House Hunters Renovation - General Discussion

[juliet73]

Austin couple: She bothered me and I don't know if it was her saying 'MY and I" all the time or something else that I can't put my finger on.  

As for the design...I've said it before and I'll say it again, I HATE two tone kitchen cabinets.  And with this small kitchen, it didn't work at all!  They should have went with all white to make the space appear larger and brighter and painted an accent wall with that navy color.  The brass fixtures didn't help either.  The two counter waterfalls butted up against each other looked awful!  They should have just went with the butcher block one. I liked the washer and dryer were behind the cabinet doors, but it looked like washer was behind one and the dryer behind another.  It's going to be very annoying when it's time to transfer clothes to the dryer when the open cabinet door for the dryer is in the way. 

I liked that they opened the foyer up, but the wood beams looked out of place.  The TV in the LR was mounted way too high.  I noticed they don't have an area for a dining table anymore, just the three stools at the kitchen counter. That was a bad decision too IMO.

The master bath was too busy.  Three different tiles in such a small room! Plus, the subway tile in the shower looked like it was laid horizontally on one wall and vertically on the other two walls?!

They went over budget by $11k and of course she blamed the husband because he wanted double waterfall countertops and brass cabinet hardware.  Granted, $3700 for a piece of butcher block is crazy, but I thought spending $1400 on the ugly wallpaper they chose for the bathroom and the $2000 ugly brass light fixture and the $2100 ordinary backsplash was just as bad.

[ByaNose]

1 hour ago, juliet73 said:

Austin couple: She bothered me and I don't know if it was her saying 'MY and I" all the time or something else that I can't put my finger on.  

As for the design...I've said it before and I'll say it again, I HATE two tone kitchen cabinets.  And with this small kitchen, it didn't work at all!  They should have went with all white to make the space appear larger and brighter and painted an accent wall with that navy color.  The brass fixtures didn't help either.  The two counter waterfalls butted up against each other looked awful!  They should have just went with the butcher block one. I liked the washer and dryer were behind the cabinet doors, but it looked like washer was behind one and the dryer behind another.  It's going to be very annoying when it's time to transfer clothes to the dryer when the open cabinet door for the dryer is in the way. 

I liked that they opened the foyer up, but the wood beams looked out of place.  The TV in the LR was mounted way too high.  I noticed they don't have an area for a dining table anymore, just the three stools at the kitchen counter. That was a bad decision too IMO.

The master bath was too busy.  Three different tiles in such a small room! Plus, the subway tile in the shower looked like it was laid horizontally on one wall and vertically on the other two walls?!

They went over budget by $11k and of course she blamed the husband because he wanted double waterfall countertops and brass cabinet hardware.  Granted, $3700 for a piece of butcher block is crazy, but I thought spending $1400 on the ugly wallpaper they chose for the bathroom and the $2000 ugly brass light fixture and the $2100 ordinary backsplash was just as bad.

I don't like brass but it's the in thing now on blue cabinets. I agree the kitchen was too small for two different colors. I didn't care for the wood waterfall bar. Also, the wood entryway looked out of place, too. I do appreciate that they were working with a small small place and it wasn't a McMansion. The wife was pretty but annoying. The husband tried to get his opinions out but the wife & the designer were like, "Yeah...whatever!". Overall, not a bad job but it seemed so over budget for such little work done. 

[twinks]

I'm not sure I would ever invest that much money in that condo. I wonder if they over improved it. Also didn't like the brass with the stainless appliances.

[ByaNose]

3 minutes ago, twinks said:

I'm not sure I would ever invest that much money in that condo. I wonder if they over improved it. Also didn't like the brass with the stainless appliances.

I didn't even think of that. Now, I have to go back and see if I like it or not. It does seem like a mismatch. Of course, before the whole design craze started I doubt people matched their knobs & pulls to their appliances. Considering most of our appliances were gold & or (whatever that green color was) green. Obviously, I'm showing my age. LOL!!!!

[MoreCoffeePlease]

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I'm not sure I would ever invest that much money in that condo.

I never would!  It is too small, and the building itself was very unattractive.

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the subway tile in the shower looked like it was laid horizontally on one wall and vertically on the other two walls?!

I was trying to figure out the pattern, but didn't care enough to freeze the frame and study it.

The cement tiles actually did look nice.  Those, of course, are another design trend you see on HGTV quite often.

