the guest house.

I was surprised too that she spent that much, considering the land was free. I thought I heard her say the living space (minus the garage) was only about 750 sq feet.  I had to laugh at her son as he was touring the guest house. For some reason he just did not seem all that excited or impressed by it.  He made some offhand comment about how the bath was small but functional. In what world was that bathroom small? It had 2 vanities, for goodness sake and that gorgeous re-glazed clawfoot tub. It was outstanding. IDK why folks need such large bathrooms. You just go in there and take care of business.  In my area the standard size bath is about 5 foot by 7 foot. It will fit a standard sized 5 foot tub on the shorter wall, nestled in nicely. Anything larger than that is gravy in my book.

We figured out the family tree in this thread.

I was thinking more about this episode today. The main reason for building the guest house was because Karen's son and family had to share the single guest bedroom in her house when they visit. Then Karen had the guest house built with only one bedroom! I guess the kids can sleep in the loft eventually, but they're currently a baby and a toddler/preschooler(?).

[LazyToaster]

That bedroom was big enough for a crib and I wouldn't be surprised if the toddler sleeps with mom & dad in the king sized bed.  Between the big bedroom and the living area and their own little kitchenette - that is a lot more space than they have been used to having on their visits.  I loved it - I would stay there in a minute! 

[suebee12]

And it was mentioned that the couch in the living room was a sleeper sofa so there is more sleeping space!

[2727]

...

Edited June 7, 2018 by 2727

[Maisonette]

Here's the thing I don't understand.  All their houses are open concept, front door to living room to dining room to kitchen.  And they live in Indianapolis. Where gets cold. And it rains. And it snows. And the wind blows. So you open the front door and whatever it is outside is coming straight in all the way to the kitchen.  There's never anything to stop it.  And there's never anywhere to sit down and pull off your snowy-muddy-wet shoes and hang up your coat.  Do they only ever show their houses on warm sunny days hoping people will forget about bad weather?  Do they expect everyone to enter through the back door all the time? There was one showing where Mina took off her coat and tossed it on the sofa, and even then the "buyers" didn't cotton on to the fact that there was nowhere else to put it.  It makes me crazy.

[suebee12]

1 hour ago, Maisonette said:

All their houses are open concept, front door to living room to dining room to kitchen.  And they live in Indianapolis. Where gets cold. And it rains. And it snows. And the wind blows. So you open the front door and whatever it is outside is coming straight in all the way to the kitchen.

I agree but if you think back on all of their houses, the houses they pick are all laid out like a shotgun house. Very long and narrow, with no side yards and sometimes, no real backyard. I guess that part of Indy has a lot of houses like that. I guess if you really plan and work at it, some kind of foyer could be created but the spaces are usually limited in square footage.

As an aside, I read on Instagram that Mina and family are moving to a new house and HGTV will air a program about their new house. Could be interesting. One question. In her post about moving, Mina mentions Bean...does anyone know who she is? It is already such a mashed up family, what is one more name added to the list?

[izabella]

1 minute ago, suebee12 said:

One question. In her post about moving, Mina mentions Bean

Is that a nickname for the coming baby?

[suebee12]

1 minute ago, izabella said:

Is that a nickname for the coming baby?

No, Bean is someone connected to Mina's sister who they took in. Mina is sad while she is dismantling Bean's room.

[dleighg]

6 minutes ago, suebee12 said:

Mina mentions Bean...does anyone know who she is? It is already such a mashed up family, what is one more name added to the list?

I seem to recall a niece ?

[suebee12]

2 minutes ago, dleighg said:

I seem to recall a niece ?

Yes, she is a niece...just read more in the comment section. Anyone know how old she is...couldn't be too old. And think, Mina and Karen won't be next door neighbors anymore. That will be quite a change for them!(Guess this should be in the small talk section....oops.)

[bilgistic]

I think Mina built her new house on the empty plot she owned between her house and one of the houses they worked on last(?) season. IIRC, Karen's house is on the opposite side of Mina's house. So, if you are standing and looking at the front of the houses, it is: 1) Karen's house, 2) Mina's current house, 3) Mina's new house, 4) house they renovated.

[mojito]

I guess they won't be seeing as much of each other now that Mina's commute to Mom's house will take twice as long.  Such a shame, they were once so close.

[irisheyes]

2 hours ago, mojito said:

I guess they won't be seeing as much of each other now that Mina's commute to Mom's house will take twice as long.  Such a shame, they were once so close.

?. Well played. 

[sheetmoss]

Oh how I loved karen wasn't afraid of snakes in last eppy

I didn't care for the decor staging on this one - maybe a little too BoHo-ish

     Would have loved more  their take on  a clean modern-ish farmhouse look complementing the exterior - then again, it might become very Fixer Upper.

Also, I really wish they would use larger windows or more of them - that kitchen felt dark. I've thought the same in some of their other projects as well.

