What is with these people on HGTV?

[Brigid]

They spend 350 grand on the house and another 300 grand on renovations, and they're not done yet? They haven't even touched the upstairs yet. Who has this kind of money these days?

[Phentex]

1. the same ones who sniff...

oh, only ONE sink in the bathroom...the his and hers closets ARE kind of small...we were really hoping the kids wouldn't have to SHARE a bathroom...well, I guess we'll have to swap out the granite counter top on the basement wet bar for a lighter color...

[Brigid]

2. Yes, those are the ones.

The househunting shows on HGTV really crack me up. :rofl:

[PassingFair]

22. Don't forget the stainless steel appliances... n/t

[mikeytherat]

24. The "Ooh! Stainless steel appliances!" people are the best.

$850,000 house, and they damn near wet themselves over $2,000 of appliances.

mikey_the_rat

[GoneOffShore]

99. And one wonders if they actually cook.

Over on Garden Web there are discussions all the time on kitchen remodels, but no one ever talks about cooking.

[jakefrep]

78. I can't believe...

...some of these folks would toss perfectly functional appliances for stainless steel, which in 10-20 years will be regarded with the same disdain as avocado green appliances are now.

[Capn Sunshine]

122. Thats for sure

Two things in 20 years will ID a 2010 house: Stainless appliances, and fieldstone. I love them both.

I'm waiting for tourquoise appliances (early 60s) to come back. I really dug that.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2iuZ3XTfHpI/TQa-0qaXsTI/AAAAAAAADbU/BwP8_ZIN84I/s1600/turq+appliances.jpg

[GreenPartyVoter]

140. I can't imagine I will still have my stainless steel appliances in 20 years. I love the ones

in your pic. I'd do something like that as a replacement one day down the road, if I have the $$. Not sure what color I'd get, though. :)

[driver8]

3. The people that crack me up are the ones that look at a house with about an acre sized yard and say,

"Gee, the backyard is a little small."

[Tikki]

4. Or the ones who complain that..

the kitchen doesn't have stainless steel appliances and granite countertops...
and then one of them proudly exclaims...

"We Don't Actually Cook"...:crazy:


Tikki

[jmowreader]

55. Yeah, I can kinda sympathize with them...

if they're spending a quadrillion dollars on the house, that sucker better be sitting on about 10 acres of land.

[grasswire]

5. so many young couples -- first house -- mcmansion

And as everyone says, must have crown molding, granite, en suite, hardwood, separate shower from tub, tray ceiling in DR, stainless steel appliances, yada yada yada. Cookie cutter signs of "affluence."

WTH?

Have they never watched the Waltons? Do they not understand how people live in an economic downturn? Do they not know what happens if a job is lost?

[Odin2005]

62. They probably have rich dadies.

[KT2000]

6. There's no water feature in the pool!

That from a first time home buyer.
Nauseating to the point where I only watch the International now.
Such obnoxious, entitled young people are sickening.

I kind of wonder if the granite/appliance people aren't footing the bill for these shows.

[jmowreader]

56. Oh God...don't get me started on water features

The city I live in is getting ready to tear out an old park and replace it with a new one. In the new park are several water features. I went to one of the preliminary meetings, and the planners pointed out the absolute need for lots of water features in the park.

The park is on the shore of this lake:

[Brigid]

65. That needs a water feature?

Seems to me God did just fine all by Himself.

[WCGreen]

70. What the fuck is a water feature...

[WCGreen]

71. What the fuck is a water feature...

[CaliforniaPeggy]

73. It's a thing like a fountain...

Or something like this:

[jmowreader]

74. Yeah, that's what I said

They're attempting to turn Coeur d'Alene, ID, into a "destination tourism" locale. They are going to do it by building this huge park (the area isn't actually all that big--say, 1000 feet deep x 1500 feet long) that tourists from all over the world will flock to. The problem is, we HAVE tourists flocking to CDA, which has always been "Spokane's Playground." Half the tourists who flock to CDA are bringing a boat to launch at the 3rd Street Launch--and every plan for remaking McEuen Field into McEuen Park calls for tearing out the launch, the parking lot that services it, and the two American Legion baseball fields that are responsible for bringing about half the non-boating people to town.

Next, there is a tree in the current park. It is called the Freedom Tree. They planted it the day the first Coeur d'Alene residents got on the train to fight World War I, and it is treasured by the people who live here. In Phase I of the plan, they are going to cut down the Freedom Tree and replace it with the Freedom Fountain because, after all, there's nowhere in CDA to go to see water.

