Good Bones - General Discussion

[dleighg]

3 hours ago, chessiegal said:

I'm 68 and my knees don't do stairs anymore. A first floor master is a must.

my point is that they *can't* build for everyone. They seem to be trying to. So the 50+ crowd is maybe not their audience. So they should optimize for the 20 and 30-thing small families.

Small homes can be "starter homes" or "empty nest homes." Maybe they shouldn't try to be both. And does someone who doesn't do stairs really want two upstairs bedrooms and a bath to clean and make ready for guests?

Edited August 14, 2019 by dleighg

[msmarjoribanks]

3 hours ago, 3 is enough said:

First floor masters are a regional thing.  They are very popular in Texas, for example.  When we moved to Texas our kids were still young and we wanted our bedroom to be on the same floor.  The majority of homes we looked at had first floor masters.

I am not familiar with Indiana, but maybe it's a thing there.

I don't know about Indiana, but as I mentioned upthread the lots (and relatedly, the houses they do, although not their specific style) remind me a lot of Chicago.  I own a remodeled Chicago workers cottage (and looked at a variety of late 1800s/early 1900s houses, many remodeled, when looking), and the typical plan for the smaller cottage style (remodeled, as they were originally 1 floor only, with an attic, 2 beds on the first floor, unfinished basement)  is living, dining, kitchen, maybe some family space, plus a half bath, on the first floor.  Then 3 beds, one with a master bath if it fits, and a shared bath on the top.  A fourth bed might be in the finished basement, or just a rec area or it might not be finished (and likely would have low ceilings).  For a grander Victorian, the first floor would likely be similar, but more likely to have an entry way, and maybe a small extra room, and there would be bigger bedrooms on the second floor (or more), with only one bathroom, and then often an attic master or promise of one (sometimes an office and the master would be on the second floor).  But most of theirs are more the workers cottage model.

(My own place is different only because I have a crazy number of books -- living room, kind of small because I created an entry space, library/overflow gathering room with additional seating, kitchen, and then dining at the back.  Top floor 3 beds, 2 bath.  First floor half bath. Finished basement with a bath. Mine has an addition in the back too, but cannibalizing it for a master bedroom and another bath would make no sense.)  

A first floor master really doesn't fit the floor plan/size.  It might well be common in some suburbs, but I didn't see it in the city (where I looked) at all.  Even with newer places I suspect the lot size makes it an awkward configuration.

I do get that it would be helpful for older people (when my mom had mobility issues toward the end of her life my parents had a hard time finding place with just one floor, which they wanted, and I think they would have been fine with a first floor master, guest beds on the second floor, but they weren't common where they lived and apparently the master on first/all first came at a premium.)

I wonder if it is expected in Indy burbs, so people who are starting to consider these transitional areas of the city as an alternative expect it.  Interesting that Mina chose it, although her place is much bigger than most of the ones they do.

That all aside, I think a house without 3 beds would be a hard sell.

[Grrarrggh]

On 8/13/2019 at 9:04 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

I just watched the version of the show that is older episodes with bonus scenes, and little comments.   They did the Victorian that was previously owned by Brandy's grandparents, and they were interested in buying it.   At the end it turned out that the family couldn't swing buying it, and Mina and Karen actually only broke even on it.   A couple of fellow realtors from her brokerage bought it.   

They ruined that lovely floor plan. Goes to show that no, not everyone wants an open concept monstrosity. 

23 hours ago, suebee12 said:

But that room would be great for a boy but for a girl, no way Jose! 

Ummmm, why not? Girls aren't "allowed" to like racing?? Colours that aren't pink?

[dleighg]

33 minutes ago, Grrarrggh said:

Ummmm, why not? Girls aren't "allowed" to like racing?? Colours that aren't pink?

Thank you for saying that. Not so long ago (i.e. I can remember) only boys were thought to want to be astronauts or doctors. I agree that being too specific is always a dumb idea in designing a house, but lets keep gender stereotypes out of it 🙂

[suebee12]

42 minutes ago, Grrarrggh said:

On 8/13/2019 at 10:58 PM, suebee12 said:

But that room would be great for a boy but for a girl, no way Jose! 

