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Post by justmythoughts on Jun 6, 2020 16:27:23 GMT
Just heard that Karen wants to put her personal life first. Sounds like a private thing they want to keep private, but I am curious too!
Mina is pregnant again.... that is nice.
I will be truthful here... although I like Karen, I really get tired of her constantly laughing. I just doesn't stop. Gets annoying. Mina is the designer and leader for sure. Maybe her mom wants to stand back and let Mina run it herself.
I do like the end results of this show. Maybe Karen will make an occasional appearance, and work more in the background.
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Post by justmythoughts on Jun 6, 2020 16:39:53 GMT
This is just a general comment about all renovation shows...
I know things are done for the camera. And they try to invoke a little tension ("what will we do now?".... and go to commercial). BUT for people that are new to real estate or flipping, sometimes I wish they would emphasize the home inspection. Unless I were going to completely raze the house, I wouldn't make an offer without one.
On some of the flipping shows I realize there isn't time. They want to close in 2 days. But some of the redos..... it doesn't make good business sense not to do an inspection. I just doesn't fit when people like The Property Builders (who have done hundred of remodels) are "shocked" when after immediately looking into an attic see a gaping hole, or whatever.
Again, it may not be as "exciting" to watch (I use that term very loosely) but I do hope people watching recognize that there has to be disclosure from the sellers, you should always have an inspection, and there is usually recompense to be had when a home is sold with blatant problems.
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Post by nennie on Jun 6, 2020 20:20:30 GMT
Watching the new Bargain Mansion show and it's wonderful. The host is very engaging and really has a gift for renovating old properties and picking finishes, colors, upgrades, and items that accentuate the age of the property yet make it look fresh and new. She also converted the entire 3rd floor attic space into a huge master suite. Best of all, she does everything with quality, but not a lot of money. I'll definitely watch again! I have watched quite a few of the Bargain Mansion shows. I like watching some of the methods, and floorplan changes. I appreciate that although she likes to keep the homes authentic to a point, she recognizes that closed off homes and tiny rooms are not what people want anymore.
BUT... her "style" is out there. She did a beautiful old home... nice kitchen, but painted the pantry neon pink, and a music room electric blue. Today she did a mud room with horrible wallpaper (even her father hated it) and neon yellow cupboards.
I suppose you either love it or hate it, but I think most people would hate it. Just too over the top. She also over decorates so much, it is hard to SEE the house and architecture. Modern paintings in every room of bold colors. At least they are removable. I don't mind color, but I like it on things that are easily changeable; linens, pillows, drapes, etc. But cupboards and walls in neon really look cheap to me, is certainly not authentic to the style, and it is a more involved "fix". Her lighting choices are odd too. She mixes modern and classic, but she also mixes metal colors; gold, silver and black all in one house.
I like all styles, but I like it when the designer actually picks one!That is the one thing I don't like about her style. I agree she is to bold in some things and I hate all the big pictures she uses. Overkill.
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Post by Bearcata on Jun 8, 2020 0:16:42 GMT
Just heard that Karen wants to put her personal life first. Sounds like a private thing they want to keep private, but I am curious too!
Mina is pregnant again.... that is nice.
I will be truthful here... although I like Karen, I really get tired of her constantly laughing. I just doesn't stop. Gets annoying. Mina is the designer and leader for sure. Maybe her mom wants to stand back and let Mina run it herself.
I do like the end results of this show. Maybe Karen will make an occasional appearance, and work more in the background. If you do a bit of research you will find that Karen is retiring and I think it is great that she can do so. Karen was a successful attorney and went into business with Mina in 2007. They were fixing only 2 or 3 houses a year. The first season of Good Bones aired in 2016 so that means the season was filmed 2015. They went into debt to buy 14 houses that were needed to film all the episodes. The production company does not pay Karen and Mina for the houses. The houses are usually redone closely over a small period of time. Filming only last several months. They don't consider themselves flippers but urban renovators. They don't make a lot of money per house usually in the $25,000 to $35,000 range. Karen's husband was diagnosed with cancer during the filming of one of the seasons and Karen took care of him. Karen has grown kids and she has set herself up to enjoy her kids, grandkids, and hubby. She will still be appearing in the show to do creative crafting.
