House Hunters Renovation - General Discussion

[Mittengirl]

Did she buy the house with the big screen porch? I wish they would have shown what they did with that - unless she was saving that for a later project.

[CrazyInAlabama]

The big screened porch had a nasty water leak in the corner, so I bet they couldn't do too much to it with the budget.     (I hope I have the right back porch on the right house). 

Edited October 26, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[CrazyInAlabama]

My cable guide (which has been known to lie, and change on me) claims there's a new episode of HHR this Saturday, November 16.     A change is the reno is North Shore Boston, and it's an historic home, so lots of surprises with this one. 

[LittleIggy]

40 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

My cable guide (which has been known to lie, and change on me) claims there's a new episode of HHR this Saturday, November 16.     A change is the reno is North Shore Boston, and it's an historic home, so lots of surprises with this one. 

My online guide had a HHR scheduled for Nov. 9, then the day of it changed the listing. I hope this week is correct!

[LittleIggy]

Well, the schedule has changed again! No HHR! 😡

[CrazyInAlabama]

Thanks for the heads up, I wanted HHR not Caribbean Life.  

[LittleIggy]

1 hour ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Thanks for the heads up, I wanted HHR not Caribbean Life.  

Me, too! I’ll be watching 48 Hours instead of recording it.

[Empress1]

My TiVo recorded what it thought was a new episode in the wee hours - did anyone see it? Curly redhead & her husband & young son in SoCal? They added vinyl flooring I hated on top of the original hardwoods.

[LittleIggy]

1 hour ago, Empress1 said:

My TiVo recorded what it thought was a new episode in the wee hours - did anyone see it? Curly redhead & her husband & young son in SoCal? They added vinyl flooring I hated on top of the original hardwoods.

It should be against the law to put vinyl flooring over original hardwood! At least the couple didn’t bitch about the kitchen and bathroom being too small and blowing out walls to supersize them. Loved the wife’s hair!

[CrazyInAlabama]

That show was actually called Move and Improve, or HHR without narration, but it's still the same formula.     I did get tired of the couple whining about have a huge garden to have meals from.     The kitchen was kind of bland, but I think they missed a chance to greatly increase the kitchen storage.  Instead of the cart, and open shelves, I would have put pantry cabinets  (not as deep as a regular bottom cabinet) on that entire side, and then the movable cart would still have worked.    The bathroom was fine, but not cohesive.     I don't call going $10,000 over budget on an initial budget of $40,000, 'going a little over' like the wife said.   That's 25% over.  I liked the vinyl plank, but it wasn't glued down the way they said it would be.    I bet the living room floor had been refinished too many times, and could be done again, so they went with the vinyl plank. 

[Empress1]

2 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Loved the wife’s hair!

She did have great hair.

[LittleIggy]

Will Move and Improve replace HH Renovation? I hope it will be a regular show. The one tonight in MA puzzled me. Why would anyone convert a garage into a room there? I would want a garage if it snowed a lot. The interior designer reminded me of Janice Dickinson. 😆 When the wife was haranguing the husband about whitewashing those bricks, I was, like, “Then do it yourself, lady!” Wood from the USS Constitution? Yeah, right! 🙄

[CrazyInAlabama]

This show must have replaced HH Reno.   Same narrator at the beginning.    The Swampscott, MA episode from last night was interesting.        That one bathroom was amazingly pink. and the blue tile ceiling in the same bathroom was awful.   

 I always get a kick out of the home hunters that are using their mom for a realtor.   This mother/realtor is a hoot!      Even though she's his mother, she doesn't seem to be pushing for his preferred style over the wife's style.     Of course, I really wonder if the house hunters really have the preferences they claim in the house hunt, or if it's more producer shenanigans.    

Not innovative on the kitchen, gray floor, gray Shaker cabinets, and white counter tops, with white subway back splash.      I hate the mixed metal handles and knobs. 

Couldn't stand the half bath with patterned wall paper, patterned tile on the wall, and the pedestal sink.    You can get a small vanity with matching top for a decent price at the home improvement store, and it's going to be easy to install, give you some storage, and be so much more useful than a pedestal sink.     The after made the room look so tiny, and busy.    They would have saved a bundle just putting painting the walls, a cheaper vanity/sink top, and skipping the thousands they put into the half bath.  Over $1200 for a half bath vanity sink was bizarre, and I don't think they sell chunks of the U.S.S. Constitution. 