They're talking about spending $38 million on this. Why they don't spend the $38 million bribing companies to bring jobs here through tax incentives and other such items I have NO idea. The town of Post Falls is 10 miles away down I-90. They're doing it, and manufacturers are coming in. Moses Lake, Washington, is doing it and they netted such minor companies as BMW, who entered into a joint agreement to make carbon fiber in Moses Lake. (They also have a ton of food processing companies like McCain (frozen potatoes) and Simplot, and they're trying to start a craft-distilling cottage industry down there--the community college is offering courses in distilling, navigating BATF and other subjects necessary if you're trying to start a liquor manufacturing company.) We're trying to become a bigger tourist trap than we are, and we've got 10 percent unemployment.

[KT2000]

83. We must be trading

City council people. I swear they attend conventions and get swept off their feet by the sales people and come home with crazy ideas like this.

[Brigid]

7. I will never forget this one:

It was several years ago. A woman was looking for a house for herself and her seventeen-year-old son. She chose the biggest, most expensive house she looked at. Granted, it was absolutely beautiful -- but what was she going to do with a four-bedroom house with just herself and her son? Soon even he would be gone. I would love to know if she still has that house.

[Duer 157099]

106. Haven't you seen the Hoarders shows?

Maybe she'll show up on that one soon.

[Raffi Ella]

8. It's sickening, isn't it.

I am soooooo envious of those on House Hunters International. I would DIE to have even a little hovel at ANY beach - to see these Amazingly beautiful beach properties these people look at , ugh. It truly makes me ill with envy.

[graywarrior]

9. House Hunters International pisses me off

[Flaxbee]

11. lol

:D

Me, too, except when they have someone who has worked his or her ass off and just wants a little space... yes, they have more money than I do, but occasionally you come across down to earth people.

[Raffi Ella]

14. right!?

I mean COME on! The ones that piss me off and make me ill are the ones looking for second homes or "vacation homes" as they call them. I don't know why I even watch them except that at least I get to see those exotic places and hear the accents and all. anyway, yeah, haha They totally piss me off too.

[graywarrior]

21. I watch them because cable news pisses me off even more

However, I do like the Property Virgins lady. She's adorable.

[PassingFair]

41. Sandra Rinomato!

I love to watch her sell.

Just the right touch with people.

[graywarrior]

49. I want to be her friend

[PassingFair]

50. She manages to be optimistic and ....

not give a shit, at the same time!

I'm in sales, and I'm always trying to strike
that balance, but I fall short on the "optimistic"
side....

(Although I usually kick ass in the "not giving a shit"
department.

:hi:

[graywarrior]

52. Yeah! That's what she does. She is very effective.

I love when she asks the buyers questions about what made them happy regarding the homes they looked at. She's so cute.

[PassingFair]

53. I like the way she CRUSHES their dreams right at the onset...

and then puts them on a realistic path, FAST.

She walks them through the area they "like" and
then puts the whammy down on what it costs to
buy there, right at the beginning. Nicely.

She doesn't waste her time showing them houses
they can't afford.

[graywarrior]

54. Yep, she gets right to the heart of it quick

Expecially when she leads them with a question about how they're gonna be able to finance the house they want.

[GreenPartyVoter]

104. She tries, but sometimes they just don't want to hear it. LOL I don't know how she deals

with the ones that want to get "the smokin' hot deal."

[Raffi Ella]

45. I like her too.

She's so perky and helpful but not in an annoying way. She's good, I'd hire her.

[PassingFair]

23. Where do those people get their money?

"John is a postal carrier and Sandra is a masseuse,
they have a budget of 650,000 euro...."

:wtf:

[graywarrior]

25. No shit!

And no one is stressed!

[DebJ]

34. free health care, unlimited unemployment comp, etc

[geardaddy]

119. lol

I know!

[DebJ]

33. I just wish I could rent one............ n/t

[Raffi Ella]

48. I know!

to have the money to BUY it? haha. Must be nice.

[Lucian]

67. What annoys me about HHI...

is when people look at houses in Italy or France. I want to move to those places and it makes me really jealous.

[Raffi Ella]

79. Did you see it tonight?

The one where the adorable family w/ so many kids were looking at BIG houses in France? Oh my god. The history and charm and flat out amazingNESS of those houses-


just for the record I woulda chosen #3. WHAT a place to raise some horses and dogs and roses and put in a swimming pool and...ah what I wouldn't DO for a place like that.

[Lucian]

80. Unfortunately no.

:(

I had to work. :(

[Arugula Latte]

10. The most common is they walk into a box store-sized master BR and say

"Hmmm, it's a little small. I don't know if our furniture will fit."

Shaddap, mofos. :grr:

[graywarrior]

37. I can't believe how many people are obsessed with bathrooms!

They all want double sinks.

