I wanna be HGTV'd
Tuesday, January 11, 2011 I'm a fan of HGTV. My favorite designers are the ever-awesome, ever-cool Antonio and the creative and lovely Genevieve. Time and again, Jim and I talk about how we'd love to have one of them -- or any of the HGTV designers ... or Josh Temple or Ahmed Hassan -- come to our house and make over our basement. (Although we usually add that it would be best if it were anyone but Antonio because we are so uncool that his coolness would make us uncomfortable and seem like nothing but blithering idiots in his presence).
Apparently a lot of other folks feel the same way we do about wanting HGTV to come to their house and fix it up. HGTV obviously knows its viewers ooh and aah and pine to be next, so they've created a show in which regular folks can be, as they call the show, HGTV'd.
Yes, I want to be HGTV'd, so I put in my bid. Meaning I posted a video of our bizarre and dysfunctional basement and asked HGTV to pretty, pretty please HGTV me/us/our space.
Because I've revealed my basement -- and my voice and more -- online for strangers to see, and because I spent far too much of my day editing the video down by two-thirds to fit the HGTV'd parameters and no longer had time to write a decent post for Grandma's Briefs I thought it only right to show you, my friends, the same. Actually, because you are my friends, I figured I'd show you more.
So here is the unedited version of my HGTV'd submission, complete with references to my creepy wallpaper and a moment when I nearly bit it on our marble-lined patio. Consider it something like the "director's cut" on DVD special features. You know, the long, rambling versions that make you say, "Yeah, I can see why the other version was what made it to the theater."
Here's my director's cut, er, non-cut:
After watching that ten-freakin-minutes-long video, if you'd like to see the not-very-well edited version I submitted -- and comment or rate my offering, which would make me very happy -- check out my official "Mismatched Mish-Mash" entry for HGTV'd (it takes a minute to load; I think LOTS of folks want to be HGTV'd).
Then wish me luck. Because I really wanna be HGTV'd.
Go ahead, I won't blame you if you call this the laziest post I've ever published on Grandma's Briefs. In fact, I concur.
Today's question:
If you were to be HGTV'd, what would you most like done?
Reader Comments (38)
I'd most like to have one of our bathrooms redone adding the laundry room and a portion of my office to make a master bath with a large closet, including the washer/dryer!! I think having the HGTV folks would be WONDERFUL! I'll be wishing you good luck!!
How fun was that -- I love your house (and your voice). I agree, tear out some of that wallpaper and frame it or something, you'll never find anything like that again. Good luck, Lisa. I hope you are HGTV'd! Ooooh, the glitter ceiling. How wild that they would some of their fabulous salvages in such odd half done downstairs spaces with 70's finishes and all. Oh wow, it would be so cool for someone to redo it. I'm getting excited for the prospect now!
Seems like a pretty darn ambitious post to me! I hope you get HGTV'd. You deserve it.
Loved it and loved to hear your voice. Your description is great too. :)
Loved this post! When you get HGTV'd, just don't let them even TOUCH the up-stairs or up-up-stairs!
So sweet to hear your voice on your post, that really individualizes it!
Oh Lisa, I love your house! I love the staircase to and your dining room is exquisite. Jealous here! I have my fingers and toes crossed for you to be HGTV'd!!
That would be so AWESOME! And if they come HGTV your house...and if they need any "neighbors or friends" to come help with the makeover...can I be one of them? PLEEEEEEEZE?
I would like them to HGTV my bathrooms. They're 1987 originals and they really need updating.
You already know that I really love your house....but I wish you luck in getting your basement redone.
I would like them to HGTV my basement too. My parents bought this house in 1972, we bought it in 1990 but the basement still reflects that late 70's early 80's look.
Your house is beautiful! I love the gorgeous stained glass window!
My sister-in-law was on HGTV. A neighbor remodeled her kitchen while she redecorated the neighbor's basement. I spent the week with her, watching her one year old while they filmed. It was fun and HGTV did a great job.
I vote for you!!!!
Wishing you the best of luck, my friend!!
Hugs
good luck--hope you get HGTV'd. I would totally die for Candice Olsen come do my house. Our basement is in the midst of remodel. We got the room framed, sheet rocked, a fireplace added and painted and then we ran out of money; so it sits. I can't wait untill we can get back to it. I watched your unedited version because the other is still trying to load :)
You have an awesome house. It would be so cool to get HGTVed. I would love to have them do my craft room.
