House Hunters Renovation - General Discussion

[CrazyInAlabama]

It was a 'in' thing to put in wall to wall carpet to soften rooms, and it was as much a fashion as hardwoods are now.     

A friend was looking at a similar house that was older.    The homeowners had pulled a corner of the carpet up, and folded it back so you could see the hardwoods under it.      My friends was thrilled about the oak floors, but for other reasons went with another house.    Later, she found out the one corner, and a lot of the flooring was in nice shape (she actually heard from a man who worked on both houses).   However, many other parts had the dark staining that was impossible to get out, and the floor wasn't the best quality, so the carpet was to hide that.   I don't know if the sellers knew about the stains or not.    My parents put wall-to-wall over their original wood floors, because the floor dried out over the years, and wasn't firmly against the neighboring planks.     

[LittleIggy]

LA: No white kitchen! Yay! I don’t think I could have gone for the walls being painted that dark, too, but I liked that they went for something different. Seemed like a nice couple. I missed the first few minutes, so what was their profession? I know it was in the music industry, but what? 

The hardwood floors they found were amazing. The Japanese soaking tub didn’t seem practical though.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I hated the round soaking tub, and I hope they never try to sell because I don't think anyone is going to want that.    Terrazo belongs on the floor, not the counters, and would have looked better on the floor.        I can't believe it was legal for the homeowners to do their own lead abatement.     The kitchen was way too dark for my taste, and the rooms with dark floors were a bad choice.  

The 'secret' door opened right into the doorway of the kitchen, and they didn't even paint the section of the house behind it.    Paint would have at least freshened it up.    I hated the fireplace tile in green.    The paneling removal helped the rooms a lot though.   

At the end when they put booties on the dog to keep everything from scratching was bizarre, or maybe it was to prevent slipping, I'm not sure.    The super dark floors are a nightmare, from water mineral splashes, to showing every speck of dust or dirt that lands on it.   

I would have either taken the second house, or the third.    The third with the atrium roof closed up would have given them a ton of entertaining room.  

I don't even know how the budget turned out.  

Edited May 20, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[sheetmoss]

1 hour ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I hated the Japanese soaking tub, and terrazo belongs on the floor, not the counters.     I can't believe it was legal for the homeowners to do their own lead abatement.    The 'secret' door opened right into the doorway of the kitchen, and they didn't even paint the section of the house behind it.    Paint would have at least freshened it up.    I hated the fireplace tile in green.    The paneling removal helped he rooms a lot though.   

I would have either taken the second house, or the third.    The third with the atrium roof closed up would have given them a ton of entertaining room.  

I don't even know how the budget turned out.  

On Property Bros--didn't remember if it was in CA or the US, said  if the lead was limited to so many sq ft, the HO could do lead removal themselves.

On a recent This Old House, I I seem to recall  if the lead is removed, the local trash scavenger will take it.... but the bags must be well sealed.

ETA: DIY lead removal in MA

Edited May 19, 2019 by sheetmoss

[ByaNose]

I know people complain about the all white kitchens but the blue kitchen was too dark me. Maybe, I’m just in paint shock & so used to the white shakers shown before. The countertops were ugly, too. I didn’t like the green tile on the fireplace either. Overall, this renovation was a total miss for me. BTW! The husband looked like Ricky Schroeder before the wife beating charges, of course. 

[Boothbay]

On 5/18/2019 at 11:55 PM, LittleIggy said:

 I missed the first few minutes, so what was their profession? I know it was in the music industry, but what?

They were musicians - both play live music at theme parks and he does recording sessions and "a bunch of live gigs" - they had a budget of 725k.

I am doing something wrong.   

Edited May 20, 2019 by Boothbay

[irisheyes]

4 hours ago, Boothbay said:

They were musicians - both play live music at theme parks and he does recording sessions and "a bunch of live gigs" - they had a budget of 725k.

I am doing something wrong.   

I was thinking the same thing. They were like living examples f all the “My budget is” memes. 

