House Hunters Renovation - General Discussion

[CruiseDiva]

19 hours ago, aguabella said:

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!

It increased the cost of our granite by about $1200, but was worth it to have it all completed at the same time. Everyone who sees it likes it. I actually got the idea from a neighbor who had her granite countertop extend to the bottom of the cabinets on one side of her kitchen. She now regrets not having it done on the other side as well.

Here's the before and after...

 

[answerphone]

Drinking game (I'm drinking coffee right now!). ☕

Take a sip every time a potential buyer exclaims, "Well, this will have to be gutted, this is a total gut job!"

?

[answerphone]

I really liked many of the finishes and improvements the Manhattan Beach couple chose. 

Where do these people suddenly acquire an extra $50,000?  Haha

[sheetmoss]

Re: MA couple.....my, she was the  Nervous Nellie about things

Pet peeve,  their DR flipped to become their kitchen -  IMO, it basically became an inefficient  galley kitchen  because of the distance between  work/prep  area... with no real room left   for a work  island in the center

I'd almost prefer an island w/eating with  a narrower walk-space on the stove wall side , or flipped and put walkway on window side w/enlarged windows.

[chocolatine]

2 hours ago, sheetmoss said:

Pet peeve,  their DR flipped to become their kitchen -  IMO, it basically became an inefficient  galley kitchen  because of the distance between  work/prep  area... with no real room left   for a work  island in the center

I agree. I think that house would have benefitted from an open-plan kitchen. I know people here are sick of hearing HHs say it, but with small children, it really helps to be able to keep an eye on them while cooking.

I liked the glass backsplash but hated the hexagonal tile. Too many textures for such a small kitchen. The banquette in the new dining room was also a miss, it took up too much space in an already small room. They could have gotten a bigger table without the banquette.

[juliet73]

4 hours ago, chocolatine said:

I liked the glass backsplash but hated the hexagonal tile. Too many textures for such a small kitchen. The banquette in the new dining room was also a miss, it took up too much space in an already small room. They could have gotten a bigger table without the banquette.

Totally agree about the glass backsplash.  It was lovely and I thought it tied all the colors (wall, cabinet and counter) together nicely.  Also agree about the banquette -they are limited on seating.  They could have gotten a nice table with a leaf and used it when needed (holidays, "entertaining", etc) but keep a four top for everyday use.  I also think they could have made the pantry wider or added an additional cabinet next to the other one.  The hexagon tile was awful!  Just awful!  And why were there no upper cabinets on that wall?  

The bathroom came out nice.  I glad the contractor dad got some free advertising by the husband wearing the company shirt.

Greyson was super super cute!!!

Edited February 5, 2018 by juliet73

[sheetmoss]

9 hours ago, chocolatine said:

I agree. I think that house would have benefitted from an open-plan kitchen. I know people here are sick of hearing HHs say it, but with small children, it really helps to be able to keep an eye on them while cooking.

I liked the glass backsplash but hated the hexagonal tile. Too many textures for such a small kitchen. The banquette in the new dining room was also a miss, it took up too much space in an already small room. They could have gotten a bigger table without the banquette.

$1200 for that lousy  banquette with no storage and a thin cushion.

Had to laugh, when they were looking at the place and talked about a bathroom  gut - $900 .came up on the  the screen for a new cabinet. One can find something way cheaper than that. if on a budget

Edited February 5, 2018 by sheetmoss

[QuinnM]

7 hours ago, sheetmoss said:

$1200 for that lousy  banquette with no storage and a thin cushion.

Why is there a round table at the square banquette?  I’ve seen this before.  That means you have 2 seats at the table.  Please tell me that was just staging.

Also the glass tile in the kitchen costs $$$$.  I understand why they couldn’t use it on the big wall but I hated those huge tiles.  

[aguabella]

On ‎2‎/‎2‎/‎2018 at 12:50 PM, CruiseDiva said:

It increased the cost of our granite by about $1200, but was worth it to have it all completed at the same time. Everyone who sees it likes it. I actually got the idea from a neighbor who had her granite countertop extend to the bottom of the cabinets on one side of her kitchen. She now regrets not having it done on the other side as well.

Here's the before and after...