[laredhead]

Last night's episode about the couple (husband is a musician and wife is . . . I don't remember) who had a $60,000 to remodel a kitchen and two bathrooms, plus new flooring downstairs, and a few other things had me screaming at the TV before they began that they were going to go over the budget.  Yep - by $24,900!  The couple was pleasant and they seemed to have a very nice, loving relationship with no sniping at each other and not too much drama by either one.  He was pretty funny with some of his quips about trying to rein her in on spending.   His phobia about 2-story houses and earthquakes was a new one as far as I remember for HH.  

I got a little tired of hearing the word "Tuscan" about 55 times during the episode, but I do have to say that she was correct in wanting to change out the stair spindles from wood to iron.  The end result looked much better.  

[juliet73]

12 hours ago, laredhead said:

Last night's episode about the couple (husband is a musician and wife is . . . I don't remember) The couple was pleasant and they seemed to have a very nice, loving relationship with no sniping at each other and not too much drama by either one.  He was pretty funny with some of his quips about trying to rein her in on spending.   

I got a little tired of hearing the word "Tuscan" about 55 times during the episode, but I do have to say that she was correct in wanting to change out the stair spindles from wood to iron.  The end result looked much better.  

I enjoyed them as well.  They didn't take each too seriously and seemed like a fun couple.  Her dress at the end though made her look like a nun. LOL!  

I agree about the overuse of "Tuscan", but then during the reveal segment, I must have heard "AMAZING" at least 10 times! In two minutes! UGH! I HATE that word!

I fast forwarded through the construction/drama parts, so I didn't understand the issue with the lighting above island.  

The kitchen came out lovely as well as did the adjoining family room.  I loved that they used the children's artwork.  The bathrooms came out nice, but they reminded me of the bathrooms you see in a lot tract home new construction.   The staircase came out beautiful! I think it's my favorite part of the house!  

The only things I really have to nitpick, besides them going way over budget, is the front door and the pool/spa.  I wish they would have sanded and stained the inside of the doors to match the staircase.  The pool was empty, but not the spa?  It was already green so it obviously needed some help.  I would have drained that immediately since it's not being used at the moment and it doesn't cost a dime. 

Edited November 21, 2016 by juliet73
incorrect spelling

[laredhead]

Juliet73, good idea about the front door.  It would look much better with a dark stain on teh inside.  The island lighting issue was created because the holes for the lights were cut according to the original placement of the island.  When the island arrived, the wife decided she did not have enough room to work in the area between it and the range, so the designer moved the island toward the family room a couple of feet.  That meant that the original placement of the overhead pendant lights would be off center and would not provide adequate illumination where needed, plus it might have looked odd.  At least the lights had not been installed yet and cutting new holes and patching the others wasn't too expensive.  This is why it's a good idea to tape off things like that on the floor before beginning construction or permanent placement.  I just finished a kitchen renovation, and my kitchen planner put blue painters tape all around the kitchen following the outline of where the cabinets would be so that I could tell how much room they would require.  It helped a lot, and we made a couple of modifications based on that.

I agree that the bathrooms looked very plain, but I think they decided to spend the $$ downstairs and not in areas where the wow factor wasn't as important. 

[juliet73]

6 hours ago, laredhead said:

Juliet73, good idea about the front door.  It would look much better with a dark stain on teh inside.  The island lighting issue was created because the holes for the lights were cut according to the original placement of the island.  When the island arrived, the wife decided she did not have enough room to work in the area between it and the range, so the designer moved the island toward the family room a couple of feet.  That meant that the original placement of the overhead pendant lights would be off center and would not provide adequate illumination where needed, plus it might have looked odd.  At least the lights had not been installed yet and cutting new holes and patching the others wasn't too expensive.  This is why it's a good idea to tape off things like that on the floor before beginning construction or permanent placement.  I just finished a kitchen renovation, and my kitchen planner put blue painters tape all around the kitchen following the outline of where the cabinets would be so that I could tell how much room they would require.  It helped a lot, and we made a couple of modifications based on that.

 

Thank you for the  explanation.  And the blue tape is a great idea! 

[Irlandesa]

It took me a bit but I knew I recognized the guy in last night's episode.  He was The Beav on Greek.  Looking at his IMDb page, he's also in a lot of other stuff but that's the role I connected to him.  So I found it funny that he called himself a "voice over artist."  He has one video game credit but most of his listings are standard guest roles.  They never quite addressed how they managed to cope with the train noise.

I was still pretty amazed what they were able to do.  Those houses seemed almost beyond repairing...almost tear down level of bad.  I kind of wished they would have picked the second house. I would have loved to see what they would have done to the place.  Overall, they seemed fun and I liked seeing the emotion over owning a house with prices as they are.  He works as an actor but probably doesn't make a ton of money.