[LittleIggy]

BBHR in FL: I thought I would find the couple annoying, but they turned out to be funny and down to earth. They really transformed that shack. Of course, too much white for me, but otherwise nicely done. Liked that they did a lot of the work themselves (along with “Vinnie, Pauly, and Tony” 😆). Also that they stuck to their budget. BTW, the wife’s house hunting outfit looked as if she was going out with the Rat Pack later. 😆

[ByaNose]

8 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

BBHR in FL: I thought I would find the couple annoying, but they turned out to be funny and down to earth. They really transformed that shack. Of course, too much white for me, but otherwise nicely done. Liked that they did a lot of the work themselves (along with “Vinnie, Pauly, and Tony” 😆). Also that they stuck to their budget. BTW, the wife’s house hunting outfit looked as if she was going out with the Rat Pack later. 😆

I will say that shack renovation was impressive. I thought there was no way they would buy that house. They even made the downstairs impressive with the all the beds. Granted, they didn't have doors on them but they made the most of the space. You could have a lot of people staying there who are just looking for a bed. LOL!!!!

[LittleIggy]

FL: Forgot to add that that view was to die for.

[LittleIggy]

MA: I quite liked what they did. Especially liked how they dealt with the baby blue tile which was in perfectly good shape but the wrong color. The playhouse under the stairs was adorbs. I kept wondering why the hubby looked as if he had been beaten up 🤕 until his wife mentioned the rugby. He goes to work looking like that? 

That third house was a trip. There must have been a big sale on wood paneling and pastel bathroom tiles when it was built. 😆 Who puts tile on the bathroom ceiling? 🤨

[Bastet]

I haven't watched this in quite some time and almost checked out at “look at all this mold” about a two-inch strip of mildew on shower grout and "this is a decent size" about a backyard half the size of an airstrip, but I hung in.  And I got a laugh out of the wife telling the husband carpet wasn’t going to be a deal-breaker and him coming back with a says the woman fixated on having a banister to decorate retort.

I missed the intro, and the program guide just referenced a “Boston couple.”  All those enormous lots and big houses they looked at, for under $600k – that’s not Boston.  It took 45 minutes before I saw a chyron identifying Wakefield.

If they agreed to act like they thought that fireplace was usable, they’re foolish, and if they actually thought it was, they’re moronic - from the first walk-through, that was obviously a former fireplace that had long since been made merely decorative.

In these old houses with <gasp> walls, owners and agents have to know a lot of buyers are going to want to knock them down to create a giant kitchen-dining-living room, so it would behoove them to investigate whether the “offensive” wall is load bearing, and thus be able to assure such potential buyers, “Yep, you can do that.”  So much manufactured drama.

I’m with the husband on hating the glass doorknobs, and thus not wanting to make things worse by using them as cabinet hardware.  But I wasn’t at all in sync with him on his fear of color; I don’t like neutrals for anything other than hallways, ceilings, and trim/cabinetry, so anyone freaked out about a mere “pop of color” just doesn’t compute with me.  Especially with how little color was in the kitchen window treatment; that’s not a pop of color, that’s a drop of color.

The end result was fine - the kitchen is boring to me but functional and stylish according to their combined tastes, the basement is now a usable space (with that play area easily converted to storage in a few years when the kids outgrow it), and painting the tiles gave the bathroom a nice facelift until they're ready to overhaul it completely (I used epoxy paint on my main bathroom's ugly-ass tiles nearly 20 years ago, and am still a couple of years away from ripping it all out and replacing with granite).

I’m confused by the living room, though – it looked like there was a TV with a mirror in front of it over the “fireplace.”  Did anyone who'd not had several drinks before the late airing get a proper look to see what that really was?

Edited May 26, 2019 by Bastet

[laredhead]

I don't think the fireplace was ever a functioning fireplace.  It looked to me like it was a shallow area where a gas space heater would go in the days before they had to be vented.  My son lives in a house with a fake fireplace like that, and there are many houses built pre-1955 that have those in the area where I live.  I grew up in a house with gas space heaters, and none were vented to the outside.  Of course, houses were draftier then and more fresh air got in through window, doors, and floors.  I live in the south where insulation wasn't a priority in those old houses.

I was hoping they wouldn't coat the blue wall tile, but work with it in a new decor, and just replace the floor tile.  A DIY job on tile sometimes looks like DIY.  I paid a professional to coat the pink wall tile in one of my bathrooms, and it looks like new tile.  They didn't show a close up of the tile, but I've seen brush strokes on DIY projects like that.

