House Hunters Renovation - General Discussion

[CruiseDiva]

49 minutes ago, laredhead said:

CruiseDiva, I live in Baton Rouge.  Do you still live here?  That is a true 70's kitchen!  I do love the wall clock.

No, my husband got transferred for his job thirty years ago. That kitchen is in a house on Chickamauga Avenus in Shenandoah. After living there a year, we bought a house in Sherwood Forest, which was closer to my office and cut down on drive time. When we lived there Shenandoah was in the boonies.

The faux butcher block wall clock matched the faux butcher block countertops in our previous home.

37 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

OMG! I put up that same plaid wallpaper in our new build we bought early '80s. Yikes - what was I thinking?

But did you put up two patterns of plaid? LOL! There was a lot of 70s style wallpaper in that house.

Edited March 27, 2018 by CruiseDiva

[Mittengirl]

Whatever happened to trash compactors? You never hear them mentioned anymore.

[chessiegal]

3 minutes ago, Mittengirl said:

Whatever happened to trash compactors? You never hear them mentioned anymore.

Recycle bins. We put more items in our recycle bin than we put in our trash. 

[chocolatine]

9 hours ago, CruiseDiva said:

we bought a house in Sherwood Forest

Did you get to meet Robin Hood? ;)

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, Mittengirl said:

Whatever happened to trash compactors? You never hear them mentioned anymore.

I think upon putting much of what used to go into the trash into the recycling and compost bins (and garbage disposer, regionally), most people decided the cabinet space sacrificed to make room for a trash compactor was just a waste of storage space.  So little goes into my kitchen trash, I cannot fathom a use for a compactor.  And even thinking back on their heyday, no thanks. 

[CruiseDiva]

11 hours ago, Bastet said:

I think upon putting much of what used to go into the trash into the recycling and compost bins (and garbage disposer, regionally), most people decided the cabinet space sacrificed to make room for a trash compactor was just a waste of storage space.  So little goes into my kitchen trash, I cannot fathom a use for a compactor.  And even thinking back on their heyday, no thanks. 

I loved that trash compactor. We only put "dry" trash in it--paper, glass, plastic. I think the cabinet space they took up that could be used for storage is a big issue for most people. These days I use a shredder for paper--mostly things that come in the mail with our address printed on them. Whatever doesn't go down the garbage disposal or in the shredder goes into the trash can. Even shredded paper goes into the trash. We have no longer have a recycling option in our area.

[Gam2]

When we moved into our current house, it had a trash compactor in the kitchen. It was so gross. When we had some electrical work done before we moved in, I asked the electrician if he’d remove that for us. He said yes and took it with him for resale. Ha. We put a wine fridge in that open space and love it. We keep all kinds of drinks in it. Perfect. 

[answerphone]

CruiseDiva, those kitchen pictures immediately took me back to another era!  

I often wonder what items that are requested now, (farm sinks, granite, hardwood floors, stainless steel appliances) will be called a 'total gut job' in a few years.

I'm old enough to remember when we all wanted popcorn ceilings, white ceramic tile counter tops, a linoleum kitchen floor, stainless steel sinks, and wall to wall carpet over that undesirable hardwood flooring.

[juliet73]

Denver ep:  the couple was nice and seemed realistic and not entitled.  That said, I didn't really care for this one.  Basically, they just renovated the kitchen, dining and gave the living room a face lift.

The living room came out meh.    I think it had a lot of potential and they missed all of it.  The room was good sized, but it needed more furniture (chairs, bench, something!) and less accessories.  It looked very "empty".  They did a good job on the fireplace, but they should have installed a built in shelving unit next to the fireplace to house the TV, etc.  It would have been fairly inexpensive to do and would have made a huge difference!  A set of drapery panels instead of (or in addition to) the mini blinds would have soften the room as well.  

The dining room could have been way better.  Ugh with the damn barn door!  It looked totally out of place.  They should have just went with a standard swing out door, especially because the basement door right around the corner wasn't changed.  Better yet, they should have just done floor to ceiling pantry cabinets in that entire area.  

