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Regulars to this blog know that a number of us are regular watchers of House Hunters on HGTV. Recently it was revealed that the shows are scripted, that some of the houses viewed were not really for sale, and that at least one buyer had already chosen the house before the show was filmed.
Oh, the betrayal! I am shocked!
You mean they don’t really just look at 3 houses before buying one? You mean that all those guys talking about wainscoting and lighting fixtures and how they HATE carpeting were fed those lines and may be typical guys would not know wainscoting if it hit them in the head? You mean that maybe every single person in the world is not horrified to find brass faucets in a house?
Of course it is scripted. At least I hope so. I’d hate to believe that the entire population of my world consists of people who have nothing in common with me.
Here is what I mean. Often—very often— on that show the female (and sometimes the male) walks into a perfectly functional, decent kitchen, looks around and announces “Eeuww, this is not what I want. I would have to gut all of this right away.” Or maybe it will be a bathroom. Gut it, mind you. Not update it. Not live with something less than perfect for a few years while the money is saved. It must be gutted NOW, immediately after closing on the house.
When we bought our current home, the oven was—- avocado green. And it still worked fine, more’s the pity. I did not cross the house off the list due to that oven (which I did not like, in case that is not clear) and I did not replace it right away. I certainly did not gut the kitchen, even though some of the kitchens decreed as gut-worthy on this show are much better looking than this kitchen was.
Partly it was money. After buyng a house the savings account is normally depleted, and we aren’t talking about a new lipstick here. Gutting a kitchen and doing the granite/stainless steel/island/fancy cabinet/move the plumbing rehab is probably a forty grand project, minimum, if you contract the work. That is a lot of money. Well, at least to me it is. (I know what you are thinking—that if we did it ourselves it would not cost nearly that much. Except DH is not “handy” and all my friends who had husbands remodel a kitchen lived with a construction site for years. . .)
photo by MissNatalie, creative commons license
Even more than money was the anticipation of all that energy depletion. I find moving a huge hassle. An exhausting enterprise. A hell of a lot of work!! The very notion of launching into major renovations, even with a contractor, immediately after a move makes me twitch.
After I move I can live with anything so long as I don’t have to do house stuff for a long time.
So I am relieved to know that the show is scripted. Now I can believe that these house hunters are really people who are a lot like me, and that I am not (yet once again) some outlier who is totally out of sync with my world. It is comforting to think that the producers told them to look down their noses and decree “Eewww— maple cabinets and tile floors—-I want cherry and hardwood, so we’ll have to gut this right away.”
Do you redecorate and/or remodel as soon as you move?
Do you do it yourself, and if so are you good at it?
Would you have to change out all the brass door knobs and fixtures if you bought another house?
When you decorate or make changes in your home, do you do it for you, or do you think about resale value and potential?
68 Comments on “I Have to Gut All of This”
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I’ve been in my apt for almost 20 yrs now and recently found out that the tenant downstairs is moving out. I immediately contacted the landlord( who was on a camping vacation from retired living) and told him I wanted it. 2 days later I regreted saying that as I thought of the pluses and minuses of moving down there- way more items on the minus list. not the least of which is it would cost me more than I could afford monthly. less storage but more space, great view but not as secure to leave windows open on the ground floor, no stairs to climb or fall down, but then no deck or clothesline. and most of all? the thought of cleaning here and there so thoroughly in the dead heat of summer plus the heavy lifting involved? ugh. I’m staying put.
no gutting needed!
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 6:50 am.
I’m with you. The idea of moving always makes my current home look so much nicer, immediately!
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 9:03 am.
I plan to move when I’ve won the lottery, and can afford to pay people to pack and lug for me and most important? clean!
plus the added bonus of my dream home by the sea
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 12:41 pm.
The only renovation we ever made in any of the homes we’ve bought was the very first house. It was an old house with a tiny kitchen and tiny bathroom and the only thing we did was screen in the porch. Neither DH nor I are handy with stuff like changing fixtures and the words “gut this entirely” are not in our vocabularies! Any changes we make are for us; not a potential buyer. We never even painted when we decided to sell; much less staged our homes. We just kept the place neat & clean.
