House Hunters Renovation - General Discussion

[Peanutbuttercup]

idk, Long Beach woman struck me as thinking her taste is super quirky and special, yet she ended up with a kitchen just like every other kitchen on HGTV:

 

• white shaker cabinets
• subway tile backsplash
• stainless steel appliances
• farmhouse sink

 

YAWN

Edited February 14, 2016 by Peanutbuttercup

[juliet73]

Thanks laredhead. I need to pay attention and stop playing candy crush while watching HHR :)

[proserpina65]

Yeah, I don't get the women who say they have always dreamed of having a white kitchen

 

I wouldn't say I've always dreamed of a white kitchen, but I do like white Shaker style cabinets and farmhouse sinks.  No stainless or granite, though, thank you very much, and my dream kitchen would have a bold, Moorish style tile backsplash and bold wall colors.

[laredhead]

I have a question regarding the house that the Chicago couple in last night's episode bought.  First I was very confused about the 2nd floor layout before AND after the renovation, but I realize since floor plans aren't provided I will probably remain confused on that point.  She wanted a wood shingle/sided house and he wanted brick.  Naturally, she got her way and they bought the top 2 floors of a 3 story house.  That was a huge house and a paint job on it is going to cost a fortune every few years.  I would vote for brick, but that's just me.  My question is how does a purchase like that work.  This isn't a condo or a townhouse where monthly assessment fees are required for upkeep and other costs, so who decides when the house needs maintenance like painting, landscaping, etc.  I noticed that the front wooded stair railings looked new and wondered if the couple paid for that.  Did I miss something at the beginning of the tour that said they bought the entire house and would be renting out the first floor?  If that is the case, then my question is answered.  If not, how would you negotiate with the other owners to make sure your investment was well maintained.  Again we saw HH's who went way over budget, but they didn't obsess over their child or pet needing a huge back yard with grass.  They seemed to be committed city dwellers unlike some we have seen who want to live in the city, but don't want to see their neighbors and want a large yard and a garage.  I cannot imagine living in a renovation as large as that one much less with a toddler.  Living in my house during a small bathroom reno was enough for me.   

 

I'm editing to add my opinion about the open concept where the wife wants everyone to be in one place for entertaining, but the hubby wants a separate to watch sports with his buds.  What's wrong with that?  Do these couples have to be joined at the hip 24/7?  In that last scene the guys were huddled at that must have built in seating space in the breakfast room while the women stood around the island, and I think I heard the husband say he wanted a TV in the kitchen.  Personally, I would love to have separate spaces where the guys (or children) could gather and make a lot of noise w/o disturbing me or people I want to have a conversation with in a quieter environment.       

Edited February 21, 2016 by laredhead

[izabella]

The Chicago couple bought the top unit of a 3 unit building, so there is another unit on the first floor, and a ground floor unit (which is partially underground).  It's not unusual for the top unit to be two floors (going into the attic), or the bottom unit be two floors (first foor with bedrooms and family room on the ground floor level).  I'm sure the building is set up as condos; we have a lot of 3 flats here that are condo buildings.

 

And since that house was built in 1910, but looks to have been renovated since, that siding could be aluminum siding.  We have a lot of that here, too.  Someone obviously replaced what would have been radiator heat in 1910 with a furnace and duct work for the building (hence, the duct in the kitchen).  At least the house had that done already.  The lovely single family home with the big yard still had radiators, I notice.  Radiator heat is great, but that means no central air conditioning, which would suck in the summer.

Edited February 21, 2016 by izabella

[Peanutbuttercup]

Seriously? I'm not even going to bother re-posting, just look four posts up if you're dying to know what I think about how overdone and trite this latest kitchen is.

Aren't people eventually going to get tired of having the same kitchen everyone else has? Will they tipsily let themselves into a neighbor's house and not realize they aren't at home due to the exact same interiors all over the US? (open concept! white trim! great for entertaining!)?

