House Hunters Renovation - General Discussion

[Mittengirl]

I think El Segundo wife is trying to be the next Kristen Bell.

The brass? hardware looks so garish with the white cabinets.  Maybe with darker wood they wouldn't stick out so much?

The house the bought was completely unimpressive, both before and after.  I liked the other two houses better.  I just have a hunch they won't be staying in their home long, probably selling before the boy starts school.

Was I the only one annoyed when she looked up and commented about the noisy "big planes"?  They are called jets, dear.   Don't know why that bugged me, but it did.   Maybe just because of who said it.  She talked like those who always sound like they're talking to a little kid.

[izabella]

I thought the brass hardware, and especially the brass lighting fixtures, were way too big in scale for the size of the house.  I can't stand that look, but maybe have been scarred by the 80's and 90's white cabinets with gold hardware and butcher block counters.

[laredhead]

I just watched the El Segundo episode and agree with previous comments about the bright brass hardware.  When the reveal scenes were shown, all I saw was that hardware and bright brass everywhere.   

I'm catching up on past episodes and also watched one from back in January where 2 doctors renovated a 1500 sf house, and I thought the end result was very nice.  I could not find any comments about it, but thought I would mention it anyway.  The designer wanted to install shiny white cabinets and a walnut island, but the owners pushed back a little and went with stained wood cabinets.  I think that the owners tastes were better than the decorator's in this case because they both wanted some contrast and did not want an all white kitchen.  I was also happy to see not one piece of subway tile in the kitchen for a change.  The designer did create an efficient space for a guest room/office by using a Murphy bed and sliding door.  I liked that renovation so much better than the El Segundo episode.  I also liked the owners better too.  No drama, and they only went over the budget by $3,000.       

[MsTree]

12 hours ago, Peanutbuttercup said:

I hope their daughters both grow up to have mohawks, nose rings, and an affection for Doc Martens rather than growing up to be the adult version of dancing singing princesses that their mother is projecting onto them.

LOL...and I couldn't agree more re: their mother's projection.

Also agree with everyone re: the ugly brass fixtures and "gold" hardware. Please HGTV designers...stop trying to make this ugliness happen!

[sheetmoss]

On 3/5/2017 at 3:02 AM, MsTree said:

Tonight's reno...exactly what did the wife think she was auditioning for? Sorry dear...that was your 15 minutes. Now go away.

I kept getting a Julie Bowen(Claire,Modern Family) vibe from her.

    Agree too, the husband looked like a skinny Chris Klein

[MaKaM]

Well, a lot of celebs have said they watch HGTV and HouseHunters in particular. Maybe the El Segundo wife was thinking one of them would see her and cast her in their next movie. ;-)

 

HGTV sure is pushing the brass/gold and the patterned concrete tiles. If black and white ones are in now, how long until it is orange paisleys that are "in"? I am asking because my mom is about to remove some of her 70s flowery tiles and maybe she should hold off...

Edited March 6, 2017 by MaKaM

[SPLAIN]

On 2/13/2017 at 1:21 PM, JasmineFlower said:

For anyone who didn't see the episode and thinks we're exaggerating, here's a few shots someone was able to take of their TV and posted on Twitter. These are AFTER shots. And I'd say the house looks way better in these pictures than when you watch because you can't see a ton of detail and half the house isn't captured like the drab/bad kitchen color, the problems I mentioned above, the paisley bar stools, the fugly peeled green paint exterior. Like you can see the curtains slightly (bottom left), but I promise you this doesn't capture the horror of them. For instance, look closer if you think that just looks like burnt orange and white horizontal stripes. If only. The does capture how insane the color palette of this house is. Yes, that is a bright yellow painted door in that blue room with a magenta ceiling.

 

I feel as if this couple purposely had the designer purchase items from the clearance section at various stores.

The blue and yellow room is one thing, but to then walk out into a red hallway, it reminds me of Dr. Seuss Land at Universal Studios in Orlando.

[sheetmoss]

Re Austin couple - hubby was military recruiter

Gawd, he was so low key I wonder how he sells enlisting? The only spark  of life I saw from him was when playing on the island

The primarily all white kitchen needed some upper cabinets with  glass doors to break it up a bit.  Really Disliked the backsplash random tile pattern, w/the gray grout it looked like pieces weren't  consistent in thickness.

I believe they had an 11yr old son...time for him to learn how to do laundry too,

[Pickles]

The Austin couple. He seemed kind of "slow" to me and she was pretty snarky to him. Did not really like either of them.