I laughed at that huge hot tub in one of those houses.  Was it the one with the tile ceilinged bathrooms?  I also laughed at her dad helping paint when the hubby was out of town playing rugby.  I bet the grandparents were glad when the extra family left their condo for their own house.  No matter how much you love your kids and grandchildren, things can get cramped in small quarters.

I'm always surprised at how huge some of those houses look, and then they give the square footage as 2,100 sf or 1,600 sf, and then I realize the basement square footage isn't included if the basement isn't finished.  Right?  This is from a person who would love to have a basement for storage, or just another get away space.

Finally, I was happy to not see white Shaker cabinets for a change.  I liked the wood, and the choice of color for it.  I, too, would have liked a bit more color in the kitchen window treatment, but if they are happy that's what matters.

[CrazyInAlabama]

The house was OK, but I can't believe they have a dining banquette, and the three bar stools, and not a dining room table.    They could have put a skinnier dining table in, and skipped the banquette.    

I didn't like the window treatments in the kitchen or dining area either.    I hated the brick on the pillar, and the peninsula just looked cramped.    Having three stools at the peninsula was way too crowded.    If all three are in use, then someone will be crowded into the wall, and another person will have the pillar in their face.  

The cabinets were a nice change from the white shakers.      I'm glad they used the glass knobs, instead of gold or something again.       I didn't think the bathroom tile they covered over looked very good.    A professional would have done a better job, and that would have lasted for years.   

The first house with that ridiculous hot tub was bizarre, but it did explain why a lot of the popcorn ceiling was coming down.      The second they showed the first, and third house were split levels, I knew they were going with the house they picked.  

I didn't see the point of painting the fire place white, including the wood work.    It added nothing to the room, and just looked odd.  

I'm shocked they only went $4500 over budget, but I'm wondering if they did something to waterproof the basement?      There was obvious water in the basement when they looked at it, and I'm wondering if that's going to be an ongoing problem that will come back to haunt them.   I was glad they didn't paint everything gray either, I'm absolutely sick of everything gray that so many are doing.    The little playhouse area under the stairs was cute, but how long will the girls fit in there easily?   

I don't know if the wife was ticked about the husband going to Colorado to play rugby, but that was something he could have skipped.   For one thing, I bet his season of rugby trips could have paid the overage on the budget, and leaving his father-in-law, and wife to do the painting was mean.    I was snickering when they showed his face after the Colorado trip.    

Edited May 28, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[biakbiak]

I didn’t like the “peninsula” which wasn’t actually a peninsula it left an awkward space between the fridge and it. I thought the brick was ugly and didn’t fit and the compromise with the fake cabinet looked dumb because it looked fake. If they were going to do something like that they should have just trimmed out that area with the white. 

While the under the stairs playhouse was cute I thought the exterior was to big and stuck out to much since it’s such a small space and they are only going to be able to fit in there for a two more years or so.

Edited May 26, 2019 by biakbiak

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

The little playhouse area under the stairs was cute, but how long will the girls fit in there easily? 

A lot less time than she said they would.  I forget the timeframe she stated when gushing about how long they'd use it, but it was unrealistic.  (But, it can just become storage space then.)

2 hours ago, biakbiak said:

I thought the brick was ugly and didn’t fit and the compromise with the fake cabinet looked dumb because it looked fake.

The fake cabinet was fine at a glance, but spend any time in that room and it will become distractingly obvious in its fakeness.  Maybe if the actual brick had been usable (which would mean a smaller column, since they wouldn't have had to frame it out to cover it), brick would have been okay in there, but I think it still would have been out of place in the kitchen.  And that big expanse of brick paneling definitely was.  Give him his brick somewhere else, like not painting over it in the living room.  Personally, I hate brick, but I hate painted brick even more.

[LittleIggy]

SC (BBHR): The HH said she needed two bedrooms (one for guests, particularly her grown kids) then she goes and turns the only spare bedroom into an office. 🤨 Why does someone who lives alone need a dedicated office? I wouldn’t want to climb up a ladder to an open loft if I were visiting. The reno turned out nice, but I don’t understand losing a bedroom like that.

[biakbiak]

5 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

Why does someone who lives alone need a dedicated office?