The more puzzling question is: why am I still watching this show (and any other reno show on HGTV) when I know the kitchen (and most of the rest of the space) will end up looking exactly like every other one I've seen in the last two years?

[Empress1]

One of my friends lives in the top two floors of a Philly row house and there's someone else in the first floor and basement. The two units were sold separately as condos. I assumed the Chicago couple was in something like that.

 

I thought the single family home was beautiful. The wife (who had a really annoying uptalk) said something when they were touring it about "annoying walls," and that really irritated me. The designer also said "here's your 'wow factor,'" and I am so sick of that phrase I don't know what to do.

 

I did like that the couple understood what city living is - at no point were they like "Ew, neighbors!" or anything. But the renovation was like so, so many other renovations I've seen on so many HGTV shows - granite, stainless steel, white cabinets, some kind of subway tile backsplash. I want to see something new - even if it's ugly, like the guys who butchered their Buffalo kitchen. 

[ByaNose]

I thought the kitchen turned out really nice. I like that the tile was something different than white. I thought the breakfast nook was kid of small and it didn't seem to take up the entire space by the window that was available. The bathrooms & bedrooms renovations were beautiful. That said, I can't imagine climbing all those stairs with two kids for the next few years. I would have gone with the single family home. All in all, it was a nice house with a huge overblown budget. Yikes!!!

[Mu Shu]

I got so sick of pissed off Kevin Bacon whining about money. Also his insistence on a huge island. I liked that kitchen and agree those white cabinets were custom and timeless. Of course they had to be ripped out. As to the cabinets reaching all the way to the ceiling, who uses those? Le Bron James? Jesus, keep the cabinets, paint, put in new tile and countertops. Please just quit going "ka Ching!" Every time someone quotes you a price on shit you think you need, or necessary repairs to an old building. Plus, his T shirts looked like they came from the eighties.

I don't know why having a half bath in the master bedroom, and one in the main part of the house with a separate shower/bath hasn't caught on. It's not like people are in the shower all day, and keeping the toilet space separate means there won't be much if any inconvenience.

These people are too fixated on bathrooms.

[proserpina65]

These people are too fixated on bathrooms.

 

While I like an attractive bathroom, and can certainly understand wanting some room if more than one person is going to be in there at the same time, I don't get needing a gigantic space.  What are these people doing in there besides showering/bathing, using the toilet, and brushing their teeth that they need so bloody much space?

[Peanutbuttercup]

I really liked the couple from last night. They seemed genuinely affectionate -- not a lot of snarking about "all the closets are for me!" or "I always win and get my way!". They made reasonable financial decisions (it isn't worth $7,000 to remove a small post between your kitchen and living area), seemed to pitch in a lot in their reno, and treated the workers and contractors with respect and enthusiasm for their work.

I was interested to see the decoy house in Montecito Heights -- that's an area that is currently undergoing rapid gentrification, with a long-time working class, Latino population being pushed out in favor of what I can best describe as hipsters who rent in Silverlake but can't afford to buy there. In fact, that perfectly describes a couple of friends of mine who very recently bought there, and their house is quite similar to the decoy house they showed, although their house is more post-reno than that one.

I was also pleased to see that the kitchen reno last night actually did not include most of the stuff I think is incredibly overdone: white shaker cabinets, subway tile backsplash, farmhouse sink, Edison lamps. I also really liked what they did with the new sliding glass doors (I'll never adopt this newfangled "sliders" language #old). That said, I thought their kitchen reno ended up looking nice but boring to me. I guess I like a little more color and visual interest. They seemed really delighted though, so good for them and I'm happy for them.

Edited February 28, 2016 by Peanutbuttercup

[wait.what]

I was happy to see an "older" couple (my age) rather than the typical hipster, cool, younger couples.

[Pickles]

I just watched the episode with the CA couple. I really liked them! They were so nice and normal and respectful of each other, the designer, the contractors, etc. A nice episode.

[laredhead]

The first house the CA couple looked at was unique, to put it mildly.  I was very confused about the layout of the house and evidently they were too because they commented on it a couple of times.  The view wasn't enough to make it an attractive option.  i was fascinated with the draping material that seemed to be hung over every doorway.