 

Add one more to the list of folks who like it, CruiseDiva!  Looking at it, I believe it adds depth and makes your kitchen feel bigger - probably b/c the level of contrast is reduced between the backsplash and the cabs.  And, having the continuous line of material, there's no need for the eye to stop.  The added cost sounds reasonable, too.  Winner!

I'll bet your neighbor is disappointed.  Yeah, too bad how nothing works unless you shell out the $$$ to do it all.  If you wait, the pattern's discontinued or diff dye lot or whatever ...

Good b&a shots, too - taken from the same perspective.  Thanks for posting it!

Edited February 6, 2018 by aguabella

[answerphone]

I just watched the LA newlyweds with the budget of over $1 million dollars.

Where do some of these people get that kind of money? 

Where did I go wrong? ?

[Empress1]

He’s a sales director so he probably does pretty well. English teachers aren’t known for pulling down the big bucks. (I loved that she wanted a library!) He was giving me “have I seen him somewhere before?” vibes. I wondered if he was an actor before he said he was in sales.

I did a double-take when I saw that they were taking $50K out of their retirement to pay for the renovation. They can’t afford it! They’re going to be house poor and broke. I’d have dropped out of the bidding war when it got to that point. I loved the third house they looked at and I think the renovation would have been more manageable.

Loved the bench seating under the bay window - reading nook! Did not like the kitchen wallpaper, but I did like the quartz backsplash and the framed original blueprints. Didn’t like the brass fixtures or the cabinet color.

On the shallow, the designer’s blonde was too brassy and she was in need of a trim.

[juliet73]

OMG with this LA couple!  1. He was concerned about the first house going into a bidding war because he's heard of people paying up to $200k over asking.  Yet, they paid $371k over asking?!  Unless that house had money trees growing in the backyard, they totally overspent!  They should have went with the last house.  It was HUGE, close to his brother, had the library, was the craftsman style like she wanted and under $1 mil.  They could have put in $200k - $250k and had a GORGEOUS home!  2. They took money out of their 401k?!  Bad bad bad decision!   Did they honestly think they would be able to do a kitchen, bath, backyard, etc with $50k?  Of course they went over budget!  Obviously, they weren't expecting the $12k of electrical costs, but you would think they would cut back on other items. then.  $95 for a towel rack?  $1100 for DIY closet shelving? $700 for a seat cushion?  $3000 for ugly wallpaper in the kitchen?!  I'm sure the 5 ft quartz backsplash cost a pretty penny as well.  At least they put the backyard on hold, but with all the money they have already spent, I guarantee that eyesore of a backyard is going to remain like that for many many years.

I didn't care for the dark kitchen cabinets or the brass light fixtures or hardware.  And why were the upper cabinet pulls installed so high?

I didn't like the bathroom either.  I think there was a lot of missed opportunities...Double vanity, tub/shower combo, storage, etc.  They had free labor from her parents who knew what they were doing so I was confused by the lack of imagination/design.

I didn't like the fireplace either.  It wasn't functional (was it ever?) so they should have covered it or repurposed into a shelving/entertainment unit.

Edited February 11, 2018 by juliet73

[Empress1]

7 minutes ago, juliet73 said:

OMG with this LA couple!  1. He was concerned about the first house going into a bidding war because he's heard of people paying up to $200k over asking.  Yet, they paid $371k over asking?!  Unless that house had money trees growing in the backyard, they totally overspent!  They should have went with the last house.  It was HUGE, close to his brother, had the library, was the craftsman style like she wanted and under $1 mil.  They could have put in $200k - $250k and had a GORGEOUS home!  2. They took money out of their 401k?!  Bad bad bad decision!   Did they honestly think they would be able to do a kitchen, bath, backyard, etc with $50k?  Of course they went over budget!  Obviously, they weren't expecting the $12k of electrical costs, but you would think they would cut back on other items. then.  $95 for a towel rack?  $1100 for DIY closet shelving? $700 for a seat cushion?  $3000 for ugly wallpaper in the kitchen?!  I'm sure the 5 ft quartz backsplash cost a pretty penny as well.  At least they put the backyard on hold, but with all the money they have already spent, I guarantee that eyesore of a backyard is going to remain like that for many many years.

