House Hunters Renovation - General Discussion

[juliet73]

Denver ep:  I guess the husband accepted the fact it was just easier to let "mom boss" have everything her way.  She really thought highly of herself and her "style."  IMO, the reno looked very plain and cold!

The master bath:  First, I don't think it was a good idea to lose a bedroom to make such a unnecessary ginormous bathroom!  Yes, they could have taken a bit of space from the bedroom, but to take all of it was a bad choice.  The bathroom had sooo much wasted space!  They should have built a nice closet instead of using the storage baskets  The subway tile wall was ugly! The vanity looked cheap (even with the ugly $700 knobs on them), the shower looked so small in such a huge space!

The kitchen came out nice, but it looks like every other kitchen on HHR.  Again, there was a lot of wasted space.  A portable island would have looked great in there and it could have been pushed against that huge empty wall when it wasn't being used.  

I was disappointed in the living room.  Again, so much wasted space!  The white fireplace blended in with the white walls. I was hoping they were going to make it more of a focal point, but I guess "mom boss" likes bland.  And one of my pet peeves...a big mirror on the mantel.  UGH!  No one wants to look at the reflection of the ceiling!  Also, I wonder how long the white walls and white couch are going to last with 2 toddlers?

[irisheyes]

I guess they aren’t planning on any more kids, since they just got rid of a whole bedroom.

I’d have taken the Victorian.  $100,000 for renovations can do an awful lot. 

[ByaNose]

I think I have a different take on the Denver couple. I thought she was beautiful and the husband was pretty much okay with it giving in. Basically, it’s easier to give in. LOL!!! Granted, the house was a little too white and gray but it really looked so bright and airy. At first, I didn’t like the full wall of tile (it was a lot) but with the mirrors it didn’t look as bad. I appreciated that they had the cabinets painted. They look great and saved some money. I would love to paint my cabinets white but I’m affraid to. I know they would look like crap if I did them myself. Overall, it was your typical HHR with LOTS of white. It looks steril but fresh & clean. 

[sheetmoss]

Re: Denver couple

Sad when you spend that amt of $$ to create something so bland, generic and meh

[MoreCoffeePlease]

Quote

The master bath:  First, I don't think it was a good idea to lose a bedroom to make such a unnecessary ginormous bathroom!  Yes, they could have taken a bit of space from the bedroom, but to take all of it was a bad choice.  The bathroom had sooo much wasted space!  They should have built a nice closet instead of using the storage baskets  The subway tile wall was ugly! The vanity looked cheap (even with the ugly $700 knobs on them), the shower looked so small in such a huge space!

Absolutely!  I wish they had shown the actual floorplan.

The wife didn't really bother me too much. The husband/boss-wife combo is a classic on HGTV. She was very pretty ... maybe she was trying to set herself up for her own show.

Was the house the one with stepping stones in the backyard?  I agree that little kids would have fun inventing games (in addition to good 'ole hopscotch) to play on the stepping stones.

[chocolatine]

On 7/14/2018 at 11:31 PM, LittleIggy said:

She got on my last nerve with her “oh, I get my way now” shit.

Especially since it sounded like the husband bought the first house before he met her. She was lucky to meet a man who had his shit together at a young age and owned a home where he'd built some sweat equity, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to buy the kind of home *she* wanted with just one income.

On 7/15/2018 at 9:36 AM, Empress1 said:

I was done with her at "mom boss."

I've noticed a trend in the past couple of years of stay-at-home moms comparing themselves to high-level corporate executives - "CEO at [last name] Inc", etc. No disrespect to SAHMs, but that's completely preposterous, especially if they didn't have executive/leadership roles before leaving the workplace.

[sheetmoss]

Re  Burbank to Winnetka CA couple

I thought both were rather annoying -

I liked the idea of the benchseat/storage that went on for miles, but it really limits you on changing  furniture layout in LR  I may have missed it, but did they have a TV in there.

Yes they did open the kitchen, but I thought it was still kind of clumsy,

     Too bad they didn't have the $$ and swap the huge DR space ifor the kitchen, and thne incorporate odd-space and old kitchen area into a DR.

speaking of odd-space, I could see it as a library with a table for casual eating, cards, games etc.