Ummmm, why not? Girls aren't "allowed" to like racing?? Colours that aren't pink?

Sure they are but that car was so over-the-top masculine it wasn't funny...I'm not even sure that a little boy would go for it for long. Some of the plastic car beds are cute...this car was not cute...it looked as though could actually drive it and I know I wouldn't like the tire smell. I think the biggest problem with that car bed is that it is something not everyone would care for even if they are from Indianapolis(or Daytona, or any other big racing town). Leave the room for the new owners to decorate!

As for pink, I wouldn't want any room painted pink..I'm not a pink person and never was.

[3 is enough]

Seriously though, wasn't the race car bed part of the staging?  I imagine it would not have come with the house unless the buyer was willing to purchase it.  I just took it as product placement and "filler footage".  Personally I would have preferred to see the second bath , 3rd bedroom and wherever they put the laundry.

[Grrarrggh]

1 hour ago, suebee12 said:

Sure they are but that car was so over-the-top masculine it wasn't funny..

Why? Because it was grey? Because it had wheels? What exactly made it so over-the-top masculine? A future little Danica Patrick might have loved it. 

[MrPissyPuppy]

The kid in the walk-through said she was in the 6th grade.  I don't think most 12 year olds want a race car bed.  Possibly pretty cool if you're 6; not so much when you're an adolescent.  

Agree with the overall consensus on the tiny living room areas - looks like you can fit one small sofa in there - it would be workable for a single person or a twosome, but not if they did a lot of   any entertaining.   I mean, there's outside, but they have cold winters.  

[Minivanessa]

39 minutes ago, MrPissyPuppy said:

The kid in the walk-through said she was in the 6th grade.  I don't think most 12 year olds want a race car bed.  Possibly pretty cool if you're 6; not so much when you're an adolescent.  

Good point. On reflection, I think it was her age, not her gender, that created the dissonance in my head when they showed that room. Of course it's possible for any sixth grader, male or female, to be a gearhead (really into cars), but unless she was, it's just a strange choice of bedroom decor. 

[dleighg]

In the earlier episode (the one with the family with two kids), once again Mia is pointing out "the great chair" (they don't get the chair, right?) and the parents were talking about he "grown up princess four poster bed" (they don't get the bed, right?)

I don't understand all the gaping at the staging!

[izabella]

It's likely that they can buy any of the staging furniture in the houses.  But, yeah, as soon as the house is sold, that stuff is all out of there.

[CrazyInAlabama]

If they want to make a profit, then go for quality finishes, and not expensive, high maintenance items like marble in the showers, marble everything else, and small tiles.    A porcelain back splash in the kitchen can look beautiful, and you don't have to worry about splashes or staining.     Showers with the bigger porcelain tile would have been just as nice, but not as expensive, and low maintenance.   They could have saved a lot of money on the most recent flip, and made a bigger profit.   It would also be faster and cheaper to install the tile with bigger tiles, and less grout too.    And I would never spend the amount of money they wanted for that house with the usual wooden counter tops.      (Not that I could afford their prices anyway).   But this week's house only had an eat in kitchen with space for a narrow table, and four chairs, and a tiny living room?     For a three bedroom house, that wouldn't work.  

If they were putting a big peninsula in the kitchen on one end, with seating that would have been useful.   However, where is the family supposed to eat?   I think they should have done a much longer addition, making room for a bigger living room, and dining.     

Edited August 15, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[dleighg]

55 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

only had an eat in kitchen with space for a narrow table, and four chairs,

I looked at that table in, basically, the middle of the kitchen, and thought "I'm going to be banging into that dang table every time I turn around while I'm trying to cook."

[pasdetrois]

So now I'm binging season one on Hulu. I adore the Victorian in the second episode, but am  aghast at the yellow-stripe-with-emerald-green paint job on the teeny bungalow. At least they modified the trim color. In one of the houses they put in a very pale aqua backsplash, which was stunning.

Things I didn't know: Mina's dad is an ortho surgeon. She has another full sibling. She and Karen live next door to each other, which I envy. I grew up with family members slinging kids and dogs back and forth over fences - it was a great support system for the parents. And, Mina appeared not to be engaged or married when the series went into production. She's been very busy!