I didn't care for the dark kitchen cabinets or the brass light fixtures or hardware.  And why were the upper cabinet pulls installed so high?

I didn't like the bathroom either.  I think there was a lot of missed opportunities...Double vanity, tub/shower combo, storage, etc.  They had free labor from her parents who knew what they were doing so I was confused by the lack of imagination/design.

I didn't like the fireplace either.  It wasn't functional (was it ever?) so they should have covered it or repurposed into a shelving/entertainment unit.

Sometimes I see how much people spend on certain things and I’m like, do y’all not have Target? And if not, Target.com is always an option. $95 for a towel rack is dumb when you’re robbing your retirement to pay for your renovation. I mean, I think it’s dumb, period (no one is going to notice an expensive towel rack), but when you don’t have the money it’s an easy place to cut a corner.

[biakbiak]

3 hours ago, juliet73 said:

They had free labor from her parents who knew what they were doing so I was confused by the lack of imagination/design.

Her parents only came for a few days at the end of the project,  I don't necessairly think they had amazing skills the one thing we saw her dad do was the bench seat in the window which I thought looked cheap as shit and missed an opportunity to add storage. 

I can't believe they are 1.4 million plus into a two bedroom house and still haven't touched the backyard, other bathroom or basement. 

Edited February 11, 2018 by biakbiak

[chocolatine]

Seems like last night's HHs got so hung up on their desired location with "bars and restaurants" that all common sense went out the window. If either of them loses their job or the market dips they'll be in big trouble.

[Empress1]

14 hours ago, chocolatine said:

Seems like last night's HHs got so hung up on their desired location with "bars and restaurants" that all common sense went out the window. If either of them loses their job or the market dips they'll be in big trouble.

They said a couple of times that they were holding off on some of the other projects until they saved some money, and I was like "Y'all just said you'll be eating ramen for years, how much are you going to be able to save?" It was a terrible purchase. It's pretty easy to lose a sales job. She's an English teacher so her job is likely more stable than his, but I don't know any English teachers who can afford the mortgage on a $1.3M home by themselves unless they have a trust fund. I could not enjoy living in a house I couldn't afford. I would have no problem being like "This bidding is getting too rich for my blood. Next!" There are always other houses!

[ByaNose]

The Massachusetts kitchen was unless minus the ugly backsplashes. The hexagonal tiles were way too big and the other side with the glass was sort of ugly. I hate banquette's. I want either a square or round table where you can actually pull a chair up to it. They were butt up to slider no matter the size of the door. It was a waste of space. The white shaker cabinets looked nice like they always do on HH. It's light and airy which I like. The bathroom turned out nice as did the fireplace. It was nice that his father was so handy so they could stay the course with their $40,000 budget.

[ByaNose]

On ‎2‎/‎11‎/‎2018 at 1:34 AM, answerphone said:

I just watched the LA newlyweds with the budget of over $1 million dollars.

Where do some of these people get that kind of money? 

Where did I go wrong? ?

and, with perfect white teeth and blue eyes. The both of them! Where did i go wrong?

[aguabella]

On 2/5/2018 at 6:38 AM, QuinnM said:

Why is there a round table at the square banquette?  I’ve seen this before.  That means you have 2 seats at the table.  Please tell me that was just staging.

Also the glass tile in the kitchen costs $$$$.  I understand why they couldn’t use it on the big wall but I hated those huge tiles.  

More on Beverly, Mass (sorry to be slow)

 

The table prob belongs to them.

The designers typically use round b/c it's both easier to shimmy around, exiting the banquette benches and walk past, circulating through the room.  Also, the round shape, contrasting with the benches' square / rectangular lines softens the room.

I hated those huge tiles.  Wasn't thrilled with the dark glass tiles, either.

[aguabella]

6 hours ago, ByaNose said:

The Massachusetts kitchen was unless minus the ugly backsplashes. The hexagonal tiles were way too big and the other side with the glass was sort of ugly. I hate banquette's. I want either a square or round table where you can actually pull a chair up to it. They were butt up to slider no matter the size of the door. It was a waste of space. The white shaker cabinets looked nice like they always do on HH. It's light and airy which I like. The bathroom turned out nice as did the fireplace. It was nice that his father was so handy so they could stay the course with their $40,000 budget.