[biakbiak]

2 hours ago, sheetmoss said:

I may have missed it, but did they have a TV in there.

Yes it was above the bench on the part that wasn’t padded and it was basically the only place to mount the tv given the shape and size of the fireplace which was the only other wall in the room so there was never going to be a lot of choice for furniture placement given the raised entry “runway”.

I actually disliked the padded part of the bench because it seemed off on its own looking across from a wall of cabinets.

Edited July 29, 2018 by biakbiak

[ByaNose]

The bench didn’t look as odd when the designer described it. Personally, I would have gone without it. The kitchen didn’t really look that much bigger. It’s too bad they didn’t have the extra $$$$$ to remove the load baring wall but a budget is a budget. They went $5,000 anyway. 

[LittleIggy]

Chesapeake Beach: House turned out lovely, but every time the wife said they were going with light grey for the walls, I yelled “No!” ?I’m so tired of light grey! Wonder where they put the washer/drier? 

That sure didn’t look like a little boy’s room, BTW.

[ByaNose]

Chesapeake Bay House: I didn’t like the kitchen countertops. They were too dark for a such a small kitchen. I would have gone a lot lighter. Actually, I would have gone with white. I know that’s boring but the kitchen was small. They did a great job with the master bedroom but why did they put a sleeper sofa in there, too? I guess a couple with small kids could stay there but I didn’t get the impression they would be renting it out. The boys bedroom was rather girly or for older people. It didn’t scream a boys room. The backyard looked great. The pavers were nicely done and the dinning table with the red umbrella really popped. Overall, it turned out nice and slightly over budget but needed.  

[chessiegal]

Chesapeake Beach reno: I call bull hockey on them using that house for a "beach" house. I know the area really well. We keep our sailboat at a marina 5 miles away. It's obvious they were going to buy the 2nd house. I think they bought the house as an investment property to rent or flip. They live 30 minutes away. You don't go to Chesapeake Beach for the beach - you go for fishing, boating, and restaurants (or the Water Park). There isn't even a beach there. There's some beach in the next town of North Beach. The beach area they were walking on in the opening is Scientists Cliffs, many miles south of that house. 

[LittleIggy]

I figured the day bed in the master suite was for the son to sleep on when guests stayed in “his” room.

[izabella]

On 7/29/2018 at 3:35 PM, biakbiak said:

Yes it was above the bench on the part that wasn’t padded and it was basically the only place to mount the tv given the shape and size of the fireplace which was the only other wall in the room so there was never going to be a lot of choice for furniture placement given the raised entry “runway”.

I actually disliked the padded part of the bench because it seemed off on its own looking across from a wall of cabinets.

I missed why they couldn't get rid of the raised runway entirely.  I also hated the padded bench area across from the pantry cabinets - it looked like an big space that was being used for no purpose whatsoever except as a hallway to the kitchen.  And did they have a loveseat with ottoman in the dining room in front of the dining table?  That's a space for a hutch or something.  Who would sit there and for what purpose? 

I thought the use of space was very poor in this reno.

[chessiegal]

Chesapeake Beach reno - I found the RE agent's FB page - she says the house is "also available as a rental". I also found the RE agency she works at - the home owners work at the same agency, with the husband specializing in investment (which they mentioned on the show). So hah! My hunch is right - this is an investment property, not a "beach" house, especially since there is no public beach in Chesapeake Beach!

ETA: Heard back from the RE agent that the owners rent it out. Can't imagine why - Chesapeake Beach is not a vacation destination. Plus there is a lovely waterfront hotel and spa with a pool, that is touted as a waterfront wedding venue. Why stay inland when you can be waterfront? Maybe they're using it as an Airbnb.

Edited August 6, 2018 by chessiegal

[biakbiak]

I seriously need the barn door trend to die in a fire. It always makes me think crappy construction because they took the cheapest solution instead of a pocket door.

Also, what actually does the husband think is going to be in that most likely imaginary  “bunker” if it does exist? When they have the funds I can see the wife encouraging him to excavate for it so the empty hole can be turned into a pool.