What tickles me with House Hunters is when a big, husky guy walkes into a house and calls it “cute”! DH has never looked at a house and called it “cute”. I don’t call them cute!
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 7:03 am.
Or “charming”— that is a real estate term, and maybe a woman term, but I don’t think my DH would ever think that word, let alone say it.
When we sold our first house the agent told us to clean, period. He said the buyers would make changes and there was no point in our doing it–just lower the price instead. It sold in 5 hours. But now I gather it is harder, so pre-listing there is all this investment in improvements.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 9:06 am.
I bought an apartment that had a kitchen and bath that were both quintessentially me “good enough”. They were new enough to live with but built with the entry price stuff from Home Depot. I couldn’t rationalize (or afford) gutting them to make them fancier. Now that Irene out that apt I’m glad I didn’t spend the piles of $ and headaches to update.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 7:10 am.
I have lived with “good enough”for years at a time. It is a concept I understand!
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 9:07 am.
We’ve only moved once and we gutted the entire house afterward. It took ten years to complete since IV did the work or traded his trade for others. We lived here the entire time.
I’m not good at anything but painting and I wouldn’t say I’m actually good at it but competent.
When we re-did this house it was both for resale and ourselves. The entire place was avocado and yellow, shag carpet and dark paneling and shutters on the windows. It had to go.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 7:12 am.
Oh, yes, avocado and shag needs to go. As for your gutting—you were a paragon of patience about the ten years. That is why I am not too upset that DH does not ever consider such projects.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 9:09 am.
IV still says things like “remember when you had to do dishes in the bathtub?” Uh, yes. Don’t remind me.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 9:50 am.
I have lived in this house 13 years this month, happy anniversary to me! That beings said, I hated the pantry that some brain-trust baby placed in the corner of my kitchen, I still hate that pantry someone placed in the corner of my kitchen. Have I made changes in 13 years? You betcha! My bathroom is a religious experience and three years after we had it done I am still in love with it, although we will probably be getting up-grade toilets in the near future. I was at Jerry’s Home Improvement day before yesterday pricing kitchen units and I found what I want that is well below my budget, even installed. So tax time is only 10 months away, time to start making plans. Oh, yes I had that island that was in the center of the kitchen moved to the outer wall and the window raised six inches. The one-butt kitchen is now a multi-butt kitchen (remember brain-trust baby?).
I have never been able to understand people who will gut a kitchen because they didn’t like a tiny thing about a house. Put on your big-girls and deal! I also hate when they go in with a wrecking crew and smash everything to pieces before the remodel. Has anyone heard of Habitat for Humanity’s Re-Store?? They will even pick up from a site. If you buy a house with warts, try a little Compound W before you amputate; paint covers a multitude of sins.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 7:45 am.
When we finally did gut this kitchen, I could not throw out those old cabinets. They are in our basement now. Good storage! I agree that creative redecorating can keep the wreckers away for a while at least.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 9:11 am.
We bought our house six years ago. I didn’t even look in the kitchen because I knew we were going to remodel. I lived with a “harvest gold” oven for a year and a half. That oven still worked, had hot spots and leaked like a sieve. I heated the house that first year just by baking a dessert every day, that had to be rotated at least three times during cooking so that it would bake evenly. Then things started falling apart–literally. A piece of the countertop came off. So, three years ago, we did the full gut remodel. I had studs in my kitchen. We moved plumbing, electrical and just about every other thing known to houses. Where the kitchen sink was, we put in a door, and then a deck. You’re right, $40k at least hiring it out, but remodel was our business. DH got the wood for the new cabinets out of a trash pile. If you open my drawers, and look at them, none of the wood matches. The wood on the drawer fronts came from an auction where DH bought a lot for $5. No one knew that the wood in there was weinge (prounced wing-y). It is some African stuff that everyone wants. The counters are Corian. They came off of a job that was being upgraded to granite. The backsplash is marble. The stair treads to the basement are white oak. All of this stuff came off of job sites that were destined for the trash. But yeah, the remodel technically isn’t done. I still don’t have pantry doors nor is the open back of the pantry finished. It’s been three years. However, I’m happy to report that the ledge is in and installed! But, it has been so long since we painted that the store didn’t have our color anymore. Now I have to find a sample that they can match so I can do some minor repairs. After living through and with this remodel, I can’t understand why perfectly good kitchens and baths are deemed as needed gutted. Unless that stuff is falling off of walls (which it was in our case), I say slap a coat of paint on it and call it good. Sorry about the length. I’m rather passionate about our remodel
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 8:10 am.