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Post by Bearcata on Jun 8, 2020 0:30:03 GMT
I have watched quite a few of the Bargain Mansion shows. I like watching some of the methods, and floorplan changes. I appreciate that although she likes to keep the homes authentic to a point, she recognizes that closed off homes and tiny rooms are not what people want anymore.
BUT... her "style" is out there. She did a beautiful old home... nice kitchen, but painted the pantry neon pink, and a music room electric blue. Today she did a mud room with horrible wallpaper (even her father hated it) and neon yellow cupboards.
I suppose you either love it or hate it, but I think most people would hate it. Just too over the top. She also over decorates so much, it is hard to SEE the house and architecture. Modern paintings in every room of bold colors. At least they are removable. I don't mind color, but I like it on things that are easily changeable; linens, pillows, drapes, etc. But cupboards and walls in neon really look cheap to me, is certainly not authentic to the style, and it is a more involved "fix". Her lighting choices are odd too. She mixes modern and classic, but she also mixes metal colors; gold, silver and black all in one house.
I like all styles, but I like it when the designer actually picks one! That is the one thing I don't like about her style. I agree she is to bold in some things and I hate all the big pictures she uses. Overkill. Tamara narrates well. She does big houses and manages it well. She has done some amazing rebuilds and I have picked up some great ideas for powder rooms and bathrooms from her. Some of the bathrooms are simply spectacular. I am not a fan of wallpaper and while I can see doing it on an accent wall Tamara does seem to like putting it on ceilings of her master closets. The mudroom with yellow closets I was OK with the yellow color as it would be used by kids but the wallpaper was a tad hideous. Some of the color combinations, yeah. She likes bright colors and yes at times it is too much. I did like the light blush she used on some pantry cabinets you could barely see it but it was a nice hint of color. She does like her lighting bling and for me it is a bit over done. Too the point if you see a huge two level house with multiple chandeliers it does make you want to knock some of them down. I do think she probably knows who her buyer pool is and that they like the wallpaper and bling but that one bathroom with the black scones, the black chandelier over the bathtub, the black paint on the walls, the gold faucets on the vanity and the chrome faucets on the freestanding bathtub, and chrome shower heads and body sprays seemed too many metals mixed in one place. I have noticed lately that she will paint an entire room this dark color and I think why?
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Post by nennie on Jun 8, 2020 0:58:23 GMT
That is the one thing I don't like about her style. I agree she is to bold in some things and I hate all the big pictures she uses. Overkill. Tamara narrates well. She does big houses and manages it well. She has done some amazing rebuilds and I have picked up some great ideas for powder rooms and bathrooms from her. Some of the bathrooms are simply spectacular. I am not a fan of wallpaper and while I can see doing it on an accent wall Tamara does seem to like putting it on ceilings of her master closets. The mudroom with yellow closets I was OK with the yellow color as it would be used by kids but the wallpaper was a tad hideous. Some of the color combinations, yeah. She likes bright colors and yes at times it is too much. I did like the light blush she used on some pantry cabinets you could barely see it but it was a nice hint of color. She does like her lighting bling and for me it is a bit over done. Too the point if you see a huge two level house with multiple chandeliers it does make you want to knock some of them down. I do think she probably knows who her buyer pool is and that they like the wallpaper and bling but that one bathroom with the black scones, the black chandelier over the bathtub, the black paint on the walls, the gold faucets on the vanity and the chrome faucets on the freestanding bathtub, and chrome shower heads and body sprays seemed too many metals mixed in one place. I have noticed lately that she will paint an entire room this dark color and I think why? It seems the last few shows have been way over the top. She hasn't always decorated that way. I like more subtle decorating . I'm thinking that comes with age though. Less is more. I hope she has a buyer pool because some of these in my opinion would set on the market for a bit.
