House Hunters - General Discussion

[CrazyInAlabama]

Dreaming Big in Texas, moving for a waterfront home in Galveston Texas.    He's an amputee and often uses a wheelchair.    I hope they're sensible and if a hurricane warning is possible, they get across to the main part of Texas before the bridge clogs up, and the roads are packed. 

First house is on the water, but has a lot of stairs on the various decks.  It has an elevator, and I hope a backup generator.     

Second house has no water view, but's it's a single story. 

Third house is 30 minutes north of Galveston. 3700 sq ft, 4 bed 3.5 bath, pool and hot tub, on stilts.  It has an elevator. Beautiful kitchen.   All floors are hardwood floors or tile. there's a separate primary bedroom, a huge library.   $1.175 million. 

They buy #1 , I would have bought #3, or another house on the shore, not Galveston with it's limited access in an emergency.   I bet they'll spend a lot fixing the first house.   

Edited September 8, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[chessiegal]

4 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

He's a double amputee and often uses a wheelchair. 

I thought he only lost one leg because of blood clots. When he was in his wheelchair and not wearing the prosthetic on the one leg, he was helping scoot along the chair with his other leg.

[amarante]

I liked the guy moving from Brooklyn to Huntsville - at least he actually knew what he was talking about as opposed to the idiots who have to ask if it is "granite" or if the floor is "wood".

I get why he wanted a stone counter if he bakes because the cool surface is very good for rolling out stuff so the fat doesn't melt and the dough doesn't stick. People who are into baking will have a section with a marble counter for that reason although obviously granite or quartz will have the same benefit.

And I am not a bath person but the Japanese tubs have a cultish following and they also have a small footprint so theoretically can be put in a smaller bathroom.

Was this the one where they oohed and aahed about the tub in the shower because that is one of the stupidest configurations as you get the damn tub wet every time you shower and so have to clean it more frequently. 

 But at least the realtor gave them more or less actual prices for the cost of what they wanted to do. However unless the father is actually in construction I just don't see him as being able to do a complete kitchen. 

My DVR caught an episode of a couple moving from the Bay Area to the Los Angeles area with a good budget - about $1.5 million. They looked at a place in Calabasas, Winnetka and Woodland Hills. And the realtor was claiming it was 20 minutes from the beach. I admitted don't retain much of these shows but I recall there being a similar scenario a few months ago with an equally unrealistic idea of how long it would take to commute from Woodland Hills to the beach. 

[Grizzly]

Iowa. Jill, the realtor, is quite stylish, love her color palette. The husband seems to recognize his rigidity. My goodness #2 is huge! I don't understand people who insist their yards be fenced for the dog(s). We have a dog and the yard is open. He stays with us. Maybe people are just lazy. I'm happy with their choice.

[Grrarrggh]

1 hour ago, Grizzly said:

I don't understand people who insist their yards be fenced for the dog(s). We have a dog and the yard is open. He stays with us. Maybe people are just lazy. I'm happy with their choice.

Even the best trained dogs will chase things and run off. Or attack like Cujo!! 

[CrazyInAlabama]

18 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Iowa. Jill, the realtor, is quite stylish, love her color palette. The husband seems to recognize his rigidity. My goodness #2 is huge! I don't understand people who insist their yards be fenced for the dog(s). We have a dog and the yard is open. He stays with us. Maybe people are just lazy. I'm happy with their choice.

You have to worry about other animals coming on your property after your dog also.   And you want to keep others off your property also, especially with kids.     However, some HOAs don't allow fences at all, so either taking the dog out on a leash, or invisible fence are the only answers for people who want to let the dog out without going with the dog.    I've had a lot of dogs, and not one would have stuck with me consistently if I wasn't out with them.    Not that a privacy fence or 6' chain fence would stop a coyote anyway.      

I'm always amused by the realtors' estimates of commute or travel time to beaches, or work, and their ridiculous estimates for a remodel.   