The only way I would do our remodel was if the contractor promised to be in and out in one month. And he was! I know all about the “almost done” kitchens
I have a friend whose husband did it and it is going on fifteen years of almost done.
But you guys showed amazing creativity in reusing materials. I think that is cool. Someone should do an HGTV show about it!
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 9:15 am.
Our house was fine, if dated for a couple of years after we moved in. Then tiles started falling off the wall in the bathroom. We gutted it.
It took 9 months I believe but we did it ourselves on weekends and with a newborn and a toddler. Well, my husband did all the work after I did the fun part (demolition). He’s working on the upstairs bathroom now and that’s taken over a year so far. He stopped for several months. As of now I almost don’t remember what it’s like to have two working bathrooms. We do it for ourselves and the resale value is a bonus. When I pick out fixtures for the bathrooms I do it with an eye toward what goes well in the house and what’s generally neutral – no wacky colors or designs, I don’t like them and neither will anyone else. Next is a new roof and siding which we can’t do ourselves but needs to be done before we can sell the place in a few years.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 8:12 am.
Do it yoursef really pays off at resale. My contractor work is very much for me, because there is no way I will get it out of the house at resale time.It is just too expensive.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 9:16 am.
I know–I heard that HH and HHI were ‘scripted’ and all of that stuff, and I really didn’t care. I like watching the scenery in places that I have never been, domestic and foreign. I watched one that I had on the DVR this morning before work while I was drinking my coffee…a family from Ireland decided to get a vacation home on the southern coast of Italy, and it was really interesting to see what their money could buy.
I haven’t done any gutting at all, and don’t plan on it unless I hit the lottery and can stay in a hotel while someone else does it all.
I really love our house and really the only thing that I would change is that I would like a bigger kitchen. Our floor plan is pretty open, but the kitchen is still ‘alley’ style in that the sink and dishwasher are on one wall that divides the kitchen from the living area, and the stove, etc. are across from that, with an ‘alley’ between. Thankfully, we don’t have too many ‘butt-bumping’ issues, but occasionally if we have a lot of people over, especially the hub’s family (they are all big people and like to ‘help’ in my kitchen, which to me means they are in my way), it gets crowded. Plus there is precious little counter and cabinet space, although the pantry is a nice size. That being said, none of those issues would require me to ‘gut’ it. When we bought this house, it was a choice between this one with office space and a smaller kitchen and another with a GORGEOUS kitchen, but a smaller house overall. I sacrificed my gorgeous kitchen and we got the office space, and I’ve dealt for 10 years and plan to stick it out a little longer.
The only thing we have done is that I painted a feature wall in our breakfast area and the master bedroom. It’s a nice sagey green, so it’s still neutral, but gives a nice warmth. I still love it.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 8:37 am.
Having eventually done major renovations, your idea about staying in a hotel is spot on.
I also love watching this show, especially the international ones. I really love it when Brits go to buy on the Continent, and the guys want “projects” so are interested in buying “ruins.” Bless their hearts!
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 1:40 pm.
The only thing we did when we moved in here was paint the dining room and master bedroom walls, which we did ourselves. I didn’t have a fit because the kitchen didn’t have granite, or that it hadn’t been updated in years. That just allowed us to negotiate the price a little. And never once did we feel that we needed to gut anything.
We hire a professional for most things. Shortly after we moved in our lives changed in a way we never anticipated. Now we want to move, so our thoughts and remodels are for resale purposes. We seem to be stuck on the kitchen floor. Should we tile, or go another route? We ask different people and get a different answer from everyone we ask. Sigh. We’ll figure it out sooner or later!
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 8:38 am.
I think negotiating the price for less than perfect is a swell idea, and do it myself. I *tell* myself I will update.