And when they look at bedroom closet sizes, the woman ALWAYS says to her male partner, "where you gonna put your stuff?'

And and and....the vacation home buyers, in addition to forking out $650,000 for a vacation home, they also need to fork out the dough to travel there and they have family and frineds that have money to travel there, too!

[GreenPartyVoter]

125. I know! What is with all the women doing that?

[hamsterjill]

12. No, what gets me are their "budgets"!!!

"Jack and Jill are first time homebuyers. Their budget is $350,000."

Excuse me?

[Arugula Latte]

40. Yeah, and they both look about 27.

[Rambis]

13. Great for entertaining

your house if fookin 10,00 sq feet you could have other families live there FFS! not just entertain- What do these people do for work is my biggest question?:crazy:

[Brigid]

15. I would like to know that too.

I don't know where they get the money.

[Rambis]

16. my guess is interest only mortgage and credit card limits maxed (nm)

x

[DebJ]

35. And I find that to be 'anti-green'. You should see the house

built on a very small lot next to mine. Just built it two years ago. Two adults, no children, no pets, 8000 square feet. THEY are driving up the utility bills for everyone to keep that 8000 sq feet heated and cooled. Need I say which party they vote in? "Me Me Me" party.

[progressoid]

17. Hate that channel.

I can't believe people still watch that stuff considering the housing market and the economy. :puke:

[WinterParkDonkey]

18. Who knows when these...

episodes were filmed? I agree thought that someof these people seem really vapid.

[Ineeda]

19. I've been griping about this for years....

no one ever heard of starter homes? Here's a partial must-have list for wedding-is-a-month-away couples:
Large kitchen, granite, stainless, island, open plan to massive family room, preferably with fireplace. Hardwood floors, god almighty not laminate. Four bedrooms, four and a half baths, home office, lots of natural light, but windows must never overlook a neighbor's home. Master must be massive and the master bath, with two sinks, jetted tub and separate shower, must be big enough for a medium-sized cocktail party. Walk-in closets -- always with the comment, "well, I guess my clothes will fit, honey, but where will you put yours?" <chuckle> Minimum of two-car garage and a finished basement for his 'man cave.' (This is the newest must-have, and the one that really makes my teeth clench.) I won't go into the yard -- must have a fence for little Fifi, though, and not have another structure in their line of sight.

I grew up in a 900 sq. ft. house, GI Bill, with one bathroom that eventually five kids and two adults shared. My first house was 1000 square feet, with one bathroom for four of us.
HGTV should be called The Real Estate Channel.

[GreenPartyVoter]

145. I was watching HGTV today and I thought of your comment. You really are spot on!

[JBoy]

20. It's house porn.

[pink-o]

51. Oh, for SHURE!!!

...and I'm totally addicted :bounce:

[GreenPartyVoter]

105. LOL

[mikeytherat]

26. Best one I ever saw - couple needed restaurant-style (and sized) kitchen to be "inspired" to cook.

Eight-burner Viking cooktop, not one but TWO SubZero 'fridges, two dishwashers, three, yes, THREE wall-mounted ovens. After they bought the house and the camera crew came back, the wife was boiling a bag of Birdseye frozen veggies on that $10,000 cooktop. Now that is inspired cooking!

mikey_the_rat

[HughBeaumont]

28. People like that need to be kicked in the groin.

I actually DO cook and experiment and could really use a kitchen about 1/2 that size. Yet, I don't dare complain about the painfully inadequate one I have because I know the vast majority of the country doesn't even have THAT much.

[mikeytherat]

30. My grandmothers cooked multi-course meals for 20+ people in tiny little kitchens.

They must have had superpowers or something.

The best part about the above-mentioned episode: it wasn't just a half-bag of Birdseye "Frozen Veggie Medley" - it was a freezer-burned and frosted half-bag o' veggies (it looked like a dirty snowball with carrots and lima beans sticking out of it).

mikey_the_rat

[RadicalTexan]

153. I have a galley kitchen built in 1957

Three-burner stove, 1957.
Two work surfaces, each about two feet deep by three feet wide.
Small, single sink, porcelain.
Small fridge (not one of those tiny square ones, but not a full size)
Tiny freezer compartment.
No dishwasher.

And here is my food blog.

These people on HGTV with their bullshit commercial kitchen wishlists who don't even cook make me sick.

[PassingFair]

27. Well, no one would take me up on MY idea for a house show.."Foreclosure!"

Where you follow an average family through hell.

Where will they stay?
Will there be a short sale or a foreclosure?
Will sheriffs be involved?

My idea of "reality" TV.

[Brigid]

32. Michael Moore could host it.

But you're right -- we will never see it. We should, but we won't.