I corrected the the Galveston episode, I was watching and doing other things at the same time. (If you are drinking lemonade while watching TV, and you're sitting on your bed, you have to do a lot of laundry quickly.   So I wasn't watching the episode that closely, fortunately, Spectrum decided to put HH on permanent new episode record).     He is a single amputee.   I still wonder what they'll have to do to fix the access for the boat dock, and other deck areas.     

I live 90 miles from the Florida panhandle coast, and know too many people who don't take hurricane warnings seriously enough, and end up panicking, and evacuating to a nightmare scenario of too many cars, too few roads, and monumental backups.   

Edited September 8, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[mojito]

10 hours ago, Grizzly said:

The husband seems to recognize his rigidity.

Never would've expected him to comment that he was unreasonably excited about his daughters' first ballet recital. That was cute.

I'm with the wife: an RV in the front of the house is an eyesore. 

San Antonio to Galveston

Those two must have a stash of money that they don't want to tap into. They look at one place that's twice as much as he wants to spend, and her top dollar was something like $300K over his top dollar. Nice couple. I was glad to see Galveston on the show. 

11 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I hope they're sensible and if a hurricane warning is possible, they get across to the main part of Texas before the bridge clogs up, and the roads are packed. 

Fortunately, hurricane predictions give people better warning than they did in 1900. 😊 And even if a weather bureau in Cuba is the only place predicting a gulf hurricane, I'll bet people will listen...this time (reference to what I think I remember of the book "Isaac's Storm"). 

[proserpina65]

19 hours ago, rhofmovalley said:

Grilled kale or romaine is a thing, especially amongst the hipsters.

There's also wilted lettuce & bacon salad.

[CrazyInAlabama]

On 9/8/2022 at 9:05 AM, mojito said:

Never would've expected him to comment that he was unreasonably excited about his daughters' first ballet recital. That was cute.

I'm with the wife: an RV in the front of the house is an eyesore. 

San Antonio to Galveston

Those two must have a stash of money that they don't want to tap into. They look at one place that's twice as much as he wants to spend, and her top dollar was something like $300K over his top dollar. Nice couple. I was glad to see Galveston on the show. 

If there's an HOA, you probably can't have an RV in front, but either have to park it off-site, or park it out of site from the road, and in a giant garage.   I know many places have strict rules about how long you can park one for loading and unloading.  You can't live in one either on a residential property. 

Also, he's a test pilot, they are very exacting, and analytical.    Their life depends on being perfect about doing everything, analyzing everything, and being decisive.   Emotional people don't make it as test pilots. 

The people who moved to the Central California mountains to buy land and have a glamping tent camping place, that had to have been a joke, right?    

Edited September 10, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[mojito]

2 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

If there's an HOA, you probably can't have an RV in front, but either have to park it off-site, or park it out of site from the road, and in a giant garage. 

Forget HOAs; you can't even have an RV parked in the front of your house in my city!

[Empress1]

16 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Also, he's a test pilot, they are very exacting, and analytical.    Their life depends on being perfect about doing everything, analyzing everything, and being decisive.   Emotional people don't make it as test pilots. 

When he said he was a test pilot and working on a Ph.D in engineering, his demeanor made total sense to me.

[mojito]

LA to Central California Mountains

I get wanting to move to the mountains, but in California? The area looks like a tinder farm. Incredible. Talk about being one cigarette butt away from homelessness. 

Fire insurance is $6000/year. That much money covers my auto and home insurance, and my property taxes with more than $1000 to spare. 

The house next to the blackened tree trunks is the house they selected. 

Edited September 9, 2022 by mojito

[Crashcourse]

1 hour ago, mojito said:

LA to Central California Mountains

I get wanting to move to the mountains, but in California? The area looks like a tinder farm. Incredible. Talk about being one cigarette butt away from homelessness. 

Fire insurance is $6000/year. That much money covers my auto and home insurance, and my state taxes with more than $1000 to spare. 

The house next to the blackened tree trunks is the house they selected. 

I couldn't believe they actually chose that place.  Also, I doubt there will be that many people wanting to rent a cabin on that tinder farm.   

[Grrarrggh]

Was it just inference or did the test pilot guy look like Tom Cruise to anyone else? 

