Windy City Rehab - General Discussion

[NYGirl]

Just watched 2 episodes...probably reruns.  I don't think I'll watch any more of this.  My God all she does is whine about spending money.  She's in the wrong business.

[absolutelyido]

On 1/15/2019 at 9:38 PM, absolutelyido said:

I like Allison and Donovan. I generally like Allison's style, but I'd like to see her get over her enthrallment with brass finishes. I see a lot of tv designers using gold and brass finishes, but I don't know of anyone in real life who is using it, or who likes it. It still looks dated to me.

On the penthouse condo remodel, Allison was mad that the carpenter who had framed out the fireplace wall had done it in plywood, which wasn't fire resistant, so it had to be redone at the last minute when the guys who were to install the stone facade wouldn't install it because they knew the plywood underneath wouldn't be fire safe. Given that the condo took 9 months to remodel, I'm guessing that plywood was up for weeks if not more. It really surprised me that neither Allison or Donovan identified that wasn't safe for a fireplace.

I'm quoting myself because I would like to take back my statement that I like Allison. (I still like Donovan.) She is just soooo impressed with herself and her design "skills". Honey, you ain't all that. She's completely one-note, the same things every house:

--Brass fixtures everywhere

--Putting in historical pieces from around the same era as the house, but in no way appropriate for the architectural style of the house

--Ugly-ass hood in the kitchen that she designs, and pays a minimum of $5,000 to have custom made, which in no way adds that much value to the house because....it's a hood

[irisheyes]

So, it’s ANOTHER house they spent a gazillion dollars on and still haven’t sold. Either HGTV is paying them a ton, or Donovan’s freakishly wealthy. Cause I can’t imagine that any investor or bank would stick with them without seeing any return. 

[MaKaM]

She needs to get over her bad self. Not going to take a cent under 2mil...not because there is anything that indicates the property is worth that based on location and the local market but because her designs are just so surpassingly awesome, they increases the value by hundreds of thousands of dollars. But then, I guess they have a lot of losses on other properties to make up for so maybe they *need* to sell at that price not just *want*.

Don't see the house on the market on redfin. Maybe she is waiting for the spring selling season for this one too...

[Writing Wrongs]

I can't believe how close together Chicago houses are. It doesn't look like one person sliding sideways could fit between them.

All these reno shows end up with interiors that look like no one would ever be comfortable actually living in them. Why do people hate walls?

[2727]

At least the exterior turned out nice this time with the historic commission watching her every move.

Inside was her usual mess. I mean, what the actual fuck was that huge ironwork room divider with wood Hobbit doors?

I'm solely watching now to see how bad it can get.

[buttersister]

Heh, pretty bad. Outside=Chicago. Inside= Whole lotta standard HGTV. I’m  going to lose count soon of the number of $1 million or $2 million houses they’re holding onto til spring! There are banks that still loan them money? Or is Donovan’s superpower having other financial lending sources?

So the long-time renter was a squatter? Do squatters bag their garbage on the way out? (Sounds more like a good negotiator.) Does putting in a soffit make you an imbecile? Could Allison be any less likeable?

[cameron]

Please put Allison Victoria out of her misery!!

[cameron]

It will be interested to see how long this takes to sell.  Once again, needless mistakes on this project due to gross mismanagement.  The only thing about this project was the outside.  It did look better.  Wish she would put real fireplaces in as oppose to prefab units.  That speaks cheap to me.

[cameron]

Also question the metal cornice on the front of the house.  Have lived in three historic properties and the cornices are always wood not metal (even though the wood does rot and requires a lot of upkeep). Think this was added when they put the fake stone on front.

