I've lately been watching a lot of the TV shows about flipping houses, not because I want to but because that's whats on in the waiting room of 2 of the doctors my wife uses. But this show shows completely clueless people trying to improve a house to flip it. You see such things as using drywall mud to glue tile to the wall, trying to hang cement board on the ceiling of the bath. You also see some completely scary thing...a youg lady on this episode needed to shorten a piece of hardwood flooring. Instead of using the miter saw she free handed it through a benchtop table saw. (Seriously, someone will get hurt sooner or later). Safety concerns aside, I was rolling on the floor at just how little these folks know about, well, anything and what they did to resolve. On another show the kitchen counter they were installing was about 1/4" too long...no problem...tear out the wall next to it and set the counter in the cavity. Moral of the story: if you take your wife to the doc, consider waiting in the car if at all possible.

LOL.   We don't have cable, but occasionally when visiting the kids one of these types of shows was on.   I think that was all several years ago, perhaps before the 2008 crash.

 

I agree totally clueless and lots of surprises.

• We will buy this house, put $30,000 and six weeks into it and make $100,000 profit.   Meanwhile, 9 months and $80,000 later, still not done.
• "Load bearing wall?  What does that mean, we wanted a great room here."
• "Why is there a plumbing pipe right up through this wall?"
• "Termites?"
• "You mean we have to replace all this wiring?"
• "What chewed up all this insulation?"
• "We can't just add hardwood on top of this old tile floor?""
• "Paint should cover that, right?"

 

Even the current ones tend to start off with two tools -- a sledge hammer and a Sawzall. 

 

Sometimes, it's just the drama that sells.   Sort of why people watch Judge Judy, "Lookie at them there people, I ain't that stupid."

 

Edited April 6, 20188 yr by kmealy

Your quotes are spot on, and reminded that one of the fellows was tearing out a sink to replace it. He told his girlfriend he was having trouble cutting the "sink wires"...referring to the water supplies. There was some scrpit that appeared on the screen with an arrow pointing to the water supplies and the words "sink wires are often called pipes"

What always gets me is that first they throw a hammer through the window.   They all must like working in broken glass.   Roly

sure glad I don't have TV...

2 hours ago, Fred W. Hargis Jr said:

Instead of using the miter saw she free handed it through a benchtop table saw. (Seriously, someone will get hurt sooner or later)

 

Then Mr. Gass can make a few dollars representing them.

That is why I do not watch any of that crap!

Years ago I watched them, for the same reason Fred gave,waiting for my wife in the doctors office, or sitting waiting in the barber shop.

I remember one where they were wall papering a brick wall, another where they wanted to put a ceiling light in the kids bedroom. The outlets were switched for lamps. so they cut a 1' wider slot in the drywall up to the ceiling from the wall switch box in the wall cavity, notched the top plates, over to the center of the ceiling, cut in a box, pulled in a wire. Then wall papered the wall and ceiling to cover the slot.

the sledge hammer and sawzall/chainsaw is a requirement. When they get through they are waste deep in debris and live electrical wiring.

 

Herb

Edited April 6, 20188 yr by Dadio

My wife is a great fan of the "Fixer upper" and "Property Brothers" on HGTV.  Maybe it's wishful thinking on her part.   You don't see much of the actual work being done, except for some foolishness in the early demolition process with the homeowners taking part in the demo. You basically see the problems encountered, and the progress of the renovation. Not much of the actual work being done except highlights. Somehow almost always managing to stay on budget.

On ‎4‎/‎6‎/‎2018 at 7:34 AM, Fred W. Hargis Jr said:

"sink wires are often called pipes"

When I read that, I had to look at the date you posted that.  I was sure it was an April Fools joke.

I noticed one show that shows a couple of gal's heading to a home with a couple of chainsaws. That should be interesting.No I haven't watched it.

I think that one is called "Good Bones" (?). I haven't seen it either, just the ads for it.

On 4/11/2018 at 7:33 PM, It Was Al B said:

I noticed one show that shows a couple of gal's heading to a home with a couple of chainsaws. That should be interesting.No I haven't watched it.

That must have been like the joke of the guy who returned the chainsaw to the store,and told the clerk that it was too hard of work to cut with it. The clerk took the saw to check it out and gave it a pull, it starts up. The customer jumps and says "what is that noise"?

 

Herb