[PassingFair]

39. In fact, I did e-mail him the idea about 3 years ago....

I'd watch it, even if just for ideas on
how to weather the situation if I ended
up there...

[leeroysphitz]

44. You are exactly right. n/t

[Raffi Ella]

46. ha, omg

:rofl: That would be a great SNL skit.

[HughBeaumont]

29. I always go past the castles on Lake Rd . . .

. . . and just wonder, WONDER . . . "what the hell do these people do to AFFORD this house??"

Some are athletes, likely some are successful business owners/CEOs. Where does that leave the rest? The lots alone are 1/2 to 1 million dollars.

Of course, these are also the homes where you see in 2010, par example, 12 Kasich signs for every Strickland sign. :eyes:

But yeah, it's pretty insufferable of HGTV to continue putting HHI with their beautiful, young, and mysteriously rich subjects searching for these high-six-fig McCastles considering the bad economic climate and 94% of the country can barely afford a toilet to piss in.

[Orrex]

31. I particularly like those "remodel on a budget" shows

The ones where the young, single-income couple spends more to remodel the basement bathroom than I spent on my whole house. And then they pat themselves on the back for only going $1500 over budget.

Well done, frugal homeowners! Well done!

[hamsterjill]

36. I like the design on a dime stuff, but I wonder how long it would last.

Some of the ideas are cute, but after a month of actual use, are they really functional?

[Tuesday Afternoon]

38. i miss

christoher lowell and lynette jennings. i like selling new york. that nicole on rehab addict on diy cracks me up.

[Raffi Ella]

47. I like Selling New York too.

Those places are amazing. And there is a new show with a woman named Cary or Kari and something with cash in the name of the show, she does estate sales and fixes up old items? Love that show.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

92. i need to watch that one. i liked extreme homes, too but haven't seen it in awhile

and for some reason House Hunters bothers me more than HH International. don't know why. go figure :shrug:

[LisaM]

42. Oh I know. Typical scenario:

Jill is a grad student in social work. Bill has a job with a marketing firm. They are just married and looking for their first house with a budget of $750,000! What?

And they are all way too picky. The ones that get me (aside from the usual kitchen nuttiness) are the men who all want Man Caves and 3-car garages.

[Mopar151]

63. Why is the ManCave / big gararge such a bad thing?

Where do you keep the welding machines, hydraulic 20-ton press, and engine crane at your house?

[XemaSab]

69. Usually women want something like a playroom for the kids

or a separate laundry room. You know, something for the family.

Having a whole room where the husband can go ignore the rest of the family seems boorish.

[Mopar151]

72. I take it you don't know a lot of car people....

The big gararge/shop keeps the car/tractor/motorcycle/boat stuff from overrunning the rest of the place. The laundry room... it's better if the shop has running water - cuz if it does'nt, there's gonna be some engine parts in the laundry sink, getting their final scrubbing. One of the Genetten family won a USAC national midget championship, rebuilding the engine every Tuesday in Mom's laundry room!

[XemaSab]

75. I totally understand having an area for woodworking or auto repair

Hell, I've got LOADS of space dedicated to various gardening tools, pots, and so forth. I've also got two garages and a carport attached to a 900-sf house.

What I'm talking about is a "man cave" that is a home theater/gaming room where the dude can go hole up and fuck around for hours on end.

[Mopar151]

77. My nephew has one of those

M & D are pro football season ticket holders, and big sports fans in general - and in their case, it keeps the beer tap, rowdy friends, and video games out of the meticulous upstairs.

[jmowreader]

81. The "man cave" used to be called the "den"

The reality of man caves is they are the surest sign of a dysfunctional marriage I know of: the wife of anyone who wants a man cave does not give a flying fuck about her husband's tastes or preferences in interior decorating. Okay, very few wives want a stuffed deer head on the wall, fishing lures, a big "Corvette Service Here" or "Budweiser" sign, or any of that crap in the house, but I have sold a LOT of paint to people...the husband likes forest green and tan and dislikes yellow...sure as shit every wall in the house is yellow just to spite her husband. You ever see "Beetlejuice"? Specifically the scene where Jeffrey Jones' wife and her nutball interior decorator were flocking the walls and painting shit chrome green, completely destroying the Colonial charm that was the reason Jones' character liked the house in the first place? Well, that's why we have man caves: so the husband will have somewhere to go he actually likes the color the walls are painted.

[Ineeda]

87. I had to laugh at this...

My RW brother is adding a room to his doublewide for his 'man cave' and cramming a washer and dryer into a space off the kitchen 'for his girlfriend.' Snarky me, I naturally asked him why he didn't do the laundry, seeing how she's working and he isn't.

