HGTV Shows

[Bearcata]

Of the recent HGTV shows I think Property Virgin shows it best where you have a young couple/or single who wants to buy their first home. All love the charm of the craftsmanship, the high ceilings, the crown moldings, the wooden floors but they all squeak at the small bedrooms, small kitchens and small bathrooms. In some of the older homes opening the living, dining and kitchen areas really adds to the home. Hidden Potential does this best. It says much about how our lifestyles have changed and how homes need to be adapted to suit the current lifestyle. It also goes to that old adage baths and kitchens sell houses. Still I do argue the point if you have the place to yourself it is not that important to have the biggest bedroom because you do have a living room and the rest of the apartment/house to yourself. I think alot of people want a huge bedroom and closet so they can store all their stuff. Basements are wonderful things. If you have one you don't necessarily need that huge walkin closet.

Oh, it didn't help for the longest time when the furniture manufacturers made huge overstuffed furniture that looked overscale even in a 2,000 sq ft home. What a relief it was when they started to scale the furniture back down.

[PhoneGrrrl]

Oh, it didn't help for the longest time when the furniture manufacturers made huge overstuffed furniture that looked overscale even in a 2,000 sq ft home. What a relief it was when they started to scale the furniture back down.

It *is* a relief. My house is about 90 years old and is pretty small, despite the high ceilings. I didn't want a couch that looks like it should be in the living room of a giant and finding a petite dining room table was a chore.

Last night the couple of first time buyers in Gulfport on HH had me cracking up over their love for carpet and admitting that they rolled around on it once they moved in. I also thought that the husband should have down-sized that monster truck he was driving if he so desperately wanted to park it in the garage.

[onei0091]

Of the recent HGTV shows I think Property Virgin shows it best where you have a young couple/or single who wants to buy their first home. All love the charm of the craftsmanship, the high ceilings, the crown moldings, the wooden floors but they all squeak at the small bedrooms, small kitchens and small bathrooms. In some of the older homes opening the living, dining and kitchen areas really adds to the home. Hidden Potential does this best. It says much about how our lifestyles have changed and how homes need to be adapted to suit the current lifestyle. It also goes to that old adage baths and kitchens sell houses. Still I do argue the point if you have the place to yourself it is not that important to have the biggest bedroom because you do have a living room and the rest of the apartment/house to yourself. I think alot of people want a huge bedroom and closet so they can store all their stuff. Basements are wonderful things. If you have one you don't necessarily need that huge walkin closet.

Oh, it didn't help for the longest time when the furniture manufacturers made huge overstuffed furniture that looked overscale even in a 2,000 sq ft home. What a relief it was when they started to scale the furniture back down.

Yeah, that's what I did - I opened the kitchen to the dining and living room so that if you are in the living room you can look straight through the dining room and into the entire kitchen. The bath is quite large and has also been redone but seeing as how the place would appeal to people that like older places, I did the whole pedastal sink thing which has made a comeback in the last decade or so. When I finished I thought it was a nice blend of old and new. I know people like all new kitchens and there isn't a thing in there that isn't new. So I'm surprised that the bedrooms are such an issue. It's in a great, sought after neighborhood. This is the only property I have that has had me scratching my head, and it is my only 'old' property, so I can't help but think that's the reason. I was certain there'd be people that would eat up all of the 'charm' of the older features. Live and learn I guess. Either way, it was fun to rennovate...

I remember seeing an HGTV show (can't remember which one - maybe the vacation home show?) and the couple wanted each room to be separate. They made it clear that they did *not* want an open floor plan. I was shocked! I couldn't believe there were people in this day and age that wanted a closed off kitchen, dining room, living room.

I like either, personally, but since hubby and I are opting to start a family soon I think it would be easier to have small children in an open floor plan. That way you can keep a watchful eye on them from a few rooms away if need be.

[Bearcata]

Yeah, that's what I did - I opened the kitchen to the dining and living room so that if you are in the living room you can look straight through the dining room and into the entire kitchen. The bath is quite large and has also been redone but seeing as how the place would appeal to people that like older places, I did the whole pedastal sink thing which has made a comeback in the last decade or so. When I finished I thought it was a nice blend of old and new. I know people like all new kitchens and there isn't a thing in there that isn't new. So I'm surprised that the bedrooms are such an issue. It's in a great, sought after neighborhood. This is the only property I have that has had me scratching my head, and it is my only 'old' property, so I can't help but think that's the reason. I was certain there'd be people that would eat up all of the 'charm' of the older features. Live and learn I guess. Either way, it was fun to rennovate...

I remember seeing an HGTV show (can't remember which one - maybe the vacation home show?) and the couple wanted each room to be separate. They made it clear that they did *not* want an open floor plan. I was shocked! I couldn't believe there were people in this day and age that wanted a closed off kitchen, dining room, living room.

I like either, personally, but since hubby and I are opting to start a family soon I think it would be easier to have small children in an open floor plan. That way you can keep a watchful eye on them from a few rooms away if need be.

See I don't like pedestal sinks in a half bath cause I always wonder where do you store the TP. I was watching one of HGTV's 25 Design Mistakes and the "professional designers" were going on and on how a half bath should only have a sink, toilet and a roll of TP and hand towel in it. Are they nuts. Where do you put the hair dryer, curling iron, vaseline, bandages, q-tips etc... I don't care if a bathroom is a 2 piece, 3 piece or a full bathroom it needs storage and a big medicine cabinet.

[onei0091]

See I don't like pedestal sinks in a half bath cause I always wonder where do you store the TP. I was watching one of HGTV's 25 Design Mistakes and the "professional designers" were going on and on how a half bath should only have a sink, toilet and a roll of TP and hand towel in it. Are they nuts. Where do you put the hair dryer, curling iron, vaseline, bandages, q-tips etc... I don't care if a bathroom is a 2 piece, 3 piece or a full bathroom it needs storage and a big medicine cabinet.