The kitchen was a disappointment, IMO. I didn't care for the beams - they looked out of place and limited the space for additional upper cabinets.  Plus, they drew more attention to the popcorn ceilings.  The navy and white stools and valance were ugly!! I think they lost a lot of storage and prep area taking down that entire wall.  I would have removed most of the wall but it would still would have been considered an L shaped kitchen. I would have installed a slide in range/oven where the previous one was and flanked each side of it with lower cabinets.  The room would still be open to the LR so "interacting with guests" wouldn't be a problem.  There would still be room for the island and they could use it for casual dining without having to worry about the baby touching the stove.  Something kind of similar to this:

[laredhead]

I liked the Denver couple on last night's renovation episode.  I am so envious of the husband's DYI skills.  The mantle was beautiful, and he is obviously a good craftsman.  The wife is lucky to have a husband who is willing to take on projects and is good at them.  I appreciated the fact that they saved the old cabinets and used them elsewhere.  I don't like the look of ranges on an island with a hood hanging over the range.  I prefer to have the range and sink on a wall and leaving the island counter top clear for other uses like food prep, serving area, etc.    

[Gothish520]

On 4/1/2018 at 10:55 AM, answerphone said:

CruiseDiva, those kitchen pictures immediately took me back to another era!  

I often wonder what items that are requested now, (farm sinks, granite, hardwood floors, stainless steel appliances) will be called a 'total gut job' in a few years.

I'm old enough to remember when we all wanted popcorn ceilings, white ceramic tile counter tops, a linoleum kitchen floor, stainless steel sinks, and wall to wall carpet over that undesirable hardwood flooring.

There are already people who complain about the granite colors or patterns in kitchens and baths now - I get that some patterns may not be the ones a new owner would want, but if they are in good shape and the room is updated otherwise, I'm sure I could learn to live with the previous owner's taste.

I've got a popcorn ceiling in my living room, a stainless sink in the kitchen, and carpeting in the bedrooms and living room, and I have no issues with any of it.

Here's one for you: my neighbor's downstairs den has one of these ceilings over the pool table area - I always found them so cool.

[buttercupia]

17 hours ago, Gothish520 said:

one of these ceilings

That is some nice plastering. we have plaster and lath in our '61 ranch but it only goes fancy right around the light fixtures.

[Mittengirl]

My living room has that ceiling pattern.  I think the bedrooms do to, but I have lived here so long that I really haven’t paid attention to them in years.

 

My childhood bedroom was about 120 square feet, but it never seemed small to me.  Maybe kids today have more toys, because so many times parents on this show walk into a bedroom and dismiss it as too small for one child.   And we didn’t have a playroom, either.  Nor did we leave things in the rest of the house.  Toys were picked up and taken to our rooms at night.  Don’t the little darlings have to do that anymore?

[wait.what]

Glendale,Ca renovation. Mini skirt and spike heels one day and long flowing skirt over shorts another day. I would absolutely be “camera-ready”, but that’s even over the top for me. 

[Mittengirl]

The “blending” of the tile and wood flooring would be thing one on my list of “has to go”.

[chocolatine]

2 hours ago, wait.what said:

Glendale,Ca renovation. Mini skirt and spike heels one day and long flowing skirt over shorts another day. I would absolutely be “camera-ready”, but that’s even over the top for me. 

And don't forget the meticulously curled hair extensions and painted-on eyebrows! I'm sure she was Instagramming the house hunt every step of the way.

53 minutes ago, Mittengirl said:

The “blending” of the tile and wood flooring would be thing one on my list of “has to go”.

That was terrible. With the open kitchen they should have run the dark wood floors throughout.

I also hated the island-banquette-table setup. It would have been much better to have seating directly at the island. The whole reno was OTT, I can just see another HH couple touring the house ten years from now and declaring everything a "gut job."

Edited April 8, 2018 by chocolatine

[Empress1]

Yeah, it was way too much on the glam side of “traditional glam” for me. Wife overacted a bit during the hunt, but she balanced out her husband who was very wooden. Hated the wood/tile line, although I did laugh when the contractor was like “ ... Dude, I don’t even know” when they proposed it. The kid’s room that we saw looked nice. Didn’t love that the daughters’ names were Kaylie and Kylie, though.

