House Hunters Renovation - General Discussion

[Bastet]

A $575k budget in Burbank?  These HHs are, um, adorable?  Or, you know, dumb.  I'm rather sad I'm heading out for the night, because this could be entertaining.

[aguabella]

Covina couple was nice but anyone else notice how talky they were during the tour?  Wouldn't let their realtor get a word in, period.  LA-style, they seemed a tad too eager to be on camera.  And, what happened to the fil?  He gloved up, ready to remove that f/p, took a whack or two, then disappeared while the guys (workers) finished the job.  Somebody else wanna' be on HGTV, lol ???

Anyone think about that HVAC unit?  4K, IIRC, to relocate it.  Looked original.  The inspector would have indicated how many years of remaining life it had.  Let's say they saved a few grand by doing a standard tub/shower combo.  Instead of spending 4K to relocate the unit, why not spend a few thousand more (???) and upgrade to a high-efficiency unit?  Or, at least obtain several bids from HVAC experts, depending on the inspector's report.  Unless something happened off-camera, they only spoke to the gc about that job.

BTW, anyone else bothered when the gc was standing on the top shelf of that ladder?  It's unsafe, not recommended ...

[Empress1]

"We had no idea adding a bathroom would be so much money." Really? Why not?

Burbank couple seemed like a nice couple who didn't know what they were doing. It was adorable when the boys were watching the trains go by and waving at them. I didn't care for the all the reclaimed wood in the kitchen. The bathroom turned out nicely though.

[twinks]

I cannot imagine sinking that much money into a house in that location. That is no house for a family with young children. The third house was their best choice. I thought they said it was 20 minutes away from family? They were sweet, but clueless.

[juliet73]

Burbank ep:  The couple were nice, but beyond clueless!  $575k max budget in Burbank?!  Unless they just moved to LA from Mars, they should have known that was going to be very difficult!  I'm glad they were able to get the house for $20k less than asking, but still.  They mentioned they wanted to a buy a house ASAP because they needed more room because their kids were growing so fast.  The house they purchased was a 2Bd/1Ba 800 sq ft so it seemed more of a lateral move when it came to space.  

The bathroom came out nice.  However, I didn't care for the brass around the mirror or the ugly light fixture with the Edison bulbs.  Sadly, once those little boys are potty trained, the wife is going to wish they had bought a house with 2 bathrooms.  (Speaking from current experience - I'm sharing one bathroom with 3 boys.)

Opening up the kitchen was a great idea and unfortunately, that's where it ends.  Again, with the two tone cabinetry!  Why did the bottom cabinets have to be grey?  Why not just do all them in white? (or all of them in grey?)  The wood on the walls made the kitchen look like a cabin.  It was odd that the wood was carried over to the other wall where the oven was.  There was wood butted up against the tile and it did not look good.  At all.  They should have just done wood on the one wall and used only tile on the other wall.   The "industrial" light fixture over the breakfast bar was HORRIBLE!  Then I saw it from the other side, and it was even worse!!!!! The canopy was installed above the sink and then the wires were stretched over and then wrapped around the pipe!  I think that might have been the ugliest light I have ever seen! 

When it comes to open concept floor plans, I wish people would think about doing a raised breakfast bar - at least your dirty dishes would be hidden if someone came to the door.  

I loved all the windows in the main areas, but was surprised that only the one front living room window had any covering - the rest were all bare.

No sliding bar door! YAY!  

Edited January 15, 2018 by juliet73

[ByaNose]

27 minutes ago, juliet73 said:

Burbank ep:  The couple were nice, but beyond clueless!  $575k max budget in Burbank?!  Unless they just moved to LA from Mars, they should have known that was going to be very difficult!  I'm glad they were able to get the house for $20k less than asking, but still.  They mentioned they wanted to a buy a house ASAP because they needed more room because their kids were growing so fast.  The house they purchased was a 2Bd/1Ba 800 sq ft so it seemed more of a lateral move when it came to space.  

The bathroom came out nice.  However, I didn't care for the brass around the mirror or the ugly light fixture with the Edison bulbs.  Sadly, once those little boys are potty trained, the wife is going to wish they had bought a house with 2 bathrooms.  (Speaking from current experience - I'm sharing one bathroom with 3 boys.)

Opening up the kitchen was a great idea and unfortunately, that's where it ends.  Again, with the two tone cabinetry!  Why did the bottom cabinets have to be grey?  Why not just do all them in white? (or all of them in grey?)  The wood on the walls made the kitchen look like a cabin.  It was odd that the wood was carried over to the other wall where the oven was.  There was wood butted up against the tile and it did not look good.  At all.  They should have just done wood on the one wall and used only tile on the other wall.   The "industrial" light fixture over the breakfast bar was HORRIBLE!  Then I saw it from the other side, and it was even worse!!!!! The canopy was installed above the sink and then the wires were stretched over and then wrapped around the bar!  I think that might have been the ugliest light I have ever seen! 

When it comes to open concept floor plans, I wish people would think about doing a raised breakfast bar - at least your dirty dishes would be hidden if someone came to the door.  

I loved all the windows in the main areas, but was surprised that only the one front living room window had any covering - the rest were all bare.

No sliding bar door! YAY!  

The Edison Bulbs over the bar looked kind of ugly. I thought it looked bad from the one side just wrapped around the piping. Then I saw the other side where they were all coming from one fixture source. That looked even uglier. I agree about the 2 tone cabinets. Please stop! I prefer all white but if it must be all gray I’m fine with that, too. I think the bathroom looked nice and I appreciate the work the husband did with the vanity. Also, that.had.to.be.the.worst.location.for.a.house.with.2.young.kids. Once again, the prices in California are mind boggling.

