View Full Version : HGTV marathon
iris lilies
11-30-14, 2:37pm
Oy vey, I get sucked into it like crazy. This is the time of year when I watch a lot of it because I take care of my neighbor's dogs, and I stay around her house to keep them company and watch her cable tv.
I start watching and look up, two hours later. All of the shows I've watched have been riveting. Ok, I will confess it, I am an HGTV addict. She's got about a zillion channels on her cable but I'm just watching HGTV becuase there are new shows I've not seen
First there is the show called Rehab Addict with this cute little blonde host who gets in there and actually does a lot of the work. I LOVE HER! Every episode centers on just one room of the giant St. Paul mansion she is restoring. I've been around Victorian houses for decades and even I am learning things from her. She is very careful to preserve everything she possibly can in the house. She is brilliant!
And then the new-to-me show called Flea Market Flip is wonderful. I only wish they'd let the contestants shop for an entire day rather than 1 hour, and would let them have multiple days to renovated their flea market finds. Thsi is exactly what I want DH and I to do after we retire, there are so many cool thing one can re purpose. The prices they pay for items to fix up are completely unrealistic, however, way too low.
And then I got caught up in some old favorites. The Love it Or List It houses are always cool city houses in Toronto. I love seeing each and every one of them, and the last house was a tall gothic Victorian that was so fab from the outside it killed me. And then Property Borhter surprised me by doing a show that centered on city houses. I think of those guys as California guys and the houses they work on are usually boring. And then, there is that couple in the Dallas area who rehabs old houses--love that one, too, although their $50 per sq foot renovation is laughable, totally a lie. HOw they get that is beyond me. But still, it's lot of fun.
And then there were a few episodes of House Hunting International in beachy communities, not all that interesting to me but still, ok.
God, I love HGTV.
Careful--loving TV is a shunning offense here. :devil:
catherine
11-30-14, 3:02pm
I know what you mean--but I have a love/hate relationship with it, because so many of the buyers/owners drive me crazy with their lack of respect for quality old stuff, and their blind desire for whatever is trendy.
However, I too confess to the same addiction. Rehab Addict (isn't that Jennie Garth from Beverly Hills 90210?) is a lot of fun because of the dedication to restoration as opposed to demolition. And I really like Property Brothers and Love It or List It--and also the shows where people are trying to find beachfront property, and HouseHunter International is fun, except I get the same frustration with Americans who won't put up with ex-US homes. What?? Only 2 bathrooms? What?? A bedroom that only fits a twin bed?? Horrors!
iris lilies
11-30-14, 4:14pm
The current kitchen trend is white cabinets, and ours would fit in perfectly with that trend if we added pewter colored door handles. But I won't because those handles get full of gunk. More crqp to clean, oh yeah. Not. And our formica countertop is super uncool, but I'm glad I rode out the wave of granite because now something else is in style. But truthfully, a pretty granite that's is high end or very fine grain in a color I like is lovely, too.
Rehab Addict is not the Jennie Garth show, I forgot that she's on one of them. No, Rehab Addict stars a small woman with long blond hair who reminds me of Spartana because she is always running around wielding some big manly tool. Her name is Nicole something. She is brilliant, I mean it. she knows her stuff about old houses.
domestic goddess
11-30-14, 5:41pm
I love HGTV, too. But the families on Love It or List It just drive me nuts! Most of them just need to put up some shelves and declutter the junk, and they will have all the room they need. I saw one show where the woman of the house was stating, totally seriously, that she, her husband and their upper elementary school aged child couldn't possibly live in a house with only ONE bathroom. Good grief! The 6 of us share one bathroom! On another show, another family of 3 wanted a house with at least 6 bedrooms! WTF? The 6 of us live in 3 bedrooms, although another one would be handy at times. Another couple just had a baby, so the house they bought a year ago is now too small. It couldn't possibly be because there are baby toys in every room, including the kitchen. I've never seen so many toys for a baby that can't even sit yet! And I thought we were pretty bad about buying toys, but I was apparently wrong. But every time I watch it, I'm pleased with our little house, and the amount of living we manage to do in it.
iris lilies
11-30-14, 6:15pm
I love HGTV, too. But the families on Love It or List It just drive me nuts! Most of them just need to put up some shelves and declutter the junk, and they will have all the room they need. I saw one show where the woman of the house was stating, totally seriously, that she, her husband and their upper elementary school aged child couldn't possibly live in a house with only ONE bathroom. Good grief! The 6 of us share one bathroom! On another show, another family of 3 wanted a house with at least 6 bedrooms! WTF? The 6 of us live in 3 bedrooms, although another one would be handy at times. Another couple just had a baby, so the house they bought a year ago is now too small. It couldn't possibly be because there are baby toys in every room, including the kitchen. I've never seen so many toys for a baby that can't even sit yet! And I thought we were pretty bad about buying toys, but I was apparently wrong. But every time I watch it, I'm pleased with our little house, and the amount of living we manage to do in it.