[msmarjoribanks]

That wife seemed to be into all the HGTV trends -- updated farmhouse, barn door, white cabinets, farm sink.  I laughed when she said they didn't like the bright colors so had "found" a neutral to replace it with and then it appeared they were painting the walls white.  Wow, you discovered white.  (It looked more like a light grey once it was more on, but the wording was odd.)

I find it interesting what people prioritize.  I just can't imagine spending huge amounts of money in my master bath or making that my first project if there were other things I wanted to do, but I suppose it's the most disruptive so getting it done before moving in is a good idea.

[carrps]

14 hours ago, biakbiak said:

Also, what actually does the husband think is going to be in that most likely imaginary  “bunker” if it does exist? When they have the funds I can see the wife encouraging him to excavate for it so the empty hole can be turned into a pool.

Heh, I was thinking that raised patio was built over the bunker. If so, what are they going to do? Demo the patio so he can have his bunker? Also, I kept thinking they needed to get those guys Josh Gates uses with the ground penetrating radar. A lot faster and easier than digging holes all over your backyard!

Agree about the barn door. And I was cracking up with her insistence on a MCM house...with a farmhouse interior????? Wha? She just wanted all the trends. And this show is getting so obvious, I said as soon as they were introduced that she would end up being pregnant by the end of the episode.

4 hours ago, msmarjoribanks said:

That wife seemed to be into all the HGTV trends -- updated farmhouse, barn door, white cabinets, farm sink.  I laughed when she said they didn't like the bright colors so had "found" a neutral to replace it with and then it appeared they were painting the walls white.  Wow, you discovered white.  (It looked more like a light grey once it was more on, but the wording was odd.)

And "discovering" gray is almost as "wow" as white. You went with the color that 99% of people are using these days?

Cool! I meant to multiquote this reply but forgot to, but the software did it for me. Nice.

Edited August 12, 2018 by carrps
comment on auto multiquote

[7-Zark-7]

That bathroom was a hodgepodge of styles. The yellowish rustic wood clashed with the urban subway tile and the marble look of the quartz countertops, and then the tile on the floors didn’t go with anything, and then there was that 1930’s Hollywood Art Deco style octagonal mirror. Yeesh!  It was like a TGIF menu, a little bit of everything, and none of it sits well.

Edited August 13, 2018 by 7-Zark-7
My goddamned phone wouldn’t play ball.

[Pickles]

The octagonal mirror was really low too. She had to stoop down to look in it. 

[biakbiak]

5 minutes ago, Pickles said:

The octagonal mirror was really low too. She had to stoop down to look in it. 

There was a bench for sitting down so I think it was designed to be used that way not standing.

[Pickles]

3 hours ago, biakbiak said:

There was a bench for sitting down so I think it was designed to be used that way not standing.

Thanks for that info. I just glanced up and saw her stooping, so thought it was an odd placement. Can you tell I wasn't giving this episode my full attention? Lol. 

[CruiseDiva]

10 hours ago, Pegasaurus said:

Amen to that!

I'm weary of all the "farmhouse sink, farmhouse lights, farmhouse cabinets, barn door, etc."  (Am I correct that all this farmhouse style started with, or was popularized by the Fixer Upper show?)  Anyway, so sick of these buyers yakking on about a farmhouse kitchen.  "Here, put this cow and a couple of chickens in your kitchen.  Now, it's farmhouse".

I lived in a real honest to goodness farm house as a teenager. We didn't have any of that farm house chic crap.

[irisheyes]

On 8/12/2018 at 1:14 PM, msmarjoribanks said:

That wife seemed to be into all the HGTV trends -- updated farmhouse, barn door, white cabinets, farm sink.  I laughed when she said they didn't like the bright colors so had "found" a neutral to replace it with and then it appeared they were painting the walls white.  Wow, you discovered white.  (It looked more like a light grey once it was more on, but the wording was odd.)

I find it interesting what people prioritize.  I just can't imagine spending huge amounts of money in my master bath or making that my first project if there were other things I wanted to do, but I suppose it's the most disruptive so getting it done before moving in is a good idea.

I loved that she wanted a mid-century modern house with a farmhouse “feel”. Those two things are not alike. 

