HGTV musings

[Jaya]

We play HGTV BINGO for kicks. We have squares with "stainless steel", "hardwood", "natural lighting", "put our stamp on it", "double sinks", "claustrophobic", etc. The loser has to do the dishes the next night.

The House Hunters International makes me laugh. "Oh, we want to experience life like it's lived here in (insert foreign city of your choice)!" and then there's great amounts of moaning and groaning because there is no dishwasher, or the shower is small, or there are only two burners and the refrigerator is tiny, or the place isn't big enough. OK, then stay in Houston...

I get a kick out of the "tiny house" shows, too. I'd love to see follow-ups to see how soon those people move out of the "tiny houses" when they find out that, while it is extremely *trendy* to live in one, it's also a pain in the royal patootie.

 

[Southernmiss]

What's up with the House Hunter's Tiny Houses and the building a tiny house shows?

Home owner looks for a 200 square foot shed or less to live in. Now, granted some are made nicely, but $58,000 for something that you can tow to a new site to live in when you need a change of scenery.

Maybe for a single person or a newly married young couple.

There was a family of 6 on tonight that moved from L.A. to New York from a 2500 square foot house to a 1 bedroom home with less than 600 square feet. Immediately, they hadn't moved in and were remodeling to make a loft bedroom for two older daughters and dad was talking about building an office outback for his work as an animator. So that's sort of cheating. 100 square feet per person in a home would be crowded to me.

I admire the desire to save and live debt free, but goodness. I'd think a little elbow room and sanity might be worth a little $. We moved from a 1300 to a 2100 square foot home in 2003. Now, that our own 4 kids are 13, 15, 17, and 20 our home feels small.

 

[disneychrista]

We play HGTV BINGO for kicks. We have squares with "stainless steel", "hardwood", "natural lighting", "put our stamp on it", "double sinks", "claustrophobic", etc.

You forgot Open Concept.

 

[tvguy]

You forgot Open Concept.

And en suite.
And semi.
And finished basement.
And on site parking.
And in your neighborhood.
And over budget.
And not up to code.

 

[barkley]

on the subject of square footage vs. house 'size'-I remember talking to a realtor friend awhile back, and he was saying that a trend he was seeing with younger buyers was that their perception of how large a home was seemed to be tied into the ceiling height. he could take young buyers to multiple homes with significant differences in square footage but they almost always expressed that a significantly smaller square footage house with high ceilings in the living/dining/great rooms and kitchens 'felt' much bigger to them. they would opt to buy the smaller homes only to turn around an sell them a few years down the line when they realized those high ceilings did not afford them the floor space for their own possessions let alone the child they were expecting.

 

[Luvstotravel]

Lord, after 32 years of marriage, we don't even close the door anymore if we are home alone, no need for a isolated room for the toilet.

We'll have our 32nd anniversary in February. We always close the bathroom doors. Neither of us want to see what the other is doing in there-some things are best left unseen and unheard.

 

[LBIJim]

We play HGTV BINGO for kicks. We have squares with "stainless steel", "hardwood", "natural lighting", "put our stamp on it", "double sinks", "claustrophobic", etc. The loser has to do the dishes the next night.
.

You forgot Open Concept.

And en suite.
And semi.
And finished basement.
And on site parking.
And in your neighborhood.
And over budget.
And not up to code.

I'm surprised "granite countertops" and "entertain" haven't been mentioned yet.

 

[already]

That's it. A separate room, usually at one end of the bathroom. Ours is small, only about 3 feet wide by 6 feet long. With 10 foot ceilings, it's not claustrophobic to have a toilet in a 3 x 6 room. Aside from a cabinet above the toilet, the only thing in there is the toilet. That means the bathroom itself can be used for all the other bathroom stuff if someone has to have a wee while you're showering, taking a bath, applying makeup or getting dressed. If the toilet is out in the bathroom, the entire bathroom IS the toilet.

Unless it is a very inexpensive house or older than 25-30 years, you will rarely see a toilet as part of the master bathroom here. It will have its own little room connected to the bathroom. That's TX. I don't know about other states.

Our house is 24 years old and has the toilet in a separate room within the master bedroom. All the models were like that when we purchased this home. All the models in other neighborhoods were like that when we were shopping.