Loved the tour! Being HGTV'd would be amazing. I would love to have a nice big bathroom installed somewhere, either off the big down stairs bedroom, or where ever, I wouldn't be picky, haha! I hope they choose you!
The upstairs of your house is truly amazing!!! It's so cool.
I hope you get picked to be HGTV'd.
I agree your home is Funkey Fantastic! If you don`t like it and don`t appriciate it, why did you buy it! Instead of tearing it up, sell it to someone who thinks Funky is Fantastic!
I'm a 55 yr old disabled truck-driving grandma in a wheelchair in Cleveland, OH and I love to cook!! I would love to have that nice man named Josh figure out a way to make my narrow galley kitchen have more accessible workspace, accessible cookspace and accessible supplies so I could send my grandson's(1 is in the Army,1 is in college and the last three are at home with my daughter in Georgia) the cookies I so love to bake! It is very hard to turn around between the sink, the stove and the refrigerator. I don't have a camcorder to make a video and maybe I'm asking for too much. So, if I'm not considered for a kitchen repair maybe you could send that nice man, Ahmed to transform my backyard yo make it wheelchair accessible so I can have a garden. I have a huge backyard and have never been back there. If that's too much, I would just like to meet Mike Holmes, Ahmed Hasan, Candice Olsen, Josh Temple, David Bromstead, Vern Yip and of course, Antonio, and not necessarily in that order. I really enjoy all their shows and consider all of them to be the best in their field.
I would love for a designer team to come in and do a make-over in my kitchen, dining room area. My cabinets have so many layers of paint on them, and the last color being one from 1980's. I have become so tired of looking at them that I took the lower ones off and put a curtain across the bottom. It is obvious that I don't know how to remodel, but would be a great assistant in remodeling and also very thankful. Penny
Our house is a one-story plan. I really like the decor of the rustic cabins in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and would like to see the master bedroom, living room and kitchen redone in the lodge mode. But the only light in the living room comes through the patio doors, so I'd really like to see a sky light energy-saver window in the vaulted ceiling. I'd also like to have some ideas as to how to make my space look bigger because during the holidays at dinner, some of our guests were standing to eat!!! How embarrassing!! Our master bath is very small and I've moved the towels around a few times, but there really is no room to put shelves, so I'd like to see some kind of built-in shelves that won't interfere with the walk-in closet beside it.
One long-standing question I've had about all HGTV's home improvements is, "Who pays for all these home improvements?" Are there any that are sponsored or covered by Lowe's? Or do the homeowners always pay?
I would love to have my yard and the outside of my home perked up. I live in a retirement park, am a widow and have no spare money to do any fixing up of anything. Couples around me work together and it's nice, but I am alone. I live in Florida. Do ya'll come this far South? Let me know if I stand a chance??? Pam
I would love to have my basement HGTV'd. I purchased my first house the one I currently am working hard to keep about 10yrs ago. It's only a 2 bedroom home but for a single working mom of 2 it was the most bang for my buck. 10yrs later I've redone my one and only bathroom and up graded my kitchen. (couldn't really re-design due to the layout and lack of space not to mention lack of $$$$$). The house was built in 1979 the year I graduated high school and still has the original ugly wood panel, peel and stick tile floor that no matter what I do to it, it always looks dirty. I has a dry bar with the foot rest covered in orange shag carpet. The lowered ceiling is so old I can't even purchase replacement panels unless I want to re-do the entire ceiling. It's a walk out basement which is great in the summer but would love to put a 1/2 kitchen and full bathroom ( I miss my tub ) My dream basement would be a Martini lounge like decor. I've been watching Hgtv for as long as I can remember and only dream of the things I would have done if someone like Vern or Candice were my design team. A girl can always have room to dream.
My name is Lynch, yes, just Lynch. I kind of took it from the last name of my owners. I like it. I need help. My yard needs work and I need a new deck. My driveway needs to be redone as well and that's just on the outside. Elick, the man of me, was just forced to retire, the lady of me, Judy, is dissabled and is recovering from back surgery. The bathrooms are small and since Judy is dissabled, she needs a bigger shower. So lets face it, I need help. My basement needs to be cleaned out and redone into an exercise room. But before that, I need work on my foundation. Then I need a proper living room with redocrating tips for the rest of the house. I know it's a lot, so take your pick. I am helpless, lets face it, after all. I'm just a house. Thanks for listening.