They could have saved a bundle by doing a simpler half bath, not doing a chalkboard wall in the kitchen.    $70k budget, and they ended up spending $80k.    They could have save a lot getting nice appliances, but not spending $9k on them.    The lower kitchen cabinets with the one sticking out from the bump out in the kitchen was awful.     They could have saved a lot just getting a standard door set on the pantry, instead of two over sized barn doors.   

I hated the 'whitewashed' brick fireplace, that ended up painted all white.  

[sheetmoss]

Re Move and Improve

I did not enjoy the MA couple's interaction...or how it was edited/producer driven to make them come off that way,

It still amazes me when you have a 'tight/set' budget and what they spend the $$ on.

Sad part, for $1200 the vessel sinkbowl on the piece of  ship lumber looked so DIY-ish....and not in a cool way

[JTMacc99]

14 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Will Move and Improve replace HH Renovation? I hope it will be a regular show.

Well, the HGTV web site is useless. It has Season 1, Episode 1 (A Groovy Kind of Reno) up and available to watch. But there is absolutely no other mention of the show anywhere. I mean, it's not even listed on the A-Z list of every single HGTV show.  

How many episodes have aired so far?  I can go ahead and start a new topic for Move and Improve, but it sure would be nice to have at least some sort of official something from HGTV.

 

[LittleIggy]

1 hour ago, JTMacc99 said:

Well, the HGTV web site is useless. It has Season 1, Episode 1 (A Groovy Kind of Reno) up and available to watch. But there is absolutely no other mention of the show anywhere. I mean, it's not even listed on the A-Z list of every single HGTV show.  

How many episodes have aired so far?  I can go ahead and start a new topic for Move and Improve, but it sure would be nice to have at least some sort of official something from HGTV.

 

There have been two that I know of.

[CrazyInAlabama]

deleted. 

Edited January 16, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[JTMacc99]

Okay @CrazyInAlabama, @LittleIggy, @sheetmoss, and @Empress1, I started a new topic for Move and Improve. There is no word (that I can find) on whether or not it does actually replace House Hunters Renovation, but I think you're all probably right that it does. Episode 4 airs next week, and the previous three are available on the HGTV website.

 

 

 

[CrazyInAlabama]

So DIY network is have a marathon this morning.    The Denver couple with a wife named Brooklyn just amazed me.   One house they looked at had the third bedroom in the basement, with one of the tiny slot windows.     Then the realtor says "you can use this for one of the girls in a few years".   No, no egress window for emergencies, means it's not a conforming (legal) bedroom (that was a decoy house).    The poor husband only had one feature he liked that made it into the house, the darker hardwood floors.   However, I bet it just happened that that color is what the wife wanted, or he wouldn't get that either.

Then there's a couple in L.A.    The second house has a red tile roof, and the wife says "it should be changed to shingles, because I like that better".  Both of the couple wanted to replace the roof.    The third house is hysterical.   There's a big palm tree planted between the main part of the driveway, and the sidewalks.    The wife needs a mud room, so she can put her dog training gear in there, I guess she's a dog trainer?  (Yes, that's sarcastic, since she's only mentioned the dog training a bunch of times.   I guess to advertise her business?).    Then, the entire back yard of the third house is pool, and concrete deck.  The only things I would change on this house is the paint color outside, and inside.    And I would have to get something changed about the half step down from the front door to all three interior door ways.   

So the pick the third one with the palm tree in the driveway, and the entire back yard is pool, and concrete.    This is the series where they have a designer that comes with the show, and my understanding is that the filmed meeting is the first one, where the designer pitches their ideas.  I'm positive that the designer has a lot of information from the homeowners, but sometimes the homeowners don't look too happy about the ideas.  What a surprise, gray shaker cabinets, and marble look counter tops,   The wife insists on an island, so dump the banquette idea, so there's island room.    Then the big surprise, the wife is expecting..   So the kitchen ended up light gray shaker cabinets, white quartz/marble look, and a white subway tile back splash, with a variation in the pattern over the stove.   The fridge is now around the corner.   Kitchen is bigger, but not nicer.     The only thing I like is the raised entry that had step downs on three sides was eliminated.   I would have chopped the palm tree in the driveway down too.  

 

 

 

Edited November 23, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[Bastet]

I'm watching right now, too - well, in bits and pieces, as I get so irritated with how fucking boring and repetitive these kitchens and bathrooms always are.  I had hopes for the San Fernando Valley couple, as they didn't seem so cookie cutter when they were house hunting, but lo and behold, when it came time to renovate, they were all in for the designer's colorless kitchen.

The Denver woman was awful.

[topanga]

Does anyone know if HH Renovation is ever returning? I miss it. 