"Butt up to slider" and "waste of space" ???  Did you mean the slider was a waste of space?  Smaller door preferable?  ETA:  You're prob correct.

Their new kitchen actually extended into the former kitchen so the dining space was very small.  Sounded like they were planning on another child or two.  They could easily fit a family of 5 or 6 into that banquette, assuming they had 2 chairs at the table.  I think it was the best solution, considering everything.

The problem with that room, the former kitchen, was its L-shape.  I wondered about that wall.  (Hoped it was a bedroom closet, lol!)  Checked out the listing and saw a floor plan.  It was a stairway down to a basement!

Yeah, you guessed it - HHR forgot to show us the finished add'l room plus laundry area!  Might be b/c the previous h/o's staged it as a 4th b/r, even though it lacked proper egress.  Their floor plan lists it as a "family room".  (ETA - didn't check the sq. footage.  Don't know if 1800 included it.  Shouldn't have - )

If anyone cares to see the listing, shoot me a PM.  It's interesting b/c they included a floorplan.  If it was my place, I would have switched the orientation of a couple doorways and turned that bathroom into an ensuite.  Then, a closet could be relocated to create space for another bath.  Or, alternatively, the master bath could include 2 doors with 1 open to the l/r - not quite an ensuite but better than the current situation, to me.

Anyhow, same old HH / HHR, huh?  lol ...    

Edited February 13, 2018 by aguabella

[aguabella]

On 2/4/2018 at 11:29 PM, sheetmoss said:

$1200 for that lousy  banquette with no storage and a thin cushion.

Had to laugh, when they were looking at the place and talked about a bathroom  gut - $900 .came up on the  the screen for a new cabinet. One can find something way cheaper than that. if on a budget

??? Had the dvr open so checked on the $900.  Wasn't on the house they purchased.

Anyway, these guys don't always have the option of budget shopping.  The HGTV sponsors provide some items and they're required to use them.  The full price, at retail, is included in their 1099 Form.  That's one reason some of these prices usually sound high.

Also, the $900 would include everything, i.e. not just the vanity / cabinet, itself.  During this episode, they subbed in a larger unit.  Including the other costs, i.e. demo / labor, tax and installation, $900 sounds about right for the larger vanity.

About the $1,200 - same thing.  They're allocating some labor and other costs to that unit, plus the banquette's design.  Another part of their 1099!

Plus, we never see the actual budgeting so don't know who's calculating these items.  Some production company intern???

[aguabella]

On 2/4/2018 at 6:35 PM, juliet73 said:

Totally agree about the glass backsplash.  It was lovely and I thought it tied all the colors (wall, cabinet and counter) together nicely.  Also agree about the banquette -they are limited on seating.  They could have gotten a nice table with a leaf and used it when needed (holidays, "entertaining", etc) but keep a four top for everyday use.  I also think they could have made the pantry wider or added an additional cabinet next to the other one.  The hexagon tile was awful!  Just awful!  And why were there no upper cabinets on that wall?  

The bathroom came out nice.  I glad the contractor dad got some free advertising by the husband wearing the company shirt.

Greyson was super super cute!!!

Just personal preference, concerning the glass tile; it was too dark for me.  Especially combined with those hexagons -

Posted about the banquette above so won't repeat.

Yep, saw the space adjacent to the pantry cabinet.  They left that space b/c traffic around that corner would clip a cabinet.  Also, those cabinets would be $$$.  40K wasn't a huge budget, considering the moved the entire kitchen, including plumbing.  Plus, the 40K should have included the front steps, f/p and bathroom materials.

Same thing for the uppers - add'l cost.  Comparing to the old kitchen, looked like they had add'l storage.

Leaving the space open made the galley feel much larger and gives them large, open work areas.  Sure, they could have added narrow, open shelving.  Or, how about a killer backsplash behind the stove with a chalkboard on one side, shelving on the other?  Lots of options for that space.

The guy's father knew how to do tile!  First one that I can remember, lol.

Am worried about Grayson.  His mother said he'll run off the side of decks, charge into pools, etc.  Disaster waiting to happen, lol.  Question:  was there some reason she couldn't place him in a playpen while they were working???