[LBS]

I still can't believe she took out the original woodwork from the doors to make frames?  For the crappy paintings that she commissions?  WTF?  I fell asleep before the end so I will have to watch it again today but I am gratified to read here that it didn't sell.   I live in Chicago.  2M houses aren't the rage right now.   Also, I'm not a realtor but I do watch a lot of HGTV (so practically an expert) but isn't being the most expensive house on the block an impediment to selling?  Isn't that why one of the Property brothers brings up specs when he talks to the potential homeowners about buying?  Alison and Donovan are just dumb.

However my biggest rage was directed at Alison and her continuously calling the LEGAL RENTER a "squatter". No ma'am.  That renter probably had lived there for longer than you  have been alive and you had to go to court to evict an elderly person to build your ugly open concept house.  When they were mocking the amount of cat hair in the apartment, I wanted to cry.  I just kept on picturing some little old man or lady being pushed out of their house to an assisted living house and I really hope they got to keep their cats.   I think it affected me so much because I lived in a vintage apartment in Lincoln Square that was bought by developers.  They gave everyone 60 days from the end of their lease to leave.   I met a longtime resident who got the notice and was so scared.  She lived there for over 40 years and had three cats.   She had no idea where she would go as her husband was dead and her family lived in a different state.   I think she got help from the city but it still haunts me.   Also, the developers Alison'd the building and took out all the vintage charm.  

[Vivigirl10]

1 hour ago, LBS said:

When they were mocking the amount of cat hair in the apartment, I wanted to cry. 

They did this in another episode as well and I found it upsetting too.  The owners had the home decorated very uniquely, for sure, but it was their home and I'm sure they loved the way it looked.  Who are you to make fun of someone's home just because it doesn't fit with your ridiculous "design" aesthetic?  Not everyone wants gray walls.  I think the person who lived in the overly decorated and wallpapered home was probably a pretty interesting, cool or creative person!  Have a little respect.  

[izabella]

I wanted to snatch that saw out of their hands when they were chopping up the banister on the original stairs and beat them over the head with it.  Fuck you, Allison and Donovan!  I'm sure one of those salvage places she goes to buy "old stuff" would have loved to take that solid hardwood banister they could hardly cut through with their fucking saw.

[ktwo]

Did anyone catch the street address of this last one on Evergreen?

[cameron]

Thought the same thing.  I recognized that the type of newel post.  Beautiful old piece that sometimes contained an ivory marker indicating a paid off mortgage.

44 minutes ago, izabella said:

I wanted to snatch that saw out of their hands when they were chopping up the banister on the original stairs and beat them over the head with it.  Fuck you, Allison and Donovan!  I'm sure one of those salvage places she goes to buy "old stuff" would have loved to take that solid hardwood banister they could hardly cut through with their fucking saw.

Yes, it's 1965 W. Evergreen Ave.  Really had to hunt for this.

Edited February 20, 2019 by cameron

[cameron]

3 minutes ago, ktwo said:

Did anyone catch the street address of this last one on Evergreen?

Yes, it's 1965 W. Evergreen Ave.  It was really hard to find.  Had to dig a lot to find this.

[Writing Wrongs]

When people buy the homes they redo, do they have to buy all the furniture too? Some of that crap is ugly.

[suebee12]

6 hours ago, LBS said:

However my biggest rage was directed at Alison and her continuously calling the LEGAL RENTER a "squatter"

I was actually wondering how and why they were doing this! At the very beginning, Donavan mentioned the "renter" which means the person was paying money to live there. I had the feeling that they decided that when they started reno, they would drive the person out. I also found it a bit strange that when the renter moved Alison grinned broadly and said...now we own the whole house. Didn't they already own it but just had to rid themselves of the renter? You can't buy half a house can you?

5 hours ago, Kiki620 said:

They did this in another episode as well and I found it upsetting too.  The owners had the home decorated very uniquely, for sure, but it was their home and I'm sure they loved the way it looked.  Who are you to make fun of someone's home just because it doesn't fit with your ridiculous "design" aesthetic? 