For kitchen floors, it is tough. I have wood, and there are clear problems, one being that water and wood do not mix, and you have all those appliances that use water in there. I have a few warped boards from when we lost electricity and the ice maker defrosted. . .
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 1:43 pm.
Ah, thank you! We were discussing just carrying the wood throughout. We never thought of the water aspect. Thanks!
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 3:36 pm.
I’ve been so happy with my linoleum that has a neutral tile print on it. This isn’t your grandma’s nasty linoleum. It is great stuff. I would recommend looking into some of the new stuff they have on the market. It has drastically changed in the last few years.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 4:31 pm.
Thanks Amanda! We were leaning that way, then friends said to go with tile for resale purposes. The guy we hired for other repairs said not to do tile to do linoleum. And he is a tile guy. Lol. One of these days we’ll make a decision.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 6:03 pm.
Okay, LOL!!! I just finished a remodel with a contractor in which we updated. We did NOT gut everything. A) Hubby would cut off his hands before he’d spend that much money on a mere house. And B) I was writing a book at the time that I was sadly behind on (when am I NOT writing a book I’m sadly behind on?).
The contractor was really good and very fast, but it still took two and a half months for the major stuff and another repeat couple of weeks for some other stuff later. In between then, he came in and did a few little things. SO, I lived with a contractor in and out for approx. 6 months. And that was without “gutting” anything (although to be fair we completely updated a kitchen, two baths, a living room, a dining room, and three bedrooms).
This was all done after we’d had the house for 8 years. Yeah, it took us a big crack in the living room ceiling to even start the process. The only way I would walk in and say, “We need to ‘gut’ this right now” is if I was working all the remodeling into my loan, and they were doing it before I moved in. Seriously.
I want some other stuff done, but not for a couple of years at least. Too much chaos!
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 8:39 am.
6 months for all that work is not bad at all. I think for big jobs gutting is actually faster. Down to the studs in one or two days, then just fitting all the new stuff in. Remodeling is more expensive and time consuming than a true gut sometimes.
I also need a few years between projects. My DH is amazed if I ever agree to anything because of the chaos.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 1:45 pm.
I always think about how the people who live in that house must feel when they hear someone say that the kitchen would have to be completely gutted. That seems to imply that it’s horrifying, unlivable… and yet, people live there. I wonder if our House Hunters is shown in other countries, and if people watching think that Americans are terribly spoiled.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 8:43 am.
That is a good question—if it is shown elsewhere. And these are not rich people either, so they would come across as spoiled and picky.
I wonder if the owners of the houses viewed have to approve of their use, too—what with all the ridicule.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 1:47 pm.
When we bought the house we’re in now, it was new, but all the flooring and cabniets had been picked out by the builder. They aren’t all to my taste, but good enough. The only thing we really needed to do once we moved in, was paint the bedrooms. Eventually we finished our basement. Hubby wanted to do it himself, but I insisted we get someone in. Neither of us are very handy, and I didn’t want a learn as you go project. So, we hired a contractor to do it, and it was completed in about a month. Right on schedule and on budget. Being on budget was more important to us then the completion time, but we were lucky to get both.
There are somethings I would like to change here, but we are undecided if we want to stay long term in this house. If we do stay, I would like to redo the kitchen and the master bath. I think renos should be done with resale in mind, but that shouldn’t be the deciding factor.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 9:04 am.
When we eventually redid the master bath, I figured I would live here for 20 years and so I did it for me. I figured that after 20 years it would be due fo a rehaul anyway, so a buyer could just do what they wanted. But if I intended to move within, say, 10 years, I would probably be more aware of the resale value and go with all those neutrals that they recommend.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 1:49 pm.
I’m a compulsive renovator, maybe because I lived in a 120 year old house for 20 years. Now I’m in a 25 yo suburban house and still love changing things. Luckily, I can live with things in progress.
Oh, and I CAN do a lot of it myself, but I love to hire someone who can do it right.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 9:05 am.
My DH has a saying “I hire men to do that so it doesn’t look like I did it.”
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 1:50 pm.