Continuing the What the Heck theme: they did a big house with some luxury finishes, but I spotted a shower curtain in a shower stall, instead of a door of some kind. There was no tub to catch the water, just the usual small lip of the shower opening.

Edited August 16, 2019 by pasdetrois

[CruiseDiva]

16 minutes ago, pasdetrois said:

Continuing the What the Heck theme: they did a big house with some luxury finishes, but I spotted a shower curtain in a shower stall, instead of a door of some kind. There was no tub to catch the water, just the usual small lip of the shower opening.

I've noticed that on this show and on other reno shows as well. Those glass shower doors are costly--I put sliders with textured glass on a huge new shower in my master bath and even the mid-range ones I chose were nearly $1,000. But, c'mon... they spring for marble countertops and don't put in glass shower enclosures. Doesn't make sense to me.

[pasdetrois]

Absolutely. I have a shower curtain, but I renovated on a very tight budget. I regretfully abandoned the idea of a roll-in shower because it meant moving the drain as well as buying an expensive glass door.

Mina was talking about luxury finishes in that episode and planning to sell the house. But I think they did sell it, so what do I know (about the Indy market)?

Edited August 18, 2019 by pasdetrois

[CrazyInAlabama]

I think they don't do the shower enclosures sometimes, because not all buyers like only one kind.   I love frosted glass, but many don't. some people still use shower liners or curtains, and when they get faded or stained, they get tossed for new ones.    You can spend $20 and change your shower curtain/liner, and change the entire look of a bathroom.   I know other people that would spend a ton on frameless shower surrounds, or some other type, but I would never want to spend that.     It's the same reason that many builders have everything included except the fridge, so you can get the type you want.    My last new house had a credit for fridges, at a specific retailer, because there are so many types.  

It also takes a while to get the enclosures ordered, and installed, so they might have to wait a while for a glass door to show up.   Or they could do a credit with the shower door producer they use, and the homeowner can pick what they want.       

I have looked at some of the real estate pictures on their flip houses, and they are a lot less cluttered than the show staging with all of the knick knacks, and overloaded rooms.     

Edited August 16, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[chessiegal]

Whether a fridge comes with a house depends on the RE Market. In MD, the fridge comes with the house. When I lived in GA, the fridge was not included. When I moved from GA to MD, I took my fridge with me and had 2, one in the kitchen and one in the garage.

[MsTree]

On 8/16/2019 at 6:14 AM, pasdetrois said:

Things I didn't know: Mina's dad is an ortho surgeon. She has another full sibling. She and Karen live next door to each other, which I envy. I grew up with family members slinging kids and dogs back and forth over fences - it was a great support system for the parents. And, Mina appeared not to be engaged or married when the series went into production. She's been very busy! 

Thanks for the trivia. Since I just started watching this season, I didn't know anything about Mina or Karen.

[2727]

Okay, HGTV. No need to pretend that Good Bones is two hours long in order to keep everyone's DVR running to include your new show. I would have checked it out anyway.

I feel like I've been too hard on Karen and Mina lately; it's not like I started my own successful renovation business and star in a TV show.

I'll just say the corbels were still too small in scale and leave it at that. It's a nice apartment and I'm glad Mina's sister is happy. Her baby and Jack look like twins!

[rocketinu]

Karen eating the live cockroach was a little too Chip Gaines for me.

Apt was cute but I would hate to climb those stairs each day.

[pasdetrois]

The children are precious. Those chubby cheeks! Jack gazing at his cousin - babies love their older siblings and cousins. Mina sure got a workout, toting those heavy babies around. There is a eight month old in my family, and I'd forgotten how heavy they can be. Have to nap after I baby-sit.

I hope Karen is OK. I think we've seen a couple of her mobility injuries over the seasons. At 60, she surely is beginning to notice her physical limits, despite how fit she is. I was down on the floor recently, replacing cabinet hardware, and longed for a crane to hoist me up when I was done.