This. I have always wondered how people felt when they watched the show to see their houses commented on. Some of the things said are quite harsh and have to be disturbing to folks who have allowed HGTV to use their homes as "dummies" so that there are 3 homes to view. It is one thing to tour a house and mention the wallpaper, paint color or bizarre decorations to your realtor but these things are said on television for all to hear. Another reason to never let  your home be used in this fashion...they couldn't pay me enough!

[CrazyInAlabama]

My understanding is that if you have a legal tenant, with a lease, that the terms of the lease transfer with the house sale to the buyer.    If you are a month to month tenant, they still have to give notice to move out.    One jurisdiction you had to give 60 days notice to a month-to-month, but either way I think it's 30 days at least.  

I think it's even worse where you have rent control, and I don't know if Chicago has that, in that case it's hard to get rid of a tenant, and I've heard of developers or buyers having to shell out big bucks to get rid of those tenants.  

[car54]

Sounds like the neighbors are not fans.

https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/chicago-residents-upset-alison-victoria-windy-city-rehab.html/

[buttersister]

8 hours ago, suebee12 said:

Another reason to never let  your home be used in this fashion...they couldn't pay me enough!

My high rise was approached several years ago by HH to shoot here. My first question was, did the couple buy here? Answer was yes, permission granted. Show came back a year later, but wanted us to be a decoy. No effing way. 

Discussion today at work about Allison’s claim to be born and raised in Chicago. Since she moved to Lincolnwood when she was six, I’m all WTH? But natives made the case that the burb was thought of as part of the city. Weak case, I thought. Points for proximity, BS for schools and taxes. And, you know, a name that’s not Chicago. The thing we all agreed on was how stupid and wrong was ripping out the old wood trim. And the fugly art she commissions.

[cameron]

4 hours ago, buttersister said:

My high rise was approached several years ago by HH to shoot here. My first question was, did the couple buy here? Answer was yes, permission granted. Show came back a year later, but wanted us to be a decoy. No effing way. 

Discussion today at work about Allison’s claim to be born and raised in Chicago. Since she moved to Lincolnwood when she was six, I’m all WTH? But natives made the case that the burb was thought of as part of the city. Weak case, I thought. Points for proximity, BS for schools and taxes. And, you know, a name that’s not Chicago. The thing we all agreed on was how stupid and wrong was ripping out the old wood trim. And the fugly art she commissions.

I agree.  Use to live in Barrington and always use the term suburb when I would tell people where we lived.  Lincolnwood as well as Barrington are in the burbs - not Chicago proper.  She should say I grew up in Chicagoland.

10 hours ago, car54 said:

Sounds like the neighbors are not fans.

https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/chicago-residents-upset-alison-victoria-windy-city-rehab.html/

I wouldn't be a fan either.  Litter, and heavy construction do not make for friendly connections.

Edited February 21, 2019 by cameron

[Enigma X]

I have noticed that most people from the Chicago suburbs (or any major city's suburbs) claim the city when asked "Where are you from?" I was always told that I was being a weirdo when I said that when people did that bugged me.

[LBS]

53 minutes ago, Enigma X said:

I have noticed that most people from the Chicago suburbs (or any major city's suburbs) claim the city when asked "Where are you from?" I was always told that I was being a weirdo when I said that when people did that bugged me.

As a native Chicagoan - it bugs the heck out of me.  Embrace where you live.  Lincolnwood is not Chicago.  Funny aside,  I was at a party in college and chatting up a guy and he said he was from Chicago.  I asked oh whereabouts? And he said - and I'm  not kidding - DeKalb.   For those outside of Illinois, DeKalb is over an hour from the outskirts of Chicago.  It's pretty much farm country.    

[izabella]

I grew up in Chicago and consider Lincolnwood a suburb,.  It borders the city, but when you look at the real estate (which I just did on Zillow) it's clear that it is a suburb with a lot of free standing houses with driveways and lawns and yards.  That is not "Chicago" with its long narrow lots and houses very close together, garage backing up to the alley.  Totally different world in so many ways.