For a lot of people I know they want a dedicated space that doesn’t have distractions (tv, cleaning the kitchen, etc.) so they can concentrate and than to close the door once they are done and mentally separate themselves from it. Everyone works differently. 

[Bastet]

12 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

Why does someone who lives alone need a dedicated office?

I do, because I work out of my home office the majority of the time, so I want it to be a dedicated space rather than something cluttering my living room or bedroom as there's a fair bit of stuff involved.  Also, having physical separation between work and personal spaces within the home helps with the emotional separation, which is important to me as I do not - other than under truly necessary circumstances - work outside of my business hours.

I didn't see the episode, so I don't know if it made sense for the HH, but as a blanket question, that's my answer.

Edited May 27, 2019 by Bastet

[LittleIggy]

4 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

For a lot of people I know they want a dedicated space that doesn’t have distractions (tv, cleaning the kitchen, etc.) so they can concentrate and than to close the door once they are done and mentally separate themselves from it. Everyone works differently. 

Guess her dogs aren’t a distraction.

[CruiseDiva]

On 5/26/2019 at 12:16 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

The first house with that ridiculous hot tub was bizarre, but it did explain why a lot of the popcorn ceiling was coming down. The second they showed the first, and third house were split levels, I knew they were going with the house they picked.  

I laughed when the husband said he liked split level houses because they are a "timeless" style. Uh, no. They looked dated thirty years ago and even more so today. The third house they looked at wasn't an actual split level, it was a raised ranch.

[DanielleBowden]

Quote

On 5/26/2019 at 1:52 PM, Bastet said:

The little playhouse area under the stairs was cute, but how long will the girls fit in there easily? 

We built a similar playhouse under our basement stairs in our previous house.  At the time we moved, our kids were 8 & 11, They moved in some old yoga mats and a bunch of blankets and pillows and would crawl in to read books or play on an iPad.  We converted the house to a rental and that playhouse sold the couple who were moving in with a two year old.  

[hoosier80]

Watched the MA episode, and I was wondering how Boston suddenly got so "cheap".  Assumed it was outlying area, but didn't catch the name.

I kept thinking go with the larger house.  Yes, it's got a ton of wood paneling, but I've seen other shows where people were able to either paint or take down the paneling.  The tiles would have been more of an issue, but I think it was already open concept?  True, the house they bought had wonderful woodwork - the staircase, the window trim, the baseboards - you cannot find that kind of wood nor craftsmanship often now.

I just think they'll outgrow that house so quickly.  When those girls get older, the rooms won't be big enough, but maybe they're only planning on staying a few years?

The husband going off to play rugby while the wife and her dad spent all weekend painting?  If that was truly the real deal and not manufactured tv drama, I would have been beyond pissed.  We're staying in cramped quarters with my parents, and you leave us to play while we work?  Even if the hubby isn't handy and would just be in the way - he could watch the kids, get us food/drink, something. Plus, the fact that I'm guessing grandma had the girls, but then mom had to take over when she got to the condo after painting all day.  Just no.  I don't care what it is, you beg off and say I have to get this done for my family.  Yes, I know people need outlets or they're going to burn out but the wife seemed a lot burned out (again, unless manufactured BS).   

My parents' home had a basement which over time would get water after big rain storms.  Eventually, had to get a basement doctor type of business to jackhammer up the faulty area and redo.  Hopefully, they remedied the water situation in the basement before renovation.

The tiny stuff they disagreed about - whatever.  I really don't get that upset by what kind of doorknobs are on the doors, etc.  Now if you said I want a green bathtub, or let's do purple and pink stripes in the kitchen, then I might get upset.    Realtor should've known if that was a functioning fireplace - plus wouldn't an inspection have revealed that before the purchase?  I smell manufactured drama, sniff, sniff.

[biakbiak]

27 minutes ago, hoosier80 said:

Assumed it was outlying area, but didn't catch the name

Swampscott.

[topanga]

19 hours ago, hoosier80 said:

The tiny stuff they disagreed about - whatever.  I really don't get that upset by what kind of doorknobs are on the doors, etc.  Now if you said I want a green bathtub, or let's do purple and pink stripes in the kitchen, then I might get upset.    Realtor should've known if that was a functioning fireplace - plus wouldn't an inspection have revealed that before the purchase?  I smell manufactured drama, sniff, sniff.