[ByaNose]

That was an ugly backsplash. Didn't like the shape and/or color. The kitchen was way white. It doesnt usually bother me but the backsplash made it worse.

[suebee12]

I'm going to be a bit mean here but I thought that the couple had two boys and that the youngest was a girl! I had to go back and check! Why don't they give the poor little boy a hair cut? The two older boys had really short hair which I would expect from a military father. Sorry if I am sexist but I like longish hair on boys but not to the extent that I think the boy is a girl! When my oldest was in swimming class(actually just water safety but they called it swimming), there was a child in the class that I thought was a girl because of the waist length hair, until I saw his mother change HIS diapers...oops!

[Empress1]

1 hour ago, suebee12 said:

I'm going to be a bit mean here but I thought that the couple had two boys and that the youngest was a girl! I had to go back and check! Why don't they give the poor little boy a hair cut? The two older boys had really short hair which I would expect from a military father. Sorry if I am sexist but I like longish hair on boys but not to the extent that I think the boy is a girl! When my oldest was in swimming class(actually just water safety but they called it swimming), there was a child in the class that I thought was a girl because of the waist length hair, until I saw his mother change HIS diapers...oops!

I thought the boy's hair was gorgeous. All three kids were cute - the eldest is going to be handsome, you can tell.

2 hours ago, ByaNose said:

That was an ugly backsplash. Didn't like the shape and/or color. The kitchen was way white. It doesnt usually bother me but the backsplash made it worse.

It was, and I didn't like the blinding white cabinets either. She was so into being the one who would keep the place clean, you'd think she'd have been concerned about the fact that white shows dirt and three boys are going to generate dirt. I'm glad they went with the bigger house though. One of the houses was 1600 square feet and that's small for a family of 5 with 3 growing boys.

[juliet73]

Austin ep:  They were such a mismatched couple...physically and their personalities.  I wondered how they were going to renovate the whole house on $50k, then I realized they were basically just doing the kitchen, family room and relocating the laundry.  They went $4k over budget.  Surprisingly, I don't have too much to complain about.  The fireplace looked lovely but I wish they would have add a strip of the tile on the floor - it looked unfinished.  The furnishings didn't seem very kid friendly...the light purple couch, the glass coffee table, the pale colored drapes "puddled" on the floor.  Why were there so many plants in the dining room?  There was big horsey plant on the kitchen island too!  Totally distracted from the rest of the room.  The family room could have used a plant or two. The kitchen turned out ok.  I agree with everyone else about the horrid backsplash.  The color was meh, but the shape was just horrible!  I also agree that they should have added some glass doors on the upper cabinets.  And because this show wants to drive me crazy, they had to add UGLY BRASS hardware on the cabinet doors!  UGH!!!! Everything else was SS!  Why?!  Why? Why the brass hardware?!  As for the youngest boy's hair, he was super cute (all the kids were) and I liked his curls.  However, he did look like a little girl because they put his hair in ponytail, etc.

[Peanutbuttercup]

Amen to the "no" votes on brass hardware, especially with stainless steel appliances.

I also disliked the backsplash. I hate boring subway tile backsplash, but this one ended up with a pattern that reminded me of snakeskin, and my snake phobia is so intense that I couldn't stand it. No thanks.

As to the youngest boy's hair -- I thought it was super cute. I am very much against enforcing gender norms with respect to children's hair, clothing, activities, interests etc. so it doesn't matter to me one way or the other whether he fits in with society's ideas of what a boy or a girl looks like.

[Kemper]

Watched one last night involving a young woman...maybe a Vet's Assistant?...in California.  She was cute..wanted to be near the beach.  The condo she bought was stuck in the 80's.  Surprisingly, the condo association let her contractor move the plumbing pipes around in order to knock out a wall; they impacted the condo above her and one either below or beside her.  The people living in the other condos were actually nice enough to put up with their water being shut off during the work; however, they did make it sound as though it didn't take long for that part of it.

While the end result was  nice, some of the choices were "special"...like an aquarium built into the lower part of a kitchen island (it did look nice. but) and an odd-colored grout (with a busy tile pattern) on the kitchen backsplash.  Really large-printed wallpaper in the bathroom with pink-ish vanity cabinet.  And $6,000 for vinyl flooring (again, nice. but) that went over hardwood floors.  Yes, the hardwoods had a very dated stain/finish and looked out of place with the grey vinyl planks in the kitchen. The contractor explained that the floors were engineered wood and that the top layer was too thin to sand and stain a lighter color.  So the young woman chose to take the expensive leap of laying the vinyl over the hardwoods.  $6,000!  I know that she really didn't like the wood floor color and that her friend told her that she should "have what she really wants"...but $6,000.  I was wondering if you couldn't somehow prime and paint the floors?  Maybe put a wash over them?  Of course, with the shiny-finish on the floors, a wash probably wouldn't work.  I was hoping the contractor could have come up with an alternate plan. 