[CrazyInAlabama]

29 minutes ago, Grrarrggh said:

Was it just inference or did the test pilot guy look like Tom Cruise to anyone else? 

I used to work where there were a lot of pilots, all test pilots look pretty much like the House Hunter did.    

[CattyK]

On 9/7/2022 at 10:01 PM, Grizzly said:

Iowa. Jill, the realtor, is quite stylish, love her color palette. 

The realtor was really well-dressed.  I thought the scarf-poncho things she wore to the first two houses looked like they were dyed by hand.  Very pretty.

the buyers seemed more grounded than a lot of the buyers on this show.  

[etexlady]

Galveston episode.  House #3, if north of Galveston, has to be on Bolivar Peninsula.  You have to use the ferry to get from Galveston Island to Bolivar.  A great percentage of the houses on Bolivar are new as Hurricane Ike almost wiped Bolivar clean of homes and businesses but most have been rebuilt.  My family rents a house there in the fall.  It's a quiet community (except maybe on summer weekends), the beach is right there and most people use golf carts to access the beach areas.  You don't really need to go to Galveston unless for nice restaurants and other entertainment or medical care, or maybe personal care type tasks.  There is a big grocery store on Bolivar and the usual dollar stores, drug stores, fresh seafood markets, burger joints, etc.   The first house is on the bay side of Galveston island.  It is not the beach!  I have been told that mosquitoes are horrible on the bay side with no sea breeze to keep them off of you.  

[mojito]

Miami to Phoenix

Real estate market-wise, I wonder if these two jumped out of the frying pan into the fire. 

They kept talking about "kids" yet one of the guys wanted to use the larger bedroom on the second floor (master was on top floor) for his dance studio. This would leave the smaller bedroom on the first floor for the "kids".  I wouldn't have a problem with kids being on a different floor, but probably not the first floor while I was sleeping on the third floor. To each his own. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I would have bought the one with the huge garage for the studio, plus no HOA fees, and lots of room. 

I didn't like the townhouse, way too many levels, and stairs everywhere.  The idea that a kid would be on the lowest floor, so the partner could have his dance studio on the bedroom level was all wrong.  

Edited September 15, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[Grizzly]

Baltimore, MD. He wants historic charm but not too run-down, close to downtown but not on a busy street. He wants to put his own touch on things but doesn't want to do many renovations. And could he wear something besides hoodies?! I wish him well with the fostering, very noble thing to do. Deacon seems happy.

[pdlinda]

1 hour ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I would have bought the one with the huge garage for the studio, plus no HOA fees, and lots of room. 

Living in Phoenix for 30 yrs and extensively driving around Maricopa County  for all the years of my career, I was surprised at the 3 houses the couple were shown by the realtor.  I thought each of the houses had minimal curb appeal (the 2nd house was a bit better but didn't have a yard because of the pool), but the other 2 (including the one they bought)were very unappealing.  

Maricopa County is HUGE so I don't know where these houses were located but for their price point there are far more appealing houses with a lot of amenities near where I live in north central Phoenix.

[Thumper]

15 minutes ago, Grizzly said:

Baltimore, MD. He wants historic charm but not too run-down, close to downtown but not on a busy street. He wants to put his own touch on things but doesn't want to do many renovations. And could he wear something besides hoodies?! I wish him well with the fostering, very noble thing to do. Deacon seems happy.

Don’t forget the WHITE REFRIGERATOR!!!  The horrors! 😂

[Grizzly]

Denver, CO. Dogs are the best part of tonight. Her Bernese is gorgeous. I would buy #2, that seemed ready to go. She doesn't talk about this being her "forever" home so make the next purchase her project. The classic cars at #3 are a dead give away she didn't buy that one. Sigh, she went with the feels. That could turn into a money pit. 

[Thumper]

2 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Denver, CO. Dogs are the best part of tonight. Her Bernese is gorgeous. I would buy #2, that seemed ready to go. She doesn't talk about this being her "forever" home so make the next purchase her project. The classic cars at #3 are a dead give away she didn't buy that one. Sigh, she went with the feels. That could turn into a money pit. 