The last Love it Or List It show I watched had a homeowner I loved. She was adamant that she wanted to stay in her 1300 sq ft house and even I could see that it was cramped for her family of 2 children and husband. It was hodge podge and quite unattractive. But she was frugal and loved it because it was "manageable" which allowed her to not have to work, and it was right on a subway line for her boys. I liked her for this practical approach. Surprisingly, she went for the last house which was the one that killed me because it was SO Gothic. I love Gothic. I want to be a witch living in a Gothic house, but that is another life, not the one I now have. :D
But yeah, in general the expectations of these spoiled people are pretty crazy and annoying. Every child must have a bedroom. We must have double bowl sinks in the bathroom. There must be a master bathroom with the master bedroom. and etc.
And yes, it all does make me feel that my own house is quite shabby. We renovated 25 years ago when the trend here was to have one giant luxury bathroom. Now the trend is: a bunch of small full bathrooms. So I see them pulling out those (stupid) giant tubs of the last trend. We have one of those huge tubs and I am truthful in saying that it has NEVER been used by either DH or me. I remember that a friend of mine used it about 20 years ago. That may have been the last time, we keep cat litter boxes it in.
Teacher Terry
11-30-14, 7:21pm
I have to confess that I love all those shows too. I have bought & renovated a few old homes through the years & it is so fun to bring a dumpy house to life again. We only bought our house 3 years ago & completely redid it so I won't live to see it outdated or won't care by then. I am same age as you IL. I actually do not like having 2 sinks in a bathroom-it takes away from the counter space. I raised my kids in a 1 bathroom home (5 people). In this house we did put 2. We stole some of the space from the dining room because it was enormous and our master bedroom just happens to be behind it so we moved a wall. 2 of my boys always had to share a room until the oldest went away to college. It certainly did not hurt anybody.
catherine
11-30-14, 7:33pm
We renovated 25 years ago when the trend here was to have one giant luxury bathroom. Now the trend is: a bunch of small full bathrooms. So I see them pulling out those (stupid) giant tubs of the last trend. We have one of those huge tubs and I am truthful in saying that it has NEVER been used by either DH or me. I remember that a friend of mine used it about 20 years ago. That may have been the last time, we keep cat litter boxes it in.
It amazes me that people just don't take baths at all anymore (including me). I would not want a jacuzzi or a big soaker tub at all because of the amount of water it must take to fill it, although I guess if you only take a spa bath once in a while it wouldn't be too bad.
I've noticed that even some hotels have taken out tubs and replaced them with shower stalls. Maybe it's a sign of the times--another indication that we're just too busy to relax in a tub. Maybe if they came up with a spa tub where you could use your computer without it getting wet while you're bathing, that would be the next big thing
Simply Divine
11-30-14, 8:43pm
I don't watch TV very often. The only cable I watch is HGTV, and I like Property Brothers. On network television, I watch The Big Bang Theory regularly, and I need to catch up on Blackish after the semester ends. I try to watch PBS sometimes, but none of the shows have grabbed me. I'm not a Downton Abbey fan at all.
My technology time is spent taking online classes, both for credit and not-for-credit. I can live without TV if I must, but not without the Internet.
When I initially saw the name of the thread, I was struck by the improbability of Iris Lily participating in a Marathon. I thought it was a joke. But, after seeing that it was a Tee-Vee-watching Marathon, well, then--I'd agree that she'd definitely be a World Class Marathoner. Not trying to be snarky, here.
The thing that drives me nuts are the people that move away from their families and friends and insist on a guest room for all the guests they will have. As someone who has had several friends move abroad for career opportunities and eventually come back to the US I've noticed that every single one, upon returning, expresses surprise at how few people actually came to visit while they were away. "Other than my parents and brother not one person came to visit me in Barcelona in the six years I was there" is a typical comment.
The thing that drives me nuts are the people that move away from their families and friends and insist on a guest room for all the guests they will have.
I agree--and also, if I hear one more person eye a 2000 square foot "open concept" kitchen/family room and say, "this will be great for entertaining!" I'm going to explode. Who are these people? Martha Stewart? Gloria Vanderbilt? How do they find the time after working their butts off to pay for these expensive houses to actually entertain the large crowds these big houses can accommodate in their fantasies?
Catherine, those are the same ones that say they need a huge kitchen.....but don't cook!
iris lilies
12-1-14, 11:22am
I so agree about extra living space for guests. Too many people make that mistake, including downsizers. One of my friends with 5 grown children moved to a 4 bedroom house "for when the kids all come to stay" but in 6 years she never had all of those bedrooms filled. Fortunately, she figured that out fairly soon and after that moved to 1 BR places.