At the end, the young woman loved it..the kitchen looked nice (other than the tiles/grout in the kitchen which just weren't my taste).  She seemed like such a vibrant person that I am happy that she got what she wanted/loved.  But $6,000 for those floors!  But the young woman and her friend did pitch in and do some of the work themselves.  So they saved on that part of it.  

[chessiegal]

What vet "assistant" can afford the price she paid? My vet has technicians that do things that require training and office staff, but none of them make enough money to buy a house over $500K, let alone renovate. More to that story than told.

The wallpaper was horrible. Again with the blue lower cabinets and brass fixtures. Yuck.

[Empress1]

The vet assistant's friend was auditioning for something. She annoyed me.

That renovation is one of my least favorites. I thought the aquarium in the wet bar was tacky and I hated those vinyl floors. The wallpaper in the bathroom made me feel claustrophobic.

[Kemper]

Yes, I forgot the teal blue cabinets.  I keep thinking that in a few years, when she goes to sell, someone will shriek at the "dated" paint, wallpaper and backsplash.  And brass fixtures with the teal.  Kind of like today's homeowners feel about anything that isn't spare and "clean"...with gray and white.  And I can imagine a giant hole in the lower island cabinet for the aquarium will make prospective buyers run run run.  But.  That is what she wanted and she loved it.  At least on camera.  I kept wanting to either cut her bangs or brush them to the side.  When she had them not full-on in her face, she almost looked like a different person.  One thing I loved was the eating space for the cat; would never have thought of that, and it wouldn't matter for resale since you could take off the cat dishes and put something else up there.  I, too, wondered about her budget on a Veterinary Assistant salary.  Divorce settlement?  Inheritance? Lottery?  Wait, if she had won the lottery, she would be on with Vern Yip.  All-in-all, I thought this was one of the more entertaining House Hunters Renovation; and entertaining in an interesting way, not a snarky way.  Other than the bangs.  She seemed to have such enthusiasm and energy...hope she doesn't change.

[MaKaM]

If the Vet's Assistant was auditioning to be an adult Hannah Montana in an upcoming Disney movie, she should have it in the bag. That said, while I wasn't a fan of her hair color, she definitely was managing to look younger than she actually was so props to her. I liked her but I will agree that a lot of her choices were not mine. The wallpaper and the painting the bathroom tiles both seemed like missteps. And I wasn't a huge fan of the pink. I think I stopped paying attention for the bathroom reveal, did it look weird? I liked the teal cabinets and the aquarium was quirky but it was in the extra bar area so it isn't like it was a wall of the master bedroom or something. I never really "got" fish keeping but if you had to have an aquarium, an out of the way place like that seemed like the best option.

I did like the color of the vinyl but the cost was just boggling. It must have been the highest of the high end because that wasn't more than what, 400 or 500 extra square feet?

Edited March 19, 2017 by MaKaM

[juliet73]

So Cal ep:  I didn't realize vet assistants in the Los Angles area made that much money that they could afford a $500k house?  I couldn't tell if she was older trying to be younger or if she was younger and was aging horribly because of too much sun exposure.  On to the house...I think this is one renovation that I preferred the BEFORE better.  $6700 for VINYL floors?!  And they looked cheap! She got ripped off!!  She went over budget by $4000.  She would have stayed within budget if she went to Home Depot, Lowes, any OTHER flooring company.  The aquarium in the bar was tacky.  I would have ripped that entire bar out and added a small office area.  The kitchen:  I liked that they removed the wall, but you could realistically only sit two people at the breakfast bar to eat; the other  stools were still in front of a wall.  The two tone kitchen cabinets were HORRIBLE!   The overhead lighting was swagged.  It looked awful seeing the chain running halfway across the kitchen ceiling.  Why couldn't she hang the dining room light fixture where the old fixture was? The copper lighting was okay until I noticed the fridge and dishwasher handles were copper and so was the trim on the steps down to the living room. Huh?! They totally clashed next to the horrible brass cabinet hardware.  And $800 for plain simple brass cabinet pulls??  There were 12.  She could have bought ones for less than $200.  Where does this woman shop?  The backsplash was awful.  It looked like it belonged in a women's locker room bathroom.  Speaking of the bathroom...That wallpaper!! It was hideous!!   The room looked half the size because of the dark walls.  What was up with all the fabric on the ceiling in the master bedroom?  And then it was all bunched up above the headboard?  Was she crying at the end because her house looked awful?  I know I would be...