[Peanutbuttercup]

I'm going to set myself up in business as an interior designer specializing in kitchens as my second job. Apparently there's good money to be had by telling every single person who wants to put their own, unique, individual stamp on a house that they need to tear down walls near the kitchen and install white shaker cabinets, subway tile backsplash, white/gray stone counters, a farmhouse sink, and have a sliding "barn door" somewhere.

 

eta: this probably makes me a bad person, but if you have a new baby and you are spending 175K on making your house look pretty with tearing down walls and quartz countertops I'm judging you harshly if the baby's college fund isn't already fully funded.

Edited March 6, 2016 by Peanutbuttercup

[biakbiak]

I am not sure why exactly but I HATED the kitchen sink faucet this couple put in.

[laredhead]

Peanutbuttercup, I just spent a couple of hours touring open houses because evidently I'm addicted to looking at houses.  Anyway 3 were new construction and right now I couldn't tell you the difference between them because they all had the wide open floor plan, white walls, white cabinets, white subway tile, white and gray granite counters and the same wood floors.  I asked the realtor/builder why didn't he use color or some different finishes and he said because no one would buy the houses.  I looked at him and said that I would before I plunked down $500,000 for a bland house with no personality.  You can paint walls, but ripping out white tile and granite and reconfiguring rooms is expensive, so those things really can't be changed easily.  People criticize the colorful bathrooms and appliances of the 50's and 60's, but at least those took some imagination and weren't all the same color.  I think you're good to go as a decorator these days. 

[izabella]

I can understand a builder needing to make the houses neutral to appeal to more buyers, but it ends up being too, too much white when they put in all-white kitchens.  It feels too cold for me, and part of it is the size and prominence of the kitchen.  In the open floor plans where the kitchen is a big part of the living space, there are vast expanses of white cabinets, counters, and subway tile.  Vast. 

 

I especially dislike white subway tile with gray or dark grout.  It ends up looking dirty to me, like in the actual subway.

[ByaNose]

I'm still not sure if I'm sold on the 2 island thing. Why not just make one big one? Is it just to have space between them? Not only have people survived without kitchen islands for century's but now we need to have two islands so people can walk between them?

[DownTheShore]

I personally don't like kitchen islands; to me they're just something I have to dodge around when getting from one place to another. Give me a peninsula any day instead.

[juliet73]

I wasn't a fan of the two islands either. The kitchen was narrow so I think the islands crowded the space. This couple went way over budget too. They spent $1500 on 4 wood shelves for the pantry?!

[laredhead]

I thought they spent more $$ than necessary on some things as well, and some of those things could have been omitted and added later.  $50,000 is a huge overrun on a remodel, IMO.  If you find out that you have to spend more on vital improvements like electrical and plumbing, then it's time to pare down a few things in the cosmetic column of the spreadsheet.  At least that's how it's done in my household, but evidently that had more $$ than what they said they had at the beginning of the show.

[JasmineFlower]

This is true of all House Hunter versions in the US at least, but when they list an area and say, it is located X minutes from major city, it continues to amaze me how off they are and I'm so unclear on where they are getting their information. There's a HH Renovation repeat on right now and the couple lives in Chicago but are looking for a home in West Chicago. They said it was about 30 minutes from Chicago. I'm doing work, but immediately looked up at the screen like, excuse me??? Had to rewind it to make sure I hadn't heard their claim incorrectly. I mean, at the very least they could say "at the dead of night when there's no traffic, it's about 30 minutes from Chicago" to paint it more accurately, but even then, not sure that's true unless they just need to hit the outside border of the city, I'd still say it's more like 45 minutes to an hour with no traffic.

 

But yeah, continues to amaze me. I have to wonder if there's like a local visitor's bureau that encourages people to move to an area throws money at some of these productions less obviously than on a few other shows, because downplaying the traffic can only fool people who have no clue about the area, there's no other reason to me to downplay it and act like it's no big deal. Big difference living 30 minutes from the city than an hour to a lot of people.