[Mittengirl]

And the furry pillow at the table?!   Why would you have that in a place where grease from cooking wafts through the air and little kids spill things?   That table looked totally impractical to me.

 

Sometimes I think people on this show get so carried away with being a certain style (glam) or “not cookie-cutter” that they fail to consider the practicality of things.

 

Didnt they say they went about 40k over budget?  Her job must pay really well, because I am sure firefighters don’t make that kind of money.   Also, I would have thought that a firefighter would have to live within a certain range of the fire station.  The first responders that I am familiar with have to live within the city they serve.

[sheetmoss]

I found the Glendale  couple  annoying.  I wonder if the wife was paid by the word... and him wanting to remove any character detail a home had touring others

    BTW, you're buying a house up near $2MM - can't you afford  yard maintenance?  Instead you want to rip out mature landscape?

Hated the tile/hardwood edge. IMO, it's  a better look used in a retail establishment like a bistro.

 

1 hour ago, Mittengirl said:

 

Didnt they say they went about 40k over budget?  Her job must pay really well, because I am sure firefighters don’t make that kind of money.   Also, I would have thought that a firefighter would have to live within a certain range of the fire station.  The first responders that I am familiar with have to live within the city they serve.

.They said they made their $$ from former flips

Also, I'm not sure if that rule about firefighters/cops having to live in the community occurs  in many parts of CA now, they simply can't afford too I've seen stories where some live 40 or more miles away  because that's where they could afford  to live.  Same for teachers.

[Gothish520]

On 4/5/2018 at 7:40 PM, Mittengirl said:

My living room has that ceiling pattern.  I think the bedrooms do to, but I have lived here so long that I really haven’t paid attention to them in years.

 

My childhood bedroom was about 120 square feet, but it never seemed small to me.  Maybe kids today have more toys, because so many times parents on this show walk into a bedroom and dismiss it as too small for one child.   And we didn’t have a playroom, either.  Nor did we leave things in the rest of the house.  Toys were picked up and taken to our rooms at night.  Don’t the little darlings have to do that anymore?

Kids get away with so much these days that would have never flown when I was a tyke. My parents did not give us kids "choices" - what to have for dinner, what size our bedrooms were, where our toys were stored, what to watch on the one television in the house - none of that was our call. Now kids get everything handed to them, including whole rooms to play in. Do children even share rooms anymore? I shared a room with my sister until she moved out.

[chessiegal]

19 minutes ago, Gothish520 said:

Kids get away with so much these days that would have never flown when I was a tyke. My parents did not give us kids "choices" - what to have for dinner, what size our bedrooms were, where our toys were stored, what to watch on the one television in the house - none of that was our call. Now kids get everything handed to them, including whole rooms to play in. Do children even share rooms anymore? I shared a room with my sister until she moved out.

Not my grandkids. They all share rooms, One set doesn't have a TV in the house. The other set not only has limited TV time, parents control content, and they have limited screen time on Mom's tablet. And they all eat what's in front of them. One set will probably get a choice of 2 wraps/sandwiches for lunch. And they ask to be excused from the table when they are done. All are required to put their toys away.

[Gothish520]

23 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

Not my grandkids. They all share rooms, One set doesn't have a TV in the house. The other set not only has limited TV time, parents control content, and they have limited screen time on Mom's tablet. And they all eat what's in front of them. One set will probably get a choice of 2 wraps/sandwiches for lunch. And they ask to be excused from the table when they are done. All are required to put their toys away.

That's great to hear and gives me hope for the future, lol! I've seen so many spoiled kids whose parents just give them whatever they want, and they still want more and are so ungrateful.

[aguabella]

Running behind (sorry), but if you're interested, check out the designer's photos from the last Denver area episode:

https://www.beautifulhabitat.com/portfolio-item/home-design-hgtv/

Anybody else surprised the designer posted preliminary shots?  (The l/r staging wasn't complete.)  Typically, HGTV assigns only 1 major space (eg. kit or b/r) to the designer but she takes credit for the entire job.  Uh, sorry, if it had been me, I'd stick to the kitchen.