[Broken_Hero]

110. " The reality of man caves is they are the surest sign of a dysfunctional marriage I know of"

In my experience, that is very true.

[Liberal Veteran]

43. Agreed. How about a show called "Design Your Double-Wide"?

I live in a 2 bedroom/1 bath 1000 sq ft house and that's plenty for me (and my other half and our cats).

[provis99]

57. Maybe "Pimp Out Your Double-Wide"?

Patio lanterns in the trailer park could be a theme for an episode.

[grasswire]

58. have you ever watched "Trailer Park Boys"?

Just askin'.

[provis99]

59. Never seen it.

But I am aware of it. Maybe they could be a source of trailer decorating inspiration?

[XemaSab]

60. One of the things that baffles me

is the number of people who can afford a $15,000 remodel.

Where does this money come from?????????

[jmowreader]

82. Five words: Home Equity Line Of Credit.

[REP]

98. Or: Savings

I won't say how much the remodel of our house is running, but I will say it's all cash. So you'll never see us on TV because we're not going into debt with our redo.

[sammytko]

141. same here - all cash

Latest project is a new bathroom. It can be done for so little money. They put in the plumbing on Monday - DIY+. My sister is amazed what my SO can do. She thinks you have to hire some super expensive guy to do the job. Ours was kind of easy - house is on pier and beam - well maybe not so easy since it was super hot and they were under the house most of the day. All drains, lines for toilet and all water is ready to go.

I bought the new shower thingie today - 112. Toilet is a couple hundred, pedastal sink about the same. Tile for the shower will be purchased at a discount tire place. We'll pay a guy a couple hundred to tile it. It is not huge, its an extra guest bath.

Probably about 1400 after all that

[Odin2005]

61. I fucking HATE that channel.

Vapid consumerist BS, all of it!

[Raffi Ella]

64. HGTV is to Home Depot as Fox is to the Republican party.

I have white appliances in an all white kitchen and the same faucets/ fixtures etc. that the builder put in and I couldn't care LESS about getting new ones. Maybe if I was trying to sell then I'd care but just as a matter of being "up to date" :rofl: right.

[Gormy Cuss]

95. Yep!

HGTV programming is designed to sell the advertisers' products or services. That said, watching it is a guilty pleasure for all the reasons mentioned on this thread. :rofl:

[Raffi Ella]

97. oh, me too!

It's just that sometimes instead of being inspirational they're just obnoxious.

Example: I've noticed that the hosts of shows and the people on the shows sometimes use swiffers to clean their newly installed hardwood floors that You TOO can get at your participating Home Depot! :eyes: It's not even a commercial but during the show!

They're so obvious about it all being one big commercial that it's hard not to be put off sometimes.

[Lucian]

66. What bugs me about shows like House Hunters...

is that when people are buying a house and notice the paint on the wall isn't something they like and bitch about it. Couldn't they just, I don't know, repaint the walls?

:banghead:

[distantearlywarning]

84. Yeah, this is the one that bugs me too.

The crazy things people bitch about when they're house hunting.

"I don't like that light fixture, so sorry, this house is out of the running!"

"I don't like this wall color, so sorry, this house is out of the running!"

"No wallpaper!"

It's like, haven't any of you people ever heard of this nice store called the Home Depot? They sell this stuff, it's called PAINT. It's only about $25 a gallon and it makes your walls any color you like. It's really an amazing new invention. :eyes:

I sometimes think these people literally have no handyperson skills at all. Like, nothing. And no intention to acquire any. And that makes me wonder why the hell they want to buy a house in the first place. Because the first thing that invariably happens when you buy a house is that something breaks and there's no landlord to help you fix it. Me, I always thought the benefit to home ownership was getting to do what you wanted with the space and nobody else gets a vote, like, paint the walls whatever color you felt like and putting in new light fixtures or whatever.

[vi5]

86. A lot of the HGTV shows are in Canada....

I know a lot of the Property Virgins, My First Home, Holmes on Holmes, and Holmes Inspection and Rental property shows are set in Canada and not the US. I'm sure that impacts a lot of the perspectives and why people can afford certain things or be picky about other things, etc.

[geardaddy]

120. Dupers.

[geardaddy]

121. Spot on, brother!

"Oh, this carpet is the wrong color. This wall is the wrong color = I don't like this house."

[valerief]

68. The 10% of 1%. nt

[grasswire]

76. I blame HGTV for making it harder to find affordable rental housing

Nearly every modest place I see on craigslist has updated kitchen to cheap faux granite countertop and stainless appliances, and dual sinks etc.

When landlords think they can't rent places without those amenities, they do a lot of unnecessary upgrades and also bump up the rents.