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Post by Bearcata on Jun 8, 2020 7:10:16 GMT
Tamara narrates well. She does big houses and manages it well. She has done some amazing rebuilds and I have picked up some great ideas for powder rooms and bathrooms from her. Some of the bathrooms are simply spectacular. I am not a fan of wallpaper and while I can see doing it on an accent wall Tamara does seem to like putting it on ceilings of her master closets. The mudroom with yellow closets I was OK with the yellow color as it would be used by kids but the wallpaper was a tad hideous. Some of the color combinations, yeah. She likes bright colors and yes at times it is too much. I did like the light blush she used on some pantry cabinets you could barely see it but it was a nice hint of color. She does like her lighting bling and for me it is a bit over done. Too the point if you see a huge two level house with multiple chandeliers it does make you want to knock some of them down. I do think she probably knows who her buyer pool is and that they like the wallpaper and bling but that one bathroom with the black scones, the black chandelier over the bathtub, the black paint on the walls, the gold faucets on the vanity and the chrome faucets on the freestanding bathtub, and chrome shower heads and body sprays seemed too many metals mixed in one place. I have noticed lately that she will paint an entire room this dark color and I think why? It seems the last few shows have been way over the top. She hasn't always decorated that way. I like more subtle decorating . I'm thinking that comes with age though. Less is more. I hope she has a buyer pool because some of these in my opinion would set on the market for a bit. The target audience must be the Dynasty set, over the top with lots of bling. More is More.
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Post by nennie on Jun 8, 2020 12:54:41 GMT
It seems the last few shows have been way over the top. She hasn't always decorated that way. I like more subtle decorating . I'm thinking that comes with age though. Less is more. I hope she has a buyer pool because some of these in my opinion would set on the market for a bit. The target audience must be the Dynasty set, over the top with lots of bling. More is More. Totally agree.
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Post by Bearcata on Jun 9, 2020 13:15:32 GMT
Home Town Season 4, Episode 17 - A Second Chance Extended Scenes - June 8 2020They aired the original episode with clips of the hurricane and then they showed the damaged and the rebuild. I really like that Erin took into account that Gary the tenant had different tastes and they painted the living room a nice blue, they painted the trim a more neutral color in the dining room and painted the kitchen cabinets a different color as well as exposing the existing bead board ceiling. I was concerned that the drywall had mold because of the storm damage wouldn't the old bead board ceiling also have that? When Erin proposed the cabinets be painted a red clay color all I could think of was that awful barn red color I see on so many decks and fences painted and it looks awful. I was very surprised how good the new color looked on the kitchen cabinets. The property had an old garage that was damaged in the storm and needed to be torn down. I liked that they put up a fence and sodded the yard as well a putting in a paved area and reusing an old concrete watering trough as a fire pit. The back yard looked great. I also liked how Ben made benches out of the old tree and they had a piece of the tree made into an garden statue of an alligator. It was also nice that they commented on how the neighbors looked after each other after the storm. Overall very nice episode.
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Post by Kao on Jun 9, 2020 13:46:46 GMT
A wonderful end to a wonderful season. The cabinets looked great, and I really like what they did with the yard.
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Post by Eastcoastmom on Jun 9, 2020 14:59:11 GMT
Ben is a wonderful woodworker. Is that a word? Lol. Those table legs he turned were amazing! Loved the Mission lamp, too. Who knew one could make a bench so simply out of split tree logs and tree stumps? The yard looked wonderful! I liked both versions of the house but agree that the changes made after the tornado probably better suited the new owner. I especially loved that shade of blue in the living room. I wonder how Mr. Jones and his wife got involved. They said they wanted to help revitalize. Perhaps they are fans of the show? They didn't seem to have ties to the community. Really loved this episode.