[LittleIggy]

Washington State: Wow, I was impressed by the renovation that couple did (with help from friends and family). I wanted them to pick that house just to see what they could do on a small reno budget. Good to be handy!

[ByaNose]

10 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Washington State: Wow, I was impressed by the renovation that couple did (with help from friends and family). I wanted them to pick that house just to see what they could do on a small reno budget. Good to be handy!

And, they didn’t hire the obligatory designer to help with the kitchen as the HH announcer loves to say. I mean this husband and wife DID everything. And, they were both good looking. Yes, that’s shallow of me but looks and being handy is a win-win for me. LOL!!! It is amazing what white paint can do. It just brighten up that whole place. They could have just painted and it would have been ended enough. It was a good episode because the couple weren’t annoying.

[LittleIggy]

The concrete counter top technique was interesting. It was refreshing not to hear about having to have expensive quartz (or whatever) kitchen counter tops.

[irisheyes]

6 hours ago, ByaNose said:

And, they didn’t hire the obligatory designer to help with the kitchen as the HH announcer loves to say. I mean this husband and wife DID everything. And, they were both good looking. Yes, that’s shallow of me but looks and being handy is a win-win for me. LOL!!! It is amazing what white paint can do. It just brighten up that whole place. They could have just painted and it would have been ended enough. It was a good episode because the couple weren’t annoying.

They were completely refreshing!  I loved how they did so much of the work themselves.  It was great listening to the wife say a couple of times that she was trying something she’d read about on the Internet.  I wish, though, they’d given us an idea of how long it took.  Were they also working during that time? (I missed the opening introduction.). Also, at the reveal, it showed a freshly painted house, and I don’t remember them ever talking about painting the outside. 

[Mittengirl]

WA husband owned either a charter boat or charter boat company.  They mentioned the kids also “working” on the boat and getting tips from the customers.  I don’t recall what the wife did.

[LittleIggy]

1 hour ago, Mittengirl said:

WA husband owned either a charter boat or charter boat company.  They mentioned the kids also “working” on the boat and getting tips from the customers.  I don’t recall what the wife did.

Registered nurse, I believe.

[ByaNose]

2 hours ago, irisheyes said:

They were completely refreshing!  I loved how they did so much of the work themselves.  It was great listening to the wife say a couple of times that she was trying something she’d read about on the Internet.  I wish, though, they’d given us an idea of how long it took.  Were they also working during that time? (I missed the opening introduction.). Also, at the reveal, it showed a freshly painted house, and I don’t remember them ever talking about painting the outside. 

They showed the whole family painting the outside of the house, too. They.did.everything.

[irisheyes]

21 minutes ago, ByaNose said:

They showed the whole family painting the outside of the house, too. They.did.everything.

That must have been when I to get my bedtime snack. ?

[illini1959]

This was really interesting to us, my husband has family in Westport & that's where we got married :) 

When I saw that the episode was going to be in Grays Harbor County I never really thought they'd do Westport - it's really just a tiny fishing village and most of the houses (trailers) aren't very nice but property is very expensive.

The couple and their kids were really nice and it was interesting to see what they could do themselves.

That being said - $19k for the whole reno? Even doing most, if not all, of the work themselves it seems a pretty low figure.

Compare that to Love it or List it where they have budgets many times that amount yet can't seem to fit everything in lol. I'm always amazed at how much can be done with a given amount of money depending on which show you're watching.

Very cute house, very well re-done.

[aguabella]

Reading back as no time these past few months to keep up with the thread.

??? WA?  HHR typically selects 3 or max 4 cities each season and WA's never made the cut, unfortunately.  My dvr didn't pick up a new episode last week.  A search didn't (readily) yield the 8/18 evening schedule for HGTV.  And, the comments above indicate major differences from the standard HHR format.  (That's not necessarily bad, lol!)

Is it possible that some of you saw a renovation episode of BFBH?  This one, perhaps:  https://www.hgtv.com/shows/beachfront-bargain-hunt-renovation/episodes/washington-coast-charmer

If a dvr's set to record by time instead of series name and they aired it in the HHR slot so real-time viewers saw it ...

No big deal - just curious.  Thanks, everyone.