[chocolatine]

On 1/14/2018 at 11:05 PM, ByaNose said:

The Edison Bulbs over the bar looked kind of ugly. I thought it looked bad from the one side just wrapped around the piping. Then I saw the other side where they were all coming from one fixture source. That looked even uglier.

That woman should have her designer license revoked over that set-up.

[aguabella]

On 1/13/2018 at 9:15 PM, AuntiePam said:

The Burbank couple -- I can not understand paying $500K+ for a house, setting a $50K+ reno budget, and then choosing laminate over original hardwood because the laminate cost $1500 less.  The laminate wasn't as awful as some we've seen, but the original floor would have worked much better.

Saw the episode but didn't revise my hunch about the floors, Auntie Pam.  I believe the laminate was part of their HH / HGTV freebie package.   Personally, IRL, I would expect their designer to suggest tile for the kit and d/r area plus the original h/w.  BTW, b/c the seller covered them up, they might have had significant traffic wear and pet urine damage, making sanding difficult to impossible.

Anyone else crack up when the realtor pointed out the "classic parquet" flooring in response to the w's question about h/w underneath the carpeting.  My first thought was "Uh, doubtful, dude"!  Then he pulled it up, exposing the cheap stick-on backing.  Hahahaha ...

Not from LA but have spent tons of time working around Burbank.  The other posters are correct - that 500K price reflects the busy street and train.  So, yeah, laminate's appropriate.

[aguabella]

On 1/14/2018 at 9:23 AM, twinks said:

I cannot imagine sinking that much money into a house in that location. That is no house for a family with young children. The third house was their best choice. I thought they said it was 20 minutes away from family? They were sweet, but clueless.

Agree, a train home is one to run, not walk, away from.  That said, ever driven in LA, twinks?  If/when they say 20 minutes, that's usually code for 2 hours.  Seriously, working there many times, I've been in traffic jams at 4:30 / 5 am.

Sunland's an outer suburb, up I-5 from Burbank, IIRC.  Guessing that he was working around Burbank b/c they'd been renting in that area.  Unless she plans to return to work and if he ever wants to see his kids, the train house (yuch!) made sense for them.

Edited January 17, 2018 by aguabella

[aguabella]

On 1/14/2018 at 7:26 AM, Empress1 said:

"We had no idea adding a bathroom would be so much money." Really? Why not?

Burbank couple seemed like a nice couple who didn't know what they were doing. It was adorable when the boys were watching the trains go by and waving at them. I didn't care for the all the reclaimed wood in the kitchen. The bathroom turned out nicely though.

That scene felt like the typical HH fake drama, to me.  The guy seemed somewhat handy and most realtors refer clients to a contractor before making an offer, if/when they mention major renovations.  I'm sure they knew.

Cute kids but that train routine will get old, quickly!  (lol)

[aguabella]

On 1/14/2018 at 7:31 PM, juliet73 said:

Burbank ep:  The couple were nice, but beyond clueless!  $575k max budget in Burbank?!  Unless they just moved to LA from Mars, they should have known that was going to be very difficult!  I'm glad they were able to get the house for $20k less than asking, but still.  They mentioned they wanted to a buy a house ASAP because they needed more room because their kids were growing so fast.  The house they purchased was a 2Bd/1Ba 800 sq ft so it seemed more of a lateral move when it came to space.  

The bathroom came out nice.  However, I didn't care for the brass around the mirror or the ugly light fixture with the Edison bulbs.  Sadly, once those little boys are potty trained, the wife is going to wish they had bought a house with 2 bathrooms.  (Speaking from current experience - I'm sharing one bathroom with 3 boys.)

Opening up the kitchen was a great idea and unfortunately, that's where it ends.  Again, with the two tone cabinetry!  Why did the bottom cabinets have to be grey?  Why not just do all them in white? (or all of them in grey?)  The wood on the walls made the kitchen look like a cabin.  It was odd that the wood was carried over to the other wall where the oven was.  There was wood butted up against the tile and it did not look good.  At all.  They should have just done wood on the one wall and used only tile on the other wall.   The "industrial" light fixture over the breakfast bar was HORRIBLE!  Then I saw it from the other side, and it was even worse!!!!! The canopy was installed above the sink and then the wires were stretched over and then wrapped around the pipe!  I think that might have been the ugliest light I have ever seen! 

When it comes to open concept floor plans, I wish people would think about doing a raised breakfast bar - at least your dirty dishes would be hidden if someone came to the door.  

I loved all the windows in the main areas, but was surprised that only the one front living room window had any covering - the rest were all bare.

No sliding bar door! YAY!  

Good points, as usual, juliet73.

My biggest problem with this kitchen:  storage space.  If the designer prepared the standard form, comparing b&a usable area, I believe it'd reflect a net loss in storage.  (Incidentally, I discount open shelving, i.e. tchotchke display.) 

Everybody see the small shelves in the hallway by the back door?  Thinking that was the pantry.  Uh, oops, they closed that area off!

Reclaimed wood comes in panels at the big box stores.  Thinking that was part of their freebies.  Not my favorite but the w wanted "farmhouse" so I'd suggest (white) shiplap and/or beadboard.  The reclaimed wood was far too dark and really pulled those walls in, making it feel much smaller.