I love that old brick apartment building (now condos). Tad gets on my nerves the way he can't follow demo instructions. He ruined the chance to keep those doors and beautiful old hardware.. Wasn't the first time.

Guess the sister will move into larger space as her girls grow. I kept thinking three people in that small space, yikes. And little ones around those steep stairs. And no outdoor play space. But she's very lucky to have it. Sometimes I fantasize about a place like that, given all the work my old house and yard need.

Edited August 21, 2019 by pasdetrois

[dleighg]

I thought that wallpaper was absolutely hideous.

[MrPissyPuppy]

12 hours ago, rocketinu said:

Karen eating the live cockroach was a little too Chip Gaines for me.

I saw the writing on the wall and fast forwarded through that bit.  Ugh.  Stop it.   Just stop it.  

[Writing Wrongs]

Can someone explain the family dynamics for me? That was Mina's sister, but not Karen's daughter I guess. Was the sister and the brother on the show, siblings too?

[CrazyInAlabama]

The corbels needed to be much wider, and bigger.    The apartment was cute, but I would have left the dining room exactly that, not a play area.    The bar stools are way too tall for little kids to use, and the family needs a quiet place to sit and eat, and decompress in the evening.   I loathe wall paper, and the best I can say is that wasn't as bad as some I've seen, and it was only that one wall. 

   When they say it takes a village, they're talking about this family.   I love how they all seem to be close, and care for each other.   Remember the little duplex was rented to Mina's sister-in-law, but I'm not sure who she was related to, and then during the first season another sister bought a house from them too.  

Edited August 21, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[Booney]

New to this forum, and I’ve been binge watching all four seasons of Good Bones (I’m up to midway through the 4th season at the moment). I’ve learned that a little of Karen at a time goes a long way - she’s not made for binge watching! Anyway, I have a question and apologize if it’s been covered in this forum before. The project manager guy, Cory Miller - why is he called Cory sometimes and Toby sometimes? Last night I watched an episode from early in season 4 where Tad called him Toby, and Mina called him Toby in one scene and Cory in another. I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation, but I can’t figure it out!

[2727]

1 hour ago, Booney said:

why is he called Cory sometimes and Toby sometimes?

Mina mentioned at one point that Toby is her and Karen's nickname for him, but not why.

1 hour ago, Booney said:

I’ve learned that a little of Karen at a time goes a long way - she’s not made for binge watching!

Binging also highlights how many times Tad and his demo crew destroy or lose things that were supposed to be saved.

From the resemblance, Tad and Jess (I think?) from this week's episode could be full siblings. Neither look at all like Mina's dad, but as @CrazyInAlabama said, we know they're not Karen's.

Edited August 21, 2019 by 2727

[izabella]

I did not like the corbels.  Why couldn't they just build out the arches so they'd look the way they did?  That can't possibly be that expensive to do.  I'd rip those damned corbels out immediately because they looked completely out of place and ugly.  The clean arch would have been fine if they didn't have anyone with the skill to build out a real curved arch.

I also hated the front of the building.  Talk about a white elephant!  The window trim should have been painted a different color at least. 

[2727]

[error]

Edited August 21, 2019 by 2727

[Booney]

11 minutes ago, 2727 said:

Mina mentioned at one point that Toby is her and Karen's nickname but him, but not why.

Thanks for the info!

[pasdetrois]

Cory's nickname is Tooey.

Karen and Mina's dad, the ortho surgeon, had three kids (all girls, right?). Then Mina's dad had Tad with another woman, who died, and Karen has 'adopted" Tad. He said that she took him in after his mother died when he was young.

Beyond the above I am hopelessly lost. I think someone said Mina's dad has been married four or five times? I may have misunderstood that.

What I want to know is who is Karen's sweetheart? I think she wears a wedding ring, and she also has a ring tattoo on her wedding finger.

I wonder where the original contractor manager went. Lenny? He somehow was family also, something about being married at one point to one of Mina's dad's ex-wives. They appear to have a new general contractor.

I wonder if any of these folks other than Mina and Karen are getting money from the production company.  Can cause hard feelings if not.

Edited August 22, 2019 by pasdetrois

[bilgistic]

On 4/24/2018 at 12:53 AM, bilgistic said:

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.