Edited August 26, 2018 by aguabella

[Nysha]

They may have renamed an already aired BFBR and aired it as an HHR. I think they've reaired some of the others as regular HH episodes before.

[aguabella]

11 minutes ago, Nysha said:

They may have renamed an already aired BFBR and aired it as an HHR. I think they've reaired some of the others as regular HH episodes before.

Considered that possibility but my dvr didn't pick it up as an HHR plus Grays Harbor didn't come up when I searched.  (My search yielded only the BFBR.)  IIRC, for the regular BFB aired as HH, they've assigned them an add'l HH season and episode number.

My guess was they were simply using the HHR slot to promo their new series, BFBR ... like a summer replacement.

Thanks, Nysha.

Edited August 26, 2018 by aguabella

[twinks]

I just saw a new HHR an hour earlier than usual. Took place in MA. Although they did a good job, I can almost say that I like the kitchen before they gutted it. The only change I probably would have made would have been to change the cabinet hardware.

[chessiegal]

The pendant lamps over the peninsula were WAY too large. What designer orders 3 when only 2 will fit, and can't be returned? I wouldn't hire that designer - I thought she did a terrible job.

It was nice to see a renovation somewhere other than SoCal.

[juliet73]

2 hours ago, aguabella said:

Reading back as no time these past few months to keep up with the thread.

??? WA?  HHR typically selects 3 or max 4 cities each season and WA's never made the cut, unfortunately.  My dvr didn't pick up a new episode last week.  A search didn't (readily) yield the 8/18 evening schedule for HGTV.  And, the comments above indicate major differences from the standard HHR format.  (That's not necessarily bad, lol!)

Is it possible that some of you saw a renovation episode of BFBH?  This one, perhaps:  https://www.hgtv.com/shows/beachfront-bargain-hunt-renovation/episodes/washington-coast-charmer

If a dvr's set to record by time instead of series name and they aired it in the HHR slot so real-time viewers saw it ...

No big deal - just curious.  Thanks, everyone.

 

Yes, they were BFBH Renovation.  My DVR didn't record them either since it's only set to record HHR, but I was able to catch them on demand.  Tonight were back to HHR in MA.

The wife on tonight's episode was driving me crazy with her constant NEED for "glam".  I actually preferred the kitchen before the reno.  Even though it was a bit closed off, it was a lot more cohesive.  The "rustic" and the "glam" in the new kitchen didn't work.   I think covering the kitchen window on the inside while still having it exposed on the outside was dumb, especially just to add a wine fridge.  I also think they should have taken the kitchen/family room wall down instead of the kitchen/dining room wall.  They would have had a lot more natural light and a nice view to the backyard.  Plus, the family room was large enough, they could have used a bit of that space and added a huge island with the sink, etc and bar stools and used it for casual dining.   The bathroom was nice except for the "glam" light fixtures.  The kid's bedrooms were cute and well done. Considering they spent over $65k, I expected more than just the kitchen and a small bathroom to be changed.  I don't think they renovated anything upstairs -  I would have liked to see a new master bathroom.

Edited August 26, 2018 by juliet73

[MsTree]

2 hours ago, chessiegal said:

I wouldn't hire that designer - I thought she did a terrible job.

Totally agree on both counts...and I would deduct the cost of the extra fixture from the "designer's" salary.

[twinks]

11 hours ago, chessiegal said:

The pendant lamps over the peninsula were WAY too large. What designer orders 3 when only 2 will fit, and can't be returned? I wouldn't hire that designer - I thought she did a terrible job.

It was nice to see a renovation somewhere other than SoCal.

exactly! I hated the fixtures. I also thought the kitchen was too bland, completely washed out. Again with the grey and white.

[biakbiak]

Count me in as someone who hated the layout of the new kitchen. Also, the window looked stupid from the outside. 

The ceiling light fixture on the living room was also way too small for the room.

[CrazyInAlabama]

Wow!   They took a kitchen that needed new hardware, and where you could see what the kids were up to, and changed it to a super bland, boring white hole of nothing.    When they first showed the kitchen, I thought my cable had gone out, because it was blank.    The two lights were hideous, and three would have been ridiculous.   I bet miss glam ordered the lights herself online, and the designer told her later that lights that big would look horrible with three.   Actually, the two huge lights looked way out of proportion, and looked more like outdoor lights anyway.    The bathroom redo was hideous.    The concrete floor tile was horrible, clashed with the shower tile, and everything together was disjointed, and horrible.   

The homeowner proved she had no taste, and I'm guessing the designer wished she had never been hired to do that kitchen.   Now viewers in the area will think the designer did that awful kitchen, and it was actually what the homeowner wanted and I'm betting that wasn't the first proposal by the designer, but the homeowner's selections that everything was changed to.     

I can see a future issue with the window blocked for the wine rack.      If anything happens to that window, it will be a nightmare to fix, and if it ever leaks the kitchen cabinets will be ruined before anyone has a clue it's happening.    

I can't believe that tiny bathroom redo, the kitchen, and repainting everything gray (I freakin' hate gray), plus adding a room of hardwoods, and restaining the floors cost $65,000.   My understanding is that whatever is donated by sponsors, or discounted, and the labor and designer time is charged at full retail prices as income, so the tax bill for the homeowners this year will be huge.   

Edited August 27, 2018 by CrazyInAlabama

[ByaNose]

I did laugh when she said she loved the color of the counters. Um, they were white. LOL!!! Overall, I didn’t hate the remodel. Granted, the kitchen before was fine but it turned out nice when they were finished. It was a little bland but it did brighten up the place quite a bit. The rustic wall was too small to make much of an impact but he seemed to be happy. I’d ont think the wine wall was needed and would have kept the window a window for extra light. I thought they did a nice job in the bathroom but that HGTV black/white moroccan tile has been done to death. They really need to retire that tile design. I appreciated the husband willingness to dig that trench. It wouldn’t even occur to me to do it. I’m what the other half calls.......lazy. 

[LittleIggy]

On 8/25/2018 at 11:34 PM, chessiegal said:

The pendant lamps over the peninsula were WAY too large. What designer orders 3 when only 2 will fit, and can't be returned? I wouldn't hire that designer - I thought she did a terrible job.

 

Seriously! Why did she order three of those huge lights?  I didn’t like blocking that window with a wine rack either.

Wouldn’t very dark stained wood floors show dirt/dust more easily than lighter stained ones? I know my cats’ hair “tumbleweeds” would show more!

The wife drove me nuts with her glam this and glam that. ?

Edited August 28, 2018 by LittleIggy

[MsTree]

10 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I can see a future issue with the window blocked for the wine rack.      If anything happens to that window, it will be a nightmare to fix, and if it ever leaks the kitchen cabinets will be ruined before anyone has a clue it's happening.    

Exactly. And to lose a window for a lousy wine rack is absurd. If you need a wine rack that bad, buy a free-standing one or incorporate somewhere else in the design.

There's no way I would ever give up natural light. At the very least, the designer could have chosen a recipe window to take the place of the current window. The homeowner would then have natural light over her counter and they wouldn't have to worry about the blocked window in the front of their house.

[suebee12]

2 minutes ago, MsTree said:

There's no way I would ever give up natural light. At the very least, the designer could have chosen a recipe window to take the place of the current window.

What is a recipe window?

[MsTree]

41 minutes ago, suebee12 said:

What is a recipe window?

It's an oblong shaped window installed parallel to the countertop in order to let in natural light. They're usually a foot tall with variable lengths.  A recipe window allows you to install a cabinet, rack or shelf directly above it.

[illini1959]

I thought the wife did order the pendants; maybe I'm wrong. I thought she said she ordered them and they were not returnable.

Agree about losing a window for a wine fridge but leaving it intact on the outside. :/

It's kinda crazy when there are perfectly good (appear to be anyway) cabinets that get ripped out and replaced to the tune of at least several thousand dollars. All for the sake of white shaker. No wonder these people go over budget. I probably don't even want to know what the huge pendant lights cost.

Oh well.

[biakbiak]

2 minutes ago, illini1959 said:

Agree about losing a window for a wine fridge but leaving it intact on the outside. :/

The stupid thing is they didn’t lose it for the wine fridge they lost it for a wine rack that only held six or eight bottles of wine. The fridge fit under the window.