I imagine that most of the "surprises" are already known, although I believe some of the reveals once the contractor starts tearing down walls or opening soffits. 

I don't like the designers that have been commissioned for the renos.  They're either too safe and boring, with the all-white shaker cabinet and quartz/granite countertops, or they take it to the other extreme and introduce a crazy pattern or design to a room. Even when the homeowners don't like their ideas, inevitably, they're all, "In the end, you'll like it. You'll have to trust me." Why? Why do they have to trust them? It's their money and their time, and if they aren't feeling one of your wacky designs, then don't do it. At the reveal, the homeowners will usually say they like whatever the designer chose, but I wonder if they sing a different tune once the cameras stop rolling. LOL. 

[LittleIggy]

Niagara, NY: I thought that house turned out really cool. No “blowing out” walls to make a kitchen with a massive island. No complaining that the master was too small. Painted and reused the kitchen cabinets. Was the husband in construction? He was very handy. 

Maryland lakefront: I was impressed with how much of the work the husband and wife did here, too. Hated the electric “fireplace” though.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I liked both houses from the Lakeside Renos last night.     

The Maryland couple is so cute, and did so much work.       

The NY house was such a classic lakeside style, and the view was spectacular.    They're lucky some of the water damage wasn't worse, but I was nervous when they had to replace the beam supporting the master, and that part of the second floor.  

[irisheyes]

On 5/22/2019 at 12:11 AM, LittleIggy said:

BBHR in FL: I thought I would find the couple annoying, but they turned out to be funny and down to earth. They really transformed that shack. Of course, too much white for me, but otherwise nicely done. Liked that they did a lot of the work themselves (along with “Vinnie, Pauly, and Tony” 😆). Also that they stuck to their budget. BTW, the wife’s house hunting outfit looked as if she was going out with the Rat Pack later. 😆

I just watched this on demand, and I was all ready to hate them after the intro.  Instead, I really liked the couple and the renovation!  I couldn’t believe how much work the wife did!  She just threw on some work gloves and got right into it.  

While I’m glad they thought of the turtles with the windows, I also hope they were hurricane rated. Of course, that close to the water, hurricane windows probably won’t matter. Their insurance rates have to be outrageous. 

[sheetmoss]

Re MD & NY Beachfront reno

I really liked the interaction/family dynamics of both

As for the NY island home, I kept thinking what a PITA  doing simple things like grocery shopping would be.

[LittleIggy]

Wolf Lake, NY: When the friend said “I can’t believe this is the same place,” I rolled my eyes and said “That’s because it isn’t, you idiot!” They ended up building a new house on an existing foundation which is fine but not really a renovation. Where was the kid’s room? He wasn’t going to sleep on that landing above the living room, was he? Was there a bathroom up there for that guest room? I didn’t see one. Too much white (definitely not cozy) for me but nice.

WI: I prefer watching the homeowners doing their own work (or a lot of it) so I liked this episode better. I liked what they did.

[LittleIggy]

Beachfront Bargain Hunt Renovation (7/20/19): The place looked great (except for being too blindingly white). Wonder how much the decorating/furnishings cost. Considering how phony HGTV can be, does anyone know if the places on the Fill in the Blank Renovation shows are temporarily staged?

[sheetmoss]

New show lastnight -I wonder if Thurs is the new day?

[biakbiak]

I was shocked with the lead abatement and the rewiring being “surprises” they only went $7,000 over. 

[izabella]

That was a cute little house, but I hope they have a plan for when their kids get older.  2 kids in that tiny bedroom will not work for long.

[topanga]

15 hours ago, izabella said:

That was a cute little house, but I hope they have a plan for when their kids get older.  2 kids in that tiny bedroom will not work for long.

I was thinking the same thing. But they said it’s their first home, so I’m sure they plan on getting something bigger when the kids get older. 

I like their renovations, especially the kitchen. 

I liked the layout of the bathroom, but there were too many black-white combinations: the floor, the tile-grout tiling, the tile-grout shower flowers. It would give me a headache if I had to stay in there too long. 

This is becoming one of my favorite home renovation shows. I like seeing the couples doing a lot of the work themselves, and they work with the designers and contractors to make decisions. 