This is what I figured out last year. I don't know to whom (parents) the younger blonde sister belongs or the sister that got the condo last night.

I think Karen is married to her third husband, but I'm not positive.

[pasdetrois]

We need a flowchart

[2727]

41 minutes ago, pasdetrois said:

Karen and Mina's dad, the ortho surgeon, had three kids (all girls, right?).

I think their kids are Mina, Kelsey, and the son who visited once with his family; Mina added the apartment over the garage for when they stay.

... although it would be very like her to welcome someone else's adult son into her home. However tangled the roots of their extended family tree, it's awesome how open and supportive they all are with each other. Mina never qualifies anyone as a half or step sibling. They're all just family.

Edit: They made an attempt at a family tree in an bonus video.

Edited August 22, 2019 by 2727

[Grrarrggh]

Not about Good Bones, but what was with HGTV trying to sneak in another new show by claiming it was GB? The new couple are boring. Same old, same old and the house they did was pretty ugly in the end. Painted over all that lovely wood and made a huge white room. Ick. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

So I guess that was the end of the season?    Since the second hour, that turned out to be another show seems to have taken over their slot on Tuesdays for the next two weeks.   

I think this episode, and the other one with Karen using a cane were filmed at the same time.    The house next to this one was one of theirs too, so I bet they bought several on the same block again.    

Edited August 22, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[car54]

So Jess is Tad's full sister and Mina's half sister.   If I recall, they did a place in another season that she looked at buying or moving to.   I know Mina took her older girl to live with her for a while before Jack was born--I didn't realize she had another baby since then--that littlest one was so cute--I wanted to tickle those chubby cheeks.

Today I found a new little show on the HGTV site called Small Space Big Potential---it has about 6 little 10 or 15 minute episodes and Mina and Karen re-do a room in a friend's home--they bring in Tad and Cory and the older contractor--and do a couple of mudrooms, laundry room, home office, and I think a dining room.  It's cute--they use the homeowner's budget and it looks like something that they could knock out in a day's filming--so it seems like a way to keep a show going without the huge financial outlay and workload of shooting their regular show, and to give their regulars a paycheck, probably. 🙂   They were cute--nothing big but every room looked better for what they did with it.    

[Minivanessa]

33 minutes ago, car54 said:

Today I found a new little show on the HGTV site called Small Space Big Potential---it has about 6 little 10 or 15 minute episodes and Mina and Karen re-do a room in a friend's home--they bring in Tad and Cory and the older contractor--and do a couple of mudrooms, laundry room, home office, and I think a dining room.  It's cute--they use the homeowner's budget 

Thanks for the tip. I'll look for those.

I just watched the first season of this show on Hulu. There were two episodes in which Mina and Karen renovated homes for suburban homeowners. If I saw them before, I'd forgotten them. I liked what they did in both episodes.

They respected the homeowners' budgets, goals, tastes, and needs. I thought both the finished renovations were excellent. 

They talked at times about it being different than their usual process when they're fixing up a house to sell, when they can roll with their own ideas vs. paying attention to what the homeowners like. Come to think of it, I don't think Karen had as much room for her flaky "art" projects, which may be another reason I like those episodes so much. 🤣

[car54]

I think it is a nice change to see them design for someone specific and their lives and taste than to only consider the real estate and sales potential.   I remember one early show they did where they were doing a home for a lady and she very specifically wanted a fireplace, and they seemed to really take her taste and wants very seriously.

I enjoy both of them--one thing I have been noticing about Karen, as it seems like Mina is doing more --like the other shows on HGTV, --it's a very mom thing--but usually when Mina makes a design suggestion--Karen's immediate reaction is usually "Oh that's great!" or "I love that".

She's obviously very talented in a lot of areas herself, but that pride in her kid's talent is always kind of nice to see.   I bet she's like that with all her kids.

Another reason I think maybe the Small Space show was a quickie is that in most of the shots Mina has the same hair and she is wearing a lot more makeup than she usually does--and in most of their design planning scenes, she looks the same.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I just read an announcement that Good Bones will have Season 5, with 13 episodes.     I am looking forward to that.   