[Empress1]

1 hour ago, Irlandesa said:

I was still pretty amazed what they were able to do.  Those houses seemed almost beyond repairing...almost tear down level of bad.  I kind of wished they would have picked the second house. I would have loved to see what they would have done to the place.  Overall, they seemed fun and I liked seeing the emotion over owning a house with prices as they are.  He works as an actor but probably doesn't make a ton of money.

And she's a group fitness instructor so likely doesn't make much either. I've heard that voiceover work pays well but it's hard to get.

I wouldn't have taken the first house based on the train noise alone (although it was very cute that the baby apparently waves to the trains). I also wondered why they didn't mention window units when they realized they'd have to forgo central air (although his parents paid for it in the end).

[juliet73]

Simi Valley couple:  Wow, did they look at some dumps!  Did this couple honestly believe they could reno the house for $45k?  Of course they went $25k over budget and that didn't include the central air and it looked like they did a lot of the work themselves. Where did they spend $70k?  The kitchen would have been so much nicer if they didn't do the two tone!!!  UGH!! What made it worse, one wall of cabinets was white and the opposite wall was like a beigy color.  To me, it looked the white cabinets were primed and were waiting for the beige paint.  I'm sure the motion sensor kitchen faucet cost a pretty penny; they probably could have saved some money on a less fancier one.  I loved the wider plank wood floors.  The master bath came out beautiful and the guest bath turned out fine.  The off centered fireplace/TV drove me crazy! They shouldn't have mounted the TV above the fireplace; they should have mounted it next to the fireplace or placed it on the cabinet/table next to the fireplace. The mirror above the couch was mounted too high and looked out of place. They should have hung it over the sink in the guest bathroom instead.

The RR tracks would have been an immediate deal breaker for me.  I'm really surprised there was a bidding war since the house needed so much work and the RR tracks were literally in their backyard.  I would have walked away...

[ByaNose]

There is living near RR tracks & then there is living right on top of RR tracks. Yikes! There is NO WAY in heck i would have bought that house. I didn't care for the two tone cabinets since the the darker wasn't a particularly nice color. I would have went all white. I know that's boring but I think it would have brighten the kitchen up a lot more. I was really impressed how handy the husband was. He could do it all. Even the wife pitched in and painted. Overall, the house was nice but that train WILL always be there. 

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, juliet73 said:

Of course they went $25k over budget and that didn't include the central air and it looked like they did a lot of the work themselves.

Even though the parents paid for it, I do think that was included in the overage.

[SanDiegoInExile]

6 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

It took me a bit but I knew I recognized the guy in last night's episode.  He was The Beav on Greek.  Looking at his IMDb page, he's also in a lot of other stuff but that's the role I connected to him.  So I found it funny that he called himself a "voice over artist." 

I knew he had to be some type of (actual) actor. He oozed charisma.  He sorta looked like a blonde, beefier, taller, straight version of Andrew Rannels.  I typically skip these Renovation HH because they are thin as gruel and misleading about costs. But he kept this gayboy interested until the very end.

[sheetmoss]

On 11/27/2016 at 9:09 PM, SanDiegoInExile said:

I knew he had to be some type of (actual) actor. He oozed charisma.  He sorta looked like a blonde, beefier, taller, straight version of Andrew Rannels.  I typically skip these Renovation HH because they are thin as gruel and misleading about costs. But he kept this gayboy interested until the very end.

He was on The Middle last night - he was the 'Bin' student monitor

[Nysha]

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My parents have train tracks at the end of their back yard & for the most part, they no longer hear them. It's just part of the overall background noise.

[izabella]

I mostly like the couple until the end when the wife said, "I got my farmhouse kitchen!  I got my farmhouse sink, marble counters..."  Um, since when do farmhouse kitchens have marble counter tops?  Never...they are FARM houses where luxurious marble counters are just that - a luxury farmers didn't spend money on.  Most farmhouses have NO or few counters at all, just a table, maybe a slide-out wooden cutting board near the sink.  Stop saying farmhouse kitchen!!

[Thumper]

Speaking of which, I don't understand the popularity of a "farmhouse sink."  Sure it is bigger, but you still need to put a dish drainer somewhere for the dishes to dry off.  I'd rather have it in the other sink than up on a countertop.  

[izabella]

2 minutes ago, Thumper said:

Speaking of which, I don't understand the popularity of a "farmhouse sink."  Sure it is bigger, but you still need to put a dish drainer somewhere for the dishes to dry off.  I'd rather have it in the other sink than up on a countertop.  