I’d love to see it when she is done.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I got a kick out of seeing the Baltimore rowhouses, and the single family.     The single family had a lot of room, and yard, but I didn't like the surrounding houses.   I had to laugh at the homebuyer wanting a fixer to save money, but then saying that doing everything would be too much time and money.     I don't think that house will ever be exactly what he wants.     

[cameron]

2 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I got a kick out of seeing the Baltimore rowhouses, and the single family.     The single family had a lot of room, and yard, but I didn't like the surrounding houses.   I had to laugh at the homebuyer wanting a fixer to save money, but then saying that doing everything would be too much time and money.     I don't think that house will ever be exactly what he wants.     

He ended buying an electric fireplace to fit over the existing marble one in the living room.

Neither house 1 or house 3 are in desirable safe areas of Baltimore.

[cameron]

1 hour ago, cameron said:

He ended buying an electric fireplace to fit over the existing marble one in the living room.

Neither house 1 or house 3 are in desirable safe areas of Baltimore.

But I could tell from the realtor's pronunciation of Baltimore that he was a real native.  A big plus for me.

[cameron]

7 hours ago, Thumper said:

I’d love to see it when she is done.

Think her expectations on her construction abilities and the cost of doing the job were totally unrealistic.  Total wakeup call for her getting the job done.

[mojito]

11 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Denver, CO. Dogs are the best part of tonight.

Yeah, that and knowing that she's single, "but a lot of it is by choice". Glad she cleared that up. 🙄

[Dehumidifier]

Toms River, NJ. For once, wanting a historic home wasn't just a story line for the show. I was surprised.

[amarante]

On 9/15/2022 at 4:23 AM, cameron said:

He ended buying an electric fireplace to fit over the existing marble one in the living room.

Neither house 1 or house 3 are in desirable safe areas of Baltimore.

I was wondering about neighborhoods in Baltimore especially. Granted my *extensive* knowledge of Baltimore is based on The Wire but my understanding is that there are areas of Baltimore which still remain particularly unsafe and I assumed from the pricing, that those row homes might be in those areas.

I live in a dense metropolis so I do understand why people are willing to trade space for the amenities of a true urban lifestyle. However the really tiny row homes like the first one are just too small for me because there doesn't seem to be any comfortable way to set up the living room as it looks more like a hallway. When the realtor suggested two love seats I just snorted because you can't curl up on a loveseat the way you can on a couch and who wants a couch you can't curl up on.

And the Army test pilot in Iowa City - another idiot who thinks that a single bowl sink is a farmhouse sink. A farmhouse sink is one that has the "apron" front and can actually have two bowls. I have a true farmhouse sink and it has one bowl so I do understand why someone hates double bowl sinks because with my old sink anything large had to be washed at an angle so I would wind up getting water on myself and the counter. 

I was intrigued by the woman from Kenya who was some type of mental health therapist in South Dakota. I am wondering how this works given that South Dakota is one of the least culturally diverse states in the US and I would think there might be potential difficulty when one doesn't really have an understanding of the nuances of the standard South Dakota culture. Years ago I remember a psychologist was discussing a colleague from another country who didn't realize that someone in the ER was severely delusional because she was claiming to be Mrs. John Lennon - he had no idea who John Lennon

[cameron]

34 minutes ago, amarante said:

I was wondering about neighborhoods in Baltimore especially. Granted my *extensive* knowledge of Baltimore is based on The Wire but my understanding is that there are areas of Baltimore which still remain particularly unsafe and I assumed from the pricing, that those row homes might be in those areas.

I live in a dense metropolis so I do understand why people are willing to trade space for the amenities of a true urban lifestyle. However the really tiny row homes like the first one are just too small for me because there doesn't seem to be any comfortable way to set up the living room as it looks more like a hallway. When the realtor suggested two love seats I just snorted because you can't curl up on a loveseat the way you can on a couch and who wants a couch you can't curl up on.