Sincerely,
Lynch
Hi, My name is Terilou James. The other night I saw the HGTV'd truck on TV, boy did it make me HAPPY. I said to my self, if only it could be me.
The truth is that yes, it's great and yes, I would really like it to be me the show.
But, most important is what you do for people like me and others, you transports us into another world, one of dreams , wishes, and deicers. I really think you the whole cast does a great job.
Thank you,
Terilou
P.S. I won't lie, I do need help
Well do I have a new one for you, would you believe a double wide Mobile home. Oh she needs you badly! Floor to celing. I think this could be a great quest. I am 74 yrs. young. older
mobile with alot of potential. Come on guys take the challeng! I think It would be fun and great for The Park. can't wait forever at my age, how ever I could live to be 90yr. Hope not! Make an old lady happy with all her dreams coming true. It's a dump as far as I'm concerned. But the cost of improval is minimal.
I have a kitchen & bathroom that really need some help. My husband & I gutted the bathroom , put all new fixtures & floor but had a very limited budget so it's not what I really wanted but it works.The kitchen just needs to be gutted & insulation in the walls. We had an aquaintence put down tile flooring but we hate the counter tops(we did them), cupboards. The only thing I like in the kitchen is the trim at the top of the wall & the ceiling my husband put in . We are not old in my book but there are some things we have some difficulty doing. We also need work done on the walls in the stairway, we want the walls knocked out to make an open stair way plus some finish work in trim in our living /dining area. I am a very hugh fan & I don't care which one of you comes just please will some one help us. Thank you Bonie Sallinger
Was just reading some of the posts & came upon one that asked " Who pays for the work done" I also have wonder that. I dont have that kind of money, I know about how much it would cost to have the work done I need by watching some of the shows, which is why I am responding, need it done but no money to do it.....Bonnie Sallinger
I am a 67 year old widow that lives in a retirement . I took care of my mother here for 15 years and it was not always easy. She passed away in May of 08 and my whole family said I could said it was time for me. So , that did not happen since I was diagnosed with Ovarian cancer and I was really out of commission for a year. My kitchen counters are buckling and there is no way to fix them. I was going to do some of the work myself since I was a Navy wife for a lot of years and could do a lot of things my self and our 2 daughters who were 10 an 16 when my husband died. My children are grown and have lives of thier own. They are starting to make sounds about how I should not be living alone. I just feel if I can get my house fixed up they will stop saying I can't take care of things.
Hi, I'm 60 years old with severe back problems due to spine arthritis I can not work but not bad enough to get desability acoording to our sytem.
I live in the Orlando, Florida area and have a screen sunroom which can not be use in summer
because is too hat and winter is too cold due to a metal roof, I will like to remove the screen and put some tipe of enclosure, if posible some help with the backyard, I used to have lots of beautiful plants but I can not longer take care of them so I need to get rid of the garden.
I have watch HGTV for years.