We had an original farmhouse sink in the house I grew up in, a Chicago bungalow built in the early 1900's.  It's a standalone sink, essentially, is wide (though not as wide as today's "farmhouse" sinks and far less deep), and had an additional drainboard next to the sink made of the same sink material as the sink, all one piece, with legs.  From a dish drainer perspective, you are exactly right - the dishes sit on top until they air dry or you dry them and put them away, so it's more unsightly than having the drainer rack sit in the double sink.

[AnnaRose]

I always like the idea of a wide single farmhouse sink because you can easily wash wide items like cookie sheets.   When I wasn't washing something large like that, I would just set my in-sink dish drainer to one side, and wash under the faucet on the other side.  (I never fill the sink with water and dish soap, so separating the area wouldn't make any difference.)  I hate a sink that is divided into two small halves. 

I agree with Izabella though... farmhouse kitchen doesn't make me think of marble countertops.

[Mu Shu]

13 hours ago, Nysha said:

My parents have train tracks at the end of their back yard & for the most part, they no longer hear them. It's just part of the overall background noise.

I'm right under the flight path into Ft lauderdale airport.  Sometimes I wake up to listen to the early morning planes.  I find it soothing, but guests always bitch how loud they are.   I also used to enjoy the sounds of ambulances.   Just don't make me listen to loud tvs, music, or barking dogs.  Trains are good too. 

[Bastet]

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I always like the idea of a wide single farmhouse sink because you can easily wash wide items like cookie sheets.  

I don't like them because I like to soak - completely covered by water - anything I'm washing in the sink (which right now is everything, as I don't have a dishwasher).  So while, on the occasions I am washing something oversized, it would be less cumbersome to wash it in a wide sink, the majority of the time when I'm washing normal-sized items, it would be a pain in the ass to have a wide sink because it would take so much water to get up over everything.  My sink is the standard double sink, where both sides are the same size.  My parents' sink is one with a small sink on the left and a large sink on the right.  I stay there a fair bit to cat sit, and I hate washing stuff in that damn sink.  I wind up running their dishwasher more often than I otherwise would, because I just shove all the pots and pans in there rather than saving space by washing them by hand.

With that personal preference explained, my issue with farmhouse sinks on this show is that they're used in every.fucking.renovation.  No matter the style of house, no matter the overall tastes of the homeowners, it's always a farmhouse sink.  Two-toned Shaker cabinets - white for the uppers, gray or some other pale color for the lower cabinets - with brass hardware (previously satin nickel), white or other light-colored subway tile backsplash, white quartz or similar counters, farmhouse sink, stainless steel appliances, pendant lighting.  Lather, rinse, repeat.  The repetition makes for boring television, and it's reached a point where I only watch if there is absolutely nothing else remotely interesting on.

Edited December 7, 2016 by Bastet

[ByaNose]

The Austin couple did a nice renovation that I actually liked. They went over $4000 on their budget which isn't horrible. Especially, since it ain't my money. LOL!!! The kitchen was a huge improvement but I didn't care for the entire wall of tile over the counter and cut off right before a door. It seemed odd. They went for the new trend of a blue island with brass pulls. It looks nice but it's not my taste. They choose not to have a formal dinning room and built a huge bar with a killer mirror. It looked great and it was nice to see they didn't need that huge dinning room that seats 20 for those once a year get togethers. All in all, a nice job was done and the couple wasn't that annoying. A win-win. LOL!!!

[juliet73]

22 hours ago, ByaNose said:

The Austin couple did a nice renovation that I actually liked. They went over $4000 on their budget which isn't horrible. Especially, since it ain't my money. LOL!!! The kitchen was a huge improvement but I didn't care for the entire wall of tile over the counter and cut off right before a door. It seemed odd. They went for the new trend of a blue island with brass pulls. It looks nice but it's not my taste.  All in all, a nice job was done and the couple wasn't that annoying. A win-win. LOL!!!

I agree about the couple not being annoying.  I liked that they removed some of the "angles".  The kitchen turned out ok.  Again with the white cabinets and white subway tile.  I didn't like the mish mash of open cabinetry/shelving.  I think they could have gone with a darker cabinet since the kitchen was larger and there was a lot of natural light.  I was not a fan of the blue island with the butcher block; it looked totally out of place.   ALL of the light fixtures they chose were AWFUL!!  The staircase came out nice.  I liked the bar room, but I don't think I would want it to be the first room I saw when I enter the house.  I know they didn't have a "man cave" or basement, but I think it would have looked better in a more closed off space.   They only went $4000 over budget!  I think that is one of the lowest ones we've seen in a while.   