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Post by Bearcata on Jun 9, 2020 20:11:53 GMT
Ben is a wonderful woodworker. Is that a word? Lol. Those table legs he turned were amazing! Loved the Mission lamp, too. Who knew one could make a bench so simply out of split tree logs and tree stumps? The yard looked wonderful! I liked both versions of the house but agree that the changes made after the tornado probably better suited the new owner. I especially loved that shade of blue in the living room. I wonder how Mr. Jones and his wife got involved. They said they wanted to help revitalize. Perhaps they are fans of the show? They didn't seem to have ties to the community. Really loved this episode. They made that comment or implied it in the original show.
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Post by waywyrd on Jun 10, 2020 11:17:39 GMT
Good Bones - I'm so glad they're back. I thought I'd hate the "distressed" wallpaper, but it wasn't too bad. I wasn't a fan of the dark wainscot wall at first glance, but the soft greens she used elsewhere were really nice. Mina's bathrooms are always pretty. It's crazy how much the prices have gone up in that neighborhood since they started renovating, but they still don't make a lot of money. I'm glad they sold this one, either way.
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Post by Bearcata on Jun 10, 2020 19:15:34 GMT
Good Bones - I'm so glad they're back. I thought I'd hate the "distressed" wallpaper, but it wasn't too bad. I wasn't a fan of the dark wainscot wall at first glance, but the soft greens she used elsewhere were really nice. Mina's bathrooms are always pretty. It's crazy how much the prices have gone up in that neighborhood since they started renovating, but they still don't make a lot of money. I'm glad they sold this one, either way. Thankfully they have the show and get appearance fees. Doing 14 houses a year for a season and only getting an average of $25,000 per house gets you $350,000 a year split two ways is still $175,000 split two ways. The way the other flippers talk on other shows they are getting $50,000, $60,000 or more per house. I am sure they do not consistency get that on a month to month basis. I do worry about the actual profit they get as they really do not count carrying costs, and realtor fees and that really eats into any profit. When they started they were only doing one or two houses a year.
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Post by waywyrd on Jun 10, 2020 19:33:56 GMT
Thankfully they have the show and get appearance fees. Doing 14 houses a year for a season and only getting an average of $25,000 per house gets you $350,000 a year split two ways is still $175,000 split two ways. The way the other flippers talk on other shows they are getting $50,000, $60,000 or more per house. I am sure they do not consistency get that on a month to month basis. I do worry about the actual profit they get as they really do not count carrying costs, and realtor fees and that really eats into any profit. When they started they were only doing one or two houses a year. And the income/self-employment taxes on a flip can take a good chunk out too. It pains me to see them redo a nice older home, making it both beautiful and unique, while some of these other flip shows do the same gray/white/black cookie-cutter crap and rake in big bucks. Bleah.
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Post by Bearcata on Jun 10, 2020 20:28:41 GMT
Thankfully they have the show and get appearance fees. Doing 14 houses a year for a season and only getting an average of $25,000 per house gets you $350,000 a year split two ways is still $175,000 split two ways. The way the other flippers talk on other shows they are getting $50,000, $60,000 or more per house. I am sure they do not consistency get that on a month to month basis. I do worry about the actual profit they get as they really do not count carrying costs, and realtor fees and that really eats into any profit. When they started they were only doing one or two houses a year. And the income/self-employment taxes on a flip can take a good chunk out too. It pains me to see them redo a nice older home, making it both beautiful and unique, while some of these other flip shows do the same gray/white/black cookie-cutter crap and rake in big bucks. Bleah. I really appreciated that both Mina and Karen recognized that there were architectural pieces that could be saved and reused. Normally Karen is the only one doing that. I can't believe how good the chandeliers, and switch plates looked after Karen cleaned them up with her partner Mr. Chicken. Reusing the old cabinet pulls in the new kitchen was priceless.
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Post by Bearcata on Jun 12, 2020 0:06:33 GMT
Good Bones Season 5 Episode 1 - "Fountain Square Flashback" - June 9, 2020
Yeah, Good Bones is back. Good to see the crew, they all seem very happy and relaxed. We see a little bit more of Tad, Cory, and Austin aka Bobcat. Really adds to the flavor of the episode. Also meet a member of Mina's design team. I think I saw him last season.
