The problem with all these home shows and DIY programs is that it convinces you that you too can remodel a home. Convinces. I mean, if these every day folks can do it, so can I, right?
It happens right away, too. From the first episode you watch you start to think that you can update a space easy peasy.
Now I am not talking about the House Hunters type shows, though I love those as well. Those basically just convince you that you too can be a home owner. Which, actually, you can and it’ll probably save you money if you have decent credit. But the difference is that now you are the one who has to handle any maintenance issues. I am talking about the shows with the flipping and the fixing and the easy peasy fresh & easy DIY-ing.
There are so many available now, I can’t keep them straight. But while stuck at home due to pandemic lockdowns, I have been addicted to them. For me, the thing that really keeps me coming back is if there is charisma in the hosts. Which means that the hosts who are irritating and annoying get muted or I don’t bother watching. Flip or Flop and the spinoffs with that formerly married couple fall into that category. Cannot stand them. Also… has anyone else noticed that the designs are the same? It’s boring and not inspiring. Good Bones, however, has the magic touch. Hosts Mina and Karen are hilarious and adorable and it is nearly impossible to keep track of the family tree… there’s always a new sibling! It’s cute though. And their houses have character.
The problem, as I’ve already mentioned, is that they make you think that you too can redo your house.
I am not without skills. I can build and paint, I know better than to mess with electricity, and I know a little about plumbing. But mostly I know when to ask for help. This is what mostly keeps me out of trouble. Alas, I have a ton of free time at the moment and have hated the disjointedness of my house since I bought it. Since day 1, I have been slowly improving and updating things. Ceiling fans in almost every room now (working ones, too). Finally got the last brass fixture/switchplate out. Painted the fireplace to get rid of the hideous forest green paint it already was. And that’s not mentioning the work I’ve done outside. All of this is to say that being trapped at home during a pandemic with nothing but marathons of cartoons and home improvement shows… I redid my bathroom.
Don’t get all excited, I basically just made the storage pieces match, got a new vanity/sink, and painted. I would’ve loved to replace the floor and tiles of the shower but those are skills outside of my wheelhouse. Someday. But it is 100% better. Cleaner, updated, and all simple enough to transfer to the other bathroom eventually. That will make two rooms that 100% go together. And I also recently was able to replace the oven and stove from 1962 (I totally paid someone to do it)(which… long story, I was putting in a 2000 era oven and now it’s a brand new one. With a Rotisserie). Which means that I will also be able to paint and update the kitchen to go with the bathrooms… Oh my gosh, you guys… my house won’t be disjointed anymore!
Damn those shows.
(I’m gonna go back to hiding in my garden… wait, is there a show about gardening? Can I marathon it?)
dee2henry
intellichick
ladydethpool
magnitudev1
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elizabeth ann
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NerdLush 
Good for you! We have been DYI for years and we have years to go to ever finish everything! The schoolhouse is way over 100 years old so nothing is square, nothing measures the same and every job is two steps back before taking a half step forward. We like This old house on public TV and just use u-tube!