[Peanutbuttercup]

I don't like the combination of navy and white with brass hardware. I don't want to be in the navy or living on a military ship, and that's all I think of when I see that color scheme.

[laredhead]

Just getting around to watching the episode about the Simi couple who bought a house by the railroad tracks.  Someone upthread asked where they spent $70 thousand on that renovation.  The money goes fast, and when I saw what that designer planned for their kitchen I said to myself it was going to take their entire original $45 thousand planned budget.  I just finished a major kitchen renovation that wasn't considered high end and I spent $43,000.  It included taking the walls to the studs & removing the ceiling, installing all new cabinets and floors, new appliances and lighting.  I didn't install granite or quartz, just Formica counters.  If I had chosen granite or quartz it would have increased the cost by another $4,000+ depending on the material and pattern.  The Simi couple also had to pay $13,000 for asbestos abatement, so that left them with only $32,000 to complete a kitchen and a bathroom.  They said they went with high end stuff in the master bath and the finished product looked like it was expensive.  The new A/C probably cost at least $4,000+.  It would be nice if there were more details about labor and product costs on the renovations shows, because we know they probably get some things at cost for advertisement concessions.

If the husband had not been very handy and the wife not willing to help with painting and some other things, they would have had to spend even more $$ on hired labor.  I would love to see what they do with the yard and how they screen the train track view in the back yard.  

[speac]

Yesterday we had another kitchen designer who encouraged navy lower cabinets, brass, quartz counters and herringbone white subway tiles--so their kitchen wouldn't look so cookie cutter.  Don't the designers watch HH?  those items are doomed to be the next stainless steel and granite fad.

[biakbiak]

I FFd to the end on this show did they have any good explanation why the butcher block countertop was so much lower than the rest of the counters. Not only was it unappealing visually it would annoy the hell out of me to use it.

[chessiegal]

13 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

I FFd to the end on this show did they have any good explanation why the butcher block countertop was so much lower than the rest of the counters. Not only was it unappealing visually it would annoy the hell out of me to use it.

I don't get the appeal of butcher block either. Maybe someone who has it and likes it can explain. Our kitchen has what seems to be a high end Formica countertop as it seems to be indestructible, much to my dismay, as I would like to replace it with quartz, but can't justify the expense. (But then I have functioning black appliances I live with.)

[biakbiak]

34 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

I don't get the appeal of butcher block either. Maybe someone who has it and likes it can explain. Our kitchen has what seems to be a high end Formica countertop as it seems to be indestructible, much to my dismay, as I would like to replace it with quartz, but can't justify the expense. (But then I have functioning black appliances I live with.)

Oh I love butcher block. Real actual butcher block, my parents have a butcher  block like this that has been in the family since the 40s. My question was in this kitchen the butcher block counter was several inches lower than the quartz counters on either side of it. 

[KAOS Agent]

The counter was lower to be a kid's counter or something. I think it had to do with how they'd removed the banquette in the corner and for whatever reason (maybe the window was too low?) they couldn't have those counters the same height as the others.

[biakbiak]

15 minutes ago, Pegasaurus said:

They ripped out the vintage kitchen to go w/ white shaker uppers, dark blue lowers, quartz, blah, blah

That kitchen was old and crappy not vintage, it's layout was legitimately shitty as fuck. The bathroom was vintage but there were also knicks in the tile.

 

19 minutes ago, KAOS Agent said:

The counter was lower to be a kid's counter or something. I think it had to do with how they'd removed the banquette in the corner and for whatever reason (maybe the window was too low?) they couldn't have those counters the same height as the others.

Weird their only child was a baby and the counter had no room for stools so if that was the idea it was still stupid. 

If the window was to low I could see that as being in issue but I would have either designed the kitchen/dining area around it or suck up the price and put in a smaller window. I straight up could not live with that design "choice."

Edited December 12, 2016 by biakbiak

[QuinnM]

I totally get how looking at vintage bathrooms with that cool tile and offbeat color combinations is something you want to preserve.  But take a really close look at the sink height.  In the olden days everything was much lower.  I thought a friend was crazy because the vintage bath was covered in this glass tile.  She said walk up to the sink to brush your teeth.  I was like, yeah this has to go.  I think it was 28 inches high or something.

Really, navy, brass, white subway?  WTH?  This is getting crazy. 

