“Do you watch HGTV?” That’s the question that pops up during conversations with potential clients and even other designers. My peers have the same reaction I do, “God NO!” I have watched a few shows and had the same reaction before I swore to never watch these horrendous shows ever again.
These past few weeks I have been house hunting with my daughter, and have been shocked by what is on the market. After viewing 12+ properties I have come to the conclusion that HGTV is a bad influence on the DIY’ers (do-it-yourselfer).
The most common travesties were in the kitchen and baths where there must be an unwritten rule: Granite covers all sins! Or better yet, granite sells! The granite itself was presentable in the majority of these areas, but the cabinets were literally falling apart. Sink bottoms rotting away, drawers with broken runners, and doors falling off the hinges. In some cases the cabinets have been painted or stained using the “I don’t care, just get ‘er done” method. Oh, and I can’t say enough about the tile backsplash which, when done by a professional, is one of the focal points of the kitchen. DIY’ers have no clue where to end the backsplash, how to deal with window sills and outlets, or how to compliment the granite.
Choosing paint colors seems to be a real challenge for the DIY’er so typically the chosen color was bland, but of course, an easy fix if the house has a great location and floor plan.
There were several properties that looked like flooring showrooms – each room with a different floor material or color. Bargain laminate wood seemed to be the common choice but one homeowner couldn’t decide which pattern to use, so light oak, dark oak, light bamboo and dark bamboo were distributed among the bedrooms. Generally speaking, the workmanship on both tile and laminate flooring was pathetic in most cases.
We all learn early on that when you want to sell anything, clean it up and make it look attractive. There are lists put together by realtors on how to make your home look more sellable before you put it on the market. Obviously some of these homeowners were focused on “redecorating” when cleaning and fixing should have been the priority. I have seen enough clutter, mess, unkempt, and smelly houses to last me a lifetime.
HGTV should not be taken seriously, but viewed as a comedy with a cult following.
And don’t forget all of this can be done in a week lol
I think that when the real pro’s do their work, they tend to make it look easy. Especially on all the tube sites. Thus attracting persons with no skillz who try and copy the pros. Are we in an era where years of experience can be replaced with a little technology, big box depot, and a ton of stupidity?
Gerry, we are in an era where people can google anything and learn how to do it!! It’s only a matter of time before we can “Learn Brain Surgery in 3 easy minutes on Google.” Only kidding, but it is a DIY society and the internet has supported that mentality. The professionals will always be around to “fix the mistakes of the DIY’ers”
Nancy, I stopped at one open house on my way back from this morning’s meeting. OMG, the house needed serious (SERIOUS) de-clutterings. Instead the homeowner re-stained (black?) her kitchen cabinets this morning … but the realtor didn’t tell me this until my finger tips were black from opening one door to see what the original cabinets looked like.
You are so right & think I’ll start collecting photos of these mistakes, as we all need to share this story … to counteract HGTV