I have the same thought about entertaining, except that here in my neighborhood many people DO entertain often, so I see that as a reality for many people. The chief form of entertainment around here is dinner parties, and small boxy rooms fill up quickly.
lessisbest
12-1-14, 6:04pm
I have an HGTV story. We have gone to basic cable and no longer get it but the are showing some of the shows on ROKU/Netflix now.
Hubby and I come from the same area, went to the same one-horse town school, and both have fairly large families. Each year for the holidays we would have to travel back and forth between our parents homes (they lived in different towns) or be cut out of the will (just kidding). It was more like a holy obligation. The first year after our parents passed away (the 18-months of horror and sadness), our daughter and her family were in Germany, and our son was traveling with friends, we experienced our very first Christmas ALONE!!! We turned on the gas fireplace, kicked back and watched the Trading Spaces Marathon. I wouldn't want to spend a holiday like this ever again, but it was a complete respite from the family pressures and all that travel time we put in.
Nice story, lessisbest. As John Lennon said, "whatever gets you through the night.."
Teacher Terry
12-1-14, 6:37pm
WE have a double bed in my office for guests plus a blow up mattress that we can put in my hubby's office & our rv for guests. We have never filled them all up at once but our place is fairly small. When I was working f.t. we had a 1800sq ft house with the open concept & we entertained groups of 25 people at all the holidays & others times, & I was still working f.t. I was in my late 40's-50's. Then 3 years ago we downsized & I have much smaller groups now even though I have more time since I only work very p.t. However, I am older now too. On the holidays when my kids are out of town I no longer entertain or accept invites to others homes. We go out & have fun. It's funny how things change.
Gardenarian
12-1-14, 7:18pm
I don't watch TV but enjoyed perusing the book "The Nesting Place: It Doesn't have to be Perfect to be Beautiful" (http://www.thenester.com/landing/the-nesting-place-book) by Myquillyn Smith. Not so much decorating ideas as decorating attitude. Very enjoyable!
The thing that drives me nuts are the people that move away from their families and friends and insist on a guest room for all the guests they will have. As someone who has had several friends move abroad for career opportunities and eventually come back to the US I've noticed that every single one, upon returning, expresses surprise at how few people actually came to visit while they were away. "Other than my parents and brother not one person came to visit me in Barcelona in the six years I was there" is a typical comment.
Our guest room, our second bedroom in our 650 square foot cabin, actually gets a lot of use. Our grandkids and oldest DD come stay with us several times a year. The room also doubles as a small library, office area, and sewing/craft room for our own use. I have tried hard to make that room work for several purposes using a lot of unusual storage ideas. So for us buying a place with a guest room makes sense.
i try not to watch HGTV too much as it often makes me feel like my home needs a lot of updating... I'm more into the shabby chic look and that is not something I've ever seen featured on HGTV. There is definitely a lot of eye candy on there! :)
Teacher Terry
12-1-14, 8:43pm
When we downsized this last time I wanted to use every room we had. Both my hubby & I work p.t. from home so needed our own offices since the rooms are small & I wanted to have a guest room that wasn't separate from my office so everything was used. My hubby's office is too messy to share with a guest.
Our guest room, our second bedroom in our 650 square foot cabin, actually gets a lot of use. Our grandkids and oldest DD come stay with us several times a year. The room also doubles as a small library, office area, and sewing/craft room for our own use. I have tried hard to make that room work for several purposes using a lot of unusual storage ideas. So for us buying a place with a guest room makes sense.
A guest room can make perfect sense for some people, especially if it serves double/triple duty like yours does. Close families whose relatives live in the same country can expect plenty of guests. Especially people with adult children and young grandchildren. Young couples moving from the US to Hunadoara Romania* or any other random non-touristy place... not so much.
*I admit, I randomly picked that off of a map. I'm sure it's a very lovely place that just hasn't been discovered by the tourists yet.
"this will be great for entertaining!"
That's one of the phrases from the HGTV drinking game that SO and I have invented but never actually played. Other phrases in it are "garden tub", "I like the granite countertops", "they're not stainless steel :-(", and "this closet is big enough for me... I don't know where your stuff will go."
iris lilies
12-1-14, 11:33pm
That's one of the phrases from the HGTV drinking game that SO and I have invented but never actually played. Other phrases in it are "garden tub", "I like the granite countertops", "they're not stainless steel :-(", and "this closet is big enough for me... I don't know where your stuff will go."
Oh that's funny! I agree about the closet comment and had the same thought just this week.But I have to confess that I don't know about "garden tub." What is that?
Garden tub is a few years old. No one says it any more, but that used to be the comment every time there was a huge tub in the bathroom. I can remember, figuratively, at least a thousand times when they'd walk into the bathroom, say it, and either SO or I would turn to the other and shout "GARDEN TUB!"
A guest room can make perfect sense for some people, especially if it serves double/triple duty like yours does. Close families whose relatives live in the same country can expect plenty of guests. Especially people with adult children and young grandchildren. Young couples moving from the US to Hunadoara Romania* or any other random non-touristy place... not so much
Definitely, that makes sense, jp1. I actually didn't mean to quote your post in my OP, but a different one. ;)
For the record, we have a 2nd bedroom that would be a lovely guest room if someone were to come stay with us. (we've lived in this apartment 4 1/2 years and had 2 people each spend 1 night here) I use it as my "office". It's got my computer and a nice futon that I use for reading books and taking naps. However, SO works for a large luxury hotel in the heart of the city and gets a really nice employee discount. Everyone that's come to town to visit us has chosen to stay there and pay the discounted price rather than stay with us. Frankly I'm not offended or surprised since the hotel is really nice, has nice views, etc, and is much closer to all the tourist popular places in town compared to our apartment.
The couples who annoy me are like one woman I remember, looking at a perfectly gorgeous house on the beach, struck it from the list because it had no pool. Really? You live on the damn beach!
Love it or List It:
I don't like how 'itchy with a B' the whole tenor of the show is (a little bit of the tit for tat between the designer & realtor is slightly clever and then they go a few exchanges too far & it gets on my nerves) and then the oh so fake 'disagreements' with the families about various aspects of the reno or house hunting.
Even my son has asked me, 'why do they always have to be walking when they are talking?'
I do love the designer lady's coats though.
Love it or List It:
I don't like how 'itchy with a B' the whole tenor of the show is (a little bit of the tit for tat between the designer & realtor is slightly clever and then they go a few exchanges too far & it gets on my nerves) and then the oh so fake 'disagreements' with the families about various aspects of the reno or house hunting.
Even my son has asked me, 'why do they always have to be walking when they are talking?'
I do love the designer lady's coats though.
I so agree with that. I like the concept, but hate the execution. They seem intent on making it an adversarial situation every time. (I blame that on the popularity of so-called "reality shows" that feature overt-the-top conflict. I refuse to watch those.) The way both the designer and the realtor speak to their clients would never be tolerated in real life---totally unprofessional. And the homeowners! I can only remember seeing maybe 1 or 2 who were reasonable. Most of them expect a whole-house makeover with an unrealistic budget. When they're informed of serious structural issues that will cut into the budget, most of them are scripted, I presume, to complain that it's not acceptable.
Mostly, though, it's the constant bickering that turns me off. I simply don't find that entertaining. I rarely watch an entire episode. If I'm interested in the house, I might tune back in for the last 5-10 minutes to see what they did with the house.
The couples who annoy me are like one woman I remember, looking at a perfectly gorgeous house on the beach, struck it from the list because it had no pool. Really? You live on the damn beach!
As someone who has lived on the coast, I feel qualified to answer. The ocean is a dangerous place to swim--at least where we lived. They used to pull bodies out of it all the time--victims of poor judgment, the undertow, sneaker waves...I was never allowed to wade deeper than my knees, and it was usually breath-takingly cold. I'll take a minimally-heated pool for swimming any day of the week. (And rivers and lakes have their own issues. I'll go to my grave thinking of all the dead hagfish I encountered in the Columbia--not to mention the live ones I didn't know I was swimming with. No thanks.)
I so agree with that. I like the concept, but hate the execution. They seem intent on making it an adversarial situation every time. (I blame that on the popularity of so-called "reality shows" that feature overt-the-top conflict. I refuse to watch those.) The way both the designer and the realtor speak to their clients would never be tolerated in real life---totally unprofessional. And the homeowners! I can only remember seeing maybe 1 or 2 who were reasonable. Most of them expect a whole-house makeover with an unrealistic budget. When they're informed of serious structural issues that will cut into the budget, most of them are scripted, I presume, to complain that it's not acceptable.
Mostly, though, it's the constant bickering that turns me off. I simply don't find that entertaining. I rarely watch an entire episode. If I'm interested in the house, I might tune back in for the last 5-10 minutes to see what they did with the house.
I was reading somewhere that at the end they actually record two conclusions, one where they love it and a second where they list it and decide later which to use once they are doing the final editing of the show. The whole show runs through such a standardized formula. Are we really supposed to believe that The homeowners didn't know there was a structural issue or that $50,000, or whatever the Reno budget is, won't cover ten separate, massive projects?
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