[ByaNose]

Are the Burbank couple the ones who put the washer/dryer in the kitchen? Isn't that a no-no on HH? It's sort of against the law, right?

[laredhead]

I think the washer/dryer in the kitchen is against the HH "law".  I guess my house would never sell if I put it on the market today because my washing machine is in the kitchen and the dryer is in the utility room, one room away.  Why?  Because when the house was built in 1957, not many people had dryers, but most  had washing machines and they were located in the kitchen which made sense to builders and home buyers at the time.  When drying clothes outside became passe', dryers were then located in outside utility rooms in these houses because there was no room in the kitchen.  Some people then moved their washer outside as well.  Fast forward to today, and I have managed to live with these horrible laundry conditions (heavy sarcasm there) just fine for the 13 years I have been in this house.  I've had several estimates to move the washer to the indoor utility room where the dryer is located and all come in at around $2,000, plus extra cost to jackhammer up the outside patio to run a new drain line, and added cost to do the required tie in to the sewer system and repair all of the damage done to the back yard planting beds that will be torn up in that process.  I just had the kitchen renovated and the washer is tucked away behind two doors that everyone thinks is a pantry and they certainly cost a lot less than $2,000+.  Young buyers today are so used to having lived in almost perfect houses (or they give that impression) that they don't know how to react to something different, and to learn to live with it.  Now I do draw the line at the w/d being in the garage or an outside utility room because I've had that set up before and I don't ever want it again.  That's my deal breaker.  

Edited December 16, 2016 by laredhead

[Honey]

On 12/11/2016 at 9:01 PM, biakbiak said:

I FFd to the end on this show did they have any good explanation why the butcher block countertop was so much lower than the rest of the counters. Not only was it unappealing visually it would annoy the hell out of me to use it.

To actually answer your question:

The window was too low.  Rather than moving the window, they installed a lower countertop, and called it a kids counter.  It wasn't by choice.

[biakbiak]

This is the first time I can remember on the reno show being genuinely surprised by the house they chose because most of the changes were going to be cosmetic. I mean even though they gutted the kitchen they kept the exact same footprint besides removing a pillar. Who the hell wants a vintage Persian rug in the middle of their kitchen.

The backyard was hideous with the safety pool fence and the fence around the pool equipment and I am assuming AC unit because it was such a huge space. 

I was shocked they went even a little bit over budget given how much work they did themselves and the family connections. I mean I know the cabinets were most likely highend though looked like an Ikea kitchen from two or three years ago but I was still surprised.

[Peanutbuttercup]

Last night's reno family seemed nice but IMO their results were a hot mess. The overly trendy nautical colored kitchen (white shaker uppers, navy shaker lowers, brass hardware) + square white tile backsplash (makes me think of an institutional public restroom), + nice kilim rug placed smack in the line of fire for spills and splashes on the kitchen floor = just no.

And their library . . . why were their books placed that way? With the spines to the wall and the pages facing out? Is that some new "thing"? As a librarian, I can tell you that whole set up about gave me the dry heaves. I want to fly out to Austin and fix it for them (and put their books in LC call number order while I'm at it).

[twinks]

Agree about the Austin reno.  Hated it! Way too "busy" for my taste. I guess blue cabinets and brass hardware will be trending now. Speaking of which, those drawer pulls were huge! I thought the half bath looked better before. Hated the new wallpaper. I thought for sure they would go with house #3.

[Peanutbuttercup]

2 hours ago, twinks said:

 I thought the half bath looked better before. Hated the new wallpaper.

Agree 100%. I had to rewind and watch again to make sure I was understanding which was before and which was after.

[Terrafamilia]

9 hours ago, Peanutbuttercup said:

And their library . . . why were their books placed that way? With the spines to the wall and the pages facing out? Is that some new "thing"? As a librarian, I can tell you that whole set up about gave me the dry heaves.

It must be. I've seen it on another HGTV show (not positive so don't quote me but I think it was Fixer Upper). Apparently, it's done for for design purposes rather than usefulness. Something like when the nouveau riche would buy whole rows of leather bound classics for the purpose of showing them off with no real thought of ever reading any of them.

