Hidden Potential - General Discussion

[sheetmoss]

On HGTV

About the Show

California builder and designer Jasmine Roth is on a mission to make sure not all suburban homes look the same. Jasmine transforms builder-basic houses into custom dream homes by giving them features that stand out from the crowd.

[sheetmoss]

I've become a fan of the upbeat show

I liked the tip in the last show for removing a mirrored wall - she hung a heavy canvas in front as a protective screen and then smashed the mirror  into pieces that fell behind it..

Edited June 18, 2019 by sheetmoss

[CruiseDiva]

I like this show, but the one thing about it that bugs me is that she creates play spaces and sitting areas in front of houses. Isn't that what back yards and decks/patios are for? Who wants their children playing in the front yard where they are liable to run into the street to chase a ball? Even with parents sitting there watching them they can dart into the street and in front of an oncoming car. That thought really bothers me.

[sheetmoss]

46 minutes ago, CruiseDiva said:

I like this show, but the one thing about it that bugs me is that she creates play spaces and sitting areas in front of houses. Isn't that what back yards and decks/patios are for? Who wants their children playing in the front yard where they are liable to run into the street to chase a ball? Even with parents sitting there watching them they can dart into the street and in front of an oncoming car. That thought really bothers me.

I don't know how old you are, but that used to be a very common scenario--parents sitting on porches/kids w/lids playing when I was growing  up in the city - you learned  from an early age to look out for cars/traffic.

[CruiseDiva]

17 hours ago, sheetmoss said:

I don't know how old you are, but that used to be a very common scenario--parents sitting on porches/kids w/lids playing when I was growing  up in the city - you learned  from an early age to look out for cars/traffic.

I'm 71 and remember riding bikes and roller skating on the driveway, but not playing in the front yard. I had three younger brothers and outdoor play was always in the back yard where the outside toys were kept. We lived all over the country and none of the homes we lived in had big front porches.

[suebee12]

We played in the front yard...it was huge...but we lived in the country and there were no sidewalks or paved driveways! We used the trees as bases when we played baseball so we were outside but had the luxury of not having to play in the full sun and all the heat it provided! The backyard was for the gardens and the all of the "outbuildings" for the farm.

Something else I noticed last night was all the macrame that Jasmine uses. Is it coming back? It was such a huge thing in the 70's!

[sheetmoss]

3 hours ago, suebee12 said:

Something else I noticed last night was all the macrame that Jasmine uses. Is it coming back? It was such a huge thing in the 70's!

Another huge thing from the 70's I've been seeing a lot  in Tumblr pic posts - houseplants.

[ShellyD]

My DH lived in Orange County for 11 of his first 17 years. He said the front yard seating could be due to a couple  of things. 

Lots were small and houses had to be built a certain distance from the street... large front yard and small back yard.

or 

There are a lot of cul-de-sacs in the area so more kids will be playing in the street.

I grew up in a rural area and we had pastures and woods to roam. 

We both like this show quite a bit .. she is talented and we enjoy her as a host. And she truly seems invested in her clients. 

[suebee12]

I watched both episodes last night and really enjoyed both of them. The little beach cottage was so cute when Jasmine finished it. Seemed much larger when it was done. I'm not sure if anyone but kids would sleep on the pull-up bunk bed but I guess the guests could sleep in the kid's room. I really like the "Murphy island"....good storage area, good extra counter space and when closed, great art! Also a cute "trap door" for all the extra shoes and boots! I also liked that the mantle opened up for more storage. Good use of available space. Again, the front yard was the main play area so I am guessing it is a regular thing in that area. I loved the swing and the fact that she did an actual covered area not a pergola. Taking down that closet wall made a huge difference and her added storage space more than made up for it. All in all, two really good episodes.

[mojito]

Quote

 Again, the front yard was the main play area so I am guessing it is a regular thing in that area. 

I've recently watched a few shows and saw at least one clip of young girls on scooters on the street. Where I live (cul-de-sac), we don't have front porches. I remember one spring evening, my neighbors (people from 4 of the 8 homes) were gathered on my driveway talking, sitting on the concrete. One thing we talked about is how nice it would've been to have front porches. Can't have informal impromptu gatherings of the neighbors like that in the back yard.

I like this show a lot. Construction without drama, and I don't have to know Jasmine's personal business in the process. 

[SimoneS]

I just started watching this show. I appreciate that Jasmine isn't doing cookie cutter and uses pops of color unlike most of the other HGTV designers, but some of her creative ideas are just wacky.

[mojito]

Warning: I'm on a soapbox here.

I've watched a few more of these shows. I see that the videographers show clips of kids playing on the streets to depict that these streets are not heavily trafficked (thus justifying the build that is done to make the front yard more usable) but I never see any of this activity in any of the overhead views of the neighborhood. Some of the clips seemed to be filmed in parking lots of schools or churches that are empty.