And the Army test pilot in Iowa City - another idiot who thinks that a single bowl sink is a farmhouse sink. A farmhouse sink is one that has the "apron" front and can actually have two bowls. I have a true farmhouse sink and it has one bowl so I do understand why someone hates double bowl sinks because with my old sink anything large had to be washed at an angle so I would wind up getting water on myself and the counter. 

I was intrigued by the woman from Kenya who was some type of mental health therapist in South Dakota. I am wondering how this works given that South Dakota is one of the least culturally diverse states in the US and I would think there might be potential difficulty when one doesn't really have an understanding of the nuances of the standard South Dakota culture. Years ago I remember a psychologist was discussing a colleague from another country who didn't realize that someone in the ER was severely delusional because she was claiming to be Mrs. John Lennon - he had no idea who John Lennon

I grew up in Baltimore City and it's a shame what that city has become.  Abandoned houses everywhere and crime is a major problem.  Good luck with buying into those areas.

53 minutes ago, Dehumidifier said:

Toms River, NJ. For once, wanting a historic home wasn't just a story line for the show. I was surprised.

Have to wonder how many fathers there are; three children with a wide range of ages.

[Thumper]

Wasn’t the Kenyan woman looking in Fargo, North Dakota?

[CrazyInAlabama]

1 hour ago, Thumper said:

Wasn’t the Kenyan woman looking in Fargo, North Dakota?

Yes, she went to grad school for a mental health subject, and they're staying there.    

2 hours ago, cameron said:

I grew up in Baltimore City and it's a shame what that city has become.  Abandoned houses everywhere and crime is a major problem.  Good luck with buying into those areas.

Have to wonder how many fathers there are; three children with a wide range of ages.

I wondered about that too, and how anyone affords the house prices.  15, 5, and 1 years old.   I wonder if any were with the boyfriend? 

The first house basement bar was hysterical.   If you're tall enough to bartend, or drink at that bar, then you'll probably hit your head on the ceiling. 

Second could work with the splitting of the one bedroom into two.    Third one on busy street, will be wonderful on snowy days, it will get plowed and sanded first. 

I figured she would get the vintage house #2.  A total money pit. 

Edited September 16, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[cameron]

55 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Yes, she went to grad school for a mental health subject, and they're staying there.    

I wondered about that too, and how anyone affords the house prices.  15, 5, and 1 years old.   I wonder if any were with the boyfriend? 

The first house basement bar was hysterical.   If you're tall enough to bartend, or drink at that bar, then you'll probably hit your head on the ceiling. 

Second could work with the splitting of the one bedroom into two.    Third one on busy street, will be wonderful on snowy days, it will get plowed and sanded first. 

I figured she would get the vintage house #2.  A total money pit. 

Thought the one year old resembled him.  Never know.

[Empress1]

4 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I wondered about that too, and how anyone affords the house prices.  15, 5, and 1 years old.   I wonder if any were with the boyfriend? 

I wondered about the boyfriend being the father of the youngest or youngest two, but I would guess he’s not. They didn’t appear to be buying the place together, otherwise the show would have presented it that way. He kept saying “you” and “yours,” not “us” and “ours” so I don’t think he lived with her. The hunter’s roots were killing me.

4 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

The first house basement bar was hysterical.   If you're tall enough to bartend, or drink at that bar, then you'll probably hit your head on the ceiling. 

I laughed at that too. “It’s not me, it’s the bar!” as he’s behind it looking like the mayor of munchkin land. The appliances in the second house were a giveaway.

[amarante]

Lord all of those Toms River homes were dreadful and I think HH chose the worst of the lot - a money pit with a not great layout.

Was it the first one that had the death trap bedroom in the basement with no windows? That is not a legal bedroom because there is no window to escape from - and that is rightly illegal.

All of the fixes are going to be much more than the chyrons indicated. One man carpenter is not going to be able to do the jobs in a reasonable time period and still actually make a living - and he is a carpenter and not an electrician, plumber, tile setter or structural engineer - relevant if you plan to demolish what is probably a load bearing wall.