[puppytoes]

The Vet Assistant should have bought the house.  Can't imagine how much her condo fee is every month.  The wallpaper in the bathroom was hideous and made the bathroom feel closed in.  Good luck on trying to sell that place in ten years.

[izabella]

I did not understand laying vinyl tiles over the wood floors for $6000.  How much would new wood floors have cost?  This is going to sound awfully snarky, but I  noticed her spray tan was the same color as the existing wood floors, so it seemed even sillier to me when she was sitting on the stairs all matchy-matchy with the floor complaining about the color. 

That wallpaper was not my taste at all.  If designers and HGTV advertisers really want to sell us on wallpaper, I wish they would show several options ranging from simple to bold, rather than just ranging from obnoxious to totally obnoxious.  The white and blue cabinets were fine - I don't hate that combination, but I dislike the drawer handles running vertically in the middle of the drawers!  That offends me, for some reason, like it's just so wrong.  I also wasn't crazy about the fan backsplash, but she loved it, so I'm glad she's happy with how it turned out.

While I didn't really like the reno personally, I figure she's 40 and this is the first place she's owned, and she probably won't be moving for a while, so I applaud her for picking things she likes for herself. 

Edited March 19, 2017 by izabella

[ByaNose]

Yup! The Redondo Beach renovation might be the most hated reno ever on this thread. LOL!!! She seemed totally nice & looked great at 40. All she needs to do is cut her long her shorter and then she'll be perfect. Even her friend seemed nice. Usually, the friend aka second banana on HH is annoying but she was nice, too.

I know everything in California is supper expensive and the condo proved as much. I agree about the floors. I liked the color but $6000 seems a bit much for vinyl flooring for such a small place. The kitchen uppers in white and the lower in blue has been done to death on HGTV and it's been done for about a year or so. The special cabinet for the cat totally grossed me out. Eeeeeeewwww! I don't want a cat or dog anywhere near the counter where my guest will be eating and drinking. Did I mention it was GROSS?! The bathroom wallpaper was too dark, busy & it dated the bathroom another 20 years. I'm sure the original homeowners are thrilled she went back in time for them. The wet bar with the fish tank was cute and a conversation piece. She's in the animal business so I won't fault her too much for that. Overall, the renovation was a total bust for me but if she's happpy..............

[Empress1]

2 hours ago, juliet73 said:

So Cal ep:  I didn't realize vet assistants in the Los Angles area made that much money that they could afford a $500k house?  I couldn't tell if she was older trying to be younger or if she was younger and was aging horribly because of too much sun exposure.  

Don't know what your definition of young vs. old is but she said she'd recently turned 40, which prompted her to look to buy. I thought she looked her age although she probably would have looked younger than her age without the tan. I'm not one of those people who thinks women should automatically cut their hair when they get to be a certain age, but the fact that her bangs were a different color than the rest of her hair threw me off a bit.

[Mrs Huffnagle]

Glad I'm not alone in despising the Return of Brass.  It reminds me of 80s decor; are gold splattered mirrors next?

[suebee12]

I agree with much of what has been written, and I think she was wrong not to choose the single family home...it offered her everything and more than what she wanted....EXCEPT the distance to the beach! Yikes, it was a 10 minute drive...who could wait that long? I lived in Florida for many, many years and my last house was about 10-15 minutes to the beach, plenty close. To think she gave up a house with loads of space and that wonderful area in the garage for the rescues she wanted to have and way under her budget plus no HOA fees. What more could one ask...oh, yes, CLOSER to the beach than a 10 minute drive!

[illini1959]

I know homes are decorated to a person's taste, but oh my.

Too many things to quote that I'm in agreement on so to touch on a couple - brass has to go. To me there are NO redeeming qualities in this finish. They clash with stainless (and everything else), they look cheap, therefore they make everything else look cheap. Again, my opinion :)

The wallpaper. Ugh. I don't get why people would put all that dark wallpaper in a small area. The seashell backsplash, the pink/peach grout, the vinyl floor, the cat feeding cubby on the COUNTER. :/

My question though, in all seriousness, is - why wouldn't she have at least asked some questions BEFORE she bought - Hey are these floors hardwood? Can they be refinished? What about this wall...can it be taken down? (Maybe she asked about the wall but they edited it as not knowing for sure until they were in the middle of design.)