[absolutelyido]

Others have commented that their houses don't have enough living space for the number of bedrooms. I totally agree with that. This season particularly, they seemed to consistently add a main floor master to houses that previously only had bedrooms on the second floor. I suppose it's because additional bedrooms increase the price of the house. It made me wonder they don't ever finish the basement in their flips, which could add a lot of living space. Do houses in Indianapolis typically have basements? 

[irisheyes]

From what I remember, a lot of their houses have “Michigan basements” which are brick or cinder block with a dirt floor. Okay for hiding from a tornado, but not usable living space. 

[car54]

I grew up in Illinois, and I think maybe one of the homes in our family had a basement--and it was very primitive and would not be suitable for finishing out.   Most places had crawl spaces to access under the house.

We did have homes around that had underground shelters for tornado season in the back yard.   One was a neighbor and we used to play house in their shelter in the summers.   I am not sure they do that anymore--this would have been built after WWII, probably.

[pasdetrois]

One reason people don't refinish basements here in the DC area, at least in older homes, is that the basement ceiling heights are below code. One must dig down or raise the house to gain the required minimum ceiling height in the basement. It's frustrating because often those old heights are only off by a couple of inches. Also, many have low-hanging water pipes that would have to be tucked up into the joists. Very expensive.

[ECM1231]

This episode aired last night. 

Quote

A Stately House on Sanders

Mina and Karen are taking on a sprawling, 2,800-square-foot home with four bedrooms, two bathrooms and a bonus space upstairs. While the three-story home is structurally sound, it needs a lot of work to make it ready to sell, and Mina and Karen have a whopping $275,000 renovation budget. The home has beautiful woodwork, paneling and a majestic staircase, but tensions flare as the women have differing opinions on how to approach its design and style.

Unfortunately my DVR cut off before the ending. Did the engaged same sex couple wind up buying it? Wow, what a gorgeous home that was, especially for newlyweds to start their life in!  There was a staircase leading to the basement in the kitchen and they had to remove it when they reconfigured kitchen layout. They never did mention or show where they put the new staircase. I'd hope it wasn't relocated to an outside entrance. I hate those!

[CrazyInAlabama]

No, the two adorable men didn't.   The decided to spend money on a wedding, and honeymoon in Italy.       Another couple we didn't see on camera bought the house at full asking price.     I really liked that house, and the first couple, but it wasn't the right house at the right time. 

The purple house that was the grandparents of the woman that sold Mina and Karen the house wanted to buy the house, but it simply was too expensive for her.    I think that one was bought by a couple from Mina's real estate company.    

There were a bunch of reruns today, and a couple of days ago, and they are mixing up first season (I call them the Lenny episodes), and third (or is the current season the fourth? I can't keep track).      I saw one where that they had everything pink, and flowers, and really feminine, and it was no surprise when the woman who went through the house raving about it, bought it.     I bet at least on the first season, that they have buyers already, and design for them, even thought they don't say that.   

I'm technologically challenged, so the vintage house with the couple looking at it was the reason I learned to program my DVR for extra time, so I could see the ending for this show.  

Edited September 9, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[ByaNose]

The actual designs are well done but they have horrible stagers. This is one flipping show where I don’t covet the furnishings and accessories. 

[ECM1231]

51 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

No, the two adorable men didn't.   The decided to spend money on a wedding, and honeymoon in Italy.       Another couple we didn't see on camera bought the house at full asking price.     I really liked that house, and the first couple, but it wasn't the right house at the right time. 

Thank you CRAZYINALABAMA!

[Scatterbrained]

On 9/2/2019 at 10:22 PM, absolutelyido said:

Others have commented that their houses don't have enough living space for the number of bedrooms. I totally agree with that. This season particularly, they seemed to consistently add a main floor master to houses that previously only had bedrooms on the second floor. I suppose it's because additional bedrooms increase the price of the house. It made me wonder they don't ever finish the basement in their flips, which could add a lot of living space. Do houses in Indianapolis typically have basements? 

It makes me wonder if they are designing homes for investors to rent out, possibly as AirBnBs.