And I really find complaints that a home is "boring" to be ridiculous. You decorate a home and THAT is what makes a home unique and attractive for the most part. This is especially so since the "historic" house didn't really have much that was really attractive to start with - it wasn't an expensive home when it was built and so it didn't have beautiful woodwork or other finishes. 

[chessiegal]

There may be laws that say a room without a window can't be used as a bedroom, but once you buy the house, what's stopping someone from using a windowless room as a bedroom? Are there bedroom police that knock on your door and see how you are using room? Not that I'm aware of. What's to say the bed in the room is there for storage, not sleeping? Maybe someone just rolls out a sleeping bag and sleeps in the windowless room. Can't be listed as a bedroom on a real estate listing, but doesn't mean it can't be used as one. Just sayin'.

[CrazyInAlabama]

On 9/16/2022 at 9:27 PM, chessiegal said:

There may be laws that say a room without a window can't be used as a bedroom, but once you buy the house, what's stopping someone from using a windowless room as a bedroom? Are there bedroom police that knock on your door and see how you are using room? Not that I'm aware of. What's to say the bed in the room is there for storage, not sleeping? Maybe someone just rolls out a sleeping bag and sleeps in the windowless room. Can't be listed as a bedroom on a real estate listing, but doesn't mean it can't be used as one. Just sayin'.

Many places that windowless bedroom would be listed as 'non-conforming', so it's not supposed to be used for sleeping.    However, putting in an egress window, and window well if it's below ground level is very pricey.   I don't know why some home buyers or realtors say it's an 'easy fix'.    I've also noticed some older homes the realtor says non-conforming, but it's grandfathered in apparently.       Often, with apartment ads, a windowless bedroom is listed as a den.    

SOme places prohibit putting a full kitchen in a basement, even a walk out, because they don't want a single family turning into a multifamily.    The ADU's in many places have been encouraged and allowed in many cities, because of the shortage of affordable housing.   

Edited September 20, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[Empress1]

10 hours ago, amarante said:

All of the fixes are going to be much more than the chyrons indicated. One man carpenter is not going to be able to do the jobs in a reasonable time period and still actually make a living - and he is a carpenter and not an electrician, plumber, tile setter or structural engineer - relevant if you plan to demolish what is probably a load bearing wall.

He did point out that he works six days a week at his actual paying job so he didn’t have time to take on all her projects (and probably doesn’t want to spend his limited free time doing more work - I wouldn’t). She was like “I have you if I get a fixer!” and he was like “Nope!”

[amarante]

11 hours ago, chessiegal said:

There may be laws that say a room without a window can't be used as a bedroom, but once you buy the house, what's stopping someone from using a windowless room as a bedroom? Are there bedroom police that knock on your door and see how you are using room? Not that I'm aware of. What's to say the bed in the room is there for storage, not sleeping? Maybe someone just rolls out a sleeping bag and sleeps in the windowless room. Can't be listed as a bedroom on a real estate listing, but doesn't mean it can't be used as one. Just sayin'.

In this specific episode the realtor said the house was a four bedroom and the windowless basement was counted

Of course one can use a windowless room as they want as no one is going to police it.

However this type of regulation is truly a safety feature because if there is a fire there may be no way of getting out of the basement because the one exit is trapped. In New York City there have been some deaths caused by illegal wall divisions in apartments.

[Crashcourse]

17 hours ago, chessiegal said:

There may be laws that say a room without a window can't be used as a bedroom, but once you buy the house, what's stopping someone from using a windowless room as a bedroom? Are there bedroom police that knock on your door and see how you are using room? Not that I'm aware of. What's to say the bed in the room is there for storage, not sleeping? Maybe someone just rolls out a sleeping bag and sleeps in the windowless room. Can't be listed as a bedroom on a real estate listing, but doesn't mean it can't be used as one. Just sayin'.

Sure, they can use that room however they want, but good luck to them trying to get out if there's a fire.  Then see what happens when it's determined that the room was used as a bedroom.

[chessiegal]

What about bedrooms with bars over the windows? How are you supposed to use those windows for egress? I get needing a second way out, but I'd have to risk a 20- foot drop to use the windows on my second floor bedrooms. Functioning smoke detectors are a must in my opinion.