[juliet73]

I agree about the Austin episode.  The house was beautiful before except for the kitchen.  All it needed was a few cosmetic changes.  Honestly, they could have painted the cabinets and replaced the hardware and saved a ton of money!!  I liked the before with the higher counter top (breakfast bar) and the stove below, but of course they removed it.  The "after kitchen" was one of the worst ones I have ever seen on this show!!  There was way too many different designs/ideas going on.  First, the two tone cabinets! UGH! But to make that hot mess even worse, they used horsey BRASS hardware on the lower navy cabinets and horsey SILVER hardware on the upper white cabinets!!  That looked horrible!!  It literally looked like they were halfway through a reno and decided not to finish.  The "rustic" open shelving?  NO! The 80's white square tiles as the backsplash? NO! The decorative tiles as the backsplash on the other wall? NO!  The Persian style rug in the kitchen?  Hell, NO!  

All the light fixtures were ugly!!!  And $800 for two SUPER UGLY brass sconces?!

The powder room looked way better before!  I didn't think the master bath really needed any work.  Obviously, they changed everything in there, but it looked similar to the "before" except the new vanity looked taller.  

I liked the idea of the library, but the "after" wasn't what I was envisioning.  I don't know if the shelving should have been around the huge window instead of the doorway or if it was something else, but the room seemed off.  

Since I fast forwarded through the middle of the show, I didn't realize they had so much family helping them out until they mentioned it at the reveal.  While, I think it's great. I can't believe NO ONE mentioned that the designs were horrible, busy, clashing, etc etc!!  

[ByaNose]

5 hours ago, Peanutbuttercup said:

Agree 100%. I had to rewind and watch again to make sure I was understanding which was before and which was after.

I so thought that was the before picture with the palm trees. I had to replay it twice because I thought my DVR skipped. It's so 1970's that I can't believe that it's in stock and someone would actively look for it. Epic fail!

[Empress1]

1 hour ago, juliet73 said:

I agree about the Austin episode.  The house was beautiful before except for the kitchen.  All it needed was a few cosmetic changes.  Honestly, they could have painted the cabinets and replaced the hardware and saved a ton of money!!

I know the "before" orange and blue cabinets weren't for everyone, but I'd have kept them for a while. If I were redoing a kitchen I wouldn't choose them, but I'd have been able to live with them for a bit while I prioritized other things. At the very least, they looked to be in good shape so painting them and replacing the hardware should have been fine.

I love navy blue but I've really come to dislike the navy low, white high countertops with brass fixtures that have become a staple. I did like the patterned tile they used in the kitchen, but overall it was kind of a mess. I thought the exterior of the house was beautiful though.

2 hours ago, Terrafamilia said:

It must be. I've seen it on another HGTV show (not positive so don't quote me but I think it was Fixer Upper). Apparently, it's done for for design purposes rather than usefulness. Something like when the nouveau riche would buy whole rows of leather bound classics for the purpose of showing them off with no real thought of ever reading any of them.

I figured. No one who actually reads would store their books that way. Maybe they turned them spines-out when the cameras left. (I'm sure those glass bowls of fruit that appear in every episode leave with the cameras too.) I've said many times in this space that my dream home has a library, but my books would have the spines showing so I could, you know, find them. It's also trendy to group your books by color for design purposes. I had a college friend who did this in his dorm room (he came up with the idea when he was high and followed through with it while sober); clearly he was ahead of his time.

[laredhead]

No one has said anything about the Austin husband turning a great 2 car garage into a personal gym.  What?  When the wife mentioned parking her car in the garage, he stopped that conversation with a "no".  The pictures of the couple taken a few years earlier showed him w/o the beard and I think he looked better.  I have lately noticed some men in Crossfit or similar workout programs with beards, so I'm assuming he is into that type of exercise.  

They said the kitchen cabinets were particle board, but the upper cabinets looked pretty good when they were removing them.  Since they didn't smash them with a sledgehammer, maybe they donated them or reused them in his garage turned gym.  I'm already tired of the color combo of lower navy/upper white and it's not even a year old on this show.  The color wheel has an infinite number of colors, choose another one already.  I would have preferred the elevated counter too, because it hides dirty dishes and messes from the living area.  It's not like you are going to miss seeing anything with only about 8" or a foot of elevation.  The rug was pretty, but only for the reveal.  No one in their right mind would put a rug like that in the kitchen.  I live by myself and don't consider myself a messy cook, but there is no way I would ever have a rug in the kitchen.  Wonder how long it stayed on that floor?

When I think of designating a room as a library, I think of more than one wall of shelves.  To me it is a room filled with built in shelves & bookcases and cabinets, and may even (horrors!) pretty paneling.  That was not a library IMO, just a room with some bookshelves.  I have one of those in my house and it's called the spare bedroom.  Would never think of calling it a library. 