I see that sometimes, questions that should be asked and answered before you buy are not seeming to be asked. Maybe they are, I know the show has to have it's dramatic "ohmygosh this might not work!!!!!" moments. I don't know why, but they do.

[MooCat Pretzel]

I was surprised she didn't take the house as well.  Most people I know that are hard-core animal people--active in rescues, etc. put their animals' needs ahead of their own, so I thought for sure she would take the property with the yard and the back structure for rescue space.  Apparently not--there was a kitchen and a bath somewhere in Redondo Beach that needed horrid brass fixtures, overpriced vinyl floors, and dontevengetmestartedonthewallpaper.

Edited March 21, 2017 by MooCat Pretzel

[Gam2]

We don't live in California where everything is extremely expensive. My son is a veterinarian with 16 employees. He pays his long term techs very well/health benefits so he retains them long term. Even allowing for the reductions in expenses in our area of the country, his employees wouldn't be able to afford a place like that. There has to be more to this story that they didn't tell on the show. If there's a divorce settlement, inheritance, lawsuit settlement, etc, they should have mentioned that. 

[QuinnM]

Quote

oo many things to quote that I'm in agreement on so to touch on a couple - brass has to go. To me there are NO redeeming qualities in this finish. They clash with stainless (and everything else), they look cheap, therefore they make everything else look cheap. Again, my opinion :)

They had gone with a copper.  Interesting that she actually kept the white, non-stainless, perfectly fine, appliances and just painted the handles copper.

If those floors went all the the way through the house then that's like $5 a sq ft.  So I see a lot of her decisions about keeping costs down.  She did not put in a new counter top on the bar.  She did not buy new appliances.  She did not reconfigure the bath.  So all in all I kind of agree with her choices.  Now they are not my taste but she didn't go $20 over budget just to get stainless appliances.

[Peanutbuttercup]

Last night's reno was not particularly exciting, but the family did seem nice and realistic and not overly hateful. It was a little weird to me that the husband only ever talked about his son and not his daughter that I remember. "We have a son, which is great" "This room will be perfect for Owen*""we could use this for Owen's playroom" etc. I don't remember him saying his daughter's name or talking about her once. I could be wrong though!

It was interesting that even the designer made an oblique reference to white kitchens being overdone and boring when she said that she had a plan to make their kitchen "not just another white kitchen." Her grand plan was (wait for it): make the island cabinets light gray! Wow, that totally changes things and makes your kitchen completely unique and interesting. *eyeroll*

I remember Silverlake before it got gentrified. This couple seemed like decent people but I wish more of their kind would move the hell away from what used to be one of my favorite neighborhoods in Los Angeles. The people who lived there before were also decent people, just not so perky and well-scrubbed and conventionally wholesome.

*note, I don't remember for sure what the boy's name was, my apologies if I got it wrong!

[biakbiak]

6 minutes ago, Peanutbuttercup said:

make the island cabinets light gray! Wow, that totally changes things and makes your kitchen completely unique and interesting. *eyeroll*

I always just watch the three house tours in the end until they choose and fast forward to the reveal and at first I thought the island base just looked different because of lighting until the designer mentioned it being a design choice.

[sheetmoss]

2 hours ago, Peanutbuttercup said:

Last night's reno was not particularly exciting, but the family did seem nice and realistic and not overly hateful. It was a little weird to me that the husband only ever talked about his son and not his daughter that I remember. "We have a son, which is great" "This room will be perfect for Owen*""we could use this for Owen's playroom" etc. I don't remember him saying his daughter's name or talking about her once. I could be wrong though!

It was interesting that even the designer made an oblique reference to white kitchens being overdone and boring when she said that she had a plan to make their kitchen "not just another white kitchen." Her grand plan was (wait for it): make the island cabinets light gray! Wow, that totally changes things and makes your kitchen completely unique and interesting. *eyeroll*

 

Could be he's just not an infant person, meaning son is more interactive....and fun.

        IMO, not all that unusual for a lot of dads.

,I did like their picket fence backsplash though, I haven't seen it used on other shows.

   Thought the staircase looked much better. I could also see a metal with glass panels too.