Instead of the reclaimed wood wall by the stove, I'd build that out, around the corner, up to the window, with uppers and lowers.  (More on the "egress" door, below.)  Noticed plumbing in the garage so laundry can move there.

Those windows were both a blessing and a curse.  Makes it challenging to add cabinetry.  Not surprised they only had one window treatment.  Many builders and flippers do that b/c window treatments are extremely expensive plus the home shows better with more light.  Fortunately for them, buyers don't seem to notice.

Raised breakfast bars were popular for a year or so.  Sure, they could have done one but b/c the home's so small, I'd leave it open.

First, if possible, I'd flip the fridge to the outer wall, between the two windows, using a (smaller) counter-depth one.  (Hate these monster fridges, protruding into every kitchen!)

Instead of placing that huge table in the d/r, two options.  If they extend the kit through the d/r, they could build it out with more cabinetry and possibly another peninsula or larger center island. 

For dining, they could either  build a banquette under the corner windows or use a narrow, 6' table against the window seat in the l/r.  Both options would save space and increase function, I believe.

The l/r table could double (triple? lol) as a crafting table or h/w area during the day.  Seriously, how often do those kids eat at the table?

How about those options?

Agree, Miss Designer needs to end her diy career.  She doesn't have it.  Leave lighting to the pros.  The electricians could have easily set up that fixture when they rewired.

Edited January 17, 2018 by aguabella

[aguabella]

Little bit more on Burbank ... (sorry)

How about that egress door?  Wait, where'd it go? 

They did that scene with the gc explaining that they had to close up the door for egress?  What?  Where's the door?  Now there's no egress!  lol

Here's my theory:  thinking the laundry was prob originally in the garage.  The plumbing and electrical remains so the laundry can move back there.

Everyone see that small hallway by the door?  Adding that to the current laundry room space would give you an ok (not great) bathroom.  And, it already contains plumbing!  (Yippee!)

The smaller b/r is behind that hallway.  So, bust through that wall and presto, it becomes a master bath!  Perhaps they can carve out a few more feet from the bedroom, too

About egress, IIRC, code simply requires that the door open out, i.e. with the flow of traffic, exiting the building.  Normally, if necessary, you just flip the door.

And, in the kitchen, with the laundry doors closed off, those walls become available for cabinetry / storage space!  Yippee #2!

Triple bonus:  the dark, reclaimed wood goes away!  Yes!

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, aguabella said:

Sunland's an outer suburb, up I-5 from Burbank, IIRC.  Guessing that he was working around Burbank b/c they'd been renting in that area.  Unless she plans to return to work and if he ever wants to see his kids, the train house (yuch!) made sense for them.

It's 15 minutes away, max, without traffic, and has a good surface street option for the times the freeway needs to be avoided; at the height of rush hour, the travel time between the house they got and the Sunland house wouldn't even be half an hour; maybe 25 minutes at the worst.  Now, if he worked south of Burbank and that extra 15-25 minutes would have been on top of a commute that was already at the top of their acceptable range, that's a consideration.  But if it was just that work and family were in Burbank so they wanted to be there, too, well, suck it up, buttercups, and wait until you can afford to buy in a better part of Burbank; in the interim, drive 15-20 minutes rather than living with a train practically running through your front yard (and it's not just commuter trains, the cargo trains run all the time, and there a bunch of crossings at which trains have to honk for safety) plus airport noise (they didn't really get into that in the episode, but I know the area).  But they did get themselves into the Burbank school district rather than LAUSD, so maybe they were just looking ahead (because, with their low budget for a home, it's highly unlikely they can afford private school).

[aguabella]

20 minutes ago, Bastet said:

It's 15 minutes away, max, without traffic, and has a good surface street option for the times the freeway needs to be avoided; at the height of rush hour, the travel time between the house they got and the Sunland house wouldn't even be half an hour; maybe 25 minutes at the worst.  Now, if he worked south of Burbank and that extra 15-25 minutes would have been on top of a commute that was already at the top of their acceptable range, that's a consideration.  But if it was just that work and family were in Burbank so they wanted to be there, too, well, suck it up, buttercups, and wait until you can afford to buy in a better part of Burbank; in the interim, drive 15-20 minutes rather than living with a train practically running through your front yard (and it's not just commuter trains, the cargo trains run all the time, and there a bunch of crossings at which trains have to honk for safety) plus airport noise (they didn't really get into that in the episode, but I know the area).  But they did get themselves into the Burbank school district rather than LAUSD, so maybe they were just looking ahead (because, with their low budget for a home, it's highly unlikely they can afford private school).

You got my point, Bastet, "without traffic".   I'm sorry but have worked on major LA projects for months at a time at many locations, M-F and didn't ever find a commute "without traffic".  Rush hour would start between 4 and 5 a.m. and then 3 p.m. in the afternoon.

They said 20 minutes and Sunland's almost in the forest, literally.  20 minutes would be the freeway time, IIRC, w/o traffic.  Then, it's another 15 minutes (or so) from the freeway to either their home or work.  That's 50 minutes, times 2, per day, without traffic!  If his (very young) kids retire at 7 or 7:30, he won't see much of them. 

Surface streets?  With traffic lights, goody!  If it's necessary to consider using surface streets, that means it's a challenging commute.  Oh yeah, have been stuck, waiting for those damn trains, too!  Good times!  That's when you're tempted to check your phone or text.

I know the area, too - used to fly in to Burbank or LAX every Sun/Mon, leaving Fri night.  Yes, I thought about airport noise, too.  Had many Burbank clients / coworkers and visited their homes.