[aguabella]

On 2/4/2018 at 1:59 PM, chocolatine said:

I agree. I think that house would have benefitted from an open-plan kitchen. I know people here are sick of hearing HHs say it, but with small children, it really helps to be able to keep an eye on them while cooking.

I liked the glass backsplash but hated the hexagonal tile. Too many textures for such a small kitchen. The banquette in the new dining room was also a miss, it took up too much space in an already small room. They could have gotten a bigger table without the banquette.

chocolatine, when you say "open plan", how would you have designed the kitchen?  Just curious, given the limitations of their floor plan.  (Trying to learn from you - love design.)

??? Banquettes usually save space.  Wouldn't a table interfere with both the slider and basement stairs? Visitors walking through the rear of the kitchen to the slider?

[chocolatine]

17 hours ago, aguabella said:

chocolatine, when you say "open plan", how would you have designed the kitchen?

I would have taken down the wall to the living room if possible and put in an large island, or done an L-shaped kitchen with a larger dining table in the open space. Either option would provide better seating than the pitiful banquette.

[aguabella]

On 2/13/2018 at 2:05 PM, chocolatine said:

I would have taken down the wall to the living room if possible and put in an large island, or done an L-shaped kitchen with a larger dining table in the open space. Either option would provide better seating than the pitiful banquette.

Ok, so you were thinking of a larger, great-room type "open plan", L-shaped with the former l/r and d/r.  That'd be great, if it worked.  Looking at the floorplan, from the listing*, the clearance would be insufficient for a large island.  (The l/r's long wall abutted the bedrooms.)  Opening up that door way was the best they could do.

Now, thinking about the L-shape, they could have done a peninsula in that doorway.  The barstools might be a bit close to the f/p.  Boston area - I wouldn't want to remove the f/p.

Good idea but that house seemed too small.  If they'd extended the kitchen into the l/r, using the dining area, they lose almost their entire (non-kitchen) living space.  (They had no family room.  I'm not considering the basement.)  Or, vice versa:  keep the d/r, lose the larger kitchen.  Either way, it's a trade-off.

If it had been my rental / flip / investment property, I'd leave the kitchen in its existing area but improve it.  Say, a french door (single) to the yard, opposite the basement entrance and extend the kit a bit that way.  Upgrade appliances / countertop, paint cabinets and new hardware.  If the budget allows, add a built-in (or two) in the d/r.

The bulk of my funds would be in the bathrooms.  Change the doorways to set up an ensuite and add a small bath, adjacent to the l/r.  Going from 3/1 to 3/2.  That'd give them the best resale bang for the home improvement $$$, I believe.

Agree about the banquette but I consider it strictly as an eat-in area, for everyday use.  Perhaps the designer should have staged a (temporary) round 4 or 6-top in front of the f/p to demonstrate how they'd entertain.

My guess:  they move in less than 5 years.

*Can't link the floorplan.  Anyone who's interested, pm me for the listing.  Sorry ...

Edited February 16, 2018 by aguabella

[stormy]

The soon to be married couple in Denver. 

If it hadn't been for the mini pony, which I was wanting to see, I would have turned these annoying people off after ten minutes,

But the pony is adorable so I'm happy I saw her. LOL

[lucygoose]

Ugh, the Denver couple was terrible.  I can't believe they spent over $100,000 without a completely new kitchen.  Wasn't a fan of the end results of the bathroom, the tub surround seemed to take up a lot of space in that bathroom.  Wasn't a fan of the end layout.  

[irisheyes]

OMG, the Denver couple couldn’t have been more annoying if they tried. She especially bugged me.  I’m pretty sure he had the money, and she was the second wife looking to spend it. She wanted every upgrade that existed. And he just kept saying yes. 

[Empress1]

I didn't like the Denver fiancee at all. She basically whined "But I want it!" when they were talking about spending an extra ten grand in the bathroom. I was mad at the guy for caving, because that's why she is the way she is. I bet $10 their wedding is over budget too and she's flippant about it, given how flippant she was about how they went $15K over.

