HGTV's Curb Appeal-neighborhood edition

[chyna]

Has anyone else seen this new show? I've really only seen one episode but I already wonder how I can get them to show up on my block. I even decided which of my neighbors should get help too. :D Nina could have her doorstep overworked, the battleship house on the corner could have the rest of the trim painted and maybe some paint on the door, I'm reallly just at the point of needing projects finished. House painted, sidewalk resurfaced, pillars poured for the fence and put the gate up. Not sure how much control I could let go though. I suspect I'd be the wicked witch of the construction site. :eek:

[ChapterTwo]

Has anyone else seen this new show?

chyna, I can only wish I'd seen it. Here in the NY tri-state area. we've been without HGTV and the Food Network since New Year's Day! I am not that much of a "foodie" but I am in withdrawals without HGTV...there's nothing else to watch!

I've missed "The Antonio Project" and who knows how many other great shows. It's pretty hard to tell whose fault it is, with all of the finger pointing. But greed is a terrible thing, and the viewers are the ones to suffer...:mad:

Here's the gist of what's going on:

Scripps Networks Interactive said it has pulled its popular Food Network and HGTV channels from more than 3 million Cablevision Systems subscribers in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

In a statement issued at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 1, Scripps said the channels "went off the air on Cablevision systems in New York City, Long Island and the Tri-State Region at midnight New Year's Eve after the cable operator failed to negotiate acceptable rates for the programming distribution rights."

That new show sounds great, chyna, and I remember your vivid descriptions of the "battleship house". It seems that they'd be the perfect starting point for this show in your neighborhood!

[Heather]

Hey Chyna! How's that house anyways? Still the same gray - all over? H ha anyways we don't get those shows.... too bad.

[shabbychick]

I gave up watching television five years ago when I moved into my condo. I only had it in my previous home because the people who were living with me (and not helping with the bills, I might add) wanted it. Even just basic service is ridiculously expensive, and then to get any of the channels you really want to see, it's extra because they're premium. As few shows as I watch, it's not worth the money. If I could pay to watch only the channels I wanted to watch, and if cable were as reasonably priced as, say, my telephone land line, I might go for it. But I can spend the price of cable tv on something I really want...like magazines, books, and things from Value Village.

[vintage girl]

Did not catch the curb appeal episode, but do have it taped and I plan to watch it soon. I did see the "Antonio Project" and he did a really good job. He redid a neighborhood recording studio for underpriveledged kids. I love Antonio. He is very personable and an excellent and very imaginative designer. Too bad you no longer have HGTV. That is about all I watch along with A&E and Bravo once in a while. I do pay a lot for my cable, but it includes my internet, so it balances out in the end:)

[yarborough house]

Curb appeal the block- love it. The first episode the house they redid is so similar to ours that I told my hubby that if we stay here (not what our current 3.5 year plans says) then I want that balcony they added..haha

I also like the new Sarah's house that is on that night too. She is the cool decorator from Canada that used to have the show simple ...? can't remember it but she bought a house and is taking us along for the ride while she renovates it for herself..love what she has done so far.

[vintage girl]

I LOVE Sarah's House. This is actually the second house she has purchased and redone on tv. She also is a great decorator and I have been watching her show for years. She has had two shows before Sarah's House. The first one she was on by herself and the second is with her design crew.

[Heather]

Oh she (Sarah Richardson) just re did her cottage - love it!

[ChapterTwo]

Oh, sure...just keep talking about HGTV stuff that I can't watch...
sniff, sniff. Sniff, sniff...




Only joking! :p

[Lynzee]

I rarely watch any of the HGTV programs anymore. Most of the projects are way beyond my budget, so it is frustrating to me to watch them. BPG, on the other hand, watches HGTV and the DIY network all the time. Not sure why--he is the least likely person I know to ever take on a household project! :rolleyes:

[ChapterTwo]

I do agree with you, Lynzee, about the projects...and there are SO many real estate shows.

I loved it when HGTV first began, and there was a whole lot more diversity in topics...lots of crafty shows then.

[Carrie]

Check on HGTV's website or Hulu. You might be able to watch some of your favorite HGTV shows there.

[Lynzee]

I seemed to be glued to the television when HGTV first started. The ideas and projects didn't seem so cost prohibitive and most didn't involve total demolition and a team of experts. :rolleyes: My favorite show was "Country Home".

[chyna]

Sarah's house sounds very interesting. I really don't watch too much of HGTV because most of it is those redesign to sell homes or find a new home. However do love watching Holmes on Homes and then those Curb Appeal type shows. and on Sunday I like to catch the ones for gardening except the one with the yard designers. Way out of my price range and just how many of those over the top fountains. :rolleyes:

We just have basic channels for our cable, unfortunately getting local channels is complicated so it is either cable or satellite and I'm not hanging a giant dish on my house. :eek:

[shabbychick]

You know what else gets me, not only on TV but also in magazines, is how many projects labeled Do It Yourself have at least one step that says, "You will need another pair of hands for this." Uh, yeah, that kind of takes the "yourself" out of "do it yourself." I don't have a spare pair of hands, and even when someone is available to help me, it's usually grudging and short-lived, so I don't often try to take on projects that require assistance of any kind. I like DIY that you really can do all by yourself, whether it's garden design or interior decorating.