Unless the home is a smaller condo or townhouse, it is very rare to see the toilet out open in the master bath around here.

If you feel claustrophobic, you don't have to shut the door if there is nobody else in the room. But it is nice to have the option to close the door and turn on the fan when your spouse wants to do something like brush their teeth right afterwards.

 

[StephMK]

Mystery solved...maybe. Closet in bedroom, you get a free range toilet out in the open in the bathroom. Closet as part of the master bathroom, you get a toilet room.



You would think that, but we've had them this way for 25 years and so far, no mildew. And believe me, it is humid in Texas. Maybe builders here put in killer ventilation systems... I know the toilet room has its own vent fan. We've just never had a problem with mildew or dampness.

We are the exception to that rule! Our house was built in 1980 and the walk in closet is accessed from the master bath only. Our bath is open and the toilet is "free range". That term makes me laugh, the toilet in its natural habitat.

DH & I do not ever get ready at the same time so it has never been an issue. We changed the doors from 2 bi-fold to a single solid door. I hated the bi-folds! I want privacy on both ends. Neither of us needs to know what goes on in there!

We have a vent we rarely use and a window. There are no issues with humidity or mildew.

 

[already]

In the NY area, most toilets are open to the rest of the bathroom. HOWEVER, all the closet, storage, etc. is OUTSIDE the bathroom and a part of the master bedroom area.

My in laws moved to TX, and I know exactly what the PP is referring to. Most of the master "suite" is IN the master bath. In our part of the country, while the master bath can be large, the bułk of the master "suite" area is outside the bath room.

I actually do not prefer everything in the master bath. Everything just gets too steamy even with good vents.

I am not in Texas, but as I mentioned in my other post, the norm here is also to have the toilet separate in the master bath.

My husband's work was contemplating transferring his office to the NY/NJ area where headquarters is located. I started browsing models online to get a feel of what was available. All of the models in the size we were looking at (around 2500 sq ft) had separate toilet rooms. Something I was glad to because, as some of the House Hunter's say, that is on my non-negotiable list.

This one is in NY and one we thought about looking at:

 

[already]

You forgot Open Concept.

and

Charm.

That word is thrown about so much it is ridiculous.

I was actually glad to hear that House Hunters was scripted because I was beginning to lose faith in humanity that so many buyers were so annoying and clueless.

 

[disneychrista]

I'm surprised "granite countertops" and "entertain" haven't been mentioned yet.

OMG! Yes. Do people really "entertain" that much?

 

[Sparkly]

The house I'm currently staying in for Christmas is from the early 1900s and has a separate toilet room with two bathrooms containing a bath/shower and a sink either side. It's no real issue, I don't touch anything other then the door handle to leave the toilet before continuing into the bathroom to wash my hands.

 

[tvguy]

We'll have our 32nd anniversary in February. We always close the bathroom doors. Neither of us want to see what the other is doing in there-some things are best left unseen and unheard.

After watching child birth (twice) , various normal health issues, injuries, surgeries, infections and outbreaks, the bathroom door being open doesn't even get consideration to be on the list of things that could be disturbing.

 

[tvguy]

I'm surprised "granite countertops" and "entertain" haven't been mentioned yet.

Oh, granite is sooooooooooooooo out now, it's quartz baby. Probably because so many people got tired of having to fix cracks in the granite.

Yeah, these folks sure seem to entertain a lot on those shows. But I'm in California, and folks here who entertain do it out by the pool. And yes, I went to a Christmas open house that was outside by the pool this year. But they did have a couple of propane heaters.

 

[EMom]

Oh, granite is sooooooooooooooo out now, it's quartz baby. Probably because so many people got tired of having to fix cracks in the granite.

Yeah, these folks sure seem to entertain a lot on those shows. But I'm in California, and folks here who entertain do it out by the pool. And yes, I went to a Christmas open house that was outside by the pool this year. But they did have a couple of propane heaters.

I've never understood people who say granite is hard to maintain. We had it in the last house for 7 years, sealed it when we installed it and never got around to doing it again. Yet it looked as good when we moved out as the day it was installed. And if we had resealed it, all you do is wipe some solution on and you're done. Easy peasy.