Considering all the issues with that dump they bought, they did "suck it up".  They made the best choice for their family.  (I respect that.)  Wouldn't surprise me if those two have a couple more kids and try to add on (besides that master bath) when/if they can afford it.

I, too, considered the school district.  Another lousy feature of that home, besides the airport, is that back alley.  Everyone notice the vehicles parked back there?  HH always clears out their cars.  Made me wonder if there's a school or park back there.  That's another strike against that place!

Bastet, I believe we're on the same wavelength, here.  I hope it works out for them.  Nobody could pay me to live in that place!

Edited January 17, 2018 by aguabella

[Bastet]

I'm very familiar with the area, and couldn't spend 50 minutes getting from Burbank to Sunland unless I ditched my car halfway in between. 

[aguabella]

12 minutes ago, Bastet said:

I'm very familiar with the area, and couldn't spend 50 minutes getting from Burbank to Sunland unless I ditched my car halfway in between. 

???  LOL!  Good for you!  Depends where people live and work in relation to the freeway.  Plus a whole host of factors, e.g. schedules, telecommuting and on and on ...

I've driven down back alleys to avoid LA traffic, myself!  If someone else wants to do it, that's terrific! 

In the meantime, if these people want to live in that hovel, close to his work and brother, I respect their decision.  Hope it works out for them.

At least they can advertise it as an "HGTV home" if/when they sell.

Edited January 17, 2018 by aguabella

[Mittengirl]

I forgot about the egress door thing in the Burbank house.  It sounded like they wouldn’t have enough space for the current door to pass code, so they were going to close off the egress door instead of meeting code.  How would not having one be preferable to having one that is somewhat small?   And wasn’t it the access getting to the door that was small, not the door itself - the space between two counters or something?  It was a small house for crying out loud, how many people do they think will be jammed in there at one time?

[twinks]

Good luck to them when they try to sell it.

[aguabella]

6 hours ago, Mittengirl said:

I forgot about the egress door thing in the Burbank house.  It sounded like they wouldn’t have enough space for the current door to pass code, so they were going to close off the egress door instead of meeting code.  How would not having one be preferable to having one that is somewhat small?   And wasn’t it the access getting to the door that was small, not the door itself - the space between two counters or something?  It was a small house for crying out loud, how many people do they think will be jammed in there at one time?

Exactly, that's the issue, Mittengirl!  The gc's lines made it sound as if the cabinetry would obstruct the back door, limiting egress.  In my experience, flipping or changing out the door to open outward solves the problem.  Instead, they removed it!

During the episode, as they initially approached the kitchen, a small hallway was visible, behind the smaller bedroom.  (A large, fairly new, stackable w/d combo unit had been installed at the end of that hallway.)  The back door opened into the hallway, i.e. not the kitchen / cabinetry.

Might be only sufficient space for a powder room, but adding a few feet from the bedroom, they can prob eke out a 3/4 bath.  Closet's on the opposite end so no need to demo it.  Or, they might prefer to place the bed in that closet, constructing a bed nook, relocating the closet to the bathroom end.

If you're interested, shoot me a pm and will forward the listing photos.  BTW, sure, placing that cabinet on rollers solved any egress issue with the laundry doors.  But, they can easily seal off those doors and pick up wall space for both uppers and lowers.  

Bonus:  the kit might be large enough to use that rolling cabinet as a small work island!

Edited January 18, 2018 by aguabella

[aguabella]

2 hours ago, twinks said:

Good luck to them when they try to sell it.

And, how!  It's between 2 airport access roads, (basically) surrounded by the airport, train, a big box retailer plus a park.  Yowza!  I hope they can easily extract their car each morning let alone have a decent commute! 

Can they avoid train delays at least 1x per day?  Perhaps if those trains run on time, lol.

Touring homes (for fun) on behalf of realtor friends around the country during my business travels, I always perceive an inverse relationship between location challenges and home updates.  They'll need all the help they can get, from HGTV or anywhere!

Edited January 18, 2018 by aguabella

[aguabella]

On 1/16/2018 at 5:15 PM, chocolatine said:

That woman should have her designer license revoked over that set-up.

lol ... Yeah, it's very easy to conceal electrical cord(s) around ceiling beams with inexpensive (Ikea, usually) cord covers in the same color, coordinating work between the gc and electrician.  Unfortunately, the various subs get spoiled, working alone w/o other teams present. 

It was in the design plan, right?  Coordination, uh, what's that?  (joking ...) 

Designers have all different backgrounds from self-taught to degreed.  Some excel at diy; others, uh, not so much.  It's not in their job description, in my experience, so was surprised to see her attempting those projects.  It hasn't been part of the normal, HHR designer shtick, right?

Hope that was her idea, a one-off, i.e. not a new HHR designer routine.

Edited January 18, 2018 by aguabella

[Pickles]

The Denver couple last night. I didn't really like anything about that kitchen renovation. Was not crazy about the dark teal walls. What was up with the lighter gray and then darker gray hexagon tiles placed randomly on the floor? I missed the first few minutes, but why did the wife not want a backsplash?? In the end, she relented and went with large white subway tile. Ugh. Too white next to the dark teal paint. Part of the backsplash seemed to  extend randomly beyond the cabinets and looked odd jutting out like that. 

On a shallow note, all of the wife's clothes looked too small and too tight on her.