After I moved in to my new place last year, I had a bunch of stuff I wanted to “do”–mainly because I wanted to make it mine. As you mentioned that bank account was pretty bare–so I lived with what I bought with some minor updates (like painting the kitchen cabinets). As it turns out, a year later–I like my cabinets and outdated appliances just fine.
It takes lots of time and $$$$ to do that stuff!
I probably should make my updates for resale value, but for as long as I live in it–that house is MINE, and I make updates and cosmetic changes to suit myself.
Have a good one!
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 9:33 am.
I think that some people go into debt to do it right away. That is fine if that is what they want. Me— after signing those mortgage papers with a humongous debt that will last forever, I am never in more debt mode. Like you, I have foun that some of that old stuff grows on me too.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 1:52 pm.
I LOVE YOU!
Our first house also had an avocado green oven, as well as an avocado green stove top and hood. We lived with it for years and then had them painted at a car shop. Same oven, same stove, but now white. Hey, they worked; it was the color that got on my nerves. But we had to wait until we COULD AFFORD IT, as in PAY CASH.
Gut the kitchen? Never in my life have I gutted a kitchen. The cost would leave me in a coma, and then what good is my pretty kitchen?
As to being scripted, I think that people really DO feel they MUST gut the kitchen because they don’t like the solid wood cabinets and don’t like the white appliances and don’t like the laminate countertops. Because they are HIGH TONE and they CANNOT live in less than honed marble and stainless steel. Because they have to ENTERTAIN, doncha know, and they don’t want their family and friends to MOCK THEM in their secret hearts.
Gag City.
But let me tell you how I REALLY feel . . .
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 10:06 am.
You can have appliances painted at a car shop???? Well, darn! Who knew?
I lived with that ugly avocado stove for years. Of course aftr the first one, I barely noticed.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 1:54 pm.
I never stop noticing!!! LOL But, yeah, cool, huh? It’s metal and it has a painted finish, just like CARS. So, off to the car painting place it went. Best finish I ever saw. Looked brand new. And that oven is still one of my favorites, no matter that it was old. It was a great oven, doing what ovens are supposed to do: cook food so that it comes out right.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:50 pm.
Oh, and now that I’ve calmed down, let me add that Big D and I are big-time renovators and are up to something, somewhere, all the time. We do it ourselves and we buy smart and we save big. And we have a rip-roaring good time doing it.
It can be done!
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 10:07 am.
So do you hammer and stuff? Do plumbing? I can see us switchig out something— like removing a vanity and sink and relacing it with another. If it got into taking down a wall, though—- call the man!
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 1:55 pm.
We’ve cut through the roof to change the ceiling pitch, added windows, tiled, put in bathrooms where there was only a storage room before. We paint anything and everything, hang drapes, build bookcases, wallpaper, make tables, headboards, moldings, build stairs, you name it.
It’s wonderful, all that creative power at your fingertips. And it give you a real clear picture of what part of an estimate is materials and what part labor. Labor trumps materials every time.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:49 pm.
Hey Madeline, being miltitary we don’t always get a say on what we have in our homes unless we go out in buy. Our first home in Louisiana, I didn’t like that it had wall paper in the bathroom. Come on who does that? If any one of you likes wallpaper in the bathroom I’m sorry. Anyways, so we took down the paper in the bathroom and painted a nice yellow. Next was the kitchen I repainted the kitchen and painted a border of Ivy. It was super cute, but it wasn’t until about 2 years later we ripped out the cabinets and counter tops and redid the kitchen which was the best idea. However, about a year later we had to sell and move. It was a cute little house.
Now we just bought our second house. I want to rip out the sliding glass doors and put French doors. That is on the list of things to do on our new house. My husband told me to save my money. One day. I’m sure the list will go on cause it is a house.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 10:39 am.
Bit by bit you redid everything that matters it sounds like. That is sort of how we do it too, although we have twice done what I call big projects.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 1:57 pm.
Years ago, I was living in a little house that had been on the property my dad bought. I spent some of my inheritance on converting the garage into a large room and I bought a larger oven. We also tore out the shag carpet that was in avocado, bright pink and orange (in different rooms) I just couldn’t deal with those colors (and it was so old it was pretty nasty)I had fun doing it.