[ByaNose]

The kitchen was really, really white. The only pop of color I saw was the baby's bouncy seat which was on the island. Of course, they added the "color" gray (in other shows it's blue) to the island. Wow! Such a surprise.....not! Overall, it looked nice and clean but boring. The fireplace was also beautiful but boring. How are they going to hang the Christmas stockings without a mantle? They are horrible parents. LOL!!!! I did like the floors though. They've been showing that color a lot. It's sort of brow/gray beachy and casual. Not too light and not too dark. It was just right. Unfortunately, when I buy my next place it will be out of style. What will I do then? LOL!!!!

[juliet73]

Silver Lake ep: The couple was pleasant enough.  However, the wife's eyebrows were distracting me.  On to the house...Lucky for them the bathrooms were already remodeled.  We all know how HH works, so I'm wondering if they remodeled them before they were picked to go on the show?  The husband mentioned numerous times he didn't want a completely open concept; he wanted the rooms to be defined.  It was 99% open concept when they were finished.  The fireplace turned out nice as well as the rest of the living room, foyer, and staircase.  The kitchen turned out lovely, but it's the same look as a lot of the previous kitchens.  I was surprised all the cabinetry was the same color...until it was pointed out that the island was gray!  It wasn't a bold color though so I'll let it slide ;) .  I hated the pendant lighting over the island!  I don't know why they didn't get them in silver so they would match the hardware and SS appliances.  It must be a requirement now to have at least one brass item in your kitchen and those lights were it.  The backyard would have been a concern for me if I had two small children.  I would have put an iron fence up immediately.  You would still be able to enjoy the view and would be able to remove it when the kids got older.   

[ByaNose]

1 hour ago, juliet73 said:

Silver Lake ep: The couple was pleasant enough.  However, the wife's eyebrows were distracting me.  On to the house...Lucky for them the bathrooms were already remodeled.  We all know how HH works, so I'm wondering if they remodeled them before they were picked to go on the show?  The husband mentioned numerous times he didn't want a completely open concept; he wanted the rooms to be defined.  It was 99% open concept when they were finished.  The fireplace turned out nice as well as the rest of the living room, foyer, and staircase.  The kitchen turned out lovely, but it's the same look as a lot of the previous kitchens.  I was surprised all the cabinetry was the same color...until it was pointed out that the island was gray!  It wasn't a bold color though so I'll let it slide ;) .  I hated the pendant lighting over the island!  I don't know why they didn't get them in silver so they would match the hardware and SS appliances.  It must be a requirement now to have at least one brass item in your kitchen and those lights were it.  The backyard would have been a concern for me if I had two small children.  I would have put an iron fence up immediately.  You would still be able to enjoy the view and would be able to remove it when the kids got older.   

I forgot about the cliff to nowhere. Yikes! They didn't show what was below there but it couldn't have been good. Hopefully, the fence made it into their budget later. The little side yard for the possible pool didn't look that big either. 

[Irlandesa]

The renovation was okay.  The house was overall pretty nice.  But I actually liked the kitchen that she remodeled in her old house better than what they got for their new house.

[Nixdiamond]

On 1/17/2016 at 0:03 AM, laredhead said:

OMG is about all I can say about the Chicago renovation tonight.  The couple planned to spend $200,000 max on the reno and are presently at $320,000 and the 3rd floor isn't finished at all.  I think the husband's statement that it looked like a money pit to him when they first saw it came true.  Major fixes like plumbing, installation of HVAC and structural issues are big bucks items, but if you are in the hole and worried about money, why spend almost $8,000 on a peninsula cabinet and counter top?  At least they didn't put in a spa bathroom and the rest of the place did look pretty plain all in all.  I can sympathize with the discovery of hidden defects during a remodel, having gone through that a few times with the house I have.  You never know what is lurking behind walls.  I hope the city issues a permit for the 3rd floor and they have enough money to finish the renovation, or that the $320,000 included finishing the 3rd floor.  I also hope that HH's revisits this one when it is complete.       

I can not believe this Lincoln Square Chicago Tyler and Lindsay Renovation!!! Plus they got maybe a 1/4 of their project done!!! The one bathroom they showed was tiny tiny and they just showed one shot of 2nd floor! No 3rd floor(?!?) and no rental unit downstairs. The city screwed this sweet couple over and I felt so bad for them. In addition, the design was plain except the still small kitchen's blue pennisula which shade of blue I hated. Man o man. Lucky this couple have decent Chicago careers. Or did!!?!?? Might have ruined their career title Rep. I wouldn't want her working on a sky scraper! She didn't spot the budget despite her being a Structural engineer and him a lawyer. Bet they are in a lawsuit over it, they lost their contractor friend, the baby born under stress, etc. Hate to be so negative, but what a shame. Feel so bad for them & believed this episode was pretty legit and realistic. They were pretty genuine even with it being reality TV, u can tell she was not happy in the end with their home and who knows how long construction zone. Wish they did and update!!!

