Home Improvement shows....

(Walter discussing the first day's work with the contractor, Curly)
Walter: What happened?
Curly: It was no picnic but those guys are work animals. Well everything looks pretty much under control.
Walter: It does?
Curly: Well not to the layman's eyes of course.
Walter: They completely ripped up my house!
Curly: They sure as hell did didn't they? They really ripped the guts out of it. They're work animals I tell you. Look at those holes huh? Then you've got your gravel piles, your sand piles, your scrap piles. Animals!
Walter: Animals.
Curly: Well I like a good conversation as much as any but I've got to run. Hasta Pronto if you know what I mean.
Walter: You're leaving?
Curly: Well I ain't moving in.

Now that we have our Money Pit quote of the day, exactly what have home improvement shows done to America's homeowners and homebuyers?

I watch these shows a lot...I enjoy them, I have learned a bit from them, but all and all, most of it is common sense.....in fact a lot of the products used and/or bought are virtually impossible to find.....unless sponsored by Lowes or Home Depot.....

But have they helped or hindered the home ownership process?

I am sure many have benefited by the processes or instructions they have seen on these shows....but in all honesty, most are common things that many homeowners have implemented long before the "shows" were showing you how..... my dad taught me a lot as a kid.

Like Paint. First it's neutral, neutral, neutral.....then it's color, color, color.....wallpaper (AHHHH) wallpaper, wallpaper....the trends are often determined by how many people follow these shows....and which manufacturer grabs the next best thing first and promotes it (on the shows)....vicious circle that design business...

The shows that provide these "renovates" add up their total amount spent, but often it does not include the cost of the labor to get it to look like that....like I have a handy dandy carpenter to whip out of my pocket that owns all the tools I could ever dream of having....yeah, well it was a nice thought...but no cookie.

Design to Sell has got to be the most guilty of this.....drag in the meanest realtor you can, let her butcher your home apart, tell you how to best present your show....and then have some designer (I assume who ever lives closest to the project) bring along her/his carpenter to renovate your problem house for $2000.00 or less.....but after the renovation, no one has any negative comments.....and as a 4 time home homebuyer/seller/owner....there are negatives in every house to someone, or to many depending on what their tastes are.....yet.....everyone that comes back to see the house afterwards, finds it to be absolutely perfect??? WTH? Perfection comes in the eye of the beholder, in fact if these statements or non-statements were factually honest, everyone would be fighting to buy the house/houses that were done....and as we all know simply by watching it.... that does not happen.....

Holmes on Homes.....I like Mike Holmes but his show scares the shit out of me....I find myself wondering, "could that possibly be something wrong with my house?....or "did, at some point a contractor come in and create an Electrician's nightmare out of my wiring and I am unaware of where it is?"....or "do I have mold behind the tile in my 3 bathrooms because the backerboard is 30 years old"....or a hundred other things that are pointed out that keep me up at night....

Design Star....now this show kills me....we spend all this time watching these Home Improvement shows and their wonderful, sweet, amiable hosts only to see them as judges on this show and watch as they become total assholes during the judging....yeah, got problems here.....

Home Rules....now I gotta say....What in the world does renovation have to do with a life coach? Most of the people on this show need serious ongoing counseling...a week worth of touch and go therapy and a renovated house....and in one fell swoop we fix their marriage and house....is there a charge for the counseling and the Renovation? Or just the Renovation?

In fact who foots the bill on all these shows? Design to Sell.....who absorbs that $2000.00 budget...?

I was, early on, when I used to watch Extreme Makeover, Home Edition TV show disillusioned into believing that these magnificent homes are basically free....but they are not, unless a bank steps in and pays off the original mortgage....the owners still have a house payment, albeit on a different structure.... (then lets talk property taxes on them.....)

Spice UP My Kitchen....UGH....the host on this show needs to take some medication to bring her off the ledge.....I can't watch this show....often enough the end result is nice...but having her along the ride with me would make me want to put a gun to my head.....take a chill pill lady.

Tough as Nails....OMG. And that is all I have to say on that subject.

Divine Design....this has to be the top show of my annoyance.....I really used to love this show.....loved the designer......until....I saw her as a judge on the Design Star show.... then it was all down hill. I can not watch this show without having my feelings about her and how she "acts" during the judging come up in my mind....I get that they are all "designers" but a lot of them were just contestants in the real life game of "Design Star" in who was the better pick for the new show through interviews with the powers that be at HGTV or the DIY network....instead of a TV Show....there is a way to beneficially criticize someone without them feeling like a noose would be a better choice.... so "Is Candice Olsen a total bitch, or can she get over herself in real life?"

Colorsplash.....I thought the new cure all for a home sale was all neutral, neutral, neutral, then in comes David with his beautiful colorful art and all his ideas on how to brighten your home with "Color, don't be afraid to use it" game plan..I guess unless you plan to sell your house then it's primer, primer, primer.....or so they say....

Bang for your Buck, you would be better off having an appraisal done then to be most likely insulted by the comments made by the show "guest" host and the realtor de jour.....

Income Property....I like this show, like his host....but he's a bit like Mike Holmes...makes me worry....and I can not stand when it is brought up time and time again how you should list your newly "renovated" space with the words "legal rental" ....I never rented a space that had to be listed as "legal rental" in a house.....and the owner foots the bill here, but honestly does it include the cost of the furniture used? (some of it leaves a lot to be desired)

A commonality of these shows always comes back to the kitchen....I have seen quite a few people just throw away their appliances and replace them for between $3000.00 to $8000.00 simply because someone said that they were "dated"....."dated" today is "retro" tomorrow.... and what about the environment? I think the one thing I would invest in more then any stainless steel (which will forever have fingerprints on it) appliance and that is a tankless water heater....but hell...I'd need three or four for the size of my house and having just had my warranty company replace both...I'm gonna pass right now on that...but I do have an energy efficient washer and refrigerator....simply because I needed to get new ones....(house had no fridge and my washer/dryer was no longer large enough to accommodate our family, a single guy now owns them) No Waste....

I also find the fact that some of the products used (stick on laminate tile for the floor) are deceiving to the new home buyer..... it does not last....they will shift....(had an experience with this that a game of spoons managed to undo in a couple hours)

I would imagine you have to pick your show that best suits what you are doing in life, because to watch them all.....contradicts your efforts....

All and all....I guess the benefits/hindrance is about even when you have seen every show at least once....but really, how many people out there leave HGTV on all the time.....

(raises hand here) I guess I'm one......

TRW