Also did they prioritize a steam shower over the roof? There was a pop-up that said a new roof would cost $50K and the roof clearly needed work.

[sheetmoss]

At times the Denver fiancee so  reminded me of Lydia from The Real Housewives of  OC  at being really annoying.

I sure hope the paddock has other access  - I would sure hate to cart hay, feed, and water up those stairs in the snow

Also, hated the distance between stove and revamped sink area

[chocolatine]

1 hour ago, Empress1 said:

I didn't like the Denver fiancee at all. She basically whined "But I want it!" when they were talking about spending an extra ten grand in the bathroom. I was mad at the guy for caving, because that's why she is the way she is. I bet $10 their wedding is over budget too and she's flippant about it, given how flippant she was about how they went $15K over.

She was such a spoiled princess. I especially hated her attitude about the steam shower. The designer for once was very reasonable and trying to save her clients money, but the princess wasn't having any of that. 

Overall though I'm glad I watched this episode because the views from the property were so gorgeous and the miniature horse so adorable. I'm a city person through and through, but would seriously consider leaving the city for a place like that.

[twinks]

She seemed to get EVERYTHING that she "needed." She was so spoiled. It appeared to me that the tub was way too big for the space. It overpowered the room. I'm so happy she got the view and light she needed (wanted). I don't understand why people need such a luxurious bath, but hey, it's their money LOL

[ByaNose]

Denver couple. Wasn’t the tiled bathtub surround a 70’s or 80’s look that most HH call a gut job? It looked like it took up so much space. Of course, she needed her view to look outside. Whatever. 

[juliet73]

Denver ep:  I agree with everyone else...she was horrible.  I liked him...I thought it was nice that he considered her needs (wants), but unfortunately, she didn't feel the need to reciprocate. 

I thought they should have went with the last house.  Yes, it was further out, but it had the land they (she) were wanting with the awesome barn and stables already built.  I think that would have been more important than being 20 more minutes away from "downtown."  Even though the house they picked had an acre of land for the horses, I'm sure the neighbors won't appreciate the smell on a breezy day.

On to the house...With the amount of money they spent, they could have done so much better!  First, the painted kitchen cabinets looked awful!  They should have spent a couple thousand dollars and refaced them.  It would have made a HUGE difference!  Why did they spend $3500 on a new range that looked EXACTLY like the previous one?  The microwave was in a weird spot before they started the remodel.  I was hoping that was going to be changed; sadly it was not.  It looked like a total afterthought.  They even kept the horrid 80's track lighting!  I don't know why they didn't extend the can lighting instead.  Or they should have replaced the track lighting with a hanging light fixture over a dining set since there didn't seem to be any place to sit down and eat except for at the kitchen counter. 

The bathroom was poorly designed!  The tub surround was GINORMOUS and took up most of the bathroom!  Even though there was a step on the side to get in, I still thought it was way too high to climb in and out of and I'm 5'10!  The bathroom would have looked so much better if they went with a free standing tub - it would have looked bigger and more modern/updated.  The shower was meh! The blue "glam" tile on the shower floor looked liked it should have been used as a backsplash.  I can't believe they spent $8000 on the shower glass! Surely, they could have found one for less than $2000.  And $1500 to paint the bathroom?  He (because I know she's too much of a princess) could have painted it himself for $100!  Plus, nothing was installed yet so it would have been a quick and easy job.  I guess they have more money than common sense ...

The only thing I liked about this reno was the dark wood floors.  

Edited February 19, 2018 by juliet73

[chessiegal]

$1,500 to paint a bathroom? That's a total rip off. I paid about that to have our great room with 20 ft. ceilings, breakfast nook, kitchen, powder room, dining room, and 2 story foyer painted.

ETA: We paid for the paint, but that was a few hundred $$.

Edited February 19, 2018 by chessiegal

[chocolatine]

3 hours ago, juliet73 said:

Even though the house they picked had an acre of land for the horses, I'm sure the neighbors won't appreciate the smell on a breezy day.

The realtor did say that the first place was a horse property, so the neighbors probably know what to expect. I agree though that the larger property would have been better if they want to house the full-size horse with them.

[Pickles]

The California renovation last night. Another kitchen with blue cabinets. That must certainly be a trend now. Did not like the black cabinet pulls. They seemed really large and so prominent. Kind of clunky looking. The couple was nice. I missed the square footage of the house. It did not look very large.

[sheetmoss]

Re: Silver Lake couple

Argh - why couldn't   that gorgeous rosemary plant be given away or shaped up and put in a container?

Also, I could see enclosing that covered outdoor area  and turning it into indoor space to increase sq footage.

Edited February 25, 2018 by sheetmoss

[Empress1]

1 hour ago, Pickles said:

The California renovation last night. Another kitchen with blue cabinets. That must certainly be a trend now. Did not like the black cabinet pulls. They seemed really large and so prominent. Kind of clunky looking. The couple was nice. I missed the square footage of the house. It did not look very large.

I think it was a thousand square feet, and it might have been the biggest house they saw. They saw one that was about 750.

[Pickles]

54 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

I think it was a thousand square feet, and it might have been the biggest house they saw. They saw one that was about 750.

Thanks for the info! I am always pretty stunned by the CA housing prices and the small square footage. And then the money needed to renovate. Yikes. 

[chocolatine]

2 hours ago, Empress1 said:

I think it was a thousand square feet, and it might have been the biggest house they saw. They saw one that was about 750.

I think the second house - the craftsman with the swing set in the front yard - was bigger since it had the upstairs bonus space.

1 hour ago, Pickles said:

I am always pretty stunned by the CA housing prices and the small square footage. And then the money needed to renovate. Yikes. 

They said the neighborhood of the house they purchased was Silverlake, correct? That's the same area the HHs from a few weeks ago wildly overpaid for their house, was it something like $370k over asking? Must be a hot area. At least this week's HHs didn't pay a penny over asking and got a lot done with their renovation budget.

2 hours ago, sheetmoss said:

Argh - why couldn't   that gorgeous rosemary plant be given away or shaped up and put in a container?

I know, that really hurt my heart.

4 hours ago, Pickles said:

The California renovation last night. Another kitchen with blue cabinets. That must certainly be a trend now. Did not like the black cabinet pulls. They seemed really large and so prominent. 

I wouldn't have minded the black pulls if the cabinets had been all white, that would have given the kitchen a retro-ish monochrome look. But with the blue cabinets the hardware didn't work at all.

[Bastet]

4 hours ago, chocolatine said:

They said the neighborhood of the house they purchased was Silverlake, correct? That's the same area the HHs from a few weeks ago wildly overpaid for their house, was it something like $370k over asking? Must be a hot area.

Very much so these days; the hipsters have gentrified what, decades ago, was an enclave of the middle class Latino community - basically, a suburb for union workers downtown - and then took a downturn when unions were decimated and Los Angeles manufacturing jobs dried up.  Silver Lake is a central location with great old houses and a lot of good restaurants and, for now, is a cheaper alternative to similar areas.  It also has a significant LGBT community.

Edited February 26, 2018 by Bastet

[ByaNose]

I did not like the black cabinets pulls. They were too chunky & ship like. Of course, the uppers were white & the lowers were blue. In fact, the one guy didn’t like the idea and I was hoping he was doing to stand his ground but in the end the designer got her way. All in all, it was a nice renovation and the house wasn’t a McMansion. I think it was only a 2 bedroom  & 2 bathroom, right?

[juliet73]

Silverlake ep:  I missed (fast forwarded because I didn't care) why they were leaving the condo and getting a house.  The condo was beautiful and he (they) did a great job renovating it.  I was hoping he was going to design the new house, but sadly he did not. 

I didn't like the dark blue cabinets or the black pulls.  The kitchen reminded me of the Chicago ep with the structural engineer and their money pit house.  (I attached a pic of the Chic kitchen)

I can't believe the 8 panel fence in the front cost $10k!!! My husband did our privacy fence (30 panels) for less than $2000!  He needs to get a gig on HHR! 

Both of the bathrooms were more on the masculine side but they both came out very nice. 

Even though they said they were tackling the backyard next, it looked like they already did a lot to it.

[biakbiak]

15 minutes ago, juliet73 said:

ep:  I missed (fast forwarded because I didn't care) why they were leaving the condo and getting a house.  The condo was beautiful and he (they) did a great job renovating it.  

The condo was only his and they didn't live together and wanted to get a place together. Based on his handyness or lack there of demonstrated in this episode I think the only thing he did on the condo was write the check.

The story about them hoping for wood floors under the kitchen tile was ridiculous, they knew it was a not very well done addition and there was no way there was going to be hardwoods. They took the floors lighter than I like but it was a nice change from all the dark woods the last few years.

The only thing i really liked was the exterior though I too wish they had saved some pf thw plants and all the windows they added.

Edited February 26, 2018 by biakbiak

[Empress1]

MY TiVo recorded an episode in Denver today. Engaged couple. Budget was $35K & they spent $64K. Blue kitchen cabinets, brass pulls, butcher block peninsula. When they were looking, she kept saying “heighth” instead of “height,” which was driving me nuts.

[chocolatine]

Latest episode, another Denver reno with blue kitchen cabinets and brass pulls, but I didn't hate this one. The cabinets were navy instead of bright blue, all cabinets were the same color, the pulls were brushed instead of shiny, and the floors were a medium brown wood throughout instead of some funky tile. I still wouldn't choose that for my kitchen, but the end result looked decent. I also liked how they semi-opened a galley kitchen without blowing out the entire wall.

The bathroom on the other hand, yikes. White subway tile with black grout, and the grout really highlights the poor tiling job. I'm a bit obsessive-compulsive about perfect lines and angles, so that kind of thing would drive me crazy. At least with white grout it wouldn't have been as noticeable.

[laredhead]

Chocolatine, I had the same thoughts about the Denver episode kitchen last night.  I am not a fan of the blue cabinet craze, but the color that was used in this episode was nice.  I think it is a color that could be accented by many others, which the brighter blues cannot do.  I also liked the wood floor stain they chose and that they used wood throughout.  It was a small house and that continuity was needed.  I've already forgotten if that house had a basement, and if it was shown where the laundry was located.  

I agreed about the dark grout used on the subway tile in the bathroom.  It really stood out in the corners.  If they wanted something darker, I would have gone with a medium gray instead of dark gray which looked black. 

When they said they had $30,000 to spend I laughed because there was no way all of those changes would cost only $30,000.  Sure enough they went over by $15,000.  The result was nice, but that is a really small house.  

[doodlebug]

1 hour ago, laredhead said:

Chocolatine, I had the same thoughts about the Denver episode kitchen last night.  I am not a fan of the blue cabinet craze, but the color that was used in this episode was nice.  I think it is a color that could be accented by many others, which the brighter blues cannot do.  I also liked the wood floor stain they chose and that they used wood throughout.  It was a small house and that continuity was needed.  I've already forgotten if that house had a basement, and if it was shown where the laundry was located.  

I agreed about the dark grout used on the subway tile in the bathroom.  It really stood out in the corners.  If they wanted something darker, I would have gone with a medium gray instead of dark gray which looked black. 

When they said they had $30,000 to spend I laughed because there was no way all of those changes would cost only $30,000.  Sure enough they went over by $15,000.  The result was nice, but that is a really small house.  

I thought the kitchen design was very smart, bringing someone in to suggest the best configuration was a great idea. Painting the cabinets and changing out hardware if they get tired of the blue is easy to do; good design is timeless and they’re not going to regret the money spent on the pantry cupboard and opening the wall.

I also agree that the bathroom re-do wasn’t nearly as nice.  I am almost never in favor of removing sources of natural light from homes unless another one can be added.  I remodeled my bathroom and removed a window for design reasons, but we added a skylight which gives a lot more light. And the white subway tiles with the dark grout, aside from not being installed well, are not going to age well either and they’ll be sick of it in a couple years.

[CruiseDiva]

The blue cabinet craze is kinda funny to me because it's nothing new. Back in 1980 we rented a fairly new house in an upscale subdivision and the kitchen cabinets were navy blue. The laminate countertops and vinyl floor (in a faux tile look) were white. Also an interesting choice was two 'complimentary' plaid patterned wallpapers in navy blue and rust on a white background. That kitchen had a built-in desk in one corner and I loved it. All-in-all it was very functional in addition to being somewhat funky.