Instead of the pennisula - I could see an island with a bank of windows along that wall.A door w/ kitchen  access  to deck would be great for entertaining

   Maybe paned black sliders too on that wall.

Small voice - I kind of liked parts--the hallway to stairs,  of the layout quirkiness in  the before

[2727]

I didn't understand exactly what role the guy they partnered with had in this -- he was the contractor, I guess? -- but his input really seemed to tone down the design. The exterior colors were boring to me; at least add some color to the front door!

$150K seemed way overpriced for such a dilapidated house, good location or not. They've gotten a lot more house before for a tenth of that. Not surprised they had some trouble getting their $490K asking price. We saw at least one commercial building down the block so it's not a purely residential area.

You can tell they scrimped on some things -- the stairs lost their decorative detail and were simply painted white, the appliances were basic black, inexpensive baseboards, no landscaping/greenery in the back yard, etc.

 

[irisheyes]

6 hours ago, sheetmoss said:

Oh how I loved karen wasn't afraid of snakes in last eppy

I love that Mina will crawl in the deepest, darkest, nastiest basements without a single whimper, but is terrified of snakes. 

 

It it doesn’t look like Two Chicks owns this one. It’s on the market, but it’s a different realtor.  Josh must have bought the house, and they went in together on the renovation.  An LLC owns its.  All of Mina and Karen’s other homes are owned by Two Chicks.

Here’s the listing. It doesn’t seem overpriced for the neighborhood.  There are other houses in the mid to high 400’s. 

https://www.redfin.com/IN/Indianapolis/1126-Olive-St-46203/home/82307109

Edited June 14, 2018 by irisheyes

[bilgistic]

1 hour ago, 2727 said:

I didn't understand exactly what role the guy they partnered with had in this -- he was the contractor, I guess? -- but his input really seemed to tone down the design. The exterior colors were boring to me; at least add some color to the front door!

$150K seemed way overpriced for such a dilapidated house, good location or not. They've gotten a lot more house before for a tenth of that. Not surprised they had some trouble getting their $490K asking price. We saw at least one commercial building down the block so it's not a purely residential area.

You can tell they scrimped on some things -- the stairs lost their decorative detail and were simply painted white, the appliances were basic black, inexpensive baseboards, no landscaping/greenery in the back yard, etc.

 

I didn't notice that the banister was different afterward. That's a shame, because it was so distinctive.

I thought the wine closet was a weird thing to spend so much time (and labor/money) on when they skimped in other places. I liked that they reused wood from the house for once, but designating storage for a specific use is very limiting. How many people collect enough wine for a whole closet that they always want on display through a glass door? The cabinets in there prevent the closet from being used to hang coats nor can things be stored on the floor.

They said the house was very near the center of Fountain Square, so the price was for the location more than anything else. I remember them paying $150K one other time for a house in Fountain Square, but I think most of the others have been $50K or less. Early on, they were getting places for $4K from the city (maybe an agency similar to HUD?), but it looks like those days are over.

[suebee12]

There was a price cut today from $485,000 to $455,000. And quite a bit different look from what we saw on tv. No snake painting(probably the first thing that I would get rid of anyway....I am scared silly of snakes!) The two bedrooms were completely empty and was that a plant wall in the upstairs hallway? The interior of the wall closet had changed so I am guessing you could add a hanging rack if you wanted and frost the glass. Not sure about the "quilt" tile either. Really didn't mind the black and white exterior but a red door would have added some flair! One thing, there was  a foyer....no closet but a place to put things when you enter. Some hooks or a coat tree could have been added. After this, I wonder if Mina and Karen will team up with someone again?

[2727]

36 minutes ago, suebee12 said:

After this, I wonder if Mina and Karen will team up with someone again?

It must be difficult to make a full season's worth of shows, right? Thirteen gut renos would take at least a year even with 3-4 different crews working. The recent ep was probably a good compromise with Two Chicks simply providing design input.

I can't even imagine the amount of time they spend picking out items for staging, considering how they accessorize the hell out of everything. Tchotchkes on every surface!

[absolutelyido]

On 5/30/2018 at 9:40 PM, ECM1231 said:

I tuned in late and didn't get to see Karen's husband but did see her son, his wife, and 2 cute kids at the end. I view this show off and on as I watch it on the late 2nd run at night (no DVR) and invariably fall asleep. So, am I correct that Tad is Mina's half-brother? And Karen is on her 3rd husband? Yikes!  I know that is a little judgmental of me. LOL  Karen is pretty creative and I also loved her piano key starburst clock and all of her design choices for the guest house.