The $50,000 reno budget was deceiving since they got so much free help and probably huge discounts on materials.  A kitchen alone will eat up 90% of that.  Point being - don't try this at home for $50,000 unless you have a family of carpenters, electricians, plumbers, etc.   

[ByaNose]

16 hours ago, laredhead said:

No one has said anything about the Austin husband turning a great 2 car garage into a personal gym.  What?  When the wife mentioned parking her car in the garage, he stopped that conversation with a "no".  The pictures of the couple taken a few years earlier showed him w/o the beard and I think he looked better.  I have lately noticed some men in Crossfit or similar workout programs with beards, so I'm assuming he is into that type of exercise.  

They said the kitchen cabinets were particle board, but the upper cabinets looked pretty good when they were removing them.  Since they didn't smash them with a sledgehammer, maybe they donated them or reused them in his garage turned gym.  I'm already tired of the color combo of lower navy/upper white and it's not even a year old on this show.  The color wheel has an infinite number of colors, choose another one already.  I would have preferred the elevated counter too, because it hides dirty dishes and messes from the living area.  It's not like you are going to miss seeing anything with only about 8" or a foot of elevation.  The rug was pretty, but only for the reveal.  No one in their right mind would put a rug like that in the kitchen.  I live by myself and don't consider myself a messy cook, but there is no way I would ever have a rug in the kitchen.  Wonder how long it stayed on that floor?

When I think of designating a room as a library, I think of more than one wall of shelves.  To me it is a room filled with built in shelves & bookcases and cabinets, and may even (horrors!) pretty paneling.  That was not a library IMO, just a room with some bookshelves.  I have one of those in my house and it's called the spare bedroom.  Would never think of calling it a library. 

The $50,000 reno budget was deceiving since they got so much free help and probably huge discounts on materials.  A kitchen alone will eat up 90% of that.  Point being - don't try this at home for $50,000 unless you have a family of carpenters, electricians, plumbers, etc.   

The weird thing was that the "gym" was him and a bar bell. I understood in the parents house he couldn't have a huge gym. They show the new garage and it was still him and a bar bell. I thought he was talking about weights, treadmills & steppers. He was a very metro sexual mountain man. I was surprised he wasn't looking for a real room to use as a gym instead of garage. I guess he likes it cold when he works out.

[Empress1]

On 12/19/2016 at 3:37 PM, laredhead said:

No one has said anything about the Austin husband turning a great 2 car garage into a personal gym.  What?  When the wife mentioned parking her car in the garage, he stopped that conversation with a "no".  The pictures of the couple taken a few years earlier showed him w/o the beard and I think he looked better.  I have lately noticed some men in Crossfit or similar workout programs with beards, so I'm assuming he is into that type of exercise.  

I had that thought. I'd have been mad if I were the wife. I love to work out and might put in a home gym if I had space, but if I had to choose between using the garage for my car and as a gym, I'd pick the car, especially if I lived somewhere with extreme weather. At least give the wife ONE side of the garage to park on. (I have a friend who does CrossFit and he's clean-shaven and would never grow a beard! I actually don't think he's capable of growing a bushy full beard, but if he could, he wouldn't.)

[laredhead]

Just getting around to watching an episode that aired December 10 here about a couple in Burbank who thought they could renovate a kitchen, a bath and do some other improvements for $35,000.  I snorted and laughed when they said that.  Sure enough, they went $15,000 over budget and I think they were lucky not to have spent more.  Maybe they really did, but didn't want to admit to more than $15,000 over.

The kitchen designer said she chose a design that would not be cookie cutter - uh, it had the usual white subway back splash, navy bottom cabinets and white uppers and both were Shaker style which we are seeing on every HH Renovation show now.  Is there anyone in the design world or a home owner who wants European style cabinets or something else that is different?  The husband was a bit obsessed with symmetry and I got the impression that the wife was more than used to his little quirks about it, and was being very patient during the process.  I was pleased to hear him comment that the bedrooms were going to be small in a 4 bedroom house with only 1700 square feet, since so many of the HH's we see are told they are about to tour a 3 bedroom house with 1200 sf and then they gripe about the small rooms.

I caught a glimpse of that red wallpaper in the office closet in the final reveal.  They must have liked it a lot because that would have been an easy fix to either paint over it or strip it from the wall.  

[Kohola3]

9 hours ago, laredhead said:

Is there anyone in the design world or a home owner who wants European style cabinets or something else that is different? 

No, because these days people are told what they want by watching HGTV.  As soon as these shows change their Holy Trinity MO, then people will suddenly want something else - the new "in" look.