[mac78]

Our cable compmany Time Warner was also up in the air recently with negotiations of tv shows. So far, I haven't noticed any lost. I used to watch HGTV all the time, and am finding I am watching less and less too. They don't cater to "middle class America" at all. While I do like the "Designed to Sell" with the budgets of $2000, and the other revamp shows of $500 and $1000 budgets, seems like the majority are way over the top. And "Househunters", why does a family of 3 need a 4000 sq ft house.....and what is "WRONG" with laminate countertop.....PLEEAASSSEEEE, those people on the shows need to live the real life.

[shabbychick]

It gets back to the discussion we were having several months ago about home reno projects in magazines where they show this amazing transformation and tell you the couple did it all by themselves, and it turns out he's a contractor and she's an architect, or all the great stuff in the house comes from the homeowner's high-end furniture business. It's never, "she's a barrista and he works at AM-PM." I love the rare story where a single woman with a truly modest income explains what she really could do alone and what she needed to hire out. That's true DIY spirit that I like to see in magazines and would prefer to see on TV if I had cable.

And can someone explain to me how to hang a wallpaper border by yourself? I've waited four years for someone to help me with it, and now I think I'm going to have to do it myself. Should I cut it into sections instead of trying to soak and apply a whole roll at a time?

[annielinz]

I too used to be an HGTV addict, especially Saturday night. The line up was phenomenal. Now its mostly house hunters, which I will watch to see the houses and laugh when couples think their 3000 sq. foot house is too small for their family of 4. I raised mine in 1500 sq feet just fine thank you. They can't get into too much trouble when you are elbow to elbow :).

Shabby I did hang wall paper border by my self by cutting it in reasonable lengths. Booking it helps too.

Chyna, Curb Appeal with Rick Spence was my favorite. It was based here in the Bay Area so it was interesting seeing the areas they worked in.

[yarborough house]

Curb Appeal the block is cool. They do the major makeover for one home for like $20K but the other two areas are for about 500-1000 and they are nice.

On wallpaper border - I have done it by myself all the time - when I used to like wallpaper..but I always used painters tape - the green kind is best to tape it every so often to hold it till the glue dried.
Kinda like using hot glue on a wood project to hold it till the wood glue kicks in..

[rubyslippers]

I used to like HGTV a lot, but now I like it in small doses. I would actually love to see some of the first-time house hunters have to settle for something less than all stainless appliances and granite counter tops. I would love to see them do some sort of "Searching for Character" type show. I think they could end up highlighting some historic neighborhoods and/or some lesser traveled areas. I respect that our housing philosophies represent a niche in the market, but that niche is under-represented. I think more square footage and trendy neighborhoods are all the rage. However, this just isn't "reality" - - despite the fact that it is reality television.

[shabbychick]

Here's a show I'd like to see made that would totally target my income group: Pimp My Hovel.

[cheapdiva]

OMG - I am STILL laughing at "pimp my hovel" - WHAT a HOOT!! For those of you who really want to see a true DIY project go to "the lettered cottage" blog. They do an incredible job with little $$$$. Their home is in "Nest" magazine (which I believe is a subscription only mag) AND they show you just how much they spent on each room.

Even Designed to Sell brings in professionals and they don't include that in the $2,000 and let me tell you after spending 7 months on a kitchen remodel - HALF of our budget was the various contractors. While we all know, prices for things are different throughout the country, it would be nice to see what people mean by "budget". I recently saw a kitchen remodel for $10,000 but that didn't include the contractors.

And I have the least handiest husband in the WORLD (yeah, I've said it before but it is worth repeating!!).

SC - loosely "fold" the border on itself (like a wave lapping on itself) to something manageable - like 3'. Then get the bottom fold against the wall and start to unfold the wave. Really, it sounds harder than it is - I have hung many borders by myself - used to hang wallpaper for a living.

[rubyslippers]

Yes, these television budgets regarding what is "affordable" is just crazy! I believe we all understand the inherent cost of a can or two of paint and some elbow grease; but, I find seeking a contractor or handyman for anything to be quite stressful. Essentially, you have to meet with the person first to take a look at the job to estimate what you need; then, you actually have to plan the work as well. My job takes up a lot of my time; however, the reality is that I can't be at home any old time to meet with various contractors. I do pretty much everything on my own that I can; but, we needed to get someone to cut a tree limb over the holidays that began infringing upon our power line following a deep freeze. I'm not really into the idea of chopping down large tree limbs over power lines on my own :o - - sorry.

Anyway, I am rolling on the floor regarding the "Pimp my Hovel" line. That just killed me. Diva - - I am thrilled to hear the kitchen remodel is still coming along. My kitchen re-do money went into my bathroom; so, I am taking my time with the kitchen. I investigated the post on soapstone countertops the other day. I'm not really sure that is my speed. I still think the red is kinda fun. Anyway, as a change of subject to the wallpaper thing - - have you all noticed the resurgence of wallpaper in television shows recently? I see a lot of it in kitchens. Once upon a time it just vanished; now, it seems to be making a reappearance. Also, as for wallpaper border hanging individually, would some of that dorm room sticky stuff used to help adhere posters without leaving marks on the walls help hold areas in place around the room as you worked your way there? What about VERY DELICATE blue painter's tape? (I have never done this before in my life - - but, it seems like there just must be a way - - good luck!)

...still chuckling!