[biakbiak]

I finally saw the Buffalo couple with the ugly ass kitchen and bathroom in that lovely Victorian. The partner who was a preservationist should be fired from his job, I don't care if it's his personal life he should have held strong and not taken down that wall in the dining room, especially because it left a ton of empty space because the table that jutted out from the island was too small.

Literally everything was wrong with the kitchen it made me angry. If they sell it I imagine the new home owners would want to gut it and the bathroom. 

Seriously, I don't think I have seen an uglier renovation and I have watched Rehab Addict. 

[pwdrpuff]

I just watched the Little Houses, Big Costs episode with the Austin Couple and cannot believe the lack of contractor oversight and price gouging to the unsuspecting new homeowners.  What I am specifically talking about is the installation of the cabinets and new countertop without leveling each first.  You don't take a level to the completed project after everything is installed, but during.  They present the issue like it could only have been found after everything is installed.  I can't believe they aired that on tv for drama.  Yes it was drama, but not the kind they intended.  It showed that whomever installed those cabinets and the contractor that oversaw it, should never be hired again.  Their solution to the blunder, which they blame on the old house, is  to take everything apart and doing exactly what they should have done at the beginning.   This blunder should not be on the homeowner, but the installer. 

Edited March 28, 2017 by pwdrpuff

[MaKaM]

On 3/27/2017 at 3:12 PM, Nixdiamond said:

I can not believe this Lincoln Square Chicago Tyler and Lindsay Renovation!!! Plus they got maybe a 1/4 of their project done!!! The one bathroom they showed was tiny tiny and they just showed one shot of 2nd floor! No 3rd floor(?!?) and no rental unit downstairs. The city screwed this sweet couple over and I felt so bad for them. In addition, the design was plain except the still small kitchen's blue pennisula which shade of blue I hated. Man o man. Lucky this couple have decent Chicago careers. Or did!!?!?? Might have ruined their career title Rep. I wouldn't want her working on a sky scraper! She didn't spot the budget despite her being a Structural engineer and him a lawyer. Bet they are in a lawsuit over it, they lost their contractor friend, the baby born under stress, etc. Hate to be so negative, but what a shame. Feel so bad for them & believed this episode was pretty legit and realistic. They were pretty genuine even with it being reality TV, u can tell she was not happy in the end with their home and who knows how long construction zone. Wish they did and update!!!

I posted this earlier in the thread but it was easy to miss. The contractor has a blog where she talked about the renovation

Post 1

Post 2

An HGTV followup really would be interesting since it seems like even more crap hit the fan before they finished.

[biakbiak]

34 minutes ago, MaKaM said:

posted this earlier in the thread but it was easy to miss. The contractor has a blog where she talked about the renovation

Well at least they were able to finish it! I seriously worried the they wouldn't win their appeal.

[juliet73]

Redondo Beach:  They came in $2000 UNDER budget!  I thought $75K was a lot though to remodel basically the kitchen and living room.  I'm glad they called in the professionals immediately because the husband had no clue what he was doing with that floor. I'm not a reno expert by any means, but I'm pretty sure you wouldn't remove your wood floor by starting in the center of the room and with only a hammer.   I don't know if it was the camera angles or not, but it seemed like there was a lot of empty space in the LR and DR. I wasn't a fan of the tile around the fireplace - it looked like cinder block. The kitchen looked nice, but again, it's similar to every other kitchen on HHR.  I didn't like the pendant lights over the breakfast bar.  I think they were too big and they looked like the belonged outside or in medieval times.  I didn't like the backsplash either - it looked like it belonged on the floor.  I don't like having the laundry in the garage.  I would have passed on that horsey wine fridge and kept the the washer and dryer upstairs, but I would have gone with a stackable unit so it wouldn't take up too much space.  

[sheetmoss]

RE: Redondo Beach reno

I thought there was way too much distance between the peninsula and the sink - I think I would have done an island again--bigger, w/way more seating.

Fireplace refacing was meh

I also thought some $$ should have been spent on replacing the bannister w/something sleeker--maybe metal and glass, or beefier in a trad way, but the wrought iron with wood top looked anemic.