I hope to be bless with a makeover, I really need it. Thank you in advance,
Eli Objio
January26, 2011
my husband will be 64 this May. He has lived in this same house since he was 5 yr old. He is not one for change so I sort of live in the past. As I get shorter the kitchen counter tops get higher. I am 5'2" .....the counter tops at least 40 in high. Very hard to work on. The floor in the kitchen and dining room are the original....bad.The first floor consists of a room where the front door opens into...it is sort of in the middle. Off to the right is a dining room and to the left a living room. And then there is the gally-like kitchen. Upstairs there is a bathroom and 4 bedrooms. I have many things I would like finished. I guess the #1 space is putting a bath on the 1st floor. My 98 yr old Mom is coming to stay with me probaly in April or May. She can not go up and down the steps. Secondly...it would be my kitchen......I am open to about any room! Thanks!~~Debbie
MY HUSBAND AND I HAVE TWIN SONS GOING OFF TO COLLEGE THIS FALL. I WOULD LOVE TO SUPRISE MY HUSBAND WITH A MASTER BED/BATH MAKEOVER. SOPHISTOCATED YET SIMPLE. SHELAGH IN CINCINNATI OHIO
We are seniors and we are living in a home that we love. We have a large back yard that needs help. There is nothing in it. It is 46 feet wide and 50 to 60 feet deep from the garage back. We don't know where to start. The front yard took us almost 6 years to get where it is now, almost done. We know that we need to start with a fence but after that we don't really know what to do. I have watched HGTV since the begining and love it, all the shows and some of them have influenced the way we have done some of the remodeling. Now we are older and can't do everything. We need help. Candace and Steve
We are seniors and we are living in a home that we love. We have a large back yard that needs help. There is nothing in it. It is 46 feet wide and 50 to 60 feet deep from the garage back. We don't know where to start. The front yard took us almost 6 years to get where it is now, almost done. We know that we need to start with a fence but after that we don't really know what to do. I have watched HGTV since the begining and love it, all the shows and some of them have influenced the way we have done some of the remodeling. Now we are older and can't do everything. We need help. Candace and Steve
Hi Everyone. My husband and I are raising our grandson, who is autistic, such a sweetheart and keeps us going. We are both disabled, Him due to a car accident and I due to several intestinal problems. He makes it possible for us to rise and shine each day. I believe god sent us an angel in him. We have just had all the expensive parts done on an addition and purchased the new cabinets for our updated kitchen with granite on the counters. Our house has doubled in size but we are still living in the original part because I want to do this right. You see our grandson being autistic really does need things to be neat and orderly and we are trying to get them that way, but we really do need some advice. As I said all the plumbing, wiring, even did recessed lighting and things do look and feel huge, we had sconces wired for the master bed sides and were hoping to build in as much as possible because thats the way the contractor did most all of our storage areas, but as I said we really need advise on how to make this finish out into an orderly home that will meet his needs and give him plenty of places for all his schedules and a non cluttered home will take away so much of his stress. We are almost home. Thanks for listening! HGTV US PLEASE Our whole family loves watching your shows. Revovation, its what our little guy knows all about. We'd love to be HGTV"D love from the Rouse House
I know you don"t usually do "Senior" houses.My husband and I are 80 yrs. old. We built our house 15yrs ago when he retired. WE are in excellent health and plan to live here as long as we can.We have a big yard and do all of our own yard work. After 15yrs the house needs a few upgrades.I watch you programs all the time and love the tweeks that you come up with.We need some new ideas to keep us in this decade.We are always open for new trends to keep us moving forward with life.Our house is 2300 sq. ft. and the plan is great for retired couples. But we do not want to be the "THE OLD COUPLE IN THE NEIGHBHOOD"
Your help would be greatly appreciated.
I wanna be HGTV'D.. I would love to be on yard crashers...Me and my husband totally remodeled the inside of our house but the outside needs some major HELP..How do people get picked to be on those shows? PLEASE EMAIL ME ANY ADVISE ANYONE CAN GIVE...redhead9599@yahoo.com..THANKS..
I NEED HELP IN MY YARD.. WE LIVE IN SURPRISE AZ.. THE WEATHER IS AWSOME AND WE LOVE TO BE OUTSIDE. OUR BACKYARD IS A BLANK SLATE WE ARE UP FOR ANYTHING... PLEASE HGTV OUR YARD IT WOULD MAKE AN AWSOME SHOW....EMAIL ME AT redhead9599@yahoo.com THANKS....
Love your post and your home. I know the feeling. I would love to be hgtv'd. I lost my mother 2 years ago this past May, and have since moved into her house which is my childhood home. I have been remodeling each room little by little. It is about 47 years old and sit on an acre of land. It's what I like to call country cottage. I would love to have Arhmed Hasson, John on curb appeal the block or anyone of them that does outer spaces or yard crash my backyard or curb appeal it. I live in a small town and they wouldn't even dream of coming my way. It sure would be nice though. Curb appeal could help a few ederly people who would certainly appreciate it. My neighbors are elderly in their 80's as they were my mom's neighbors before. Hope you get chosen.
Oh wow--I LOVE your house, Lisa! It is so unique and full of such interesting historical architectural salvage. It really tells a story and has character. I even LOVE your "funky" basement! Your basement is almost bigger than my entire house! I hope HGTV sees your film and does the makeover you hope for