Consequence? Fewer affordable units for those who really need modest housing.

[distantearlywarning]

85. I like HGTV.

But my favorite show is Designed To Sell, where they totally pimp out someone's entire house on a $2000 budget. I have learned a lot from that show over the years about sprucing up on the cheap. For example - giving your kitchen cabinets a fresh paint job + nice hardware can make the entire kitchen look awesome and new for less than $100. Also, I had an old ugly brass fireplace grate/front piece on my fireplace (from 1975 or something) when I moved into my house. Instead of replacing it, I went down to the Home Depot and got a can of heat resistant spray paint and repainted it. It looks awesome now, and the project cost me less than $10 and a few hours of time. I got that idea from Designed to Sell too.

[sea_dream]

88. I like Curb Appeal:the Block

I would much rather watch Curb Appeal than the latest horrible local news or even worse, the latest from the Casey Anthony trial. Curb Appeal:the Block encourages neighborhood participation/togetherness and it has John Gidding!

[XemaSab]

89. They need more garden shows

that aren't about covering the whole thing with hardscape. Yes, gardens look crappy when they're put in, and putting up a big deck and three shrubs provides a lot of contrast from the "before," but I wanna see some flowers and vegetables.

I think the way they could get around this is to go to landscape designers in an area and say "Hey, show us three of your installations and talk to us about what's going on in each one." Or they could go to three designers in a city or area and have each designer showcase something that they've done. Maybe they could try to mix it up and have landscaping around a rural home, some suburban landscaping, and something for a small urban lot.

Producing something like this would be free advertising for the designers, really really cheap for HGTV to produce, and it would be fun to see some regional landscape design.

Of course knowing HGTV the whole thing would look like this:



When what I really want to see is this:



or this:



or this:

[Flaxbee]

94. those gardens you've posted are lovely - the first one is my favorite,

I think. But I really can't decide...

I was thinking the same thing the other day -- lots of "house", very little "garden". I'm not an avid gardener, but I'd really like to learn & would watch a decent gardening show if one were ever produced.

[GreenPartyVoter]

103. BBC America used to have the most amusing garden make-over show called "Ground Force." I really miss

it, and netflix doesn't have the whole series. :(

[texanwitch]

148. I love that show.

I couldn't remember the title of the show.

Youtube has some Groundforce stuff.

Thanks for the name.

[texanwitch]

149. I love that show.

I couldn't remember the title of the show.

Youtube has some Groundforce stuff.

Thanks for the name.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

123. I like your second and third choices! Nice!

[Phentex]

132. Seems to me there used to be more real garden shows...

not necessarily on hgtv though.

I'm with you. Don't cover the whole blasted thing with STUFF. I like when they use things like plants, lol.

[tabbycat31]

90. I loathe everything about that channel

My mother is very into anything home related, and will not shut up about home decorating. It's still about 90% of everything she talks about and she gets mad when I don't do things like discuss paint colors and browse Home Depot with her. I do not give a shit about it, never have, never will. My motto is "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." I could care less what is trendy in home stuff.

When I was a child, she used to take me looking at houses with her every single weekend when she had no intention of moving. It was pure torture.

I also blame HGTV and the other related shows partially for the economy. It shifted attention on a house being a place to live to a house being an investment. It encouraged things like flipping houses (I swear there was a show with that title) and told people where they lived was not good enough if you did not have the latest granite countertops, stainless appliances, etc. It's conspicuous consumption on steroids.

[Amaril]

91. My favorite was..........

........the italian couple that was looking for a "vacation" home (in Greece, maybe?). They showed them a 6,000 sq ft villa and the wife's biggest complaint was "But there's no place for the books".

If you can't find a spot in 6,000 sq ft of living space for your "vacation" books, then you've got too many fucking books!

[XemaSab]

93. Tell me that having an old growth slab in your house

is not the chic new trend.

[Matariki]

96. Because there's nothing more fun than coming home from a hard day's work...

and spending your evening watching tv shows of people working, lol.

[Arugula Latte]

100. And most of them look like they're about 30.

What the hell?

[Curmudgeoness]

101. I couldn't agree more. I can't even watch HGTV because of that.

All I can think is "why don't these people just find a house that they like to buy?" It would save them a ton in renovations. Or build your own house from the ground up if there is nothing to your "liking".

[GreenPartyVoter]

102. I confess to being addicted to all kinds of house shows on HGTV and DIY. I'm not sure

if I will still be quite so addicted once we have moved into our new home or not. I may shift gears more towards decorating shows. :P

(And on the one hand I know what you mean about the fussy people, but I have noticed during my own home purchasing process I'm more of a princess than I realized. LOL)

[Dappleganger]

107. How much more time before you get to move in?

If you don't mind saying, that is. You've been working on this for awhile, right?