No cracks, no stains, no problems. I love granite not for any perceived status reasons, but because the exotic granites are beautiful in their wild unpredictability. Exotic granite is like a work of art. I can spend a long time wandering a granite yard in the same way many women can spend hours in a jewelry store.

 

[jrmasm]

I've never understood people who say granite is hard to maintain. We had it in the last house for 7 years, sealed it when we installed it and never got around to doing it again. Yet it looked as good when we moved out as the day it was installed. And if we had resealed it, all you do is wipe some solution on and you're done. Easy peasy. No cracks, no stains, no problems. I love granite not for any perceived status reasons, but because the exotic granites are beautiful in their wild unpredictability. Exotic granite is like a work of art. I can spend a long time wandering a granite yard in the same way many women can spend hours in a jewelry store.

The only people that say granite is hard to maintain are Corian and quartz salesmen.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Love It or List It is a favorite of ours. We love how the couple will go $100K over budget to buy a house, but not give Hillary another $10K to fix the plumbing so they still get the kitchen. Or they want an additional bedroom, but won't give up the space from any of the other rooms.

Not a fan of Kitchen Crashers, but I think that is on DIY. I've met Allyson Victoria at WDW (Flower and Garden Festival), but I don't like her kitchens. I hate how they "crash" everything on the Crasher shows instead of trying to recycle the cabinets, tub, etc. And putting a microwave oven below waist height is stupid. Right at the reach of little kids and out of my reach.

I watched Tanya and Roger on Sell this House until Roger left and they got the other guy. He's not as good as Roger.'

But I wish they would emphasize the Garden part of HGTV a little more. Even the magazine covers mostly houses and not gardens.

The tiny house shows are fun. Saw the yurt one, too, and thought she might be a bit nuts wanting her bathroom and kitchen outside. It must never rain or get cold where she lives.

I love on House Hunters International how the sorority chick who has married a European or whose husband got transferred overseas has to have a bathtub. I wish they would show some of those shows as Where are they now? I love that Paris real estate agent.

 

[ilovemk76]

Love It or List It is a favorite of ours. We love how the couple will go $100K over budget to buy a house, but not give Hillary another $10K to fix the plumbing so they still get the kitchen. Or they want an additional bedroom, but won't give up the space from any of the other rooms.

Not a fan of Kitchen Crashers, but I think that is on DIY. I've met Allyson Victoria at WDW (Flower and Garden Festival), but I don't like her kitchens. I hate how they "crash" everything on the Crasher shows instead of trying to recycle the cabinets, tub, etc. And putting a microwave oven below waist height is stupid. Right at the reach of little kids and out of my reach.

I watched Tanya and Roger on Sell this House until Roger left and they got the other guy. He's not as good as Roger.'

But I wish they would emphasize the Garden part of HGTV a little more. Even the magazine covers mostly houses and not gardens.

The tiny house shows are fun. Saw the yurt one, too, and thought she might be a bit nuts wanting her bathroom and kitchen outside. It must never rain or get cold where she lives.

I love on House Hunters International how the sorority chick who has married a European or whose husband got transferred overseas has to have a bathtub. I wish they would show some of those shows as Where are they now? I love that Paris real estate agent.

Bold - That gets us too. More importantly, don't they inspect houses in Canada?! The crappy work they find is so over the top.

 

[LBIJim]

I am not in Texas, but as I mentioned in my other post, the norm here is also to have the toilet separate in the master bath.

My husband's work was contemplating transferring his office to the NY/NJ area where headquarters is located. I started browsing models online to get a feel of what was available. All of the models in the size we were looking at (around 2500 sq ft) had separate toilet rooms. Something I was glad to because, as some of the House Hunter's say, that is on my non-negotiable list.

This one is in NY and one we thought about looking at:

Ooooh, I love looking at floor plans!!

I suppose most new larger and upper-end homes have a separate room for the toilet in the master bath. DW insisted on it when we remodeled and enlarged our bathroom.

Good position for the walk-in closet in the floor plan; I don't like the door to the closet immediately adjoining the bathroom, let alone having to walk thru the bathroom to access the closet. Closet completely separate from the bath, thank you.

I WOULD appreciate another standard sized closet in addition to the walk-in.
(For the husband, of course. )