Using their old d/r table?  Sorry, no.  That belongs in the basement - game table, possibly.  Or, your college friend's first apartment?  Ok, donate, lol. 

And, the obligatory barn door?  No, no and no.  That narrow closet didn't even qualify as a pantry cabinet.  He'll be running downstairs to the basement for their dry goods in 3, 2, 1 ...

The biggest issue for me was the (apparent) lack of or incomplete space planning.  How did this family intend to use their d/r?  What about the awkward space between the kitchen and sectional, commonly known as the eat-in kitchen or kitchen table for many families?

Sure, they have casual dining spots at the island but don't they prefer to have family dinners, usually, at the kitchen table?  Do they want a formal dining room?  Or, would they prefer a family room or play area for that space?

If they had a higher budget, my first choice would be to expand the kitchen into that space, changing the island to a longer, more narrow work space instead of dining space.  And, yes, I'd use the eat-in area as the builder intended.

 

ETA - If you're interested in the listing, including the before photos, shoot me a pm.

Edited April 25, 2018 by aguabella

[aguabella]

On 4/1/2018 at 5:53 PM, laredhead said:

I liked the Denver couple on last night's renovation episode.  I am so envious of the husband's DYI skills.  The mantle was beautiful, and he is obviously a good craftsman.  The wife is lucky to have a husband who is willing to take on projects and is good at them.  I appreciated the fact that they saved the old cabinets and used them elsewhere.  I don't like the look of ranges on an island with a hood hanging over the range.  I prefer to have the range and sink on a wall and leaving the island counter top clear for other uses like food prep, serving area, etc.    

Uh, not trying to be overly critical but the mantel looked a little rough, during the close-up.  (The designer's photos don't include that shot, BTW.)  The wood had at least 4 knots and it didn't take the stain well.  He probably needs practice and/or purchased inferior quality and/or insufficiently dried lumber. 

Could be paint-grade.  Sure, he might have been going for a rustic look but it was a little too rustic, for me.  How about purchasing some reclaimed lumber, hanging the mantel and investing his valuable time elsewhere.  

Personally, I believe his time would have been better spent by removing the popcorn ceilings.  Assuming no asbestos, it's mostly just time-consuming.  Or, mask up and take the proper precautions, consulting professionals, if necessary.  That's the best time for it, prior to moving day.

His DIY skills will improve over the years and yes, his wife's lucky to have someone who's willing to take on those jobs.

Edited April 25, 2018 by aguabella

[rlc]

On the season premier tonight, everytime the couple mentioned that they were living with her parents and looking forward to getting out, all I could think was not as much as her parents must want to you out. 

[KLovestoShop]

The Princess wife bugged me.  When she walked into the master bedroom of the third house, she said she'd never seen such a small bedroom.  I wanted to slap her and tell her to take her million dollar budget to New York and see what a small bedroom really is.  And her husband and his palm tree fetish was strange. 

[Sbeetle]

What drove me crazy is that this woman had no concept what true mid century architecture was. When she was complaining about the acid green kitchen cabinets, yes that color was horrid, but that was a true 1950s kitchen. My house was built in 1953 and has those exact cabinets and tile counters. Those cabinets are pure mahogany. And the third house? With the green slate floor and the limestone fireplace? I was thinking “Lady, you don’t deserve that house. Get out. Now.”

Everyone loves palm trees until they have one in their yard. You don’t get to enjoy the view. You only get the mess and a view of the trunk. I’ve had mine for 15 years. He can have it. 

Edited May 13, 2018 by Sbeetle

[Empress1]

CA wife needed a make-under. Her hair color was too brassy and her makeup didn't flatter her at all. The kitchen turned out reasonably well although I didn't like the counters. They kept saying how different the living room was, but it looked pretty similar to me, aside from the tile on the fireplace.

[laredhead]

Yes, the wife needed to educate herself on the differences in mid-century and mid-century modern.  Even MCM wouldn't have included some of the stuff she wanted to change.  My son bought a house built in 1952 that had that same shade of lime green linoleum kitchen counter tops and a battleship gray with lime green edging asbestos tile kitchen floor.  It's not a color or style for everyone, but it was used in the 50's which was mid-century.