[Enigma X]

I am also a native Chicagoan and when I tell people where I am from, I find myself saying "Chicago, the actual city" or "the city proper" because so many people who are not from X city claim the nearest one of where they are from.

[CruiseDiva]

51 minutes ago, LBS said:

As a native Chicagoan - it bugs the heck out of me.  Embrace where you live.  Lincolnwood is not Chicago.  Funny aside,  I was at a party in college and chatting up a guy and he said he was from Chicago.  I asked oh whereabouts? And he said - and I'm  not kidding - DeKalb.   For those outside of Illinois, DeKalb is over an hour from the outskirts of Chicago.  It's pretty much farm country.    

That's hysterical. I went to college at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb and most of my friends were from the city itself or Chicago 'burbs. NONE of the burb-dwellers every said they were from Chicago, but everyone at Northern recognized where Skokie or Naperville were. People from other parts of the country don't think of anything in Illinois but Chicago. It's always bugged me that Chicago is called Barack Obama's "hometown" even though he lived there a shorter time than I did as a child. I would never call Chicago my hometown, although I was born not far from the city.

[chessiegal]

If someone told me they were from Lincolnwood I wouldn't have a clue what that meant. They'd have to tell me it was near Chicago.

[cameron]

19 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

If someone told me they were from Lincolnwood I wouldn't have a clue what that meant. They'd have to tell me it was near Chicago.

Agreed.  While it's certainly a nice area; it's not Chicago.  Besides it's not even the infamous Cook County.

[Surrealist]

4 hours ago, Enigma X said:

I have noticed that most people from the Chicago suburbs (or any major city's suburbs) claim the city when asked "Where are you from?" I was always told that I was being a weirdo when I said that when people did that bugged me.

I grew up in DeKalb. People not from Chicago claiming to be has always bothered me. I lived in Chicago for ten years. When people asked if I was from Chicago, I'd tell them "No" and say I was from DeKalb. I'd tell them where that is, distance-wise, from Chicago (about an hour directly west). 

NIU attracts Chicagoans and suburbanites alike. When I'd tell Chicagoans where I was from, they always lit up because they went to NIU or knew someone who did. For suburbanites, NIU was a suitcase school. They tend to look down on small town folks. That was always my impression anyway. Maybe it's changed. 

Someone once told me he was from Chicago, and since I had lived there for years and knew the layout, I asked which neighborhood. He said Rockford. That's two hours away and closer to Wisconsin. I didn't tell him I had lived in the city. I wanted to see what he would say. 

Edited February 21, 2019 by Surrealist

[Kitty Redstone]

Alison Victoria and the stove hood she rode in on can fuck right off for calling that legal tenant a squatter and for making fun of him having a cat. 

I wanted to like this show but her personality is so rigid, smug and generally off-putting.  There are much better ways to spend an hour.

[MaKaM]

Eh, I'm from northwest Indiana and I'm gonna claim Chicago when talking generally to people. People here on the east coast aren't going to know where Schererville (sherra-ville) Indiana is but they are going to figure out Chicago. Or sometimes, Northwest Indiana, part of Chicago. Our time was Chicago, our news was Chicago, our major entertainment was Chicago so meh, sorry if that offends, not gonna stop. (also, much of the rest of Indiana is the backwards pits so I'd rather not be lumped with most of them)

[juliet73]

I grew up in a Chicago suburb. When people ask, I always say "outside of Chicago." Most of the time, the next question is "which suburb?"

I saw nothing special or different about this reno vs the others.  I liked the staircase and the herringbone floor, but I'm not impressed with AV at all and this particular home certainly doesn't warrant a $2 million + price tag. She needs to get over herself and take her stupid vent hoods with her!

Edited February 22, 2019 by juliet73

[Kohola3]

22 hours ago, Enigma X said:

I have noticed that most people from the Chicago suburbs (or any major city's suburbs) claim the city when asked "Where are you from?"