I also replaced fixtures in my mom’s house. New faucets, sink, lights, etc when she wanted a little sprucing up (she had been there 15 years or so.) I enjoy doing those projects every once in a while. After that, it has been apartments. The one in LA needed a major upgrade as it was all 1963 original – except the fridge, which was from 1986.
I don’t have to have everything “the latest and greatest” but I want things functioning well and that are easy to care for in the long run.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 11:04 am.
My son bought a house that needed work immediately, because it had a bunch of stuff that just did not work right. He got a great deal on the house as a result, and then was able to do those upgrades to his taste. There is something to be said for getting a “fixer upper” that really needs the fixing uping.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:01 pm.
I look at a house for its overall “liveability”. As in, could I live with this? If the answer is yes, it’s a potential home. If not, if things are so unacceptable they need to be gutted, I move on. There are lots of houses out there, after all.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 11:11 am.
I agree. If it is a true “eeewwwww”— I don’t buy. That is different from “must be just what I want” which no house can be, so there is always something that needs big work. I like your word “liveability” which is pretty much my standard too.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:03 pm.
For me when I look at a house it is the bathrooms… This would be my first reno project and I would get a professional in to do the job… Everything else I can live with…
And of course these HGTV shows are scripted.. My cousins daughter applied to have one of her rooms redone for one of these programs and she was turned down because of the demnsions of the room… And her room is huge. So go figure.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 11:21 am.
I have always wondered how one applies to be a candidate. For HGTV, who finds the home buyers? Maybe there is a network of agents who feed into the program.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:04 pm.
We have lived in this house for 41 years. The only thing we have done was replace carpeting, paint, and renovated the bathroom. My husband did the bathroom. We moved to our RV at the campground because I like having a bathroom especially with two boys. The house was new when we bought it. I don’t need anything fancy…a working bathroom and a dishwasher and I am happy.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 11:22 am.
Wow,it was great that you had that RV so you could go there during that reno. I should really do some things in one of our bathrooms, but I put it off because I don’t want my son using ours for several months. It would be great if I could just tell him to go live in the RV
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:06 pm.
We’re renters, so I always have to love the kitchen when I move in, or at least tollerate it! I’m a fan of most of my current house. If we move again, I’ve told my DH that we better buy the place. I hate moving.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 12:52 pm.
I hate moving too, but it does keep the accumulation down. Looking around my house now, I get the feeling it will never be in good shape unless I pretend I am moving and start throwing out with abandon. Where does all this stuff come from?
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:08 pm.
We carry it in one bag at a time. Every time I think of that, I feel like such an idiot. I did it to myself!!!
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:52 pm.
I will have lived in my house for 36 years next month. The only major thing we have done is new floors through out the house and that was about 30 years ago. I moved into the house when I was 19 and single so the floors/carpet reaaaally needed replacing. Other than painting that is it. Hubby is not big on do it yourself renovations and we really can’t afford to hire someone. I would really like to redo the kitchen but I don’t think thats in my near future.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:23 pm.
My hubby is so not DIY. I often think it would be nice if he were. I could make a list, and he could do it
His father was very handy, but somehow he managed not to learn any of it. I used to have my Father-in-law come to visit and give him the lists. “Come for Christmas! oh, and bring the tool box.”
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 4:33 pm.
Interesting reno information… .KILZ makes a paint that will make your fridge a chalkboard…..
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 3:09 pm.
I saw this used once on one of the shows. It really seems to work.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 3:48 pm.
We recently sold a home we’d lived in for almost twenty years. It was new when we bought it and we had done nothing to it other than change paint colors and put hardwood in the master bedroom and living room. The housing market is terrible here and we knew of several nice but older homes that were staying on the market for years. We decided that we could either do major upgrades with most of the work ourselves OR take a huge loss in selling price and possibly have it hanging on our hands and pocketbooks for a long time.
My husband and his cousin did the upgrades with one major splurge on the kitchen and master bathroom cabinetry where we hired professional painters. I was almost sad we couldn’t stay when it was all finished because it was beautiful. The upgrades definitely helped and it sold in less than six months.