Karen and Mina and back in their old stomping grounds. Back 2008 they bought their first house there for $30,000 and sold it for $130,000. Twelve years later they are buying a house for $130,000 and will list it at $310,000 hoping to get $25,000 profit.
The ladies do amazing bathrooms and kitchens and do not disappoint in this episode. The bathrooms are always classic, with marble tile. The shower with the large oversize subway style marble tile in a herringbone pattern really looks good.
Luv, luv the kitchen cabinets, the color is amazing, the layout makes this kitchen look huge and it is bigger then the original layout. Luv the window seat. Luv the refurbished cabinets pulls they look amazing against the dark green of the cabinets.
The dining room is small but you can eat in the kitchen. The new living room is also small but I like the faux wainscoting on the wall.
Nice to see the refurbished switch plates and chandeliers the ladies do a great job of mixing the old with the new.
The chicken's name is Braveheart.
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Post by MFWalkoff on Jun 18, 2020 16:59:42 GMT
Here we go again... HGTV’s ‘Windy City Rehab’ Faces Yet Another Lawsuit Over Bungled House Projects - DeadlineBy Bruce Haring June 17, 2020 8:08pm Yet another lawsuit has emerged against the team behind HGTV’s Windy City Rehab. This time, a family that invested $3 million in projects featured on the reality series are suing stars Alison Victoria Gramenos and Donovan Eckhardt. They accused them of “a deliberate and fraudulent scheme to misappropriate funds.” The lawsuit claims the stars of the show, which focuses on Chicago homes being renovated, of “bungling” and mismanaging “nearly every project they were associated with.” Gramenos and Eckhardt have split as professional partners, but alleged efforts by Gramenous to pin the blame on Eckhardt are noted in the suit. “Alison has claimed that she was caught unawares by Donovan’s fraud — notwithstanding her own secreting of funds from closing proceeds.” The suit was filed Tuesday in Cook County circuit court by Michael Ward Jr., a former friend of Eckhardt; his brother, Thomas Ward; and their father, Michael Ward Sr. They claim they invested $3 million for a 50% stake in Alovanward LLC, which funded six projects featured on the TV show and another rehab that was not televised. The lawsuit claims they were led to expect a good return on investment and were enticed by Eckhardt and Gramenos’ claims to be expert house flippers, as well as Eckhardt’s alleged relationships with city building officials. “In an effort to gain access to the Wards money, Donovan — individually and with the affirmation of Alison — falsely claimed he had specific expertise in the city of Chicago whereby his personal relationships with city building officials and ready access to additional working capital would streamline the ‘flipping’ process and ensure maximum return,” the lawsuit says. The Wards say the venture fell apart because of the stars’ “sheer ineptitude and duplicity” and “gross mismanagement … including the absence of workmanlike standards and adherence to building codes, that marred nearly every Alovanward project they were associated with.” Gramenos is pointing the figure at Eckhardt, claiming she was merely the designer, while he was the licensed developer and general contractor. The lawsuit claims the plaintiffs lost $2 million on the projects and only discovered the “ineptitude” by watching the TV show. Discovery Inc. has renewed ‘Windy City Rehab’ for a second season that is to begin in July. Earlier this year, Gramenos (who goes by Alison Victoria on the show) and Eckhardt faced a lawsuit alleging faulty construction work on a home featured on Windy City Rehab. The lawsuit was filed April 10 in Cook County, Illinois by homeowners Shane Jones and Samantha Mostaccio. Their home was featured on Season 1 Episode 7 of the show. They allege negligent construction on the $1.3 million home in the complaint. The court papers allege they have experienced several construction and warranty defects, including water damage, cracking concrete columns and a garage which has allegedly required more than $100,000 in repairs.
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Post by waywyrd on Jun 18, 2020 17:41:03 GMT
Psh. I have to laugh at AV trying to put it all on Donovan like she was just some innocent picking out colors and finishes. Okay.