Quite the opposite if you are from the Detroit area.  NOBODY admits to living in Detroit.  They always name the suburb and add how many miles away it is from Detroit.  The more miles, the better.

[mojito]

A subtitle for this show could be, "The Four Seasons of Chicago". 

I see that the wood trim is precious, but it's not cool to replace it. To me, that's very much the character of the home. What I noticed with this last "two million-dollar" home (AV repeated that a lot), was that they didn't bother to replace the crown molding. Is that not cool, too? I still see other people putting it into homes, I would think an old Chicago home would be a shoe-in for crown molding.

Watching AV kind of brings out the nasty in me. I find myself enjoying all the problems that she is constantly griping about. 

That couple who looked at this last house....the guy asked "What is going on with this door?" and AV asked if he liked it. He said something about it looking very Chicago. But he said nothing about liking it. The door and glass were attractive; I'd probably be impressed if I saw it in a retail district. In a family home, it was just pretentious. I did like the staircase, though.

I don't hang out with the rich and famous. I have a couple of friends who live in McMansions (3600+ sq ft, as opposed to AV's 5000+) and both homes strike me as too large for their inhabitants. I also note that the homes are chilly in the winter and warm in the summer because, well, heating and cooling cost money.  There are a couple of rooms in both homes I've never seen because the doors are always closed. I'll bet the vents are shut, too. Anyway, it's hard for me to imagine this home being comfortable for a family (5 bedrooms), but it would sure make a nice B&B. They already have a restaurant with long counter seating and a large table. 

 

[suebee12]

1 hour ago, mojito said:

Watching AV kind of brings out the nasty in me. I find myself enjoying all the problems that she is constantly griping about. 

Me, too. And you know why? Because she is usually the cause of the problems. The other thing I noticed was that they tore down the garage. Granted, it wasn't attached but wouldn't someone want to have their cars out of the weather? Either hot or cold?

[juliet73]

I hate hearing AV and D constantly say their homes are so unique and there isn't anything like them on the market.  Because I have nothing better to do, I went to Zillow.com and put entered 5B/3ba, 5000+ sq ft in Wicker Park and Bucktown between $1 million - $2.4 million.  The active listings all pretty much look the same.  Same layouts - open concepts with formal LR and DR combo, kitchen with oven against the wall and the sink in the extra long island, compact casual eating area and the family room in the back.  Masters have 5 pc baths and huge walk in closets and all have finished basements. Very small or non existent backyards because an addition took up all the outdoor space or it's nothing but decks. They all have similar color schemes and finishes.  Even the homes that have less beds/baths and sq ft all look the same.    

I would think if they (or other builders/flippers/rehabbers) are renovating these smaller homes into these multi million dollar mansions, the potential buyers are going to be families.  A single person or a couple with no children aren't going to be the majority looking at a 5 bedroom, 4000+ sq ft house.  With that, I'm surprised at the lack of mudrooms, finished basements or family rooms with no built ins/storage for toys, etc.  Small, shared bathrooms and small closets in the bedrooms and non existent grassy areas in the backyard.  I can't imagine paying over $2 million dollars for a house and I can't install a playset in the backyard or my dog has no place to go to the bathroom because the yard has been eaten up by an addition and/or deck.  

I don't even think the Evergreen house had a main floor bathroom.  If it did, they never mentioned it or showed it.  

[izabella]

What Victoria is doing has been happening all over Chicago's north side.  It's killing the rental market in those neighborhoods, so it's a form of gentrification but at a higher income level.   Some neighborhoods, it's hard to find a single family home at a decent price because the regular homes have been purchased by developers, torn down or gutted like Victoria does, and then rebuilt into giant buildings with no yards or green space or trees of any kind which they sell for $2-$5M. 

Victoria is just doing a worse job than most with the facades and the interiors.