When the designer pulled out the samples, I had already predicted the cabinets would be two colors and they would be gray and white with a white backsplash.  The matte black handles were a different choice instead of the gold/brass we have seen.

[juliet73]

Studio City:  Again with the two tone kitchen cabinets and open shelving!  No brass, so that was a good thing.  I liked the new tile around the fireplace. but I didn't really see any other changes besides the dark accent wall.  I thought the living room furniture was a bit too big for the room.  I didn't like the wood wall in the master.  

The couple seemed nice   "Amazing" and "awesome" seemed to be their favorite words!  On vain note, the wife needs some purple shampoo to tone down her brassy hair color and a lot less eyeliner!  All that makeup aged her... a lot.  

[Mittengirl]

Did the CA lady say she was a lawyer?   

I knew she was going to wreck whatever house she bought, so I just didn’t care.

[biakbiak]

39 minutes ago, Mittengirl said:

Did the CA lady say she was a lawyer?   

I knew she was going to wreck whatever house she bought, so I just didn’t care.

Yes. 

It was boring but I don't think they wrecked the house. I am also not sure about the quality of the original cabinets because several didn't close properly.

Edited May 13, 2018 by biakbiak

[Empress1]

5 minutes ago, Mittengirl said:

Did the CA lady say she was a lawyer?   

I knew she was going to wreck whatever house she bought, so I just didn’t care.

Lawyer/spin instructor/baker.

[ByaNose]

The kitchen looked nice. Although, it was 2 tone they didn’t use blue for the upper or lowers. The horror! Everything else looked kind of ordinary. I was hoping to see what the backyard was going to look like but they ran out of $$$$$$. It’s funny to see a million dollar house with a bubble grill, ugly brick and overgrown grass. It’s so white trash which is what I had before I went upscale and bought a gas grill. LOL!!!!!! It goes without saying though........California prices. Crazy!!!!!!

[irisheyes]

I hated the lady during the house hunt, but actually liked her during the renovation. She didn’t seem to go overboard with upgrades because “I want this, and I don’t care what it costs.”

 

I had to agree with her about the third house. Maybe that’s the way mid-century modern is supposed to be, but the flooring and mismatched built ins would bug me too. 

Edited May 13, 2018 by irisheyes

[irisheyes]

Bungalow buying Denver couple.  Yes, by all means, buy a house that is completely falling down, have only $70K for renovations, and be shocked when there’s asbestos, leaks, and strange plumbing. 

[Kohola3]

4 minutes ago, irisheyes said:

Yes, by all means, buy a house that is completely falling down, have only $70K for renovations, and be shocked when there’s asbestos, leaks, and strange plumbing. 

One word - inspection.  Have one.

[LittleIggy]

I couldn’t believe those little houses were going for almost a half million bucks!

[irisheyes]

4 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

One word - inspection.  Have one.

Yes! Of course, then that would mean that we’d lose the “drama”.

And know that when you’re knocking down walls in a house that’s almost 100 years old, you’re going to find some surprises. 

[ECM1231]

I was confused about the Denver episode last night. They removed a 1st floor bedroom to have a larger open footprint. The kitchen moved a bit into the former living room and they added a great pantry in the back. The bedroom became a living room and the old living room a dining area. But were they counting basement bedrooms as actual bedrooms? I hate that. It was subterranean, not ground level. Their master bedroom was 2nd floor? How many 2nd floor bedrooms were there? I hated all 3 choices. Who knew Denver was such an expensive market?

[sheetmoss]

6 hours ago, irisheyes said:

Bungalow buying Denver couple.  Yes, by all means, buy a house that is completely falling down, have only $70K for renovations, and be shocked when there’s asbestos, leaks, and strange plumbing. 

I suspect that's why they paid what they did.....always remember...this is TV!

Unless it was an as-is cash purchase, I can't imagine any lending institution not wanting an inspection.