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Post by Kao on Jun 18, 2020 18:46:52 GMT
Here we go again... HGTV’s ‘Windy City Rehab’ Faces Yet Another Lawsuit Over Bungled House Projects - DeadlineBy Bruce Haring June 17, 2020 8:08pm Yet another lawsuit has emerged against the team behind HGTV’s Windy City Rehab. This time, a family that invested $3 million in projects featured on the reality series are suing stars Alison Victoria Gramenos and Donovan Eckhardt. They accused them of “a deliberate and fraudulent scheme to misappropriate funds.” The lawsuit claims the stars of the show, which focuses on Chicago homes being renovated, of “bungling” and mismanaging “nearly every project they were associated with.” Gramenos and Eckhardt have split as professional partners, but alleged efforts by Gramenous to pin the blame on Eckhardt are noted in the suit. “Alison has claimed that she was caught unawares by Donovan’s fraud — notwithstanding her own secreting of funds from closing proceeds.” The suit was filed Tuesday in Cook County circuit court by Michael Ward Jr., a former friend of Eckhardt; his brother, Thomas Ward; and their father, Michael Ward Sr. They claim they invested $3 million for a 50% stake in Alovanward LLC, which funded six projects featured on the TV show and another rehab that was not televised. The lawsuit claims they were led to expect a good return on investment and were enticed by Eckhardt and Gramenos’ claims to be expert house flippers, as well as Eckhardt’s alleged relationships with city building officials.
“In an effort to gain access to the Wards money, Donovan — individually and with the affirmation of Alison — falsely claimed he had specific expertise in the city of Chicago whereby his personal relationships with city building officials and ready access to additional working capital would streamline the ‘flipping’ process and ensure maximum return,” the lawsuit says.The Wards say the venture fell apart because of the stars’ “sheer ineptitude and duplicity” and “gross mismanagement … including the absence of workmanlike standards and adherence to building codes, that marred nearly every Alovanward project they were associated with.” Gramenos is pointing the figure at Eckhardt, claiming she was merely the designer, while he was the licensed developer and general contractor. The lawsuit claims the plaintiffs lost $2 million on the projects and only discovered the “ineptitude” by watching the TV show. Discovery Inc. has renewed ‘Windy City Rehab’ for a second season that is to begin in July. Earlier this year, Gramenos (who goes by Alison Victoria on the show) and Eckhardt faced a lawsuit alleging faulty construction work on a home featured on Windy City Rehab. The lawsuit was filed April 10 in Cook County, Illinois by homeowners Shane Jones and Samantha Mostaccio. Their home was featured on Season 1 Episode 7 of the show. They allege negligent construction on the $1.3 million home in the complaint. The court papers allege they have experienced several construction and warranty defects, including water damage, cracking concrete columns and a garage which has allegedly required more than $100,000 in repairs. In this town, anyone talking about "having relationships with city officials" is a red flag because oftentimes certain contractors use those relationships to rush, cut corners on projects and do other shady doings. Trust me, the Wards knew exactly what they were getting into but didn't care if it meant they would make a profit. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
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Post by justmythoughts on Jun 19, 2020 17:50:35 GMT
Anyone watching "Renovation Island"? Egads, where do I start?Firstly, I know that this resort was finished last year. The show was originally aired in Canada, and the resort is now open for business. It sort of ruins the show because you can look online and see how it all came out. (Link below but don't open if you want to be surprised.)BUT.... I really don't mind that, because this show is close to unwatchable (imo of course). When this family first arrives at the island, they came with 1 trailer of supplies and their 4 kids. They have to bring only what they really needed; essentials. They move in to a dilapidated hotel room to live in for the time being. Bugs everywhere. Sarah (wife) decides to fix this room up so it is clean and ok for her family to live in. Voila; in one afternoon, she had redone the room, complete with fresh everything including linens, framed photos, decorative pillows and chachkies around the room! Whew, thank goodness for that.Everything in this resort is in crumbling horrible shape, and of course it all comes as such a "surprise". I can't believe a man (Brian) who is a Contractor would put everything on the line and move his family of 6 to this island to redo a resort without knowing what he was getting in to. All the wood is termite eaten, and all the plumbing is corroded. He his wife and 1 helper is (supposedly) redoing the entire resort and opening in 6 months. (Ya, sure...) Brian and Sarah are constantly bickering; she comes off as a complete.... well, not a nice person, ignorant as far as rehab goes, and a nagging wife. Annoying.
A few scenes later, a crew makes an appearance, and it becomes clear there is a MUCH larger budget than originally alluded to. Not a surprise, but thank goodness for that. So much for episode 1. Episode 2 is more of the same.I don't think this can be called a "reality show". I know in most rehab shows, things must be staged a bit, but this is way too contrived for me.
(spoiler alert! Don't look at the final result if you want to be surprised):caerulamar.com
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Post by Bearcata on Jun 19, 2020 20:21:51 GMT
Bryan is an experienced contractor, in the show they do talk about the salt corrosion and other issues that they expected to have occurred. I do think the termite damage was waaay more extensive then they first thought. Stuff happens in renovations. It took them a bit to get a local crew they never hid the fact that they had other people working on a project this big. It is pretty obvious that they had blueprints, done for the resort. You don't do a project on this scale without some planning. His wife obviously made designs plans ahead of time as they had ordered tile and other material before they arrived at the island. I don't think his wife comes off ignorant or bickering. She is obviously running much of the business side of the operation as well as the design side. The main hurdle as far as I can see after watching the first 2 episodes is that Bryan is not telling her what he is doing on a day by day schedule so they can coordinate better. Maybe this is scripted I don't know. However you don't become as successful as they have and have the money to do a resort without experience. The biggest obstacle to this renovation is that it is a renovation on an island and they have to fight island time, shipping, import and export fees, which they have not had to do when working in North America. It is obvious that Sarah has a bit of leeway in doing design changes before that are much harder to do in this environment. It is obvious that Sarah is also familiar with work schedules.
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Post by Bearcata on Jun 21, 2020 0:25:30 GMT
Here we go again... HGTV’s ‘Windy City Rehab’ Faces Yet Another Lawsuit Over Bungled House Projects - DeadlineBy Bruce Haring June 17, 2020 8:08pm Yet another lawsuit has emerged against the team behind HGTV’s Windy City Rehab. This time, a family that invested $3 million in projects featured on the reality series are suing stars Alison Victoria Gramenos and Donovan Eckhardt. They accused them of “a deliberate and fraudulent scheme to misappropriate funds.” The lawsuit claims the stars of the show, which focuses on Chicago homes being renovated, of “bungling” and mismanaging “nearly every project they were associated with.” Gramenos and Eckhardt have split as professional partners, but alleged efforts by Gramenous to pin the blame on Eckhardt are noted in the suit. “Alison has claimed that she was caught unawares by Donovan’s fraud — notwithstanding her own secreting of funds from closing proceeds.” The suit was filed Tuesday in Cook County circuit court by Michael Ward Jr., a former friend of Eckhardt; his brother, Thomas Ward; and their father, Michael Ward Sr. They claim they invested $3 million for a 50% stake in Alovanward LLC, which funded six projects featured on the TV show and another rehab that was not televised. The lawsuit claims they were led to expect a good return on investment and were enticed by Eckhardt and Gramenos’ claims to be expert house flippers, as well as Eckhardt’s alleged relationships with city building officials.