[car54]

I'm starting to think she's being paid to be obnoxious for some reason.    Calling a legal, rent-paying tenant a "squatter" was so entitled and offensive.

The way they go at demo -such as the back of the house they added on to looks crazy and dangerous, and torching that bar out on the sidewalk near the neighbors looked scary to me.  

After all the talk about satisfying the historic rules, I am a little surprised they passed so easily with all the things they did to that house.

Also, I did not care for those giant tear drop doors.    I didn't mind the iron framework, tho I am not sure I would have chosen it but to me those doors did not fit with what they did in that house.

Shout out to all the Chicago and Chicago adjacent people--I was born in Chicago, we moved to Calumet City when I was little and then moved to Central Illinois, then I came back north to NIU in DeKalb.   Since we moved out of the city when I was very small I've never claimed to be from Chicago either.

[CruiseDiva]

22 hours ago, car54 said:

I'm starting to think she's being paid to be obnoxious for some reason. 

I've been trying to place AV's "accent" and I think I've got it. She sounds like she's attempting a nasally version of a Back-of-the-Yards accent but it comes and goes when she forgets to put it on. She actually sounds a lot like my aunt who lived in Des Plaines.

[buttersister]

Another building they haven’t sold and still on the books?! Do they get their funding from Deutsche Bank or HGTV? 

Hahaha, the fireplace. Her candle vision didn’t work and looked ridiculous. The phony buyer guy #1 says “no detail is overlooked.” Ringers, the lot of them—she’s snapping “gotcha” at prospective buyers? Right. And WTH was with the emasculating “joke”?  Most HGTV shows may irritate, but don’t portray the lead as an asshole.

[irisheyes]

5 hours ago, buttersister said:

Another building they haven’t sold and still on the books?! Do they get their funding from Deutsche Bank or HGTV? 

Hahaha, the fireplace. Her candle vision didn’t work and looked ridiculous. The phony buyer guy #1 says “no detail is overlooked.” Ringers, the lot of them—she’s snapping “gotcha” at prospective buyers? Right. And WTH was with the emasculating “joke”?  Most HGTV shows may irritate, but don’t portray the lead as an asshole.

Yeah, the fireplace looked terrible. It was just sitting there on a blank wall without any sort of trim or design. 

I did like the tin ceiling, and it doesn’t look like she did any garish brass hoods, so there’s that. 

[cameron]

The only thing good about last night's episode showing the Pierce house was that she didn't use those hideous brass hoods in the kitchen.  Wolf hood and range.  Actually she didn't kill the insides of this project too much.  Really should have used hearths with those fake fireplaces.  Looked strange just sitting on the wood floor.  

Had to laugh when Donovan mentioned the crooked windows.  Must not have spent alot of time in old homes.  Too bad they took down the original iron fence.  Thought it was much better looking than the one they put in.  Can't believe the mistakes they made with the framing.  Doesn't Donovan have a project manager or why isn't he over at the site overlooking the progress of this home.

[mojito]

Too much time spent on shallow, unattractive fireplace facades with the dumb candles sitting on the floor. Too much talk about the corbels, the glaze, well, frankly, anything that AV is contributing. Too much talk in general. AV spends a lot of time explaining design choices that I don't care about. I'd much rather follow the build than the forgettable designs.

I guess AV and Donovan have multiple builds happening simultaneously and with the Spring selling season coming and going so quickly, it must be hard to juggle crews. 

The outside of the home looked nice.

[juliet73]

2 hours ago, mojito said:

Too much talk about the corbels, the glaze, well, frankly, anything that AV is contributing. Too much talk in general. AV spends a lot of time explaining design choices that I don't care about. I'd much rather follow the build than the forgettable designs.

Agree!  And it looks like everybody that she overshares with doesn't care either!

Once again, this reno has the same layout, etc as all of their others.  Not impressed.  

I can see why AV would be pissed that D that didn't call her about the $30k addition fiasco because that is a lot of $$$$.  But on the flip side, I don't see her calling him when she spends over $6k on an ugly vent hood!  She totally overreacted about the appliances.  The "fireplaces" were horrible!  She should have done without or at least installed electric inserts instead of those lame candles.  So the fake buyers at the end are just brought in so AV can brag about how awesome she is?  The house was purchased in Dec 2017 and won't be listed until March 2019?!

After watching this season and all the self inflicted problems and wasted money spent on incompetence, I have come to the conclusion that besides being greedy and having no common sense, these two have no management/leadership skills.  Obviously, since they are complete morons, they need a site manger or superintendent on their jobs every.single.day.  and they need to use the same dependable crew all the time.  IMO, they shouldn't have any more than 2 houses going on at the same time and at different stages so they/the crews aren't overextended. Maybe a third if it's in the final stages (painting, staging, etc).  Since the houses are all located in the same neighborhood, the site manager can be available for 4 hours at each house every day.  And once all the "trade work" is complete, then AV should be able to take over.  There is absolutely no reason for that addition to have been built incorrectly.  Within a day or two (maybe sooner/later - I'm not a professional) someone (a legit super/site manager) would have noticed it was wrong.  I would much rather see them not go so far over budget because of their own idiocy and see that the homes sell in a reasonable time frame at a reasonable price rather than see them tack on the overages to the sale price because of their unprofessionalism and then taken off the market because they aren't selling. 

I just can't wrap my brain around how they spend their money.  Lose a few thousand waiting for the job to be done properly vs losing tens of thousands because it's wrong and then paying more money to have it done correctly.  Same with losing a little bit of money on accepting a lower asking price vs losing a lot of money by holding on to it and taking it off the market and then probably selling it below asking anyway a few months later.  

The guy that does all the woodworking should have his own show.  He does great work!

[CrazyInAlabama]

If any of the houses that are being held off the market until Spring were cozy or less stark inside, with the lack of color, then they might have been able to put them on the market instead of waiting.     A nice, cozy looking house might just sell, but the white, colorless design, and cavernous rooms look cold, and certainly aren't going to attract top dollar in the winter. 

I wonder where they recruit the phony buyers who tour the place?         

[Kapaluakids]

I give up. I just cannot watch this show anymore. These two are so inept that it defies logic. I do not know how they stay in business. AV just throws “historical” details at houses whether they’re the correct period or not and is so proud of herself. Those faux fireplaces in the Pierce house were pathetic. The $6000 brass vent hoods are atrocious. Every interior looks bland and exactly the same. I wonder just how much outstanding debt they are carrying right now with all of these houses waiting for the spring market. I just cannot put myself through the stress and frustration of watching these two anymore. 

[buttersister]

5 hours ago, juliet73 said:

The guy that does all the woodworking should have his own show.  He does great work!

I’d watch the Wood Man Machine! His Zen reaction to AV’s frantic BS is priceless, but imagine what great stuff we could watch him create without her cliche direction.

Quote

 I wonder where they recruit the phony buyers who tour the place?

North side restaurants during weekend brunches!

[absolutelyido]

Yeah those fireplace surrounds in the Pierce house, with the dry wall on the inside, looked so stupid. The first thing any buyer is going to do is take them out. She should have built some kind of firebox with tile or brick inside to make them look more like real fireplaces. If not that, I think even just painting the dry wall inside black would have helped.

I understand that mixing traditional, historic features with modern can be done well but AV just isn't able to pull it off. All her designs are sleek and modern, then she slaps in a few old, ornate pieces that just look odd and out of place. 

[Kitty Redstone]

10 hours ago, juliet73 said:

The guy that does all the woodworking should have his own show.  He does great work!

Agreed!  He, along with the other tradespeople putting up with Alison and Donovan's incompetence and ridiculousness, was the bright spot of this series (after last week I'm no longer watching).