[laredhead]

2 new episodes over the past couple of weeks have been shown.  Both in California.

The latest episode re the choreographer/dancer who bought a house was yet another person who wanted way more than her budget would allow.  Prices for labor and materials have gone way up over the last 3 years, and I was laughing that she thought $50,000 was going to take care of everything she wanted.  The end result looked very nice, but removing the only closet in the roommate's bedroom to make room for another sink in the bathroom was odd.  In the end, there wasn't enough room for another sink, plus additional plumbing was going to cost more than she wanted to spend.  No pictures were shown of the roommate's bedroom.  I agreed with the roommate about adding some color somewhere, but the HH wanted everything white, white, and shades of white.  Her house, her $$.

All in all, it was OK, but it reaffirmed my belief that I could never buy a house in California due to the prices and the small sizes of what is available.  

Edited March 19, 2023 by laredhead

[CrazyInAlabama]

I thought the first episode was interesting, but the redesign left me cold.   It looked like every other house on TV remodels.    And the designer who obviously meets the couple for the first time while telling them what their design should be is always bizarre for me.    

Choreographer episode, Sabrina, in Valley Glen, CA, was interesting. So, she demanded to find a house for $625k, including renos, near her favorite dog park.   For a relatively low budget, the buyer certainly wanted up-to-date finishes, and her reno ideas aren't very practical.   

House #1-smaller, needs work. $599k list price.  Under 1,000 sq ft.  I guess home buyer didn't think that if you take a wall down between living and kitchen, some may be load bearing, and you have to patch the original hardwoods.  ALso, why does she think the hardwoods can be refinished?   They may be at the end of their life.  

House #2, under $600k, 3 bedroom, and driveway will have to be replaced. Why do the budget buyers always want hardwood floors? And rip out walls to make it open concept and add a bathroom, costing over $50k total. Back yard is all pool and concrete, and concrete needs replacing. 

House 3-next to the railroad tracks, but selling agent claims trains only run during the day.   2 car garage, and nice backyard for the dogs. No central air or heat.  

She bought #1 for $582k. With $50k for reno budget.  The designer says take down two kitchen walls, expand the kitchen, have an island and built-in seating.  Change the washer dryer to stackables.  Sabrina wants whitewashed hardwoods in the kitchen and everywhere else.   My big hate, open shelving in the kitchen too.  

To make two sinks in the bathroom, second bedroom (roommate's) closet goes, and roommate gets the former linen closet.  That makes the second bedroom, not a bedroom because it doesn't have a closet, and the linen closet is tiny compared to the former bedroom closet. 

At the end of the episode, the date is 2019.  (I didn't notice the date on the end of the first episode). 

(No, I never did a major reno, but a cosmetic reno on several houses.  New carpet, tile, but the pros do it.  I have watched a ton of reno, and flip shows). 

Edited March 19, 2023 by CrazyInAlabama

[laredhead]

CrazyInAlabama, your observations of these episodes sound as though you have been involved in some renovations.  I agree with you about buyers thinking they can just blow out all of the walls without any thought about load bearing issues, or plumbing or electrical issues.  In many cases, the real estate agents nod in agreement - DUH!  The farmhouse reno couple ran into that problem, and had to pay another few thousand dollars to achieve the open concept result they so wanted at the expense of having to put on hold renovating the studio they wanted to include.  Thanks for the 2019 date info.  Wonder why it has taken the network so long to air it.

   

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

in Valley Glen, CA,

For those outside of Los Angeles, allow me to explain "Valley Glen" -- It's a neighborhood that successfully petitioned a new name for itself about 15 years ago, because the residents didn't want to "admit" they live in Van Nuys.  No L.A. native outside of the neighborhood calls it that.  They live in Van Nuys.  (Just like "Valley Village" folks live in North Hollywood.)  That's why the houses were around $600k. 

(There's nothing wrong with living in Van Nuys [or North Hollywood].  Deciding your one section of it is better [which means, in part, whiter] and needs its own name is what's wrong.) 

Anyway, I'm glad to hear there are new (or "new") episodes of this show; hopefully they're on Discovery+.  I hardly ever watch HH/HHI anymore, but I do for some reason still want to aggravate myself watching renovations that are just as boring in their repetition.

[buttersister]

That choreographer was a piece of work. I kept wondering if her assistant was going to pay her rent or if she was just an indentured servant who was being housed for convenience.