“In an effort to gain access to the Wards money, Donovan — individually and with the affirmation of Alison — falsely claimed he had specific expertise in the city of Chicago whereby his personal relationships with city building officials and ready access to additional working capital would streamline the ‘flipping’ process and ensure maximum return,” the lawsuit says.The Wards say the venture fell apart because of the stars’ “sheer ineptitude and duplicity” and “gross mismanagement … including the absence of workmanlike standards and adherence to building codes, that marred nearly every Alovanward project they were associated with.” Gramenos is pointing the figure at Eckhardt, claiming she was merely the designer, while he was the licensed developer and general contractor. The lawsuit claims the plaintiffs lost $2 million on the projects and only discovered the “ineptitude” by watching the TV show. Discovery Inc. has renewed ‘Windy City Rehab’ for a second season that is to begin in July. Earlier this year, Gramenos (who goes by Alison Victoria on the show) and Eckhardt faced a lawsuit alleging faulty construction work on a home featured on Windy City Rehab. The lawsuit was filed April 10 in Cook County, Illinois by homeowners Shane Jones and Samantha Mostaccio. Their home was featured on Season 1 Episode 7 of the show. They allege negligent construction on the $1.3 million home in the complaint. The court papers allege they have experienced several construction and warranty defects, including water damage, cracking concrete columns and a garage which has allegedly required more than $100,000 in repairs. In this town, anyone talking about "having relationships with city officials" is a red flag because oftentimes certain contractors use those relationships to rush, cut corners on projects and do other shady doings. Trust me, the Wards knew exactly what they were getting into but didn't care if it meant they would make a profit. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. They lost 2 million of a 3 million investment and only noticed it when they watched the show!!!! Really what episodes? Which scenes? That is a load of BS. Everyone knows these shows are scripted. The final walkthroughs look fabulous, I wonder what the lawsuit will point out. Also considering all the Windy City legal issues that were in the newpapers in 2019 these investors are only now noticing?? Yeah, some greedy guts is trying to more money.
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Post by Bearcata on Jun 21, 2020 0:39:28 GMT
Good Bones Season 5 Episode 2 - "Mina's East Street Investment" - June 16, 2020 Mina and her husband Steve Hawk bought an investment property several years ago on East Street and Mina's "borther" Tad had been staying there. Mina thinks it is a good time to renovate the house and sell it to fund baby Jack's college fund.
Luv what the ladies did with the house. This team know how to update and yet retain the historical charm of the houses they do. Luv'ed the kitchen dark charcoal cabinets and Mina's marble remnant once piece back splash. The ladies are always spot on with their staging and their bathrooms. Again the mix of marble tiles in the bathroom is excellent without being overpowering. Like that they used gold as their metal for both the kitchen and bathrooms. While they are not afraid of mixing metals they do not go overboard. The house has a nice layout and for once a decent basement although unfinished.
Mina and Steve decide to put the house back on the rental market and wait awhile.
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Post by Bearcata on Jun 24, 2020 13:00:10 GMT
Good Bones Season 5 Episode 3 - Chelsea Vibes in Old Southside - June 23, 2020
I do like that the production crew is including other members of Mina and Karen construction crew as part of the episode. They seem like a lot of fun.
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Post by Kao on Jun 24, 2020 13:49:30 GMT
Yeah, this was a fun episode that kinda did have a Chelsea vibe to the rehab, especially the bathrooms. I'm beginning to wonder if there's a certain housing stock that is found only in that area, similar to bungalows in Chicago? A lot of the houses they rehab have similar layouts pre-renovation.
Love seeing Mr. Chicken and the rest of the crew.
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Post by waywyrd on Jun 24, 2020 14:06:20 GMT
Good Bones - Karen was cracking me up, "shopping" in all the hoarder stuff and sniffing suspicious puddles on the floor. The house turned out beautifully, loved the colors as usual and all the marble tile in the bathroom. The marble leaf backsplash in the kitchen was really nice, too. And little Jack was just adorable! Mina has opened a home store/bistro recently, I wish I lived nearby to check it out: Mina Starsiak Hawk Just Opened a Home Store in Indianapolis
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Post by nennie on Jun 24, 2020 14:33:51 GMT
Karen is a hoot. She is so eccentric but such a fun loving person it seems. I like the work they do on their houses. I wasn't crazy about the stick on wallpaper on the island. That seemed cheap to me. The good thing is you can take it off and paint it or tile it.
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Post by Eastcoastmom on Jun 24, 2020 14:39:15 GMT
Karen looks different. Has she lost weight?
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Post by waywyrd on Jun 24, 2020 15:24:32 GMT
Karen looks different. Has she lost weight?
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