[chocolatine]

1 hour ago, ECM1231 said:

I was confused about the Denver episode last night. They removed a 1st floor bedroom to have a larger open footprint. The kitchen moved a bit into the former living room and they added a great pantry in the back. The bedroom became a living room and the old living room a dining area. But were they counting basement bedrooms as actual bedrooms? I hate that. It was subterranean, not ground level. Their master bedroom was 2nd floor? How many 2nd floor bedrooms were there? I hated all 3 choices. Who knew Denver was such an expensive market?

It looked like there were originally two bedrooms on the main floor and two bedrooms in the basement. They removed one of the main-level bedrooms, so now it's just the master on the main floor and two guest bedrooms in the basement. I don't mind the basement bedrooms counting as "actual" bedrooms as long as everything is up to code in terms of egress.

1 hour ago, sheetmoss said:

I suspect that's why they paid what they did.....always remember...this is TV!

Unless it was an as-is cash purchase, I can't imagine any lending institution not wanting an inspection.

Yes, it was telling that the house they bought was 1700sf for $430k and another one they looked at was 1100sf for $475k in the same area. You get what you pay for.

[Empress1]

My best friend lives in Denver and apparently it's pretty common for there to be bedrooms in the basement. I haven't been to her new house yet, but in her old one there were two bedrooms and a full bathroom in the basement (their daughter's room and the guest room where I stayed - they do have a lot of out of town guests because neither of them are from Denver, so at the very least their parents and 4/5 of their siblings have to fly to visit them) and two on the first floor (master with an ensuite and the one she used as her office, as she works 100% remotely). And yes, it is an expensive market. My friend said that their house was considerably smaller than they wanted (they'd rented the first house they were in; it was bigger than the house they bought).

I knew they were going to go over. There was too much going on inside that house for them not to. The front looked much better when they finished (and they were acting like that was a huge landscaping job, but it looked like a weekend project to me - there wasn't a ton of space out there for them to mess with). I LOVED the pantry they ended up with though.

[CruiseDiva]

3 hours ago, Empress1 said:

My best friend lives in Denver and apparently it's pretty common for there to be bedrooms in the basement. 

I knew they were going to go over. There was too much going on inside that house for them not to. The front looked much better when they finished (and they were acting like that was a huge landscaping job, but it looked like a weekend project to me - there wasn't a ton of space out there for them to mess with). I LOVED the pantry they ended up with though.

I would hate bedrooms in the basement. All three of those houses were kinda dumpy and I suspected the house they bought was a money pit. If that was all they could find in their "preferred" neighborhood, I'm surprised that they didn't look elsewhere.

They did end up with a nice pantry, but that front yard wasn't even finished. The area between the sidewalk and street wasn't sodded. It looked like they took out whatever might have been there and just raked the dirt.

[ByaNose]

I will give HH Renovation credit for showing a small house instead of a McMansion. That said, that was a really tiny house. The kitchen may been inlarged but it was also crammed into the dinning room and family room. They have two big dogs now and if they have kids they won’t have any room. I was hoping to see or at least hear what they planned on doing with the brick BF on the front of the house. That would have been the first thing gone if it was me. They seemed like a nice couple and the basement turned out nice but I couldn’t imagine living in such a small house with the main living floor that cramped. 

Edited May 21, 2018 by ByaNose

[LittleIggy]

Wonder if they’ll fix up that covered patio area.

[LittleIggy]

Once again, I couldn’t believe small, drab houses were selling for around half a million dollars.

[Pickles]

That house in CA last night. I only saw the last few minutes, but what was up with that hideous green and white tile in the kitchen (backsplash)? The pattern--was there a pattern--looked so random. It was mind boggling.

[answerphone]

12 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Once again, I couldn’t believe small, drab houses were selling for around half a million dollars.

That's because they're in southern California, where I also live.

The price differences across the country are always interesting!

[answerphone]

16 minutes ago, Pickles said:

That house in CA last night. I only saw the last few minutes, but what was up with that hideous green and white tile in the kitchen (backsplash)? The pattern--was there a pattern--looked so random. It was mind boggling.

I agree!

I wonder how many of their friends will be telling a 'little white lie' when they say how much they like it. ?