Yes, I like lots of storage, too. This bath has 6 large cabinets + medicine cabinet, so there is lots of space for towels, toilet paper, etc. And then I put in a little glass shelf above the sink for little things that you don't want to reach into a cabinet for each time.

It's kinda funny, but it's been very nervewrecking to do the work and then show it yourself. It's like rennovating a home and then being your own realtor, and listening to people's comments on your work. It's weird. I don't know how people do it, it makes me anxious!

That would be a good show. A show that starts with a rennovator's before and after pics, and then the show is about finding a buyer/renter and having to hear what the buyer/renter likes and doesn't like about their improvements. Personally, watching someone do the work is boring to me. I just want to see before/after pics. So they should start a show w/before and after pics and go from there.

[Allie]

See I don't like pedestal sinks in a half bath cause I always wonder where do you store the TP. I was watching one of HGTV's 25 Design Mistakes and the "professional designers" were going on and on how a half bath should only have a sink, toilet and a roll of TP and hand towel in it. Are they nuts. Where do you put the hair dryer, curling iron, vaseline, bandages, q-tips etc... I don't care if a bathroom is a 2 piece, 3 piece or a full bathroom it needs storage and a big medicine cabinet.

I don't know if a half-bath needs all that if you have a full bath somewhere else. I see a half-bath as something like I have downstairs that is just used, well, to wash hands or use the toilet. Not used to do your hair and such. Unless that half-bath is part of the master and then that would make sense.

I guess if it is near bedrooms and would be used for guests, then you would need a bit more storage.

But I know we use a nice-sized drink tub to hold magazines and TP and such. If you didn't want mags, you could put extra towels and such. It goes perfectly in the space between the wall and the toilet, to where you would not have much room for a furniture-type piece. And since it is low, it doesn't make the bathroom feel cramped.

You could add a small mirrored medicine cabinet. But half-baths are usually on the small side and can feel really cramped with the same things you would put in a full bath.

But that's just my taste. I don't see why if you have the room you couldn't do all full-sized storage in a half-bath.

[Bearcata]

With me after I wake up, do the wake up chores and then head on downstairs to feed everyone I just don't want to go back upstairs. So I do the hair and face in the half bath in the foyer/front hall, cause it is all on the way out of the house to do the commute to go to work. Going back upstairs to my full bath sorta goes against the flow and feels as if I am going backwards. Besides I have a really cute over the toilet storage cabinet that holds everything so it really isn't crowded. But I do see your point in not putting too much in a really small half bath. I find over the toilet cabinets invaluable cause yes, the big bottle of mouthwash the curling iron, several rolls of TP can all be stored there without making the space feel too small.

[Allie]

With me after I wake up, do the wake up chores and then head on downstairs to feed everyone I just don't want to go back upstairs. So I do the hair and face in the half bath in the foyer/front hall, cause it is all on the way out of the house to do the commute to go to work. Going back upstairs to my full bath sorta goes against the flow and feels as if I am going backwards. Besides I have a really cute over the toilet storage cabinet that holds everything so it really isn't crowded. But I do see your point in not putting too much in a really small half bath. I find over the toilet cabinets invaluable cause yes, the big bottle of mouthwash the curling iron, several rolls of TP can all be stored there without making the space feel too small.

I do like those over the toilet cabinets. Crate and Barrel and Pottery Barn both had cute ones I eyed a few years back. One of those would fit in my downstairs bathroom rather well. No, no must resist. Just had to buy a new refrigerator.

And that makes sense in your case, a working woman needs to streamline things.

It is kind of funny with those Property Virgins and Hidden Potential type of shows. They know their budget is small and their wish list HUGE. Yet they are Shocked, Shocked I say! when they can't find anything that is good enough for them and have been looking for quite a while.

[roses4me]

Of all the shows on this network, I've never seen a home buyer say he/she doesn't like the open floor plan. I don't like it as when I'm cooking or baking I'd rather be alone and the noise of small appliances always gets the dirty look when someone's watching the TV. I can see where a new mom would want to keep an eye out for the children, but after a while she might long for her own kitchen hide-away!

[Allie]

Warning: Rant ahead.

I've been watching a lot of the Designed to Sell and Get It Sold shows. How do these home owners not know what to do? I mean I knew what to do to sell a home and that was before HGTV had all these shows on the air. You do research, you listen to your real estate agent. Duh.

We've sold two homes. Both fairly quickly and both at full price (my mom-in-laws and our first home). Now our home sold in 21 days (SoCal and height of the housing market, tbh). But still. We listed to our real estate agent. He even brought in his interior designer girlfriend. We bought furniture (we spent a good chunk because we were taking it with us and wanted something we loved). We painted. Cleaned carpets. I got down on my hands-and-knees with a bleach pen and cleaned all the grout in the house. Heck, I even painted inside the drawers in the master bath. We hired a professional painter to do the entire house including accent walls that would attract the Orange County-type buyers we thought would want the house. We got stuffy valances for all the windows. Took out personal touches and got more common model home-type art and bedding. We decluttered. Made the yard perfect.

Of course the house sold when we had to move and took all the furniture with us ... but we still had those other touches.

I know people do put houses on the market in such a mess. We also bought a house at the top of the market (barely one month inventory). One house the home owner didn't even bother to put the fish he had thawing back in the fridge. Another one had dog poop and chewed molding all over (she did leave in a hurry, to be fair). A third had chunks of kitchen flooring coming up. At least use super glue on it!

Rant over.