[CruiseDiva]

4 minutes ago, topanga said:

This is becoming one of my favorite home renovation shows. I like seeing the couples doing a lot of the work themselves, and they work with the designers and contractors to make decisions. 

I like those aspects of the show as well, but the kitchen designers are so boring with the same old shaker style cabinets, islands, subway tiles, etc. Some of them kick it up a notch with cabinet colors and on the latest episode the mural painted on the wall and blue ceiling were different. I wasn't too sure about the mural and ceiling, but they looked really nice when done.

[ByaNose]

The door looked ugly after the red paint job. I didn't know she was going to paint the gated security door red, too. It was not a good look. The kitchen turned out nice although I’m not a fan of the tone cabinet thing. Pick one color and stick with it. The island was huge. I didn’t care for the stone as much since there were gold streaks.i prefer all white. I also agree with the 2 bedroom issue. I guess the brother and sister would be okay till she’s about 7 or 8 in theory. I would assume they would move to a bigger house afterwards and hopefully more then 10 miles from her parents. Good lord. It wasn’t like she was moving the east coast.  

[LittleIggy]

LFBHR in Alabama: The husband being a contractor helped. I loved that the kitchen wasn’t a “white kitchen.”  The use of the canoes was creative.

[LittleIggy]

LFBHR Tuscaloosa: I don’t understand why a gay couple who live in LA want a vacation home in Alabama. Yeah, I know one of the guys had family there and was a Bama alum. But still...Anyway, said AL native was lucky that his guy was so handy. I was impressed by his work. I didn’t like painting the ceiling in that room black. Ugh. I did like that they painted the kitchen cabinets. Why on earth did someone put that ugly tile over hardwood floors in the kitchen? 🤦‍♀️

[Empress1]

Fayetteville, GA: I really liked the couple. She's lucky that her husband is pretty handy and likes to do projects. I had my doubts about the daughter's pink and purple polka-dot room but it turned out nicely and she seemed to love it, which is the most important thing. The master bathroom was a little sterile to me, and the wife's artwork left something to be desired. That shower was nice though.

[biakbiak]

I disnt like her, she was the embodiment of “extra” and always appeared to be on with a fake persona. I imagine in real life she might be easier to take but I couldn’t stand her on the show. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

The Fayetteville, GA couple were fun.  I know the home owners are supposed to make everything dramatic, but the meltdown over the shower floor, and the possibility she wouldn't get her huge closet was over the top.   I liked the husband, and loved that he actually did so much work, but the wife was getting on my last nerve.     The guest and other bath would have been fine with a coat of paint, a new vanity, and a tile floor, and that would have saved a bunch.       

The HHR rerun was the one from Massachusetts, maybe Worchester?   Where the husband went on a Rugby trip with his team during a vital part of the reno.    I was glad he came back looking like he was run down by the entire opposing team.    It's nice he has a hobby, but how many thousands do his trips and time gone cost?   

[laredhead]

I liked the husband in the Fayetteville, GA episode, but the wife is now on my list of the most annoying people on HH Renovation.  All she was concerned about was bling, and how things looked, and impressing people.  He was the more practical of the two, and I wonder if her desire for the finer, glitzier things is what gave them credit problems in previous years.  Her obsession with bugs and cutting down trees had me yelling at the TV w/in the first few mintues of the episode.  Georgia, and ALL of the south has bugs.  Get over it.  Every time she stepped out the door of those houses she was waving her arms around to ward off the imaginary bugs that she was sure were lurking just outside the door.  I was also a little put off by her seeming unconcern about the pool and pond on 2 of the properties, in that she wanted them just so they could show others that they had made it.  All children should know how to swim, but even if younger children know how, it's still a good idea (and maybe required in Georgia) to fence a pool, and putting a fence between the pond and the house would be a must in my book.  

I agree with you CrazyInAlabama that a downscaled remodel of the guest bath could have saved some money.  I loved the purple and pink room that the husband did for his little girl.  It was special to her because her father did it, and because she chose the colors.  It can always be changed when she moves on to another color scheme. 

[izabella]

1 minute ago, laredhead said:

Her obsession with bugs and cutting down trees had me yelling at the TV w/in the first few mintues of the episode.  Georgia, and ALL of the south has bugs.  Get over it.  Every time she stepped out the door of those houses she was waving her arms around to ward off the imaginary bugs that she was sure were lurking just outside the door. 