In the new house, we painted before we moved in. It was all done in a generic flat paint and not practical with a toddler. After a few months, the cousin put up a travertine back splash in the kitchen that blends with the Corian already here. From here on, it will probably just be replacing what dies. Once I have something the way I like it, I don’t change it to go along with trends.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 3:45 pm.
Lots of times on the make-over-to-sell shows, I see the result and think I would want to stay. I am sure that seeing all those new upgrades made you wish you could!
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 4:35 pm.
My parents bought the house I grew up in when I was 5 and did all of the remodeling themselves. When they got divorced and sold it when I was 18, it wasn’t completely remodeled, but it was significantly better than when they bought it.
I always said that I was never going to remodel a house, but guess what? We bought a house that needed to remodeled because it’s in a great neighborhood with fabulous schools. We’ve owned it for 9 years and it’s not completely remodeled. The kitchen needs to be, but we did get rid of the green dishwasher as well as the turquoise stove and oven. We’ve done some stuff ourselves, but called in the professionals for some of the bigger jobs.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 3:55 pm.
Wow, turquoise appliances! Those must pre-date ME. Buying an honest to god fixer upper can be the only way to get into some neighborhoods. The price is usually low enough that every upgrade and remodel increases the value a lot, which is probably your case. Bit by bit it sounds like you will end up with a great house.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 4:39 pm.
**Moved into my present home 44 years ago, 6 mo pregnant with first child. Said I wouldn’t move again and haven’t. Just renovated the 1950′s kitchen 5 years ago. Put in another bathroom 20 years ago(one bathroom between 2 adults and 5 kids didn’t work). Except for changing kids rooms around, I am still here. However, as a teacher I have moved 6 times between three grades & three buildings. Feel like a ping pong ball. Always loose something along the way. Home for me is where my feet stay put.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 4:07 pm.
When you live in a house a long time it accumulates a lot of memories. If I ever have to leave this one, it will be hard. Even redecorating makes me nostalgic at times. And I have always lost stuff, even when remodeling. I lost some things when we redid the kitchen. I have no idea what happened to them.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 4:41 pm.
I love that show and wasn’t a bit surprised that people don’t buy a house after only looking at three houses. But I do love looking at houses-for-sale, so I love the show, plus I love seeing the house before they live in it and then how they interpreted the space after they moved in. Fascinating for some reason.
When Hot Cop and I moved in, we painted one — only ONE — room. Then we made a list of what we knew needed changed and we’ve hired professionals to do those things one at a time. We haven’t done many of them, but a few. One day, we’ll do more. Maybe.
Like you, we’re in no real hurry and for the most part, the house is just the way we like it.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 8:22 pm.
DH is not sure why I like that show so much. But I would nose around any house if I could. I find it fascinating too, “for some reason.” As the ads say ‘You know you want to look.”
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 7:22 pm.
We bought a 1898 victorian farm house that really did need to be gutted and be worked on. The person we bought it from had the house only a year and his renovations caused more damage than good. We spent the first 3 years working on new stuff, not the old stuff. We played musical boxes and rooms for a long time. We still have boxes all over. We have had the house for 20 years and still aren’t finished. Painting we did years ago need redoing. We did most of the work ourselves, so it has taken longer. In addition, we have gotten burned out. Sad to say the kitchen was a mess and we did have to deal with it relatively soon. The toilet in the middle of the hallway was taken care of first. Yes, it was the downstairs facility, installed in the hall to the kitchen, no walls, just in the open. The rest of what the man did to this poor house was equally as bad.
We do love our house, but I know there are times my husband would like a condo with maintenance included. The upkeep is a killer.
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 9:15 pm.
I am trying to picture what was in someone’s head to put a toilet in a hall of the main floor. Sometimes in basements you see one just sitting there in the open,but the main floor? I’d say you did have some immediate reno work to do!
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 7:19 pm.
We have been in our house for 18 years & there were a million renovations we planned on, but never had time or money to do. If I could, I guess I would start with the kitchen & rip it down. Everything!
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 10:58 pm.
You sound like me. The only difference was my DH started calling contractors at year 15 when he came into some money from a small inheritance. I probably would have put it off. Again.
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 7:20 pm.