Edited April 1, 2016 by JasmineFlower

[Empress1]

My TiVo recorded the rerun of the guys who butchered their Buffalo house. I'm keeping it for when I have a bad day and need a chuckle.

[laredhead]

What wonderful views from the house that was featured on tonight's episode in Silver Lake, CA.  Once again the owners went way over budget and spent $$ on a couple of things they could probably have done without, IMVHO  Personally, I could have lived without the 2 metal kitchen cabinets that cost $9,000 - really?  I didn't see anything special about those cabinets.  I did like that the designer wanted to reuse the old cabinets and refinish them, and I thought the result was very pretty, although I had my doubts when she was explaining it.  I wish they had said what the refinishing cost was.   In the reveal it looked like they had not kept the shelves in the office and I wonder why.  Maybe they kept some of them, but the roll top desk was definitely gone.  I am a fan of MCM and I thought the result was great.  Having meals in that dining room must be so wonderful with that view.  I do wish they would tell us more about any energy efficient measures they add such as extra insulation, upgraded HVAC, double pane windows, etc.  The wife mentioned adding a low flow toilet, but nothing else.    

[LemonCakes]

The Silver Lake reno was really nice but man going 26000 over budget is nuts. I didn't like the look of the refinished cabinets and those metal glass front cabinets were not worth 9000. I loved the tile in the kitchen. I had doubts when they showed the mockup but it looked great. I would have gone with a lighter tile in the shower. And the couple wasn't super annoying.

[juliet73]

I agree about the cost of the 2 metal cabinets, especially since they didn't want to spend the extra $1500 for the preferred countertop finish. I thought the bathroom vanity was way overpriced too. They were a nice, fun couple though. I'm glad they did something different than the white cabinets, subway tile, etc.

[truther]

I thought the finished product looked spectacular.  Clearly it matched their particular style -- I would likely have done a few things differently -- but none of that takes away from the overall appearance.  The view was terrific and the house took full advantage, and the interiors (especially the kitchen) were fantastic.  I'm actually not surprised at the overall cost.  I mean, maybe they splurged on nicer fixtures because they were saving money through their own sweat equity?

[Peanutbuttercup]

Austin TX idiots: our children are spending too much time on their phones and devices!

me: take the damn phones away

them: we must move to a $450,000 house! There is no other way to solve this problem!

Overall I thought their reno was pretty boring. Standard HGTV stuff. But their house was definitely 100x better than when they started.

I would have waited on the children's bathroom and/or the fireplace and changed the front door and porch. I think most children don't really care about their bathroom having subway tile and quartz countertops in order to be "comfortable."

[chessiegal]

Those houses the Texas couple looked at, all 3, were really odd, almost to the point of being bizarre. Did anyone else notice in the master bath of the house they bought there was a built in paper towel holder by the sinks? Not added on like one you put in a kitchen, but it appeared to be part of the whole vanity design. Very odd house.

[laredhead]

Chessiegal, I thought the same thing about all of the houses when they toured them.  Bizarre sameness.  Even though the husband said they would be looking at some older houses, it was as if they looked for only houses built in the 1970's and early 1980's because they all had similar features.  Maybe 99.9% of all houses built in that area at the time had vaulted ceilings, beams, paneling, etc.  The house with the bathroom that had the saloon type door on the toilet and windowseat in the bathroom was really odd.

[ByaNose]

Great job on the farmhouse. Although, I wasn't a fan of the huge birdcages pendant lights over the island. The fireplace is amazing and I was glad he didn't use the modern stone. They also picked a great flooring which almost like they were original to the farmhouse. I still don't like dark grout with white subway tile but that's just me.