[rhofmovalley]

46 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

What about bedrooms with bars over the windows? How are you supposed to use those windows for egress? I get needing a second way out, but I'd have to risk a 20- foot drop to use the windows on my second floor bedrooms. Functioning smoke detectors are a must in my opinion.

The bars are supposed to be the ones you can push out from the inside in the event there's a fire.  They're just not able to be entered from the outside.

[chessiegal]

1 minute ago, rhofmovalley said:

The bars are supposed to be the ones you can push out from the inside in the event there's a fire.  They're just not able to be entered from the outside.

So, they can be pushed out? Why can't someone on the outside pull them out to get in? Is there some kind of mechanism that prevents someone pulling on them to get them off, but pushing works?

[deirdra]

3 hours ago, chessiegal said:

So, they can be pushed out? Why can't someone on the outside pull them out to get in? Is there some kind of mechanism that prevents someone pulling on them to get them off, but pushing works?

I had ones in the basement windows with actual locks & keys. The basement was unfinished, so I put the key on a long enough cord to reach the lock and hid it above the rafter so that it couldn't be lost by fumbling to get out in a fire. Luckily never needed it, and I did open & close it periodically to make sure it would swing freely and wasn't getting rusted or stiff in the hinge.

Edited September 18, 2022 by deirdra

[Grrarrggh]

On 9/16/2022 at 10:12 PM, amarante said:

And I really find complaints that a home is "boring" to be ridiculous. You decorate a home and THAT is what makes a home unique and attractive for the most part. This is especially so since the "historic" house didn't really have much that was really attractive to start with - it wasn't an expensive home when it was built and so it didn't have beautiful woodwork or other finishes. 

I don't find it ridiculous. There's only so much you can do with decorating a box. Too many houses have no architectural features at all. Age doesn't equal uniqueness though. Especially nowadays when lots of older, formerly architecturally interesting, wonderfully designed places have been gutted and turned into the same old everyday vanilla. 

[rhofmovalley]

22 hours ago, chessiegal said:

So, they can be pushed out? Why can't someone on the outside pull them out to get in? Is there some kind of mechanism that prevents someone pulling on them to get them off, but pushing works?

Yes, there is a mechanism that makes them only able to be opened from the inside.

[Empress1]

On 9/14/2022 at 11:02 PM, Grizzly said:

Denver, CO. Dogs are the best part of tonight. Her Bernese is gorgeous.

I just watched that episode yesterday. I LOVE Berners and just wanted to play with him. 

On 9/18/2022 at 2:59 AM, Grrarrggh said:

I don't find it ridiculous. There's only so much you can do with decorating a box. Too many houses have no architectural features at all. Age doesn't equal uniqueness though. Especially nowadays when lots of older, formerly architecturally interesting, wonderfully designed places have been gutted and turned into the same old everyday vanilla. 

There have been a number of episodes where hunters have complained, and I agreed, that the charm had been renovated out of them. It’s really hard to put charm back into a place once it’s gone. I think it’s a fine line to walk between updating and stripping away all the charm (which is part of why I think flipping is harder than it looks).

On 9/15/2022 at 10:55 AM, mojito said:

Yeah, that and knowing that she's single, "but a lot of it is by choice". Glad she cleared that up. 🙄

I’m guessing she’s over 40 (she looked it) and a) people give her shit about being single and b) she’s a little self-conscious about it, hence her getting out ahead of it - which, of course, is unnecessary.

[amarante]

I also abhor when beautiful vintage woodwork has been stripped off into a characterless room because that isn't respecting the integrity of the original design.

However on this show most of the HH talking about adding "interest" don't focus on beautiful architectural details and when their home is revealed it is generally decorated in the most banal of styles.

This is especially true of the new builds in which the "interesting" touches are pretty down market in my opinion because it costs too much to really have high level touches.

I live on the equivalent of a white box - a condo in a high rise. People have remodeled in a lot of different styles reflecting their personal taste and between the remodeling choices AND the furniture and artwork, none of them look the same or boring.