[CrazyInAlabama]

"This Reno is No Bed of Roses" Tonight's episode is 2020, he's a musician, their budget is $350k including renovations.  It's set in Atlanta, Johh (a musician on the side, and a corporate analyst for a day job), and Sarah works in health care, and is an artist on the side. They have a cat, Camomile.  No reno experience.  She's a vegetarian, and wants a big garden. 

House 1 Decatur, $315k, 3 bed 2 1/2 bath, with a basement.  ranch.  Nice floors.  He's talking about knocking down dining room walls, and redoing the kitchen, and it's right next to a train track.  The third bedroom is a pass-through (a door on the left side to the kitchen, and another door to the hall to the next bedroom.   2nd bedroom is nice.  Main bedroom has a 1/2 bath, and a small closet, that realtor says could be the tiny shower.  Basement is strange, with only a wall heater.  Real bedroom is with an large egress above ground window, and with a huge full bath.   Back yard is huge, but still next to the train tracks.  She wants to put a pond, and chicken coop.   

House 2-$ 315k,  1398 sq ft, raised ranch with a steep front yard, on a busy road.  huge concrete back porch/deck, with a big yard.  Sarah hates the kitchen.  John says to get rid of the third bedroom and open up the kitchen in there.  Some of the wood floor have old stains.  2nd bedroom is smaller.  Main bedroom is small, with pet stains on the wood floor, and the bathroom has a shower, but it's small. Basement not finished, but it's big.   If the basement isn't full of water, then why are the washer and dryer three feet off the basement floor?   I think this house would be a huge mistake to buy. 

House 3-Stone Mountain, huge house, 2376 sq ft  4 bed 2 1/2  bath, two story, $315k,  far from work.  back deck is nice, backyard is sloping, with lots of trees.   They'll have to take down a bunch of trees for a sunny garden.   1/2 bath is lovely.   Kitchen is nice, but she wants to break down a wall for a bar space, but she didn't look at the heat vent on the bottom of that wall.   Upstairs has 3 guest bedrooms that are big, main bedroom and ensuite are big, but the ensuite has a walk-in tub.   I'm guessing they'll gut the ensuite if they buy this one. 

They pick #1. They'll spend $50k on the reno, with a kitchen update.  I love it when the cost of the reno hits the buyers.   I would never buy a house next to the train tracks because of noise, vibration, train whistles.  They went at least $2,000 over budget, and with the other things they want to do, I bet it will eventually be a lot more than their budget. 

I have to laugh at the wife saying she likes compartmentalized rooms, then is saying she wants an open kitchen.    I'm wondering if the $50k budget is realistic, especially since they get the designer furnished by the show.   $15k to open up the kitchen the way they want to.     The designer will open part of the kitchen by using the pass through third bedroom as the kitchen expansion.  They want open shelving instead of upper cabinets.   John doesn't like the open shelving idea.    I hate open shelves.   What a predictable design, white shaker cabinets, island cabinets will be light blue grey, white quartz counter tops on the island, and other countertops will be gray quartz (boring).    And a white longer subway tile back splash.   Easy to guess everything the kitchen will have.  The raised bed garden will be expensive.   $20k to $25k to do the garden Sarah wants, so the homeowners will build the ten garden beds  themselves.   How does Sarah think spending tens of thousands to build the garden will save money?   Then, the couple paint the bricks behind the wood stove white.  Their art work is not attactive to me at all.   After renos, they could have put a hallway to enclose the third bedroom, instead it's now kitchen, and they have a 2 bedroom house, right on the railroad tracks.  

Spoiler

(My understanding from previous years of this HH Reno is the couple have to pay full income tax on the designer's fee that's gifted, plus pay tax on the full retail price of donated materials, or discounted.   So, their 'free' designer and materials and labor will be very expensive when they file their taxes)

 

Edited March 26, 2023 by CrazyInAlabama

[laredhead]

CrazyInAlabama, I was anxiously awaiting your comments on the lastest episode.  Spot on about so many things.  These buyers did not have a clue as to how much a remodel project can cost, or at least they gave that impression.  The wife, who admits she is messy, gave me the impression that she begins many projects, but I wonder how many she completes.  She wanted a huge garden, and having never had one, had not a clue as to how much work that is.  That yard is large, and all of the planting beds will need to be tended almost year round in that climate.  Where I live in the south, there only about 2-3 months where yard work slows down.  I had a large vegetable garden when I was in my late 20's & 30's.  It's a lot of work if done correctly.