Agree too,  way too much empty space

[AnnaRose]

1 hour ago, juliet73 said:

Redondo Beach:  They came in $2000 UNDER budget!  I thought $75K was a lot though to remodel basically the kitchen and living room.  I'm glad they called in the professionals immediately because the husband had no clue what he was doing with that floor. I'm not a reno expert by any means, but I'm pretty sure you wouldn't remove your wood floor by starting in the center of the room and with only a hammer.   I don't know if it was the camera angles or not, but it seemed like there was a lot of empty space in the LR and DR. I wasn't a fan of the tile around the fireplace - it looked like cinder block. The kitchen looked nice, but again, it's similar to every other kitchen on HHR.  I didn't like the pendant lights over the breakfast bar.  I think they were too big and they looked like the belonged outside or in medieval times.  I didn't like the backsplash either - it looked like it belonged on the floor.  I don't like having the laundry in the garage.  I would have passed on that horsey wine fridge and kept the the washer and dryer upstairs, but I would have gone with a stackable unit so it wouldn't take up too much space.  

I recorded this and only watched the end so far.  I probably won't bother to watch the rest of it because I hated how it turned out.  I liked the color gray in interior design about 8-10 years ago, but I am so over it now!   I thought the fireplace was ugly.  (It did look like cinder block Juliet73.)  Honestly, I think I prefer the stone fireplace they replaced. The kitchen was okay, but oh so ordinary and boring.  I also disliked the furniture.  Was that the first time there was an ad for overstock.com?   I don't recall seeing that before.  I wonder if the couple or production arranged some free furniture for a website mention?

[ByaNose]

I liked the flooring when they initially showed it. When they showed it at the end I didn't. I guess it wasn't as beachy as I thought it was. It looked more gray. I didn't like the fireplace. It was too dark. I would have gone lighter or whiter. The kitchen looked nice but nothing out of the ordinary. I think the fireplace was a major miss for me and it's was such a huge feature. A dark cement wall isn't something I want to look at everyday while watching tv. 

Edited April 3, 2017 by ByaNose

[AnnaRose]

1 minute ago, ByaNose said:

I liked the flooring when they initially showed it. The. When they showed it at the end I didn't. I guess it wasn't as beachy as I thought it was. It looked more gray. I didn't like the fireplace. It was too dark. I would have gone lighter or whiter. The kitchen looked nice but nothing out of the ordinary. I think the fireplace was a major miss for me and it's was such a huge feature. A dark cement wall isn't something I want to look at everyday while watching tv. 

Oh my gosh, I forgot about the flooring.   I think I hated the flooring even more than the cinder block looking fireplace!

[juliet73]

6 hours ago, AnnaRose said:

I recorded this and only watched the end so far.  I probably won't bother to watch the rest of it because I hated how it turned out.  I liked the color gray in interior design about 8-10 years ago, but I am so over it now!   I thought the fireplace was ugly.  (It did look like cinder block Juliet73.)  Honestly, I think I prefer the stone fireplace they replaced. The kitchen was okay, but oh so ordinary and boring.  I also disliked the furniture.  Was that the first time there was an ad for overstock.com?   I don't recall seeing that before.  I wonder if the couple or production arranged some free furniture for a website mention?

This is the first time I saw the overstock.com ad.  It was in the beginning of the episode and at the end.  A while back, there was an episode that featured Home Goods.  

[AnnaRose]

17 minutes ago, juliet73 said:

This is the first time I saw the overstock.com ad.  It was in the beginning of the episode and at the end.  A while back, there was an episode that featured Home Goods.  

I ended up watching a lot of this episode before I erased it, so I saw that they were even shown looking at the furniture pieces on their tablet.  That was some pretty good product placement for Overstock.com.  I hope they comped the furniture.

I like that they had the kitchen cabinets go all the way up to the ceiling.  (My biggest pet peeve is when they fail to do that because it looks so cheap to me, like they just tacked up some random size cabinets any which way, and also because of the grime and dust issues.)  I would have liked it a lot more though if I hadn't hated the rest of the great room so much.  That fireplace was the worse.  So I got to see that the wife-to-be and the designer both preferred the lighter tile, which would have looked much better, but hubby-to-be had to make sure it looked as masculine as possible.  All the black and grey was depressing and made me think of a prison cell.  Even the window treatments were a dull, depressing gray color. 

None of it seemed 'beachy' to me.

[MsTree]

12 hours ago, juliet73 said:

I'm glad they called in the professionals immediately because the husband had no clue what he was doing

This is the same guy that wore elbow length rubber gloves to paint a wall. Really?