[Empress1]

10 minutes ago, Pickles said:

The Denver couple last night. I didn't really like anything about that kitchen renovation. Was not crazy about the dark teal walls. What was up with the lighter gray and then darker gray hexagon tiles placed randomly on the floor? I missed the first few minutes, but why did the wife not want a backsplash?? In the end, she relented and went with large white subway tile. Ugh. Too white next to the dark teal paint. Part of the backsplash seemed to  extend randomly beyond the cabinets and looked odd jutting out like that. 

On a shallow note, all of the wife's clothes looked too small and too tight on her.

I didn't like the kitchen at all. Hated that dark blue on the walls - it's a nice color but I'd never want it in my kitchen. Hated the "floor ombre," as the wife called it. The wife just didn't like backsplashes; they were originally going to go with a plain white acrylic backsplash (very simple, easy to clean) but the husband didn't like it. The floor tile looked like a mistake to me, and reminded me a little of the infamous Buffalo kitchen renovation.

The husband did a good job on the bathroom though.

[biakbiak]

The Denver couple got less counter space and less storage space and have an odd little "breakfast knook" with three sitting spaces and tiny bit of storage, that was some of  the shittiest space planning on a large kitchen space I have seen on the reno. And i loathed the stupid floor.

Edited January 21, 2018 by biakbiak

[MooCat Pretzel]

I thought that Denver kitchen was horrible as well. The white upper cabinets looked cheap, especially where they stashed the microwave.  They said the original galley kitchen “didn’t work for them” in terms of functionality, so they just make a wider galley kitchen??  

And (shallow alert!) if you were going to be on an episode of House Hunters, would one of your outfits be a tank top where your boobs are hanging out???  I didn’t care for the wife’s “look at me” display.

I did think the work in the bathroom was great, so that’s something.

Edited January 21, 2018 by MooCat Pretzel

[biakbiak]

1 hour ago, MooCat Pretzel said:

 

I did think the work in the bathroom was great though...

That and the garden were the only two things in the reno that I liked.

[chocolatine]

When a room that's been renovated by the homeowner looks much better than the one renovated by the designers, that doesn't reflect well on the designers. And it could have been even worse if the husband hadn't vetoed the acrylic table and backsplash. My takeaway is that I need to marry a handsome engineer before buying my next home and have him do all the renovations.

[irisheyes]

Things I liked in the Denver reno (or at least didn’t hate):

They didn’t have white cabinets everywhere

I didn’t hate the subway tile backsplash

The bathroom was very classy. I liked the floor tile and the tub tile.

The stayed on budget! (According to them ?)

[sheetmoss]

Thought the Denver couple were nice enough

Kitchen, IMO,  was a total miss w/wasted space esp the former nook area.

If they needed more storage I would have put flr to ceiling pantry cabinets that weren't deep and just put a small bistro table with a pair of  chairs so she could have company in the kitchen.

I think the  doorway from DR should have been  enlarged -  I also would have put in a small  peninsula at the end of  counter where 2 people could eat at

[juliet73]

5 hours ago, chocolatine said:

When a room that's been renovated by the homeowner looks much better than the one renovated by the designers, that doesn't reflect well on the designers. And it could have been even worse if the husband hadn't vetoed the acrylic table and backsplash. My takeaway is that I need to marry a handsome engineer before buying my next home and have him do all the renovations.

When the "before" kitchen looks better than the professionally designed "after" kitchen, you have a crappy designer!

This had to be one of the worst kitchens I have ever seen!  The two tone cabinetry! UGH!  The dark teal paint! The sporadic recessed lighting!  The horrid mismatched hexagon tile!  The lone cabinet/microwave shelf!  Why didn't they install more upper cabinets?  They had barely any storage and there was space for additional ones.   The lower angled cabinet was a bad idea.  Not only did they lose more counter space by doing that, but they could have added another cabinet.  If the wife doesn't like backsplashes, then why have one?  The wider subway tile looked like it should be used on the floor, not on the walls.  The three top table in the "nook" was an odd choice.  It looked like an island that was pushed off to the side. There was more than enough room for a regular dining set so I didn't get that.  They could have installed some awesome built ins since storage was scarce.

The bathroom came out great! The husband did a good job!  The dining room and bedrooms were nice.  The coffee table in the living room was sooo long.  It looked weird placed with the small sectional.  

They spent $70k on this renovation?  They wasted a lot of money considering they really only did the kitchen and bathroom and majority of it was spent on the kitchen.

 

8 hours ago, Pickles said:

On a shallow note, all of the wife's clothes looked too small and too tight on her.

Agree!!!  Her voice was annoying too! 

I thought it was hilarious when they were outside in the garden bragging about how much produce they grew that they had to give a lot of it away.  The camera shows all the tomatoes, etc but in the next scene, she's inside making sauce with canned tomatoes!!  UGH!!! 

[twinks]

Agree with you all! The husband should have had more in put. It would have turned out a lot nicer imo. I thought the designers wanted to knock out the wall near the "nook." That was such a waste.

[CruiseDiva]

Those designers were right up at the top of worst ever. The husband did a great job on the bathroom. He had better taste than the wife and designers all together.

My kitchen didn't have a backsplash for 29 years. If you use semigloss paint it cleans up nicely.

[laredhead]

I hated the kitchen in that renovation.  The dark blue would be depressing to me.  The floor would also drive me nuts.  They missed the opportunity to put some storage at the end of the kitchen where that "dry bar" was.  They didn't show that up close, but it looked like a table with 2 chairs.  I think the kitchen needed more storage from what I could see.  The bathroom looked nice, but I'm still not a fan of those floors.  I don't know if the tiles were painted concrete, or the newer versions of porcelain that mimic the concrete tiles.  I would give the bathroom a thumbs up, but the kitchen a thumbs down.  