I agree that the kitchen ended up looking like every other kitchen that we have seen for years.  The same white Shaker cabinets, the same white or gray counters, the same different color island cabinet, and now floating shelves have entered the sameness category of must haves.  All of those things on those open shelves are going to get dusty, and from her husband's comments, will need to be "edited" to keep her from cluttering them.  A floating shelf or two away from the range area, might be OK for display, but where do you put the everyday dishes, glasses, etc?  Give me some cabinets with doors.  I also noted that the designer moved the sink from the outside wall under the window to the island.  Why would you do that?  It gives less room on the island for serving food, and I would prefer to have a view of the yard when I'm cleaning up the kitchen.  The original kitchen had the sink on the outside wall, so relocating plumbing wasn't an issue.  Bet they could have saved a few pennies by not moving the plumbing to the island.

I did enjoy the designer almost having a heart attack when the wife wanted the island painted a brighter color.         

[CrazyInAlabama]

"Building a Future Together",  (Actually a 2019 episode, and I think the last of the few episodes they filmed). He's an medical architect (he designs hospitals), Damir, and Ceyda, a researcher and Ph. D. student , budget almost $1 million.  They've been married for a year.  They are looking in Silver Lake, CA. His idea of the perfect house is a white box.   Budget is $925k. 

First house is a total fixer, $850k, 2 bed 1 bath. 864 sq ft.  It has a pool and spa bigger than the house, with a pool house that looks like an ADU.   

Second House in Silver Lake, for $ isn't that bad, except the architect is also a minimalist, and wants to blow out the kitchen, have bifold glass doors to the back yard. Pretty much tear the house apart, plus expand it.  3 bed 2 bath, less than 900 sq ft. $795k.   They say the back yard is nice for the dog, but after they expand the house, and build the huge deck, it's a tiny yard. 

Third house in Burbank was decent, but the back yard looked like it held the remains of a miniature golf course (little lighthouses, etc.), a Dr. Who phone booth, and other stuff, but otherwise it was pretty decent. 3 bed 2 bath. $799k with a garage. Kitchen is a good size. 

They buy the second house, it was listed for $795k ended up going for $830k.   With a reno budget of $90k. 

I love the designer, you can tell she wants to quit, because the husband keeps tossing his own ideas out.   He wants a matte quartz, and I've never seen a matte quartz.  So, designer suggests a porcelain matte counter top.   Since the island will be waterfall, that's not going to work out, so they change that idea to a conventional counter top.    So, price for quartz was $800 a slab, and now they'll have to pay $600 more per slab.     

How can anyone pay over $800k for a cracker box of a house, and expand the kitchen, and add the bifold glass patio doors, and everything else?   

Plus, the wife is originally from Turkey, and doesn't like minimalism, and likes color.   She's never lived in a stand alone house.  The husband wants modern and sleek, black, white and that's it.   

Unfortunately, the bifold patio doors show up early, so they cut the holes in the wall, and then it starts pouring rain.  He wants black tile above the tub, and bath floor in black matte.  She wants white tile with a texture in it, and gets it this time. 

Then, the wife picks a darker grey for the exterior, and the boyfriend claims it's purple, but it's not.   So, they get an even darker grey exterior paint and redo it.    Now Damir is upset the cabinets are wood color inside. 

Light grey shaker cabinets, marble look quartz counter tops. with darker for the kitchen island.   They could have bought leathered granite for the island, and still have the waterfall edge.  When the designer suggests bright blue paint for the kichen accent wall, I really thought Damir was going to cry.  He wants to remove the second bathroom, to expand the main bedroom.  

The designer looks like she's sick of Damir and his change orders.  He wants to change the island right before they install the counter tops.   Designer puts her foot down and tells Damir it's too late.  He still suggests a wider overhang for seating, and designer tells him what it involves, but he wants it anyway.    Even the book shelves that were a gift for Ceyda, are his esthetic.  

They dumped the third bedroom for the kitchen, and main bedroom expansion. Turning a tiny three bedroom 2 bath, into a 2 bedroom, 2 bath.    Their reno budget of $90k, but they apparently went $20k over budget.  I bet a lot was repainting the exterior, the bifold doors are super expensive, and the counter top change that almost doubled the price.    (My understanding is the designer fee is taxable as income, and so are any discounts or donated materials, so I bet tax time was interesting after the reno.  I think the designer's fees are about $30k.)

Damir is already talking about expanding the main bedroom and adding an ensuite.  My guess is the ensuite will be all dark tile, and exactly what he wants it to be.  So, I guess they don't care about the dog actually having a yard.    They also put the washer/dryer full size stackables in the kitchen too. 

Edited April 3, 2023 by CrazyInAlabama

[laredhead]

CrazyInAlabama, I would love to meet you and have wonderful discussions about these people who think renovation is a breeze!  I didn't realize this latest episode was from 2019.

At the end of the episode when Ceyda said they went over budget a bit, there was a blurb on the screen that said they went over by $20,000, so the entire reno cost at least $110,000.  It amazes me that some of these people opt for expensive items when they could save some money by compromising on a lesser solution.  Those bifold doors are nice, but almost the same effect could have been achieved with different materials.  Here in Louisiana, you could open those doors maybe a total of a month in an entire year as far as temperature goes, but then the bugs would get in.  I guess California doesn't have bugs.  

Ceyda needs to get used to living with a person who loves renovation, and will never be happy with anything unless he can change it to the way he wants it.  I hope she has a lot of patience and strong will, because she's going to need it.  His comment about the interior color of the cabinets would have been enough for me to tell him to stuff it.  I like that Ceyda decided to take a long vacation back to her family in Turkey during the reno just to get away from the upheaval.  Some people thrive on remodeling.  I like it, but after a few weeks it gets very old.

I wish they had shown a better view of the front of the house and the yard with the new wooden gate.  The size of those houses, and the prices are mind boggling.  

[Bastet]

5 hours ago, laredhead said:

I guess California doesn't have bugs.  

We do, of course, but you can leave your windows/doors open without screens if you want; a few things may venture in to have a look, but there's not going to be an invasion.  I don't do that anymore because my cat is indoor-only and I fear she'd be terrified and run off if she ever got out.  But my two cats prior could be trusted with supervised outdoor time during the day, so I'd leave the French doors from my office to my patio open so they could come and go and I could keep an eye on them. 

I keep forgetting to check Discovery+ to see if these "new" episodes are up.  I'm sure this latest one would aggravate me; I love Silver Lake housing, but people like the husband, whose idea of a perfect house is a white box, have, like in so many other old neighborhoods in L.A., altered the character.  (And don't get me started on the gentrification.)

[Bastet]

22 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

"Building a Future Together",  (Actually a 2019 episode, and I think the last of the few episodes they filmed). He's an medical architect (he designs hospitals), Damir, and Ceyda, a researcher and Ph. D. student , budget almost $1 million.  They've been married for a year.  They are looking in Silver Lake, CA. His idea of the perfect house is a white box.   Budget is $925k. 

Okay, I looked this one up on Discovery+, and, OMG, the only thing that guy hates more than walls is color.

I hate their living room; their kitchen is boring, but the living room is downright ugly.  And it was asinine to lose a bedroom and bathroom when to pick that back up in the future they're going to have to expand into the backyard.  The Highland Park house (the first one shown) had a yard that would have worked in, as the long lot would still leave them with plenty of yard space, but not this one.  Imagining him cutting down all those trees and leaving the dog with a patch of grass makes me glad they won't have the money to do it any time soon after going $20k over with this first round of renovations.

The bi-fold glass door was a good idea, I'll give him that.

The bathroom was nice, but boring (I think it would have looked awful with the black tile he wanted, so at least she prevailed there).  I feel sorry for her wanting Mediterranean colors, but having to deal with a guy who nearly faints at the thought and whose idea of adding a splash of color is having something that's grey instead of white.  Even as outlandish as he'd already proven to be, when he declared that exterior paint to be purple, I disturbed my cat with my "Oh, come the hell on!" response.

There's another "new" one still to go, but I need to wait a while before I'll be in the mood for more.

[Bastet]

I started watching the next episode (on Discovery+), but stopped after the reveal of which house is theirs -- I like this couple and want to believe they won't do the same boring design this show is notorious for, so I'm afraid to be disappointed.  I'll probably just wait until it airs on HGTV, so as not to spoil any specifics.

I will share my big laugh from the first half, though.  He wants mid-century -- no matter where in the greater Los Angeles area they have to go to get it.  She loves it, too, but only if it's in an area that will make for a reasonable commute to their office.  Resulting in this fantastic exchange when they pull up to a house in Downey (which would be a commute of at least 45 minutes):

Him, excited: It feels like we're in Palm Springs!
Her, delightfully dry: We might as well have driven to Palm Springs, with that commute.

[Bastet]

Once again, I only made it halfway through.  I started on the Van Nuys episode with the choreographer and her assistant/tenant, and it's everything I hate about this show in one episode.  She has the L.A. equivalent of pocket change to spend, but keeps whining the old, tiny houses (with, you know, interior walls) in cheaper neighborhoods are what's available at that price.  I adore the guy at the dog park who responds to her stated wish for a 2 bedroom/2 bath house for around $600K by asking, "In L.A., or Waco, Texas?"  Seriously, dude.

And the assistant bleating about how the HH needs to chill out.  Easy for her to say, since once she realizes being someone's tenant-roommate on top of their employee is batshit crazy, she can move out, while the HH will need to keep paying the mortgage.

I know I need to power through and see what boring white on white with a splash of grey design they do, but, gods, I remember why I quit watching this show despite being handy and design-savvy and thus doing much of my own redesign and renovation over the years -- I have no problem watching people do things that are not my taste, but I have a huge problem watching the same fucking design over and over.  Even if I didn't find it a boring design to begin with, I'd find the repetition boring.  (Just like how I love hardwood floors, but enjoy the rare episode of the regular series where a HH wants carpet.)

And were all these people strangled by a rainbow or something -- why the abject horror at color?!

Edited April 5, 2023 by Bastet

[laredhead]

Bastet, I love your comment about the lack of imgination when it comes to color.  I want to hand them a box of Crayons with only 3 colors in it - white, black, and grey.  They would be over the moon with such a "vast" selection.   

[Bastet]

I finished the episode with the choreographer and her assistant-tenant (Run away, assistant-tenant!  She doesn't even allow you a closet!), and, yeah, I hate this show.  I hate the HHs, I hate the designers, and I hate their repetitive white designs.  Which, admittedly, makes me as crazy as these colorphobes are, but there it is. 

The kitchen they gutted had been renovated, so I hope they at least donated the cabinets, countertop, etc. (I think we only saw them busting into walls, not cabinets [and I know we didn't see how they removed the countertop]).  It looked nice but generic when done, as did the bathroom, but what she wound up doing with that extra space in the bathroom in no way justified depriving the second bedroom of a proper closet; beyond being rude to her servant assistant-tenant, it's stupid for resale.  

Making the living room walls and fireplace both white (of course) was not just boring, but a big waste; that fireplace should have been a focal point in a great accent color (and, no, grey would not count!).

I did laugh when the HH left the assistant in charge while she traveled, and the assistant said not to worry, she had it all covered, and the HH would come home to a lovely colorful house.  It would, of course, be completely inappropriate since she doesn't own it, but I still would have laughed my ass off if the assistant had indeed gone rogue in some way.

[Bastet]

On 3/25/2023 at 7:08 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

"This Reno is No Bed of Roses" Tonight's episode is 2020, he's a musician, their budget is $350k including renovations.  It's set in Atlanta, Johh (a musician on the side, and a corporate analyst for a day job), and Sarah works in health care, and is an artist on the side. They have a cat, Camomile.

I decided to give another episode a whirl, and picked this one.  It was at least enjoyable in that, while they wound up with the same boring-ass kitchen as everyone else because that was done by the designer, they did the basement themselves and actually put some color on the walls (well, the top half the walls; they painted the wainscotting white, but that looked nice).  I didn't like her mural on the door, but I was thrilled to see it just for something different.  I did love the wall color they chose. 

Their living room was nice (and had color!), too; if they'd had the knowledge to do their own kitchen, I might have liked to see what they came up with.

The kitchen designer had the actual nerve to present a white subway tile backsplash as something exciting.  My cat sat up and meowed at that moment, so I translate it to mean a sarcastic, "Yeah, wow, we've never seen that before."

Open shelving, for displaying interesting decorative pieces, on one small wall can look very nice without sacrificing practicality, but replacing that much cabinetry with it and using it to store plates, glasses, etc. is nuts. 

The backyard is HUGE, but there's no way in hell I'd have my property line be active railroad tracks! 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I agree. For me, railroad tracks right next to your house are a deal breaker.  

I just find it interesting that the few episodes for HHR are from 2019 and 2020, I guess they were leftovers.   I didn't find any of the HHR shows to have anything unique or memorable in design.   

I really find it amusing when the designer shows up, and it's obvious that designer is working from measurements, and photos, and pitching to people they've never met in person.   The homeowner hearing the design suggestions is always a fun moment for me, with the HHR person trying to hide that they hate the design ideas. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

They're showing a 2020 episode of this program, it's in Denver.    "Turning Quirky into Charming".    It doesn't say "new" next to it on my cable guide, so it might be a true rerun, I don't remember it.  It airs at 8 central, 9 eastern. 

The house with a herd of Alpacas next door was interesting.   I can't believe they bought anything in the Denver area for     The designer suggests white shaker cabinets, marble look quartz counter tops, and marble look herringbone tile back splash.   I think anyone of us could have predicted that palette including a darker wood floor.    2 bed 1 bath, 888 sq ft, for $399k, they paid about $407k for it.   

The worst surprise so far is the galvanized plumbing, so they have a total repipe.  My question is if the contractor checked to see if the supply line from the street is safe pipe, or galvanized too?   I'm wondering if a total rewire was needed too? 

Budget for reno was $45k, they spent $55k, and haven't finished the wine cellar in the crawl space/partial basement, with no stairs, under the kitchen floor.   The hatch to the future wine room is in the middle of the kitchen floor.   

They have another episode, from 2019, next Saturday night too. 

Edited April 30, 2023 by CrazyInAlabama

[CrazyInAlabama]

Tonight's episode is set on the North Shore of Boston.   They're looking a Greek Revival, Federals,  and Colonials.    It's actually dated 2019.   I love looking at authentic old houses, but I really hope they don't wreck it.   The wife actually said the third house kitchen wasn't open enough, and complained about a main bedroom because it had a tiny closet, and ensuite wasn't big and updated enough.   Their budget is $1.1 million.  They're empty nesters. 

First house is one where they want to make an open concept first floor

Second house is a Federal in Salem. They want to open this kitchen up also, make it totally modern, and make a huge master suite on the second floor.   

Third house is a huge colonial with two acres.  He wants to open up the kitchen too.  

They picked #2, in Salem, $889k list, and bought for $850k.  Phase 1 is $165k, for the kitchen, main bedroom and bath, and phase 2 will be the other bedrooms and baths.  The wife claims the husband will design the kitchen, so no decorator?   He already wants to rip out an old servant's staircase, which will cost $15k.  Then, they want to turn the second floor main suite into a huge suite with a big bath, and huge closet.

He's moving the kitchen to another room. It looks so modern with the huge professional look stove, white cabinets shaker style, taking out a fireplace, dark counter tops, and white marble top island.  I loathe their remodel of the new kitchen.   It will be a 200 year-old house, with a super modern kitchen.   That really irritates me.   I know it couldn't have been authentic, but I think something less modern would have looked nicer.   No surprise the white cabinets are OK, but with the gray island with the marble top it looks so trendy.  

No surprise that the 200 year old home needs a total rewire, because it's knob and tube.   Even though the couple claimed the husband was going to design the kitchen and main bedroom/bath remodel, they have a designer now for the main suite.  As usual, the couple dispute everything the designer suggests. 

I recorded the ending of this, and I'm not sure I want to watch what they did to the house.  I hate when someone buys a very old house, and rips everything out, and make it modern and trendy.   Why didn't they buy a newer house, and remodel that?   There's nothing original but the exterior, and  after they finish phase two all of the interior will look trendy, and nothing original. 

Edited May 7, 2023 by CrazyInAlabama

[laredhead]

The thing they removed that most upset me was the mahogany counter top in the butler's pantry.  On the show Restoration recently, Brett Waterman explained that wooden countertops were used in butler's pantries because wood is softer than a marble counter top, and more forgiving if you set a glass down it too hard.  Less likely to chip.  They removed that counter top and replaced it with a dark stone (granite?) counter top.  I would have figured out a way to use it, because they reused the copper sink.

 

[Pine]

This was an upsetting remodel to say the least.   Why are people like this allowed to destroy homes, that other's preserved all these years?  I truly disliked both of them, him for being pro ripping out everything, her for being so passive, and excusing herself from any blame.   I imagine the other two homes were protected from this destroyer of fine old heritage homes.  :)

[ECM1231]

Ditto, ditto, ditto to the above comments re the historic Salem, MA home. I wasn't upset about them ripping out the servants' staircase, but that's about it. Why do these folks even want a historic home? They like none of its features. Any home, whether it be really old, from the 1800s or even from the early to mid-20th century, are not going to have huge closets, nor will it have an open concept flow. I find open concept to be highly overrated, anyway. 

[topanga]

I really like this show and hope HGTV makes new episodes. I like that the home owners are intimately involved with the renovations. Unlike other  shows where the owners are sent away after making a few design choices. Or they receive staged phone calls about asbestos or HVAC problems. I personally would not want my home renovations to be a total (or near total) surprise. 

[Pine]

Just watched 99% of Season 17, Episode 11 A Mid-century Retro Renovation 1/28/2020

Nothing like insisting on a untouched Mid Century, then let a flaky designer take out all the desired features.  Could not stomach the reveal.