My observations aside, I'm glad that there is more attention being given to front yards. Front yards, to me, are much like formal living areas or formal dining rooms. Good for looks but otherwise under-utilized areas. I have a neighbor who uses his front yard a lot (I don't know what his back yard is like, but I do know that there's more shade out front). While maybe some of the toys could be stored out of view (I've heard at least one neighbor comment on the tackiness of the Fisher Price Toys kind of play gear out there), I'm okay with the tree swing and the bicycle out front. I have another neighbor who grows vegetables in his front yard, much to his wife's chagrin, who thought it was tacky. But the light is better there and I say "why not?" 

I have to research this further, but I'm told that the manicured front lawn is a more modern trend, that people once gardened out front, too. I'm all for growing 'maters and 'taters and other veggies out front. Oh, and I'm all for lounging and eating out there, too. You paid for all that land, use it! I'd like to see Jasmine feature a vegetable garden within the confines of one of her fenced front yards.

[Tara1665]

Jasmine puts out really nice furniture and pillows and such in the front yard and I wonder about theft. It's nice furniture and pillows (some don't look weather proof) and I wonder what they do when it rains and it looks pretty easy to steal as well.  I agree with above poster about wacky designs. 

[suebee12]

I love watching this show because Jasmine seems so excited by everything! I loved the book exchange that they put out front. We had several of these in Sarasota, and even in teeny, tiny Starkville, MS we have at least four locations! I love books, and reading.  Check out their website and maybe add a little free library to your town! https://littlefreelibrary.org/

Speaking of books, I wonder how long it took to put up all of those books backwards? Even in the before version of the room, they were backwards. I know it has something to do with "rights" etc, but why not put the books facing the correct way and blur them...they really look dumb facing the wrong way!

[mojito]

Quote

Jasmine puts out really nice furniture and pillows and such in the front yard and I wonder about theft. 

How does anyone sit comfortably in a chair with all those damned pillows? I'd welcome the theft, but be pissed that I'd paid for such useless crap. 

If I had a nickel for every time Jasmine used the words "beach" or "beachy"...

[Tara1665]

Or builder grade. Also she never puts up the TVs except for the sport couple episode.  You think she would find a solution instead of doing away with them altogether. 

Edited July 22, 2019 by Tara1665
Forgot to complete thoughts

[topanga]

On 7/16/2019 at 12:43 AM, suebee12 said:

I love watching this show because Jasmine seems so excited by everything!

Yes, Jasmine is very giddy and peppy, and it seems genuine. She's an interesting character. My first impression was that she was somewhat butch (not necessarily a lesbian, but a tomboyish woman). But she's actually quite feminine despite being handy with power tools. She likes flowers and stencils and pastel colors. 

I like the spontaneous things she does during the episode, like letting one of the crew members jump over her with his skateboard because she lost a bet. Or in one scene, she walked by a large mirror, we got a full body shot of the cameraman and a producer. They could have re-shot that scene so we didn't see them, but she made a joke and waved at them. It shows that she doesn't take herself too seriously. 

And I agree with most of her design choices, but there's always at least one that makes me scratch my head--or gag. There was a house a few episodes ago whose garage door she was going to paint this olive-green, diarrhea color. Fortunately, she changed her mind and went with a pretty teal color. 

--Or the underground cooler. That just seemed weird and impractical. 

On 7/22/2019 at 3:10 PM, Tara1665 said:

Or builder grade. Also she never puts up the TVs except for the sport couple episode.  You think she would find a solution instead of doing away with them altogether. 

What happens to the family's furniture and appliances, like TV? I'm assuming they're all in storage during the renovation period. Or have they purchased the furniture she stages the houses with? I’m guessing they’d put the tv back and remove the textured artwork she put on the wall

[CruiseDiva]

I really like this show and Jasmine, but I still can't wrap my head around the front yard patios she adds to every house. In the latest episode there already was an enclosed patio/porch area in the front of the house that the homeowners said they don't use so Jasmine took down the enclosure, made it a bit bigger, and built wood benches on the street side. It looked nice with new patio furniture, but if the homewowners didn't use it before when it was more private with the more substantial enclosure, I can't imagine they will actually use it more when anyone passing by will see them out there.

Jasmine's changes to the homes' exteriors make them less cookie cutter and more custom, but I think the front yard entertaining spaces are impractical.

Edited July 24, 2019 by CruiseDiva

[suebee12]

I watched both episodes tonight. The new one was great and I liked almost everything she did. She completely changed the house...was really glad to see all the overgrown greenery go away. Removing all of the pony walls and posts was a great improvement.

The rerun from last year IMO was awful. Didn't really like anything about the design but then again, I didn't like the house before or after! The home owners did so I guess all's well that ends well.

[chessiegal]

Watched and liked it okay, but it seems like it is just a commercial for Josh & Main.

[suebee12]

12 hours ago, chessiegal said:

but it seems like it is just a commercial for Josh & Main.

This is the first time that I can remember that happening. I can live with it if it keeps the show on the air.

[chessiegal]

I found the show boring. I deleted the 2nd show I recorded without watching.

[tljgator]

On 7/24/2019 at 11:26 AM, CruiseDiva said:

Jasmine's changes to the homes' exteriors make them less cookie cutter and more custom, but I think the front yard entertaining spaces are impractical.

Just popped in to see if others found this odd as well, and of course, most of you do, lol.  Seems this new batch of episodes hasn't changed her tendency to ALWAYS do this.  This week, the couple noted that they're on a really busy street (they even cut away to show us the traffic), so they don't use the front yard -- what does she do? Build them a front yard seating area. You know what's great on Sunday morning? Going out to the front yard in your PJs to sip coffee and read the paper while cars zoom by and people stare at you.

Is she banned from backyards or something? I don't think we've ever even seen a backyard on this show, much less had one renovated in any way.  So weird. [Even if it's just to advertise patio furniture for Joss & Main or Wayfair (or whomever), you could do that in the back. Does she choose places that literally have no backyard space at all?]

[topanga]

9 hours ago, tljgator said:

Is she banned from backyards or something? I don't think we've ever even seen a backyard on this show, much less had one renovated in any way.  So weird. [Even if it's just to advertise patio furniture for Joss & Main or Wayfair (or whomever), you could do that in the back. Does she choose places that literally have no backyard space at all?]

Yes, that’s weird. This week’s couple said they use their backyard a lot. 

[mojito]

House-Swapping Couple

While I like some of the front yard outdoor areas Jasmine creates, I thought this one was dumb. It's just sitting there, exposed to the street, no fence, no easy way into the house other than going through the front door. I like porch-like areas with some seating, but setting up patio furniture in an open front yard is plain silly.

Thought that door from India was fugly. It looked like trash. Would've been nice had it been brought down below the paint layers. 

I appreciate the custom nooks that Jasmine creates. 

[Barlowe]

I like Jasmine’s style but some of her choices really have me doing a double take. Currently watching the episode where she renovated her neighbors house. I find it funny that she’s never met them before because she seems pretty outgoing. Anyways though I didn’t get why she decided to make a shoe holder on the front porch. I’d rather not go to fish out my shoes and find some spiders or other bugs that have crawled in. I also didn’t think the couple’s next door neighbours would appreciate a shower in between the houses. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I didn't watch this show too often, but after her "Help! I Wrecked My House" for the wrecks homeowners have done to their houses, and she fixes, I gave it another try.   The firefighter and his wife were such nice people, and their kids were cute.    

I'm guessing the staging is only for filming, and the homeowners' stuff is stored off site.   Then after everything is finished, they take the staging stuff, and move in the homeowners things.     I wish they didn't have all of the giant trees and plants inside though.    I doubt the homeowners are going to have that many plants inside.   

On the house swap people,  I also didn't see the point of the two chair sitting area.    I didn't see the point of wall paper or whatever was on the ceiling in the den.  I don't know how someone can do nothing in a house for 26 years, and not even try to fix it to their taste.   The neighbors episode was interesting.   I thought it was funny the neighbors didn't want the usual white kitchen, gray walls, etc.    I see no use for the front seating area either.   

I guess fixing builder grade finishes is the point of the show, but they could stop beating me over the head with that.  

Edited September 27, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[buttersister]

This is a flashback episode but new to me. I’m a little concerned about this show.

PRO TIP: Removing a wall is the quickest way to increase the flow between rooms.

Behind The Scenes: Jasmine loves to put plants in every room. (For whatever reason)

Jasmine giggles like a 5-year old when complimented on her smart sprinklers.

Wth is going on here?

[Grrarrggh]

2 hours ago, buttersister said:

This is a flashback episode but new to me. I’m a little concerned about this show.

PRO TIP: Removing a wall is the quickest way to increase the flow between rooms.

Behind The Scenes: Jasmine loves to put plants in every room. (For whatever reason)

Jasmine giggles like a 5-year old when complimented on her smart sprinklers.

Wth is going on here?

Am I the only one who thinks that one big room does not have flow? 

[Hawaiianatheart]

On 6/18/2019 at 4:43 PM, sheetmoss said:

I don't know how old you are, but that used to be a very common scenario--parents sitting on porches/kids w/lids playing when I was growing  up in the city - you learned  from an early age to look out for cars/traffic.

I'm almost 60 and NEVER lived anywhere that the front yard was prime outdoor living space unless there was no other choice. A sitting area on a front porch, yes, but that is all. No lounging furniture in the yard, fire pit, toys, etc.