I'm an HGTV addict, but my favorite are the international shows because it's as close to traveling as I'll ever get to do.

[GreenPartyVoter]

108. If all goes well

sometime in September, after having been trying to organize this since last spring. It depends on how quickly we figure out how to lay tile and hardwood flooring and so forth: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=9731196&mesg_id=9731196

I like the international shows for the travel component as well. We actually have the Travel channel, but I hardly ever watch it any more because I'm so addicted to the house shows! LOL

[Dappleganger]

109. That's not far off!

Bet you guys are excited about it, right? We were able to build our first home and saved a tiny chunk of change being able to finish some things ourselves. Looking forward to seeing your finished project!

We have very limited channels since we get the select classic directv package, but it's 20 dollars cheaper than the lowest advertised package so it's the better choice for us. There were so many channels we just weren't watching, plus w/netflix streaming so many good shows it just made sense.

I am also addicted to the hoarding show and am probably going to hell because of it, hehe.

[GreenPartyVoter]

112. I can't watch the hoarding shows because it's

too close to my own reality at the moment. I don't hoard garbage or anything, but I do have trouble making decisions to let go of other things, like magazines. But I'm going to be brutal when we move and get rid of a ton of stuff!

I have DISH, and you are right about how many channels there are that don't get watched! I wish we could get them a la carte, but it doesn't work that way. :(

[Kaleva]

111. One can buy homes in my area for 50k-75k.

Some even cheaper.

[kentauros]

114. We probably have ones like that here, too.

And I can tell you what will happen to them: they get torn down in order for the entirety of the lot to be covered up in another McMansion or several three-story 5000 sq.ft. townhouses. I have yet to see anyone tear down one of those 60-year-old cookie cutter houses and put in something smaller but more energy efficient.

I see wonderful designs for pre-fab housing on TreeHugger.com, but even there, they're almost all high-end designer houses belonging on the pages of unhappyhipsters.com than housing someone just wanting to live simpler, easier and cheaper.

[kentauros]

113. Considering HGTV's emphasis on a house in which to invest,

versus a home in which to live, and next to nothing on gardening, perhaps they should change the meanings of the H & G to "House and Gloat" TV or "Haves and Gloats" TV ;)

[XemaSab]

115. I'm watching Design Star

It's easy to design a room that's already big and beautiful, but it's hard to design a small, cramped room.

[Skittles]

116. those are the people who are getting our raises

[XemaSab]

117. Sandra Rinomato

has been much less obnoxious lately.

[geardaddy]

118. Oh, I know.

Especially the first-time homebuyer shows. His and Hers sinks? Gah!

Sometimes the HHI pisses me off. One Australian family was moving from Thailand back to Australia and the wife was a total princess. She had Thai nannies, housekeepers, and a cook and she was disgusted because her husband worked mostly in another Thai city and wanted to spend more time with the kids.

I much the ones where people are looking to downsize in another country.

[GreenPartyVoter]

124. Did you see the one the other day of the couple moving back to England after living

in California. Some serious downsizing had to be done, but they were pretty cool with it all. And I agree, those charming little cottages would be worth it.

[geardaddy]

130. No, I missed that one.

We don't get cable, but we watch it when we're at our friends' place.

That sounds like the perfect episode to me.

[GreenPartyVoter]

134. They have a lot of their shows online at

http://www.hgtv.com/full-episodes/package/index.html Would that work on your computer? :)

[geardaddy]

135. It would!

Thanks!

[GreenPartyVoter]

137. Great! Have fun! I've just started watching "Property Brothers." I just love the

shock effect those poor people go through when they tour their dream homes, only to find out they are twice their budget.

[geardaddy]

136. Delete- dupe

[LeftyMom]

143. I saw a really interesting one a while back where a family was moving from Orange County to Cairo.

Egyptian Dad married American Mom, they raised the kids about halfway in the US (the oldest kid was 10ish?) but they were moving to Egypt because the kid was some sort of super serious soccer phenom and they could get him better coaching there. Anyhow, apparently housing in Cairo is crazily expensive and the apartments have no amenities to speak of. You're expected to bring your own kitchen cabinets and water heater, and to take them with you when you leave. Watching people adjust to that sort of thing from suburban tract house living was interesting.

[GreenPartyVoter]

144. Yeah, that was a good one.

[GreenPartyVoter]

126. I miss "World's Greenest Homes" on the Green Channel, but DIY has "This New House" which

is pretty cool too.

[Skittles]

127. what's with people who watch this garbage?

