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Is it HGTV or DIY that is running the show with the really clueless people who try and redo their kitchen or bath in a weekend? That show is an A+ in my book. I half wonder if the guys running the cameras are EMTs or something. I have seen people get slammed with kitchen cabinets falling on them and flip out over a wheelbarrow full of busted concrete.
Much more realistic than some contractor with makeup and ripplin' abs gleefully working all night for ungrateful homeowners!
I also think it would be fun to have a show called "The shoemaker's boots" where you would go to the real house of real full time contractors (I am talking guys that spend all day bent over and need this: Buttputty Features and Uses) and seeing what a frickin' disaster they live in
I think watching shows like "My First Place" and "Property Virgins" helped me before buying my first house. It made me realize I can overlook the things that can be changed (paint color, etc) and see the actual house. I knew a little more what to look for and it just gave me a better idea.
However, I hate it on Property Virgins when their offer gets accepted and she is like "congratulations, you own your first house!" because that so isn't how it works. They still have to go through the appraisal, inspection, and all that other fun stuff before they actually get the house... which is why I am starting to like My First Place more, it actually gets into that a little and is more realistic. Plus, they only show them three houses and then make them choose.. dumb. How many houses does it realistically take? We looked at 5 or 6 at least..
But, when I do decide to sell I have plenty of ideas on how to "stage" my house from HGTV. I know to take down all our family pictures, de-clutter, and how to decorate it nicer.
But a lot of those DIY shows make it look easy, when it certainly is not..
There are both positives and negatives on HGTV, but I love watching it still.
My big pet peeve is why do they always insist on making one of the bedrooms a "guest" room? Who are all these guests that are sleeping over? Where are they comming from?
I like using my extra bedroom for what I need it to be, not a dead room that just sits there waiting for company to sleep in maybe twice in 3 years..... luckily my family live close so they DONT (lol) have to sleep over.
And we have a guest bedroom and it gets used all the time. We live in the city and we have family members from my home town visit all the time.. and they stay with us. When we have our first child and get rid of the guest bedroom I don't know what our guests will do!
Is it HGTV or DIY that is running the show with the really clueless people who try and redo their kitchen or bath in a weekend? That show is an A+ in my book. I half wonder if the guys running the cameras are EMTs or something. I have seen people get slammed with kitchen cabinets falling on them and flip out over a wheelbarrow full of busted concrete.
Much more realistic than some contractor with makeup and ripplin' abs gleefully working all night for ungrateful homeowners!
I also think it would be fun to have a show called "The shoemaker's boots" where you would go to the real house of real full time contractors (I am talking guys that spend all day bent over and need this: Buttputty Features and Uses) and seeing what a frickin' disaster they live in
Weekend Warrior is the name of the show and that is HGTV. I love that show ..it's more realistic then the crews of folks that come into a home and redo in 1 day.
I am a huge House Hunters fan and having just bought a house late last year it had absolutely no bearing on what I looked for. The house we bought needs work and has horrible wall paper and ugly ceiling fans and stained carpet, etc. House Hunters has actually made me hate granite. Who wants the same kitchen as every single other person? I also stopped wanting an open floor plan when I started realizing that I would have to watch car racing while I cook which would not make me happy. I find it funny that people buy houses for entertaining. I wonder how often these people actually entertain. What drives me the craziest though is when people say...I don't like the paint colors or I don't like the ceiling fan.
Really though if you are buying a house as a home and an investment then it makes sense to me to buy something that needs a little work. How do you increase value on a brand new home. Especially since I keep hearing how most of them are built with a 20 year life span so what happens when you try to sell in 20 years. So I went for a house that we could see the potential in with land that we loved in the area that we wanted. Hopefully it is still standing in 20 years and hopefully we are done with everything we need to do by then.
Another thing that drives me nuts is the giant master bedroom. I get wanting a big closet but we actually do have a big master bedroom and I'm in there the same amount of time I was in my little master bedroom in my old place in Chicago. To sleep. The only difference is my little tv is now really far away and rather hard to see and I guess I can do a cartwheel now if I wanted to.
I also stopped wanting an open floor plan when I started realizing that I would have to watch car racing while I cook which would not make me happy.
LMAO!! Hadn't thought of that ... I don't like open floor plans, either, but it's more because, while I'm not as sloppy of a cook as, say, my mother ... I still don't want to see dirty pots and pans while I'm enjoying my Thanksgiving dinner.
What irritates me about those shows are the prices that they use. They often say that for $15-$20 you can change a room's look with a can of paint. Where can you honestly get a can for paint for that? I've used cheap paint and it will take 2x as much to paint a room with it because it does not cover well and cheap paint will show every fingerprint and look horrible in a few months. Nice paint is at least $20 a gallon, but covers nicely, has a lovely sheen and will last longer. And what about the supplies? I don't think I ever get out of the paint store without brush cleaner, a brush, rollers, roller tray, gloves, edging tape, paint remover (just in case), etc. That nice, $25+ can of paint is now a $75 project. Even after I have purchased nice brushes, there are still other items that are used every time.
Or where do you find an awesome dresser at a flea market store that only needs new hardware to be completely updated for $50? Where do you even find the hardware for that little? Most knobs I have seen are $3 a piece, minimum.
One show I saw suggested putting in crown moulding in a room for $100. Then they showed the compound miter saw to cut it with, the scrap wood to create a nailing plate, the compressor with gun to put it up, the expert advice so that you don't have to go back several times to the store for more supplies because of imperfect cuts. And the putty to fill the nail holes. The light sandpaper to go over the moulding before painting. The primer and paint, not to mention the painter's tape to get a clean line unless you have a very steady hand. Thats not a $100 crown moulding, thats much more.
I had those same thoughts! I DO NOT WANT to hear or see football on the TV while I cook dinner. I prefer a traditional floor plan for entertaining b/c it allows for more conversations amongst the guests instead of one giant noisy room where the loudest person is the one who gets the floor. Ugh...
Also - am I the only one who gets annoyed when the party ends up in the kitchen? My husband always says that and is okay with it but I remind him all he does is pop open a beer and snack on the food I'm slaving over. I don't want people underfoot while I'm cooking and I don't want the pressure of having to listen to conversations while prepping a 20 pound bird for the oven, chopping vegetables, and baking a pie all at the same time. I like to excuse myself for a moment, do my work in the kitchen quickly and peacefully, and return to the party so I can enjoy the conversation.
At our agent open house, one of the comments I received numerous times was how great my house is for entertaining. And it is - because it's a quirky take on a more traditional floor plan. I thought that was interesting however b/c the next most common comment was "not an open floorplan".
I also stopped wanting an open floor plan when I started realizing that I would have to watch car racing while I cook which would not make me happy.
Too funny! Solution: say "If you want to eat, turn off the damn car racing!"
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