[juliet73]

Another couple that went $30k over budget. I just don't get it - I have to put getting a new driveway on hold because it's $1000 more than I had budgeted for. In my opinion, the fireplace could have waited. And $11k for SS appliances? You can cook on a $800 SS stove just as well as a $4000 one! A $1500 SS refrigerator keeps stuff just as cold as a $5000 one. I agree about the kid's bathroom not needing to be done immediately. I could have done without the kitchen island. The kitchen was too narrow - it seemed more in the way than anything.

[laredhead]

Juliet, I agree with you about some of those "must haves" that they went over budget to have.  Spending $1900 on that kitchen island was a waste of money IMO.  Maybe they decided to do the fireplace because it could be a messy job, but once the walls and ceiling were whitewashed/stained I don't think the brick would have looked unattractive for the short term.  I wonder what their heating/cooling costs are going to be in that house especially with that high ceiling?  I guess they took a home equity loan and treated it like an ATM for those must haves.  

 

The husband's statement that the wife would not be much help with the projects was certainly true.  First scene showed her on her phone standing next to her husband while he began removing tile.  It really bothers me when the women in these episodes state they aren't handy and then give a little smiles and shoulder shrug.  You can learn to be handy, especially if you're the one whining about wanting the kitchen wall removed at the expense of every other improvement to the house.        

[biakbiak]

While they went 30k over the initial budget they knew they were goin to be 15k over by choosing the kitchen layout that they did which I definitely thought was a good decision. As with the regular show I always take the "budget" with a shaker of salt.

[juliet73]

Juliet, I agree with you about some of those "must haves" that they went over budget to have. Spending $1900 on that kitchen island was a waste of money IMO.

I didn't realize the island was $1900!!!! Seriously? That was definitely an unneeded expense IMO. It looked like an ordinary narrow table! I wish these homeowners would balk at some of these costlier items. When I remodeled my kitchen and bath, the internet was my best friend. I bought light fixtures, cabinet hardware, bathroom vanities and sinks, furniture, accessories, etc. for a fraction of what local businesses were charging and I had a huge selection to choose from.

[ByaNose]

The island was more of a table. They spent a lot of money on it & could have bought it a much cheaper price. It looked more like a temporary piece then they wanted anyway. I would have cut that budget for the island in half. It wouldn't have saved them that much more but very little bit helps. All in all, a beautiful farmhouse.

[aguabella]

Trying to catch up on HHR so I watched this current Austin episode out of order.  You all hit on a pet peeve of mine - the way design professionals constantly refer to either cheap rolling carts or long narrow tables placed in the center of (frequently smaller) kitchens as "islands". 

 

In my professional world, an "island" is part of the real property b/c it's attached and appurtenant to the real property.  It could also be referred to as a fixture.  Personally, to distinguish between say, chandeliers and other items (fixtures) that might improperly walk away with sellers prior to close of escrow, I simply think of and refer to a built-in kitchen island as real property.

 

Therefore, an island should, presumably, add value to the real property.  Tables and carts add no value to the real property.  Because of this major difference, their continued use of the term "island" annoys me.  Sure, they may function as islands but, at the end of the day, they're still personal property.

 

So, why do they do it?  My theory is that designers don't want to emphasize the fact that the reno budget fell short and didn't cover everything, even though the homeowners wrote a huge check.  Instead of focusing on the negative, they put a positive spin on everything.  That way, homeowners feel good about their new space and don't obsess over what could have been - at least until the designer's safely out the door and the huge check clears!

 

Not every kitchen needs an island, if you ask me.  But in my experience, it's the first kitchen wish list item out of almost every homeowner's mouth.  Turning to the episode, I believe the designer did face some budget constraints but not for the reasons stated.  (More on that later.)  When the design plan was initially presented, it appeared (to me, anyway) that they'd built out the area to the right of the appliance center with cabinetry, including a serving bar.

 

During the reveal, however, I noticed that they placed a sideboard in that area, i.e. another piece of furniture.  (Hey, for all we know, both pieces could be simply staging, lol!)  Personally, I would have saved $$$ in a few other areas, built that out and then placed a long peninsula, including a breakfast bar, adjacent to it.