[ByaNose]

The Denver couple. Where to start? Oh! The kitchen was probably one of the ugliest I’ve ever seen. The two tone cabinets. The white was okay but the “gray brown” lowers were ugly and looked unfinished. The random floor tile pattern was awful. The teal color was way too dark. The big acrylic non tile was okay but didn’t look any different then any other white subway tile. Overall, it was a total miss. The bathroom was done nicely by the husband but I’m not a big fan of the huge tile in the chevron patten. It’s too much for me.

[aguabella]

Had high hopes for the two Denver designers but no, overall, didn't care for the kitchen.

Biggest problem:  the flow, or lack thereof, between the galley kitchen and d/r.  In the minority b/c I actually did like the gradient floor pattern.  Unfortunately, the designers failed to take the orange hue of the d/r's h/w floors into consideration when they selected their color palette.

Yes, they needed to widen that dark / slate blue doorway but unfortunately, the d/r closet abutted into the kitchen.  (It was adjacent to the stove, IIRC.)  To increase storage, it might have helped to enlarge that closet to pantry-size and change the door opening to the kitchen.  Or, remove it altogether for an improved galley.  (They did have tall, white pantry cabinets on that side of the kit, across from the corner cabinet, IIRC.)

Don't know the designers' results from their net - net, b&a storage calculation.  Would love it if any of these designers shared the standard calculation.  If they're professionals, they should prepare the standard form for every kitchen job.

About the infamous corner, it could have looked great, if their carpenter had simply built some upper shelves in that shape or if they'd purchased a cabinet to cap it off.  The previous, stubby peninsulas simply shouted out that the kitchen was too small, stopping the eye.  W/o that upper, the entire space appears unfinished.  Their friends might wonder if they ran out of cash, lol!

Edited January 27, 2018 by aguabella

[aguabella]

On 1/21/2018 at 3:44 PM, juliet73 said:

When the "before" kitchen looks better than the professionally designed "after" kitchen, you have a crappy designer!

This had to be one of the worst kitchens I have ever seen!  The two tone cabinetry! UGH!  The dark teal paint! The sporadic recessed lighting!  The horrid mismatched hexagon tile!  The lone cabinet/microwave shelf!  Why didn't they install more upper cabinets?  They had barely any storage and there was space for additional ones.   The lower angled cabinet was a bad idea.  Not only did they lose more counter space by doing that, but they could have added another cabinet.  If the wife doesn't like backsplashes, then why have one?  The wider subway tile looked like it should be used on the floor, not on the walls.  The three top table in the "nook" was an odd choice.  It looked like an island that was pushed off to the side. There was more than enough room for a regular dining set so I didn't get that.  They could have installed some awesome built ins since storage was scarce.

The bathroom came out great! The husband did a good job!  The dining room and bedrooms were nice.  The coffee table in the living room was sooo long.  It looked weird placed with the small sectional.  

They spent $70k on this renovation?  They wasted a lot of money considering they really only did the kitchen and bathroom and majority of it was spent on the kitchen.

 

Agree!!!  Her voice was annoying too! 

I thought it was hilarious when they were outside in the garden bragging about how much produce they grew that they had to give a lot of it away.  The camera shows all the tomatoes, etc but in the next scene, she's inside making sauce with canned tomatoes!!  UGH!!! 

And, they never turned the camera around in the garage to show us the temporary kitchen, lol!

Good ideas, juliet73 but the storage might have been equivalent, given the tall pantry cabs.  It was a small house, to begin with.  Don't remember them mentioning it as a major problem during the tour.

I have a feeling that budget was spread around, throughout the house.  The garage heating?  They might have done that.  They only aired 1 bathroom but wouldn't surprise me if they did the 2nd one, too.  Too bad they didn't allocate the budget primarily to the kitchen.

Actually, I believe the designers accepted too much input from the homeowners.  The floor had a nice flow, if you viewed it from one direction.  Turn around and it was jarring when combined with the existing h/w floors' orange-ish stain color. 

In the dry bar / nook area, I would have enjoyed seeing the lucite - just for fun, lol.  And many sheet backsplashes are available, i.e. much preferable to acrylic - for me, anyway.  Sometimes homeowners need to step back or vacate the premises and let the designers implement their vision.  Doesn't work piecemeal ...

If anyone cares to check out the befores, I have the listing.  Shoot me a pm, if you like.  More on the tile choices and options, below.

Edited January 27, 2018 by aguabella

[aguabella]

On 1/21/2018 at 3:44 PM, juliet73 said:

When the "before" kitchen looks better than the professionally designed "after" kitchen, you have a crappy designer!

This had to be one of the worst kitchens I have ever seen!  The two tone cabinetry! UGH!  The dark teal paint! The sporadic recessed lighting!  The horrid mismatched hexagon tile!  The lone cabinet/microwave shelf!  Why didn't they install more upper cabinets?  They had barely any storage and there was space for additional ones.   The lower angled cabinet was a bad idea.  Not only did they lose more counter space by doing that, but they could have added another cabinet.  If the wife doesn't like backsplashes, then why have one?  The wider subway tile looked like it should be used on the floor, not on the walls.  The three top table in the "nook" was an odd choice.  It looked like an island that was pushed off to the side. There was more than enough room for a regular dining set so I didn't get that.  They could have installed some awesome built ins since storage was scarce.

The bathroom came out great! The husband did a good job!  The dining room and bedrooms were nice.  The coffee table in the living room was sooo long.  It looked weird placed with the small sectional.  