[Ineeda]

129. I watch in cycles, mostly when

I'm obsessing about the news and getting depressed. It's rather mindless, and better (for me) than some forensic show, or prison show, or trying to keep up with the Kardashians. :D

[lildreamer316]

128. Only thing I like is "If Walls Could Talk"

But I'm an old house fanatic (I don't like ANYTHING newer than 1935. Seriously).

I'm passionate about the fact that I think it's utterly stupid to have a development where the builder has cut down all the trees to build said MCMansions; and then re-planted trees that will take years to get to shade-the-house size. See, I grew up in a house shaded by 50 to 70 year old trees, and we had two window unit ACs (two story house w'full basement & attic)...and were perfectly fine. In the South. In the middle of summer. Trees are healthy. Trees are good for you and the environment. It seems any tree over the age of 30 (hmm..I see a pattern!) is just too old & must be cut down! WTF?

So I get very irritated with these ppl and their sense of entitlement.FFS, take an older house and make it work for you! Recycle! Dammit.The rooms were built bigger, the ceilings were higher..what's the problem? Their whole attitude speaks to our culture's obsession with 'New New New gottahaveit'. And most of the newer houses are built like crap. Hell, I'm in an 1969 ranch at the moment and this thing isn't built half as well as the 1929 Dutch Colonial I grew up in.

I don't know if any of that made sense, but I'm sure you get the idea.

[Brigid]

131. I started this thread nearly two months ago.

And still it periodically shows up on the front page of the Lounge. Weird. :shrug:

[Phentex]

133. and I always feel the need to comment...

:)

It's like an old friend.

[Worried senior]

138. I watch these shows

but since we moved from our home, that I loved but could no longer afford, into a single wide trailer I won't be doing much of what they do. We've updated this one as much as possible but if they had to work in our kitchen or bathe in our two regular sized bathrooms I'm sure they'd not be able to survive. I keep trying to remind myself that I am very lucky to have a home but I still miss my house.

[GreenPartyVoter]

139. We're a family of four living in a single wide, but we are building a modular home

and moving in a couple of months.

I'm so sorry that you couldn't keep your home. I'm sure that has been very difficult for you! :hug: I hope you've been able to really up the insulation and change out the windows and so forth to help with the comfort level of your trailer. We never did, and we've had some mighty uncomfortable days and nights over the years because we made that choice. :(

[XemaSab]

142. Someone on TWOP the other day said

"Why do they keep bashing country style as being like grandma's house? For me, midcentury reminds me of grandma's house."

[kentauros]

146. Which century is "midcentury"?

Because I first thought of 1850s. In the country. :P

[haele]

147. Don't watch the shows about folks with more money than sense - watch Holmes on Homes -

The real contractor, Mike Holmes, who comes in, inspects the place, finds a whole lot more wrong than the homeowner originally thought was wrong, and fixes the crap that happened to the home when they spent thousands of dollars on a renovation but still got ripped off when the contractor put the "new kitchen" in but screwed up the foundation and roofline, so now everything leaks and the place can't be lived in...

As he said in one show, his father, a building contractor himself, never asked him "how did I do this?", but "why did I do this?" when he was a kid and learning the trade.

I think a lot of these renovators need to stop and ask themselves "why?" more often.

I used to like renovation shows, but too many times now, it's so "Extreme" and bloviated.

Haele

[csziggy]

150. Or watch shows about people with no money OR sense!

When I need a laugh I watch Renovation Realities. It's usually about some clueless couple that wants to renovate their house on little or no money. Too often, they have no idea how to use tools, how to shut off the electricity, gas, or water to the room they plan to gut, or anything at all about basic engineering.

The other day they had a guy who first nearly electrocuted himself because he thought he had shut off the power to the kitchen - but he had no way to check to make sure and did not know which breakers went to which circuits. Then he disconnected the stove and the entire camera crew was screaming to evacuate the house since you could HEAR the gas hissing out of the pipe. He had turned off the water heater instead of the main valve that would have shut off the stove. The project was delayed while they aired out the house once he finally found the main cut off.

They've had people tear down walls only to realize they were loading bearing so they had to get a crip wall up in a hurry. One guy used up half his lumber in an hour because he had no clue how either measure OR cut a board - but he was planning to fully gut and redo his kitchen in a weekend.

[XemaSab]

151. All the people on Design Star suck

It makes me sad. :(

[GreenPartyVoter]

154. David and Todd are the only people who ever really impressed me on that show.

[BreweryYardRat]

152. Not me, that's for fucking certain.

I want my own goddamned home. I'd be perfectly happy with a HUD home. A house is not a fucking investment, it's a home.

[XemaSab]

155. Karl was robbed!

:cry: