After watching HGTV, I must hang my head in shame

[hudsoncat]

3. My laundry room isn't big enough, necessitating me to dump clothes on a bed or couch so that I  can fold them.

I have such a poorly designed laundry/pantry/utility room seeing functional ones does make me a bit envious.  Not enough to cough up the dough to make it actually function better, but still a bit envious.  I time laundry to finish and being ready to fold when baseball games start so I can watch and fold at the same time.

Some (okay, most) of the things I see on HGTV are very much over the top, but I did get a few good ideas and used them when I remodeled.  It's also my guilty pleasure channel :).

Our laundry/utility room is also poorly designed and I was never willing to pay to move/replace perfectly working appliances. When our hot water heater died last year, we were able to shift the location of the new water heater when we installed it with just a slight additional cost to move the lines. That allowed me to put the washer and dryer side by side. So much more functional! I've never been so happy about having to replace something in the house as that hot water heater.

Still dump the clean clothes on the bed to fold them though. ha!

[ketchup]

It’s only shameful if your parents had it better and you’re giving your kids a poorer childhood than you had.  It’s still my goal to buy a bigger house than my parents.

Does anyone else think this is insane?

Utterly and completely insane.

People are supposed to feel shame if their house is smaller than their parents' house??? What kind of nonsense is that?
What forum are we on???

Ugh, my house is literally less than a quarter of the size of my parents' house.

As for comparing to HGTV homes...HA!
I think mine is as far from the "must haves" of most HGTV homebuyers: not open concept at all, everything is original from 1971, no laundry room (no laundry period), no dishwasher, one small bathroom.

Yeah... absolutely insane.  My first house was maybe 30% the size of my parents' first house, bought about 14 years earlier in life than theirs.  Our current house is a rental, and gigantic and hilariously old and shitty.  We have almost no furniture on the first floor (we joke that the dogs live there and we just have the upstairs apartment).  I'm not even sure how to compare any of this.  It's dumb to even try.  All I want to do is retire sooner than my parents (they both retired right at 60) and I'm on track for that to very much be the case.

Still dump the clean clothes on the bed to fold them though. ha!

Does nobody else just pull clothes out of the laundry basket to put them away?  Why does there have to even be an extra step?  The laundry basket is the only intermediary needed between the dryer and the closet.

[kimmarg]

The entire concept of a "mudroom" is baffling to me. As stated above, I grew up in a huge house, and we always, always, always took off our shoes and dirty clothes in the garage. Why on earth would you even want a space in the house *solely* for the purpose of getting dirty? Just put it in the garage and be done with it.

Ummm maybe you don't live in a very snowy climate with small children and no garage. I would LOVE a large mudroom. As it is my entire entryway is covered in boots, snowpants, jackets, mittens, and hats for 6 months of the year. Sounds like you *do* have a place in the house for dirty stuff- the garage. I don't have a garage, and frankly I don't care that my car is out in the snow but it sure would be nice to have a bit more space to put wet stuff to dry instead of it constantly sprawling into the house.

[Papa bear]

I used to go to a laundromat that always had that shit playing on the TVs.  At the time we had four adults (two couples) and three dogs living in a 500 square foot house, so we found most of the complaints pretty hilarious.

My favorite though is "I'm a part-time celery decorator and my husband pokes holes in donuts.  Our budget is $700,000."  Every time.

Ha! This wrecked me! "And we have to have granite counters and stainless appliances* and a man cave and a gift wrapping room and a swimming pool with a waterfall".

*even though granite and stainless are now considered passe, she still wants it and will not settle for less.

I know granite is "over", viva la quartz. I also know SS is on the way bye-bye, but we couldn't find a full complement of any of the new appliance finishes, so we went with it in the flip house. Fingers crossed the buyers don't know that. BTW, since I don't love SS, what exactly us the next thing? Any consensus yet? Will white appliances ever come back?

Black stainless?  I still see the regular SS in higher end places, just higher end brands like sub zero, wolf ranges, etc.

We’re still going with SS and switch between granite and lookalike laminate for counters for the rentals.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[calimom]

Quartz definitely over granite, style wise, and the higher end SS for upscale houses. White appliances are making a comeback, and I'm seeing more and more of the Smeg/retro super colorful fridges - but boy are they pricey.

For the rental I'm currently working on, have located some end pieces of Corian for the kitchen counters. Will look nice and be serviceable. It's also getting a hand me down SS fridge. It will look fine!

[Wrenchturner]

HGTV is to reality what other reality tv shows are to reality... right?  Like, not real at all?

[Davnasty]

It’s only shameful if your parents had it better and you’re giving your kids a poorer childhood than you had.  It’s still my goal to buy a bigger house than my parents.

Does anyone else think this is insane?

Utterly and completely insane.

People are supposed to feel shame if their house is smaller than their parents' house??? What kind of nonsense is that?
What forum are we on???

Ugh, my house is literally less than a quarter of the size of my parents' house.

As for comparing to HGTV homes...HA!
I think mine is as far from the "must haves" of most HGTV homebuyers: not open concept at all, everything is original from 1971, no laundry room (no laundry period), no dishwasher, one small bathroom.

Yeah... absolutely insane.  My first house was maybe 30% the size of my parents' first house, bought about 14 years earlier in life than theirs.  Our current house is a rental, and gigantic and hilariously old and shitty.  We have almost no furniture on the first floor (we joke that the dogs live there and we just have the upstairs apartment).  I'm not even sure how to compare any of this.  It's dumb to even try.  All I want to do is retire sooner than my parents (they both retired right at 60) and I'm on track for that to very much be the case.

Still dump the clean clothes on the bed to fold them though. ha!

Does nobody else just pull clothes out of the laundry basket to put them away?  Why does there have to even be an extra step?  The laundry basket is the only intermediary needed between the dryer and the closet.

Totally insane :)

I actually thought RFAAOATB was being sarcastic?

[Nick_Miller]

House Hunters International is beloved in the Miller household. Beloved, I say!

I think it helps that people on that show are generally (not always) older, more into the adventure/culture of their new setting, and renting instead of buying, so they're not looking for that elusive "forever home." I find it fascinating to see how folks in different parts of the world live, and I don't even care that the home-buying process has already happened.

I think it would be super adventurous to go live in a foreign country for a year or two, although I think it would get lonely pretty quick in non-English-speaking locales.

Now regular old House Hunters USA? No thank you.

[hudsoncat]

Still dump the clean clothes on the bed to fold them though. ha!

Does nobody else just pull clothes out of the laundry basket to put them away?  Why does there have to even be an extra step?  The laundry basket is the only intermediary needed between the dryer and the closet.

I don't own a laundry basket! It's just the two of us. We do laundry as we have a load ready. Seldom do more than one at a time. Gather an armful, put it in washer, transfer to the dryer, grab the armful out of the dryer and dump it on the bed to fold/put away.

I had a laundry basket a couple of years ago, it broke down the side. I kept meaning to buy a new one, but for the amount of laundry we do, it just hasn't seemed super necessary. This isn't even a weird area I'm trying to save money in, I just haven't bought a new one and it hasn't been an inconvenience yet... **shrug** My folks came to visit and were confused about my lack of laundry basket. I'm pretty sure they added to the list of reasons why they are convinced we're having money problems.

[ReadySetMillionaire]

The entire concept of a "mudroom" is baffling to me. As stated above, I grew up in a huge house, and we always, always, always took off our shoes and dirty clothes in the garage. Why on earth would you even want a space in the house *solely* for the purpose of getting dirty? Just put it in the garage and be done with it.

Ummm maybe you don't live in a very snowy climate with small children and no garage. I would LOVE a large mudroom. As it is my entire entryway is covered in boots, snowpants, jackets, mittens, and hats for 6 months of the year. Sounds like you *do* have a place in the house for dirty stuff- the garage. I don't have a garage, and frankly I don't care that my car is out in the snow but it sure would be nice to have a bit more space to put wet stuff to dry instead of it constantly sprawling into the house.

Sorry for being unclear -- I come and try to spend less than 3-4 minutes a time on here.

I live in NE Ohio, plenty of snow. I'm not referring to people like you who don't have a garage. I'm talking about the family on HGTV with 2,500 square foot house and an attached garage that just absolutely NEEDS a mudroom.

I just saw a "Love it or List It" couple with an enormous house, and while the mom was talking about needing a mudroom, the video was playing all their kids storming through the front door like little morons. They had an attached garage. What are they even doing? Life can't possibly be this difficult.

[Dicey]

Still dump the clean clothes on the bed to fold them though. ha!

Yup. I dump them on the bed and watch HGTV while I fold them. Only the folded stuff, though. All the hanging stuff goes on hangers straight out of the dryer and hung up in my ridiculously lovely laundry room (large window, granite countertops, custom cabinetry, laundry sink, long hanging bar for clothes, short hanging bar for empty hangers, laundry baskets, room for the cat's food and the litter box!) that came with the house.

[mm1970]

All fine and dandy if you buy a  house without "open concept," but when it comes time to sell, you'll get hurt. People want what people want, and nowadays they want open concept, chiseled hardwood floors (a fad), granite countertops (also a fad), and those sort of things. Selling a house 20 years later may require totally new "upgrades."

Right, but these are just the trends now. Who knows what they will be in 20 years.

Following the trends will only lead you to a lifetime of renovations and upgrades of items that are otherwise personally fine.

This is my thought. 

We reno'd the kitchen when we bought the house.  I love granite.  But this is a 2BR, 1BA, 1100 sf home with no garage.  Granite would be overkill.  The kitchen is galley style and had the outer wall with a window, lower cabinets with a sink, and upper cabinets on either side of the window.  The other side of the kitchen had...nothing.  No appliances, no cabinets.  So...we put in appliances (fridge that we had already - white, natch) and stove.  Then husband built the cabinets to fit around them.  Then we tiled, because: old house and he knows how to tile.  Then he bought doors and drawer faces and stained to match what was already there.  Then he tore out the other lower cabinets because I wanted a dishwasher, and the cabinets by the window were only 22 inches deep.

Anyway, it's not modern, it's not particularly dated either.   But I still find myself looking at houses on line and cringing at 80s kitchens - oak everything, or that white laminate with oak trim (blech).  I have to catch myself because: that house has a perfectly functional kitchen.  Why change it?  I have a friend with a beautiful kitchen that they redid about 10 years ago, and she wants to change it again because it's not perfect.  OTOH, I have friends with 70s kitchens (dark wood, yellow or orange formica) who like the retro and know that it's functional.  I guess I find the thought of wasting all those materials to be terrible.

Now, because a lot of homes in town are older than mine and even smaller, some kitchens are a complete mess.  Think: fridge right next to stove, no counters near them at all, WTAF?

[RFAAOATB]

It’s only shameful if your parents had it better and you’re giving your kids a poorer childhood than you had.  It’s still my goal to buy a bigger house than my parents.

Does anyone else think this is insane?

Utterly and completely insane.

People are supposed to feel shame if their house is smaller than their parents' house??? What kind of nonsense is that?
What forum are we on???

Ugh, my house is literally less than a quarter of the size of my parents' house.

As for comparing to HGTV homes...HA!
I think mine is as far from the "must haves" of most HGTV homebuyers: not open concept at all, everything is original from 1971, no laundry room (no laundry period), no dishwasher, one small bathroom.

Yeah... absolutely insane.  My first house was maybe 30% the size of my parents' first house, bought about 14 years earlier in life than theirs.  Our current house is a rental, and gigantic and hilariously old and shitty.  We have almost no furniture on the first floor (we joke that the dogs live there and we just have the upstairs apartment).  I'm not even sure how to compare any of this.  It's dumb to even try.  All I want to do is retire sooner than my parents (they both retired right at 60) and I'm on track for that to very much be the case.

Still dump the clean clothes on the bed to fold them though. ha!

Does nobody else just pull clothes out of the laundry basket to put them away?  Why does there have to even be an extra step?  The laundry basket is the only intermediary needed between the dryer and the closet.

Totally insane :)

I actually thought RFAAOATB was being sarcastic?

Not insane, mildly sarcastic, but mostly driven by greed and status.  There are other options besides buying a house bigger than your parents.  One is living with your parents and financing an extension.  Just like the John Adams house in Quincy Massachusetts that was passed down for generations and is now a historical site.  Another is buying the house right next to your parents.  Getting  one of your siblings or cousins to buy another and make it three in a row and you have your own Kennedy Compound.

Now I’m wondering why we don’t have any Adams heirs in Congress  and no presidents since John Quincy Adams, and how far Joe Kennedy 3 will make it past the US House.  Also can George Prescott Bush make it higher than Jeb Bush?

Considering the advantages of wealth, why is there only a few examples of nepotism in the presidency?

[Metalcat]

It’s only shameful if your parents had it better and you’re giving your kids a poorer childhood than you had.  It’s still my goal to buy a bigger house than my parents.

Does anyone else think this is insane?

Utterly and completely insane.

People are supposed to feel shame if their house is smaller than their parents' house??? What kind of nonsense is that?
What forum are we on???

Ugh, my house is literally less than a quarter of the size of my parents' house.

As for comparing to HGTV homes...HA!
I think mine is as far from the "must haves" of most HGTV homebuyers: not open concept at all, everything is original from 1971, no laundry room (no laundry period), no dishwasher, one small bathroom.

Yeah... absolutely insane.  My first house was maybe 30% the size of my parents' first house, bought about 14 years earlier in life than theirs.  Our current house is a rental, and gigantic and hilariously old and shitty.  We have almost no furniture on the first floor (we joke that the dogs live there and we just have the upstairs apartment).  I'm not even sure how to compare any of this.  It's dumb to even try.  All I want to do is retire sooner than my parents (they both retired right at 60) and I'm on track for that to very much be the case.

Still dump the clean clothes on the bed to fold them though. ha!

Does nobody else just pull clothes out of the laundry basket to put them away?  Why does there have to even be an extra step?  The laundry basket is the only intermediary needed between the dryer and the closet.

Totally insane :)

I actually thought RFAAOATB was being sarcastic?

Not insane, mildly sarcastic, but mostly driven by greed and status.  There are other options besides buying a house bigger than your parents.  One is living with your parents and financing an extension.  Just like the John Adams house in Quincy Massachusetts that was passed down for generations and is now a historical site.  Another is buying the house right next to your parents.  Getting  one of your siblings or cousins to buy another and make it three in a row and you have your own Kennedy Compound.

Now I’m wondering why we don’t have any Adams heirs in Congress  and no presidents since John Quincy Adams, and how far Joe Kennedy 3 will make it past the US House.  Also can George Prescott Bush make it higher than Jeb Bush?

Considering the advantages of wealth, why is there only a few examples of nepotism in the presidency?

Wait...

Wut???

[Arbitrage]

I too must hang my head in shame. My kitchen, though perfectly functional, is "dated"

This is my "shame."  Unfortunately, I've pushed this off as long as possible (from a marital bliss standpoint) and am starting to call contractors for bids.  We bought new appliances last year, and it was truly an improvement and I don't regret it.  However, updating the look is next - it'll cost ten times as much and provide no real functional improvement.  DW is excited, but I really don't have any interest in this expensive upgrade.  Assuming we get back half on the sale price of the house, this'll still cost us a month or so of freedom.  Not terrible, but not really worth it in my mind for two years of a nicer looking kitchen.  Ah well.  At least I've talked her out of the major 6-figure remodels our good friends have done.

[markbike528CBX]

Quartz definitely over granite, style wise, and the higher end SS for upscale houses. White appliances are making a comeback, and I'm seeing more and more of the Smeg/retro super colorful fridges - but boy are they pricey.

For the rental I'm currently working on, have located some end pieces of Corian for the kitchen counters. Will look nice and be serviceable. It's also getting a hand me down SS fridge. It will look fine!

White is the new cool?! Whoooo!  Just bought a smaller width fridge in white.
I successfully explained that all the other appliances are white and unlikely to die anytime soon, and that white would comeback.

The shame- now have granite countertops.  Looks OK, but not THAT much better than previous laminated wood stone- look stuff.  The sink though, SS and gooseneck faucet, yup MUCH BETTER.
DW is an HGTV junkie, so every hotel stay is HGTV. We now have "FixerUpper", so have been watching that.

[wanderlustNW]

The one show I'm addicted to on HGTV which I only watch when at my parents who have cable is House Hunters International. It makes me want to just up and quit my job and move to some exotic location ASAP. I actually get super attached to some of these places they show and after watching a few shows on streaming I'm seriously ready to quit. Then I come back home and settle in and then I'm good for a while.

[RFAAOATB]

When a house just isn’t enough, you need a castle.  Im disappointed Castle Hunters didn’t get a full run.

https://www.hgtv.com/shows/castle-hunters/episodes

[Just Joe]

House Hunters International is beloved in the Miller household. Beloved, I say!

I think it helps that people on that show are generally (not always) older, more into the adventure/culture of their new setting, and renting instead of buying, so they're not looking for that elusive "forever home." I find it fascinating to see how folks in different parts of the world live, and I don't even care that the home-buying process has already happened.

I think it would be super adventurous to go live in a foreign country for a year or two, although I think it would get lonely pretty quick in non-English-speaking locales.

Now regular old House Hunters USA? No thank you.

DW and I have loved watching this series:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006vb2f

[LiveLean]

Because it's now a necessity to have television in any area where one might have to wait -- medical office, auto mechanic, airport - and because it's impossible to watch a news or sports channel because of our political, 24/7 hot-take culture that might offend someone, the only thing that's ever put on in these places is HGTV, where we must suffer through women looking at any kitchen, no matter how recently remodeled, and say it's dated and look at any bathroom, no matter how sprawling, and say, "well, it's a decent size, I guess."

[By the River]

...At least I've talked her out of the major 6-figure remodels our good friends have done.

Now I see, its people like your friends that the Food Network has in mind with their latest sweepstakes.  The description is
"Enter twice daily through August 5, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. ET for a chance to win $250,000 towards the kitchen of your dreams."

and in case anyone here wants to upgrade their kitchen... https://www.foodnetwork.com/how-to/packages/food-network-fantasy-kitchen/fantasyKitchenSweepstakes  (Of course you can always just bank the winnings without spending it.)

[urover]

I too must hang my head in shame. My kitchen, though perfectly functional, is "dated"

+1
I just don't get the hungama about "dated" anything - bathroom / kitchen / interiors / furniture. I find it perfectly normal to have a functional house with functional items. I would also hate to always have brand new stuff in the house because now I'm worried about maintaining them. I'd rather have some patina.

[Metalcat]

I too must hang my head in shame. My kitchen, though perfectly functional, is "dated"

+1
I just don't get the hungama about "dated" anything - bathroom / kitchen / interiors / furniture. I find it perfectly normal to have a functional house with functional items. I would also hate to always have brand new stuff in the house because now I'm worried about maintaining them. I'd rather have some patina.

My cabinets are nearly 50 years old. They still open and close perfectly, and are more than capable of holding plates and cans of tomatoes.

I cannot fathom why I would ever rip them from the walls and spend more than a year's worth or mortgage payments just to get new wall boxes that can't do anything more than open and close and hold cans???

My kitchen is tragic in terms of counter space, so I am adding some new cabinets, which do not match the old ones at all, so I'm creating a kind of FrankenKitchen, which many people are horrified by, but I remind them that I'm moving to a one bedroom apartment in a 50 year old building, in the sketchiest part of town...no one who comes over is going to be impressed by anything other than my pragmatism and frugality, so the FrankenKitchen fits in perfectly.

[Fomerly known as something]

I have a confession to make.  I remodeled my previously 1996 kitchen and bathrooms in October of 2017 after I bought my new to me house.  In my defense the previous owner, rode things hard and put them up wet and first fixed anything by using scotch tape on it. 

Ok, ok, I might have looked at other options if it wasn't for the fact that I have a family member who works for a kitchen and bath company so I got everything at the employee discount. 

Although I do still have the old owner's stove/microwave since it hasn't broken yet and has not been repaired with tape. 

Also I didn't put in white cabinets. 

[Metalcat]

I have a confession to make.  I remodeled my previously 1996 kitchen and bathrooms in October of 2017 after I bought my new to me house.  In my defense the previous owner, rode things hard and put them up wet and first fixed anything by using scotch tape on it. 

Ok, ok, I might have looked at other options if it wasn't for the fact that I have a family member who works for a kitchen and bath company so I got everything at the employee discount. 

Although I do still have the old owner's stove/microwave since it hasn't broken yet and has not been repaired with tape. 

Also I didn't put in white cabinets.

I'm willing to bet that my 1971 cabinets are probably nicer and sturdier than your 1996 cabinets were. Lol.

[Fomerly known as something]

I have a confession to make.  I remodeled my previously 1996 kitchen and bathrooms in October of 2017 after I bought my new to me house.  In my defense the previous owner, rode things hard and put them up wet and first fixed anything by using scotch tape on it. 

Ok, ok, I might have looked at other options if it wasn't for the fact that I have a family member who works for a kitchen and bath company so I got everything at the employee discount. 

Although I do still have the old owner's stove/microwave since it hasn't broken yet and has not been repaired with tape. 

Also I didn't put in white cabinets.

I'm willing to bet that my 1971 cabinets are probably nicer and sturdier than your 1996 cabinets were. Lol.

Oh yes, my Mom's 1982 cabinets while not exactly stylish still look wonderful from a not broken point of view after all these years. 

[Sugaree]

I have a confession to make.  I remodeled my previously 1996 kitchen and bathrooms in October of 2017 after I bought my new to me house.  In my defense the previous owner, rode things hard and put them up wet and first fixed anything by using scotch tape on it. 

Ok, ok, I might have looked at other options if it wasn't for the fact that I have a family member who works for a kitchen and bath company so I got everything at the employee discount. 

Although I do still have the old owner's stove/microwave since it hasn't broken yet and has not been repaired with tape. 

Also I didn't put in white cabinets.

I'm willing to bet that my 1971 cabinets are probably nicer and sturdier than your 1996 cabinets were. Lol.

Oh yes, my Mom's 1982 cabinets while not exactly stylish still look wonderful from a not broken point of view after all these years.

I've got those lovely knotty pine cabinets from the 50s.  It matches the knotty pine paneling.  We redid the kitchen last year and blew out a wall between the kitchen and living room.  We moved one bank of cabinets to a different wall and used the paneling from the wall to build the kitchen island. 

[yogagirl95]

The 1950's cabinets are probably better quality than you can buy today. Everyone wants to update, but the thing is eventually it the updates are outdated. There is a website Retrorenovation.  She advocates to love the house you are in. Many of the 1950 thru 1970s kitchens and baths are now coveted compared to all the HGTV bland updates that are popular. My 1955 cabinets are custom built, and you can refinish and repair them. Rip them out they are gone. Some with the tile in bathrooms, those are actually becoming historical.  The tile is not the same, and is no longer available.

[Sugaree]

The 1950's cabinets are probably better quality than you can buy today. Everyone wants to update, but the thing is eventually it the updates are outdated. There is a website Retrorenovation.  She advocates to love the house you are in. Many of the 1950 thru 1970s kitchens and baths are now coveted compared to all the HGTV bland updates that are popular. My 1955 cabinets are custom built, and you can refinish and repair them. Rip them out they are gone. Some with the tile in bathrooms, those are actually becoming historical.  The tile is not the same, and is no longer available.

That's part of why we ended up keeping the cabinets that we could and using the wood that took off the wall.  It had all aged together too, so it more or less matched.  I did cover up some of the 1950s tile in the master half-bath and bedrooms.  It was ugly back then and it's ugly now.  The stuff in the bedrooms probably had asbestos too.  Floating floors are a wonderful thing.  Luckily, the plate-glass window's inner pane held when the branch hit it.  That probably saved my original wood floors in the dining room from being destroyed. 

[Metalcat]

The 1950's cabinets are probably better quality than you can buy today. Everyone wants to update, but the thing is eventually it the updates are outdated. There is a website Retrorenovation.  She advocates to love the house you are in. Many of the 1950 thru 1970s kitchens and baths are now coveted compared to all the HGTV bland updates that are popular. My 1955 cabinets are custom built, and you can refinish and repair them. Rip them out they are gone. Some with the tile in bathrooms, those are actually becoming historical.  The tile is not the same, and is no longer available.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my 1971 original yellow shower tiles. They are gorgeous! Totally retro cool.

[Just Joe]

Used kitchen cabinets work really well in a garage for storage...

[sjc0816]

It’s only shameful if your parents had it better and you’re giving your kids a poorer childhood than you had.  It’s still my goal to buy a bigger house than my parents.

Had to laugh. My dad is a multi-millionaire because he was a successful business owner/CEO. We will NEVER be able to provide for my kids what they did for us and I am more than okay with that. ;)

[Milizard]

For the record: I started this thread after watching Love it or list it. I thought the folks here would appreciate the ridiculousness of those complaints from the show. I was not disappointed.

The reason these complaints hit me so hard is because I watch so little TV these days. I used to love HGTV, bit it has gotten terrible on the last few years.

I was a remodeling junkie before it was cool. I loved watching This Old House as a child. That and Trading Spaces we're my favorite all-time shows of that genre.  I truly appreciate good, functional design, and would love to have a combined laundry room/ buttlers pantry. I would still fold laundry on my bed, though. (I currently have a small half bath/laundry room. I would love to have a good space to sort my dirty clothes, as I do a ton of laundry.)

[RetiredAt63]

When I had to redo my laundry room (because of a flood) I put in a laundry tub where a cabinet had been.  How can a rural house not have a laundry tub?   Things get sooo dirty and need soaking.  Are laundry tubs just "out" these days?

[Dicey]

When I had to redo my laundry room (because of a flood) I put in a laundry tub where a cabinet had been.  How can a rural house not have a laundry tub?   Things get sooo dirty and need soaking.  Are laundry tubs just "out" these days?

Lol, our flip house has a half bath directly off the laundry room. The whole house has custom cabinetry, so I had the sink cabinet enlarged to fit a laundry sink with a fancy kitchen sink-type faucet. Who cares what you wash your hands in? A big, deep laundry sink is a thing of beauty and oh, so practical.

[Cranky]

I have a confession to make.  I remodeled my previously 1996 kitchen and bathrooms in October of 2017 after I bought my new to me house.  In my defense the previous owner, rode things hard and put them up wet and first fixed anything by using scotch tape on it. 

Ok, ok, I might have looked at other options if it wasn't for the fact that I have a family member who works for a kitchen and bath company so I got everything at the employee discount. 

Although I do still have the old owner's stove/microwave since it hasn't broken yet and has not been repaired with tape. 

Also I didn't put in white cabinets.

I'm willing to bet that my 1971 cabinets are probably nicer and sturdier than your 1996 cabinets were. Lol.

I promise you that my 1960 cabinets were not nicer or sturdier than anything. I was tired of the doors falling off. Also, there were surprisingly few of them considering that our kitchen is a decent size.

Remodeling the kitchen was the best use of money ever, with the exception of having babies. Every morning I walk into my kitchen and smile. It just all works so great now. (I did not spend a vast amount of money to accomplish this, based on the figures that some people toss out.)

[Metalcat]

I have a confession to make.  I remodeled my previously 1996 kitchen and bathrooms in October of 2017 after I bought my new to me house.  In my defense the previous owner, rode things hard and put them up wet and first fixed anything by using scotch tape on it. 

Ok, ok, I might have looked at other options if it wasn't for the fact that I have a family member who works for a kitchen and bath company so I got everything at the employee discount. 

Although I do still have the old owner's stove/microwave since it hasn't broken yet and has not been repaired with tape. 

Also I didn't put in white cabinets.

I'm willing to bet that my 1971 cabinets are probably nicer and sturdier than your 1996 cabinets were. Lol.

I promise you that my 1960 cabinets were not nicer or sturdier than anything. I was tired of the doors falling off. Also, there were surprisingly few of them considering that our kitchen is a decent size.

Remodeling the kitchen was the best use of money ever, with the exception of having babies. Every morning I walk into my kitchen and smile. It just all works so great now. (I did not spend a vast amount of money to accomplish this, based on the figures that some people toss out.)

I was specifically comparing my perfectly intact, solid wood cabinets to PP's, which they described as being held together by literal tape. I was not generalizing that all older cabinets need not be replaced.

As for my '71 cabinets, I gave them a good scrubbing today and replaced the handles and they look basically brand new.

Neato.

[nereo]

My countertops are tile, kind of rust orange. They match the plaid orange and brown wallpaper in an adjacent room. The house was last updated in the 70s. I actually like some of the other wallpaper but I’m sure HGTV would tell me the whole house needs to be redone.

I have a pink bathroom, with a pink toilet.   And here’s the kicker... it’s not even mine, we’re renting.  So much shame! 

[Fomerly known as something]

I have to admit, I love my laundry room.  It allows me to have a cat box on the 2nd floor without it having to be in a more used space.  I fold my clothes from my bed though.

[Sugaree]

My countertops are tile, kind of rust orange. They match the plaid orange and brown wallpaper in an adjacent room. The house was last updated in the 70s. I actually like some of the other wallpaper but I’m sure HGTV would tell me the whole house needs to be redone.

I have a pink bathroom, with a pink toilet.   And here’s the kicker... it’s not even mine, we’re renting.  So much shame!

I had one of those one time.  There was an avocado green bathroom in the same house. 

[zolotiyeruki]

My FIL is a wood shop teacher, my BIL is a cabinet maker, my former next door neighbor is a cabinet maker, and I do a little woodworking myself.

it kills me when I see people paint wood cabinets.  You're covering up that gorgeous, natural wood grain with lame, boring, monochrome paint.  Which will instantly show any measure of uncleanliness, and is probably a tacky color.  And if it isn't a tacky color, it *will* be in three years when the Gods of Kitchen Fashion deem it to be.  (The same goes for brick, whether interior or exterior.)

[NinjaSalad]

We are a family of 3 in a ~1200 SF house that was built in 1925.
We don't have a laundry room, office, foyer, mudroom, play room, or any other unnecessary space.
Our walls are quite colorful - no greige paint here!
Our central air/heat only covers the downstairs so we have window AC units in our bedrooms for when it gets really hot.
Our floors are creaky and crooked and our plaster walls have cracks from time to time but we love it here and don't plan on changing a thing!!!

What I REALLY want to know though is what happened to the "G" in HGTV?

I haven't had cable since 2006 but I seem to remember a few shows about gardening back then. Now whenever I happen to see HGTV somewhere it's all ugly (to me) home renovations.

[markbike528CBX]

My FIL is a wood shop teacher, my BIL is a cabinet maker, my former next door neighbor is a cabinet maker, and I do a little woodworking myself.

it kills me when I see people paint wood cabinets.  You're covering up that gorgeous, natural wood grain with lame, boring, monochrome paint.  Which will instantly show any measure of uncleanliness, and is probably a tacky color.  And if it isn't a tacky color, it *will* be in three years when the Gods of Kitchen Fashion deem it to be.  (The same goes for brick, whether interior or exterior.)

There is a special place in hell (warm, not hot) for people who paint brick.

We once rented a 2brm appt where the brick fireplace wall  had been painted flat white.
DW carefully repainted it to look like brick without landlord permission. Even within 5 feet, you had too look really closely to tell it wasn't brick. We got our security deposit back when we left, as the effect was perfect.

[calimom]

My FIL is a wood shop teacher, my BIL is a cabinet maker, my former next door neighbor is a cabinet maker, and I do a little woodworking myself.

it kills me when I see people paint wood cabinets.  You're covering up that gorgeous, natural wood grain with lame, boring, monochrome paint.  Which will instantly show any measure of uncleanliness, and is probably a tacky color.  And if it isn't a tacky color, it *will* be in three years when the Gods of Kitchen Fashion deem it to be.  (The same goes for brick, whether interior or exterior.)

There is a special place in hell (warm, not hot) for people who paint brick.

We once rented a 2brm appt where the brick fireplace wall  had been painted flat white.
DW carefully repainted it to look like brick without landlord permission. Even within 5 feet, you had too look really closely to tell it wasn't brick. We got our security deposit back when we left, as the effect was perfect.

Oh no! I've killed AND I'm going to hell. A couple of years ago, inspired by Netflix's Grace and Frankie took the doors off my kitchen cabinets and painted them blue - after lots of sanding. And put new hardware on. The original 1970s wood was scarred and tired looking. Because there was no hardware, there were years of hand oil stain and they looked terrible. I did a good job, if I say so myself and the result refreshed my kitchen.

And just last year, I painted over the boring brick in my living room fireplace. If it had been interesting used brick I wouldn't have but it was boring brick and painting it a rich gray added a nice focal point.

As has been said, to each their own.

[Dicey]

My FIL is a wood shop teacher, my BIL is a cabinet maker, my former next door neighbor is a cabinet maker, and I do a little woodworking myself.

it kills me when I see people paint wood cabinets.  You're covering up that gorgeous, natural wood grain with lame, boring, monochrome paint.  Which will instantly show any measure of uncleanliness, and is probably a tacky color.  And if it isn't a tacky color, it *will* be in three years when the Gods of Kitchen Fashion deem it to be.  (The same goes for brick, whether interior or exterior.)

There is a special place in hell (warm, not hot) for people who paint brick.

We once rented a 2brm appt where the brick fireplace wall  had been painted flat white.
DW carefully repainted it to look like brick without landlord permission. Even within 5 feet, you had too look really closely to tell it wasn't brick. We got our security deposit back when we left, as the effect was perfect.

Oh no! I've killed AND I'm going to hell. A couple of years ago, inspired by Netflix's Grace and Frankie took the doors off my kitchen cabinets and painted them blue - after lots of sanding. And put new hardware on. The original 1970s wood was scarred and tired looking. Because there was no hardware, there were years of hand oil stain and they looked terrible. I did a good job, if I say so myself and the result refreshed my kitchen.

And just last year, I painted over the boring brick in my living room fireplace. If it had been interesting used brick I wouldn't have but it was boring brick and painting it a rich gray added a nice focal point.

As has been said, to each their own.

I'll be right there beside you, calimom! In my last house, the fireplace was brick and some of it was chipped, especially on the hearth. When I painted everything white, the unevenness seemed to disappear. And just this very day, we finished painting the kitchen in our flip house project. The boxes are the natural wood grain (yeah, that's a veneer over plywood, but it's still pretty), and the doors and frames are painted glossy white. Nowadays, Shaker cabinet doors have wood frames and MDF panels. It gives a smoother finish, is cheaper and somewhat exonerates us, because we're not painting over real wood, right?

[Milizard]

Sometimes painting over brick and wood is okay, but my mom's neighbor's house was a beautiful golden brick in great shape. The latest owner had his parents paint that brick a beige--not that different than the original brick color. Why oh why, I will not know, but I already don't think much of the you g partying bachelor who had his parents do all the work on his house. Painting over gorgeous hardwood--also a travesty. If it's shit wood--who cares?

[Just Joe]

Is the DIY channel still a thing?

As I recall they worked on everything on that channel. I saw it once ages ago.

Watched a show where a fellow was rebuilding an MGB bit by bit. There were no tattoos, no electric guitars that sounded like power tools, no busty women, and no drama. Just a guy with a bit of facial hair with dirty fingernails.

Anyone can still watch "This Old House" online and via all the streaming gadgets like the Roku for free. We do with our weekend morning coffee.

I want to see more hands on DIY with normal budgets and less multi-millionaires buying houses in large metro areas chasing trendy decorating styles.

[Awesomeness]

My FIL is a wood shop teacher, my BIL is a cabinet maker, my former next door neighbor is a cabinet maker, and I do a little woodworking myself.

it kills me when I see people paint wood cabinets.  You're covering up that gorgeous, natural wood grain with lame, boring, monochrome paint.  Which will instantly show any measure of uncleanliness, and is probably a tacky color.  And if it isn't a tacky color, it *will* be in three years when the Gods of Kitchen Fashion deem it to be.  (The same goes for brick, whether interior or exterior.)

There is a special place in hell (warm, not hot) for people who paint brick.

We once rented a 2brm appt where the brick fireplace wall  had been painted flat white.
DW carefully repainted it to look like brick without landlord permission. Even within 5 feet, you had too look really closely to tell it wasn't brick. We got our security deposit back when we left, as the effect was perfect.

Oh no! I've killed AND I'm going to hell. A couple of years ago, inspired by Netflix's Grace and Frankie took the doors off my kitchen cabinets and painted them blue - after lots of sanding. And put new hardware on. The original 1970s wood was scarred and tired looking. Because there was no hardware, there were years of hand oil stain and they looked terrible. I did a good job, if I say so myself and the result refreshed my kitchen.

And just last year, I painted over the boring brick in my living room fireplace. If it had been interesting used brick I wouldn't have but it was boring brick and painting it a rich gray added a nice focal point.

As has been said, to each their own.

I'll be right there beside you, calimom! In my last house, the fireplace was brick and some of it was chipped, especially on the hearth. When I painted everything white, the unevenness seemed to disappear. And just this very day, we finished painting the kitchen in our flip house project. The boxes are the natural wood grain (yeah, that's a veneer over plywood, but it's still pretty), and the doors and frames are painted glossy white. Nowadays, Shaker cabinet doors have wood frames and MDF panels. It gives a smoother finish, is cheaper and somewhat exonerates us, because we're not painting over real wood, right?

Personally I prefer wood to stay on the floor.  I painted brand new maple kitchen cabinets a perfect shade of grey. Painted cabinets were much more expensive so I picked the lightest colored wood to keep the layers to a minimum and the maple was a nice smooth finish to work with. Painted a sold cherry wood dresser green. I just picked up a perfect all wood sideboard, even made in North Carolina, for 20$. It's honey colored, soon to be all white.  Painted a brick fireplace white. 

It's definitely personal preference but my house is small. Paint gives it a totally calm open feel and lets your eyes relax. It's lovely.  I get compliments all the time. 

Love the beach house on Grace and Frankie.

[LaineyAZ]

I agree about the change in focus from smaller, DIY projects to mini-mansion, buckets of money projects.

I happened to catch 2 episodes of a show on HGTV called "From Gritty to Pretty."  I believe it was based in Milwaukee, but it was a contractor who bought practically condemned houses from the city for $1 and then put maybe $30,000 into them and then sold them for $50,000.  (round numbers, per my memory).  The guy was really personable, came across great on TV as both knowing what he was doing while also resurrecting homes for working-class or young buyers. 
Nothing extravagant, but he was reviving neighborhoods. 
Unfortunately, it appears that HGTV didn't continue with the show because there's only been 2 episodes.  I even wrote to them to ask them to continue it because we need some of these practical, lower-end, neighborhood-saving types!

[Khaetra]

Is the DIY channel still a thing?

Yes, for now.  Next year it's rebranding to The Magnolia Channel with Chip and Joanna Gaines (of Fixer Upper fame) running it.  Which is too bad, since I really like that channel and love Renovation Realities.