They spent $70k on this renovation?  They wasted a lot of money considering they really only did the kitchen and bathroom and majority of it was spent on the kitchen.

 

Agree!!!  Her voice was annoying too! 

I thought it was hilarious when they were outside in the garden bragging about how much produce they grew that they had to give a lot of it away.  The camera shows all the tomatoes, etc but in the next scene, she's inside making sauce with canned tomatoes!!  UGH!!! 

Meant to add a couple more things to your good observations, juliet73.

About the budget, another factor might be that these guys chose expensive upgrades.  Labor's always the largest line item, if broken out separately from each project on the budget.  That's some extra labor to lay out that floor pattern.  Even adding the upgraded subway tile backsplash qualifies as an added cost.  The acrylic sheet should have been much cheaper.  They upgraded those cabinets, big time.  And the bathroom tile.

Yes, noticed that coffee table, too!  Either she's (if the w set it up) not particularly good at measuring and laying out her spaces or it's one of those times someone threw their old furniture into a new space.  

[sheetmoss]

Re: South Bay SoCal couple

Hubby reminded me of a grown-up Brick from  The Middle

Thought exterior after reno was a miss

I'm glad they didn't take a sledgehammer to the stained glass - not my style either, but somebody will like it. Interesting too, they left a couple of panels

For what they ended up paying for the house, I suspect added room wasn't legal/permitted

Edited January 28, 2018 by sheetmoss

[Mittengirl]

Wasn’t it the stained glass over the added room that they showed being removed?  Then they removed the rest of that room, right?  So that could explain why the stained glas elsewhere was kept.

 

Could someone please help me out with the “creepy” staircase to the garage?  What was creepy about it?  And how else will they get to the garage from the house?  (Also, I am beyond tired of hearing grown people referring referring to basement/stairs as “creepy”, “spooky”, or “scary” and declaring they will not use them.  Grow the hell up!)

[sheetmoss]

20 minutes ago, Mittengirl said:

Wasn’t it the stained glass over the added room that they showed being removed?  Then they removed the rest of that room, right?  So that could explain why the stained glas elsewhere was kept.

 

Could someone please help me out with the “creepy” staircase to the garage?  What was creepy about it?  And how else will they get to the garage from the house?  (Also, I am beyond tired of hearing grown people referring referring to basement/stairs as “creepy”, “spooky”, or “scary” and declaring they will not use them.  Grow the hell up!)

They left the angled stained glass panels above  the fireplace wall  windows

Side-eye about the fear of stairs and basements on these shows..yep, grow up!

     I suspect the dislike of stairs to the garage in this case  had more to do with having little kids

Speaking of stairs, I thought the revamped staircase to 2nd level needed a railing at the bottom

Edited January 28, 2018 by sheetmoss

[chocolatine]

7 hours ago, sheetmoss said:

Speaking of stairs, I thought the revamped staircase to 2nd level needed a railing at the bottom

 

I thought so too, especially since they have a toddler.

I laughed when the husband listed all the renovations they wanted to do and wife replied that the renovation budget was "firm" at $50k. That was never going to happen.

Edited January 29, 2018 by chocolatine

[ByaNose]

I couldn’t get over the height difference between the couple. I’ve seen short guys before but he takes the cake. Anyhoo, I thought the kitchen turned out nice along with the counters. I wasn’t crazy with the clear backsplash at first. Although, it looked fine in the end. I hated the wood hood no matter what color it was going to be. Something about a wood hood in the kitchen seems tacky not to mention unsafe. Yes, I’m that paranoid. They made a great a great choice in swapping the bathroom in the master bedroom. Now, they have a beautiful view. The back yard was okay but I kept thinking it was done by CGI. For some reason, it didn’t look real. 

[chessiegal]

It seemed to me she was constantly leaning to look shorter than she is when she was standing next to him. It wasn't just once, but every time. You're as tall as you are - no reason for what looked like compensation to me. That's the main thing I remember about the show. :)

[biakbiak]

49 minutes ago, ByaNose said:

The back yard was okay but I kept thinking it was done by CGI. For some reason, it didn’t look real. 

It was definitely an improvement but there was something I didn't like about it.

[aguabella]

Couple tidbits on the Ranch Palos Verde episode:  (didn't see the entire episode, falling asleep, lol, but got the gist)

Definitely CGI.  Two possible reasons:  lighting issues and/or incomplete exteriors - or both.  HHR has filmed incomplete reveals, previously.  (I have a lighting / special effects client in LA so the CGI jumped out at me.)  They threaded in and out, doing the bathroom once, too.  That made me think of lighting.  So, ???

About the purchase discount:  my guess was the exterior and possibly other maintenance issues.  That siding would have been called on the (required) termite inspection.  Bet they rec'd some cash in escrow - didn't seem to include it in their closing tally.  And, another episode with no real budgeting.

Sure, the unpermitted sunroom might have been a small factor but many buyers simply pass on those items, accepting them, assuming the seller properly disclosed it and their lender signs off.  Yes, it must go at reno time.

Agree, the wife's looking at back problems between 3 babies and constant slouching.  Anybody get a backache watching her?  Was that a Napoleon complex, hahaha  ???  Don't think he'll appreciate that scene with the w standing over him on the ladder, lol.  No offense to petite people, guys ...

Nice stained glass - thought I spotted some by the front door, too.  Don't know if it survived.

Edited January 30, 2018 by aguabella

[aguabella]

On 1/22/2018 at 5:46 PM, laredhead said:

I hated the kitchen in that renovation.  The dark blue would be depressing to me.  The floor would also drive me nuts.  They missed the opportunity to put some storage at the end of the kitchen where that "dry bar" was.  They didn't show that up close, but it looked like a table with 2 chairs.  I think the kitchen needed more storage from what I could see.  The bathroom looked nice, but I'm still not a fan of those floors.  I don't know if the tiles were painted concrete, or the newer versions of porcelain that mimic the concrete tiles.  I would give the bathroom a thumbs up, but the kitchen a thumbs down.  

Hi laredhead, sorry for a late post re:  Denver small home, large garden

Wonder if a (higher) bar table w/4 super cool bar stools would work instead of their "dry bar".  They butted a shorter (IIRC) table against that wall b/c of the bottles.

About the floor tile, IIRC, she said "cement" at the shop and it reminded me of these type cement patterns:

https://www.wayfair.com/Moroccan-Mosaic-Tile-House-Atlas-Handmade-8-x-8-Cement-Field-Tile-in-Gray-White-CTP57-02-L2970-K~MMTH1285.html?refid=GX107983240706-MMTH1285&device=c&ptid=405847003898&targetid=pla-405847003898&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIiKGAzNiD2QIVR5V-Ch1x2wklEAQYAyABEgIyxPD_BwE

My choice would be glass.  Seeing tons of sheet backsplashes the last couple of years.  Please, let HGTV know that subway's out!  Sometimes, instead of caulking, the glass is clipped on, allowing the h/o to paint or wallpaper behind it to change it out, occasionally.  Here's some glass:

https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/glass-backsplash-ideas-for-the-kitchen-239998

Acrylic's a cheaper alternative to glass:

http://fogmodern.com/tag/kitchen/

Some choose tin - not my fave.

Wish these designers had executed their vision instead of revising it for the h/o's.  It might have worked out.

Edited February 1, 2018 by aguabella

[aguabella]

On 1/22/2018 at 6:57 PM, ByaNose said:

The Denver couple. Where to start? Oh! The kitchen was probably one of the ugliest I’ve ever seen. The two tone cabinets. The white was okay but the “gray brown” lowers were ugly and looked unfinished. The random floor tile pattern was awful. The teal color was way too dark. The big acrylic non tile was okay but didn’t look any different then any other white subway tile. Overall, it was a total miss. The bathroom was done nicely by the husband but I’m not a big fan of the huge tile in the chevron patten. It’s too much for me.

You're right, ByaNose - they switched to an upgraded, white subway, rejecting the designers suggestions.  BTW, posted acrylic pix in previous post.  And, they upgraded the lowers, big $$$ change.

Uh, the guy seemed nice - said the usual "clean lines" stuff.  Little surprised at all the love for him, here.  Shouldn't but I might have judged him a bit b/c of the woman he chose - fake everything, lol.  

Because he's an "engineer"?  He's a utilities engineer.  I work with engineers frequently and they specialize in everything from civil to mechanical to software, even.  Have known many that developed a new respect for the trades when they worked on their own homes.

Uh, sorry but he flubbed the tile job.  (No big deal.)  Might be an engineer but he's not a tile subcontractor, lol!  Made the classic mistake of starting on one side, going from there instead of measuring, working from the center.  Sure, doing it right may require more cuts but ...  It looked fine.  When they go to sell, well, a few folks will call it "diy".

Edited February 1, 2018 by aguabella

[CruiseDiva]

Our kitchen was initially wallpapered and a clear acrylic panel was installed on the wall behind the cooktop, very much like the photos in this link https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/glass-backsplash-ideas-for-the-kitchen-239998. Very easy to keep clean and the only problem was that an occasional bug would get behind it, which was disgusting. Thankfully, that only happened twice in 30 years.

DH hates tile backsplashes so when we had the old worn out formica countertops replaced with granite we continued the granite up the walls to the bottom of the upper cabinets. Looks great and easy to clean.

[Bastet]

4 hours ago, CruiseDiva said:

DH hates tile backsplashes so when we had the old worn out formica countertops replaced with granite we continued the granite up the walls to the bottom of the upper cabinets. Looks great and easy to clean.

I'm kind of surprised more people don't do this (at least a granite backsplash, period, even if it doesn't go all the way up to the bottom of the cabinets), but that's because I don't like backsplashes that are different from the countertop.  Tile countertop?  Same tile for the backsplash.  Granite countertop?  Same granite for the backsplash.

[aguabella]

9 hours ago, CruiseDiva said:

Our kitchen was initially wallpapered and a clear acrylic panel was installed on the wall behind the cooktop, very much like the photos in this link https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/glass-backsplash-ideas-for-the-kitchen-239998. Very easy to keep clean and the only problem was that an occasional bug would get behind it, which was disgusting. Thankfully, that only happened twice in 30 years.

DH hates tile backsplashes so when we had the old worn out formica countertops replaced with granite we continued the granite up the walls to the bottom of the upper cabinets. Looks great and easy to clean.

 

5 hours ago, Bastet said:

I'm kind of surprised more people don't do this (at least a granite backsplash, period, even if it doesn't go all the way up to the bottom of the cabinets), but that's because I don't like backsplashes that are different from the countertop.  Tile countertop?  Same tile for the backsplash.  Granite countertop?  Same granite for the backsplash.

 

Definitely, agree.  Simply using the countertop material for the backsplash is a terrific option!  Sometimes, depending on the kitchen's size, it also maximizes / optimizes the use of the granite slab.  So, it's also more cost effective!