Yes, she did all that, so I was expecting a lovely screened in porch somewhere!  So disappointed.

Husband has great skills.  I don't know what job he has, but he could easily get one remodeling people's houses.

[LittleIggy]

9 hours ago, biakbiak said:

I disnt like her, she was the embodiment of “extra” and always appeared to be on with a fake persona. I imagine in real life she might be easier to take but I couldn’t stand her on the show. 

Neither could I! She thought she was so adorable but wasn’t. If I had to hear the word “bling” one more time!🤯 And wanting to cut down trees because of insects. 🙄 If she is like that in real life, the husband must have the patience of a saint. That finger painting bathroom artwork was awful. Master bedroom was nice.

[juliet73]

Fayetteville, GA:  I had to fast forward through a lot of this episode because of the wife!  She rolled her eyes and complained that her husband was concerned about the roof, HVAC and wood in the house.  According to her, that stuff wasn't important. What was important (in her opinion) was the bling and how the house was going to impress other people.  

I thought the husband did a great job.  I know they only had $45k for reno, but I was hoping for new floors in the LR and a better looking fireplace.  

I'm glad to see the trees were still standing in the backyard.  I guess she got used to all the imaginary bugs she was shooing away.

[laredhead]

Juliet73, I was also happy to see that the trees were still there.  She probably got a reality check when she found out how much it cost to remove trees.  I also forgot to mention her stupid comment about the fireplace in one house where she said it looked like something used to cremate bodies.  Even her mother called her out on that one.  The husband is a saint.

[topanga]

On 9/1/2019 at 11:47 AM, Empress1 said:

Fayetteville, GA: I really liked the couple. She's lucky that her husband is pretty handy and likes to do projects. I had my doubts about the daughter's pink and purple polka-dot room but it turned out nicely and she seemed to love it, which is the most important thing. The master bathroom was a little sterile to me, and the wife's artwork left something to be desired. That shower was nice though.

Yes. They seemed to like each other despite their fake arguments. The wife was a bit entitled, but I appreciated their transparency about the beginning about their original loan falling through and their need to rebuild their credit rating. That’s reality for many Americans. 

The husband was certainly handy. 

I wish we’d see more women on the show who don’t 1) brag about having too many clothes for a walk-in closet or 2) lie about having those clothes.

[Trinity]

23 hours ago, laredhead said:

I liked the husband in the Fayetteville, GA episode, but the wife is now on my list of the most annoying people on HH Renovation.  All she was concerned about was bling, and how things looked, and impressing people.  He was the more practical of the two, and I wonder if her desire for the finer, glitzier things is what gave them credit problems in previous years.  Her obsession with bugs and cutting down trees had me yelling at the TV w/in the first few mintues of the episode.  Georgia, and ALL of the south has bugs.  Get over it.  Every time she stepped out the door of those houses she was waving her arms around to ward off the imaginary bugs that she was sure were lurking just outside the door.  I was also a little put off by her seeming unconcern about the pool and pond on 2 of the properties, in that she wanted them just so they could show others that they had made it.  All children should know how to swim, but even if younger children know how, it's still a good idea (and maybe required in Georgia) to fence a pool, and putting a fence between the pond and the house would be a must in my book.  

I agree with you CrazyInAlabama that a downscaled remodel of the guest bath could have saved some money.  I loved the purple and pink room that the husband did for his little girl.  It was special to her because her father did it, and because she chose the colors.  It can always be changed when she moves on to another color scheme. 

I love when parents don’t mind doing what their kids actually want.  I am so over the neutral, boring, modern farmhouse or scandinavian style kids rooms that are just not bright or fun for kids.  What kid likes shades of browns?  I would have loved a pink room growing up!

[Empress1]

16 hours ago, Trinity said:

I love when parents don’t mind doing what their kids actually want.  I am so over the neutral, boring, modern farmhouse or scandinavian style kids rooms that are just not bright or fun for kids.  What kid likes shades of browns?  I would have loved a pink room growing up!

There was another episode where a grandma helped her granddaughter paint the kid's room with polka dots and I thought it was so cool. I agree - let the kids pick!