 

A peninsula provides a serving bar but, more importantly, it integrates the kitchen with the dining area / great room.  (That space felt very isolated, to me.  They couldn't open it up on the appliance wall side b/c of the stairway.)  The homeowner could retain the drop-leaf table ( no, no - don't say "island"! ) for work space, if she cared to.  She could even retain a stool or two but many parents would rather keep their kids out of the kitchen when they're cooking instead of having them smack dab in the middle of their workspace, underfoot.  

 

Besides enhancing togetherness with the great room, a peninsula could, ironically, also provide some needed separation.  I noticed during one of the reveal shots, taken just past the dining area, that the view into that space highlighted the farm sink.  Who wants their guests, at either the dining table or enjoying an after dinner drink in the living area, to have dirty dishes, front and center?

 

Anyway, not a bad table, if you like drop-leafs, in the kitchen.  WRT the $1,900, they were shopping at their designer's retail showroom in the chichi area of Austin.  So, it might have been a sale price!  Hope so, given the screen time / PR she scored from HHR! 

 

Here's her place plus links to her blog.  (Nope, no juicy HHR filming tidbits - she remembered the rules.)

 

                        http://www.heatherscotthome.com/

 

 

Any bargains there?  Hmmm, don't think so!

 

More on this episode later -       

Edited April 13, 2016 by aguabella

[aguabella]

Juliet, I agree with you about some of those "must haves" that they went over budget to have.  Spending $1900 on that kitchen island was a waste of money IMO.  Maybe they decided to do the fireplace because it could be a messy job, but once the walls and ceiling were whitewashed/stained I don't think the brick would have looked unattractive for the short term.  I wonder what their heating/cooling costs are going to be in that house especially with that high ceiling?  I guess they took a home equity loan and treated it like an ATM for those must haves.  

 

The husband's statement that the wife would not be much help with the projects was certainly true.  First scene showed her on her phone standing next to her husband while he began removing tile.  It really bothers me when the women in these episodes state they aren't handy and then give a little smiles and shoulder shrug.  You can learn to be handy, especially if you're the one whining about wanting the kitchen wall removed at the expense of every other improvement to the house.        

 

Yes, I believe the existing f/p would have contrasted nicely with the whitewash and they should have lived with it for at least some period of time.  They had too much contrast, for me anyway, with the dark ceiling.  For some reason, I felt a discord, looking at that g/r.  I liked the individual parts (e.g. stone f/p, whitewash) but the room felt off.

 

Finally realized that they failed to consider the competing whites between the f/p and whitewash.  Any of you ever checked out and/or considered how many white tones are available?  There's a huge range between stark white and creams.  It takes serious time to match them and much trial and error.  Usually it's easier (!) to simply work with a little contrast, e.g. the brick f/p.

 

In this case, IIRC, the f/p was completed first so they needed to pull paneling from a hidden area, if possible, and test out their whitewash, holding it up against the f/p stone to see if it worked.  In fact, it may have been easier to do some sort of paint treatment on the brick, using the same tone as their whitewash.  Even doing that, it's possible they might have needed to go up a couple levels on their paint chip to match them.   

 

Or, do the whitewash first and then select the stone.  Either way, it needs to be addressed and that's what I believe was out of whack.  Perhaps the husband should reconsider his statement that his wife would be helpful for color selection.  (He won't notice, most likely, lol.)

 

Turning to the wife, agree laredhead about women putting on this act.  Here's the thing, though.  She's a princess and has no interest in getting her nails dirty!  I'll call her that b/c she didn't seem ashamed about it. In fact, her daughter indicated the two girls were basically princesses-in-training and proud of it!

 

Turning to the kitchen, I had no idea what she was talking about when she kept telling the designer to "open it up".  Open it up to what, exactly?  She indicated they'd gain so much counter space by doing it.  Huh?  There was a hallway behind that wall of the kitchen.  She wanted to spend 15K, IIRC, to gain 3 feet of counter space?

 

Makes no sense and in fact, I don't believe that was the reason.  I double checked the designer's revised floor plan.  They flipped the uppers to that back wall and had the exact same amount of counter space in both plans.  So what was the difference?

 

Well, thinking back to their house tour, check out the door they entered from the long hallway.  (Remember they entered in the "garage" room and then walked down that hall, turning left into the kitchen.)  B/c they didn't mention it, I assumed they planned to remove that door in plan #2 but not replace it.  So their only entrance to the kitchen would be from the g/r.

 

Take another look at plan #2.  Again, they said nothing about it but that door was flipped to the other wall, the window wall.  After all her drama, they didn't add that 3 feet of counter space, removing those uppers.  ("I was up all night", blah, blah, blah.)  So, basically, no real net gain to the kitchen from plan #2.  (I assume they'd remove the soffits in both plans.)

 

Why'd they do it?  Well, considering the floor plan, I noticed a door at the end of that long hallway when they turned left into the kitchen.  The g/r was on their left as they walked down the hall from the garage room, on the other side of the hallway wall.  So, that wasn't the g/r.  By process of elimination, what was behind the kitchen?  Aha, the master bedroom!!

 

Going back to the wife, show of hands, does anyone believe that she, a princess, would live for even 1 night in that master with the crazy bathroom?  Uh, no, no and no, if you ask me.  So, bottom line, that's what the add'l kitchen plan was all about.

 

These people didn't have a money problem.  They were assigned the routine budget plot by HHR and did their duty.  But, they reno'd that master and probably the entire first floor.  The hallway was awful so by moving the kitchen wall, they reconfigured it from that point on.  I suspect they changed the entrance to the home, too, off camera, and probably eliminated the remainder of the hallway by renovating the garage room.

 

If you can see the episode OnDemand or on a rerun, check out that doorway in the designer's second plan.  I doubt we need to take up a collection for them!  So, that's my take on the episode.  

Edited April 17, 2016 by aguabella

[juliet73]

Tonight's couple in Chicago drove me mad! Of course they went like $17k over budget. He was a complete tool! And she seemed way too excited to be with him. While they were touring the home, he said he would have to rip out the existing wood floors because they were installed on a diagonal?! In the end, he said they ripped them out because they didn't like the oak color because it dated the house. So wouldn't it have been so much cheaper to have them sanded and stained a darker color? Doing that would have saved them thousands! Then I saw that they spent $750 on bathroom ACCESSORIES!! I don't know what kind of towels and toothbrush holder they bought, but good grief!! They could have easily saved $500 there. I want to be on this show just to prove I could stick to my budget. If something unexpected came up, I would have to compromise, delay, or just not do something else so I could stick to my budget.

Edited April 17, 2016 by juliet73

[sheetmoss]

RE: the Chicago couple's flrs.  I believe they were probably gratis because they made sure to show they were from Lumber Liquidators on the box and who also ran a commercial during this episode.

 

Bathroom accessories could include towel bars, hooks,etc.esp if from some place like Waterworks.

Personally my jaw dropped at the $3500 for the medicine cabinet - I liked it, but not for the $$$$$

Edited April 17, 2016 by sheetmoss

[DownTheShore]

I couldn't figure out why there wasn't enough room for the two of them in his original condo in the first place; it looked big enough.

When he was boasting about how he hasn't shoveled snow or mowed a lawn since he was 13, and hasn't done any repairs either, I was thinking to myself, yup, another modern father who will be unable to pass on any practical life skills to his children.

I also didn't quite understand why she was so infatuated with him. I mean he was okay, but I didn't consider him all that and a bag of chips.

[Empress1]

I couldn't figure out why there wasn't enough room for the two of them in his original condo in the first place; it looked big enough.

When he was boasting about how he hasn't shoveled snow or mowed a lawn since he was 13, and hasn't done any repairs either, I was thinking to myself, yup, another modern father who will be unable to pass on any practical life skills to his children.

I also didn't quite understand why she was so infatuated with him. I mean he was okay, but I didn't consider him all that and a bag of chips.

I could see not mowing a lawn or shoveling snow as an adult if he's lived in cities since then - you don't have to do those things when you live in apartments or condos. (I have a bunch of family members who are lifelong New Yorkers who have never done those things.) But his teenage self didn't have to do it? My parents stopped shoveling the snow when my brother and I got old enough to do it, and that was our job until we left home. (I had a coworker who is the youngest of four daughters, and SHE mows the lawn at her house because that was her job growing up. Her father was like, "Just because you're girls doesn't mean you don't have to do dirty work." I love that.)

 

She did seem very into him, which is nice since they're married, but there were instances where I thought he was kind of a jerk (and I also thought she was better-looking than he is). And she was definitely more into him than he was into her, unless he's not as demonstrative as she is - there were a bunch of shots of her gazing at him adoringly.

 

I didn't think their master bathroom was that bad before they messed with it, and if they did indeed spend seven grand on ripping out and replacing the floors, I thought that was a waste (particularly since they had an unexpected $8500 HVAC cost, which they really had to address right away). If he wanted them darker, they could have just stained them. 

[ByaNose]

Chicago couple. She reminded me of Marilu Henner with her voice and the way she acted. They both annoy me. LOL!! The husband was okay but he wasn't a Greek god either. They both acted like they were theater actors instead of gym trainers. They were both so hyper. The renovation turned out nice. I thought the darker floors was a nice change but I guess they could redid the old floors. The added powder room was a nice & needed addition. I also liked the heated floors in the master bath. I will give them a pass on the the HVAC cost. They didn't plan on it and in Chicago you apparently need it. That's why I'm never living there. All in all, it was a nice place and I'm sure they'll have a great time living there.

[ChelseaNH]

The purchase price + the renovation budget was still under their target budget, so I wasn't worried about the inevitable cost overruns.

[Peanutbuttercup]

Chicago woman and her habit of clenching her fists by her face and squealing YAAAAYYYY (sometimes while running in place) drove me nuts. Lady, are you three years old? You are not as cute as you think you are.

Edited April 20, 2016 by Peanutbuttercup

[laredhead]

I thought her obsession with the vanity and proper lighting for her makeup was odd, but maybe just another producer driven thing.  It made her seem preoccupied with her looks.  I agree with a previous poster about the outrageous (IMO) price of that medicine cabinet.  That was nothing but a few shelves fitted w/in the wall space.  I have a cabinet maker who did that on a smaller scale in a bathroom that was remodeled in my house a few years ago and the price was almost zero.  The doors are two mirrors hinged on each side.  Certainly not a thousands of dollars addition.  I guess because it was bard door fitted that made it more expensive because barn doors on everything are hot now.   

[DownTheShore]

Tonight's couple, New York to Austin, with young son named Winslow:

Much hand-wringing over "what are we going to do if the house isn't finished by the time our rental is up?"- while right behind them in the scene is a separate building with a completely finished studio apartment (with kitchette and bath) that they totally ignore. I'm imagining the camera man set up that shot as an insider joke.

But, they were a nice couple and anyone who wants a screened porch added to their home is okay by me. And little Winslow was a cutie-pie; though I couldn't help but wonder if they had another son, would they name him "Homer"?

Edited April 24, 2016 by DownTheShore

[juliet73]

NY to Austin episode: I wasn't a fan of the green cabinets and white island. I would have switched it - white cabinets/green island...a little of that green color goes a long way. I would have left the kitchen sink under the window instead of moving it to the island. I like islands with no sink, cooktops, etc. so I can spread out and have tons of space for prepping, etc. On the plus sides, I liked the screened porch. And Winslow was so cute! Erin,the wife looked so familiar to me.

[DownTheShore]

If I had to have a center island, I wouldn't want a sink or a cooktop on it either. They would be too in the way, not to mention I feel that the cooktops are safer against a wall, especially since I prefer gas.

I was wondering how years of getting wet was going to affect that butcher block surrounding their island sink? Isn't it going to start turning black?