I was surprised too that she spent that much, considering the land was free. I thought I heard her say the living space (minus the garage) was only about 750 sq feet.  I had to laugh at her son as he was touring the guest house. For some reason he just did not seem all that excited or impressed by it.  He made some offhand comment about how the bath was small but functional. In what world was that bathroom small? It had 2 vanities, for goodness sake and that gorgeous re-glazed clawfoot tub. It was outstanding. IDK why folks need such large bathrooms. You just go in there and take care of business.  In my area the standard size bath is about 5 foot by 7 foot. It will fit a standard sized 5 foot tub on the shorter wall, nestled in nicely. Anything larger than that is gravy in my book.

No, Karen is on her fourth husband. She married Casey (Mina's father), Randy, Mick & Roger (current husband). I wonder if any of them passed away, or if she has been divorced 3 times. 

[bilgistic]

I was telling my mom about the show and the familial connections and she exclaimed, "How many times have these people been married?!?"

I still want to know where Lenny is. I can't find anything about why he's not on the show this season. I know that his company is a separate entity, but I want to know why they aren't working with the show anymore.

[sheetmoss]

I did not the front facade of the last house - strange window placement & size....IMO, it needed more

I Think I might have turned the DR  into the kitchen  and put dining  where kitchen was.

Did not like the ,green stain on the fence, nor its style or placement on  property, primarily  it going in front of bay window.

[2727]

8 hours ago, sheetmoss said:

Did not like the green stain on the fence, nor its style or placement on property, primarily it going in front of bay window.

What was that? I understand the desire for privacy on the side patio but was completely confused by the rest. Staining the fence an ugly green color was icing on the crappy cake. I'm glad the buyer liked it (or pretended to).

For some reason we didn't get to see the finished attic bonus room or the first floor bedroom and bath (unless I missed it). For a fairly large house, all the rooms seemed kind of cramped.

I like Karen and her projects but those dots were bad. She and the contractor must have a good relationship that he felt able to say how awful it was. She could have just thrown up some wall decals.

Oy, oy, oy. Why do workers constantly cut through support joists in houses?! How many times have we seen that on reno shows?

Edited June 20, 2018 by 2727

[suebee12]

I didn't really like the outside of the house but they didn't really have a lot to work with since the house had apparently been added onto BUT that awful green fence(was that Karen's idea to "whitewash" it green?) It was some type of wash since it let the wood grain show through and not at all attractive. To top that off, they did the same to the deck. That would have been one of the first things I would change!

Now onto to the ombre wall of dots! What was Karen thinking of? or was she thinking at all? Usually her ideas are pretty good but this was a total loss and then to paint it that awful "teal-ish" color added to the disaster. I am a blue/green person but that was a color I would never have chosen and since it was only around the stairs, it stood out like a sore thumb. It might have been interesting if it was painted a more neutral green and another wall somewhere near painted also.

On 6/20/2018 at 8:45 AM, 2727 said:

I like Karen and her projects but those dots were bad. She and the contractor must have a good relationship that he felt able to say how awful it was. She could have just thrown up some wall decals.

I really liked those wall decals, 2727! I went though a lot of them and only wish I had some extra money to add one to one of my walls!

And finally, for the first time, I didn't like any of the decor they added. Too much and too something I can't even quite figure out. Overdone is part of it, and jarring seems to be another adjective coming to me. I would like to see that house redone with not so much stuff and things maybe that the buyer actually used!

[dleighg]

It seems like in some of these big houses that have been broken up into apartments, some or all of the apartments have no kitchens-- just a bathroom. Is this a thing? Is this a legal apartment? (I guess if we were in England it would be what is charmingly called a "bed sit.")

[dleighg]

1 hour ago, suebee12 said:

Now onto to the ombre wall of dots! What was Karen thinking of? or was she thinking at all? Usually her ideas are pretty good but this was a total loss and then to paint it that awful "teal-ish" color added to the disaster

yeah, I like green too but that was awfully "minty."

[bilgistic]

The fence looked like treated wood. It has that same sickly green. Why one would want that on purpose, I don't know. The internet tells me:

Quote

The green color you see on treated wood is caused by chemical reactions that take place between the preservative components and the wood. Copper is still the most widely used element in wood preservatives, and creates a green color on the wood. As wood dries and reacts to sun's ultraviolet rays, the green color will fade.

Mina said something about the kitchen backsplash penny tile being "modern" or "updated" because of that hospital green, and I was like, no. In virtually any other color it would've looked modern.

[Real4real]

Can anyone tell me where they were eating in the last episode?  I meant to write it down and then forgot!  I’m traveling through Indianapolis soon and thought it would be fun to go somewhere I’d seen on the show.  I’m open to suggestions though!  Sadly I don’t think I can convince Mr Real to drive through Bates Hendricks to see if I can spot any of their houses.

[dleighg]

I'm pretty sure they said it was City Market. It sure looks like it: http://www.indycm.com/

[Real4real]

Dleighg, thanks!  I’m sure that was it!  It had “city” in the name, but I couldn’t think of the rest.  When I searched restaurants, nothing came up with that in the name.  Thanks for your help!