Years ago when Bob Vila was in the Old house, he left because he said
that he didn't like the way the show was going..building and repairing
luxury homes only. I agree then and still agree, the way they show how
perfect they can make million dollar homes look great is sickening.
How many of us can afford such luxury? Maybe they felt some guilt and
now show another show right after that, "Ask this old house"...which
is fine. But so far i have never noticed them visiting someone in a
city, like NY or Chicago...its always a private home in some boon
docks areas.

Anthona wrote:
Years ago when Bob Vila was in the Old house, he left because he said
that he didn't like the way the show was going..building and repairing
luxury homes only. I agree then and still agree, the way they show how
perfect they can make million dollar homes look great is sickening.
How many of us can afford such luxury? Maybe they felt some guilt and
now show another show right after that, "Ask this old house"...which
is fine. But so far i have never noticed them visiting someone in a
city, like NY or Chicago...its always a private home in some boon
docks areas.

IIRC, Vila got booted because he was trading on his fame from the show
getting an endorsement contract with Sears. From various interviews and
reports since then, the rest of the cast and crew considered him an
idiot anyway. (That agrees with my impression from watching TOH back
then, as well as his own copycat show. I grew up in the business, so I
knew a lot of what he was spouting was pure BS.)The first replacement
was okay, but really more of a boat geek than a carpenter. He is pretty
watchable on his current series with some other channel, about
historical buildings. The current puppy of a TOH host, pretty much of a
look-alike for #2,is no expert, but he doesn't pretend that he is, and
thus acts like a stand-in for the viewer.

They have heard all the people bitching about the show becoming 'This
Old Mansion', and are trying, sort of, to get back to their roots this
season with the New Orleans arc.

---
aem sends...

There was a hilarious true life story of what happened during a TOH
renovation. It was a disaster.

A major lumber supplier backed the show and promised to give all of their
products needed at cost.

So these people had a major renovation including red wood siding. The
project was approved. Unfortunately, the owners found out later that the
lumber company did not carry red wood siding so they would be on their
own....

and so on and so on.

The smooth tv project actually cost at least twice what was predicted and
took 3 times longer than predicted. But it looked smooth on tv.


"aemeijers" wrote in message
...
Anthona wrote:
Years ago when Bob Vila was in the Old house, he left because he said
that he didn't like the way the show was going..building and repairing
luxury homes only. I agree then and still agree, the way they show how
perfect they can make million dollar homes look great is sickening.
How many of us can afford such luxury? Maybe they felt some guilt and
now show another show right after that, "Ask this old house"...which
is fine. But so far i have never noticed them visiting someone in a
city, like NY or Chicago...its always a private home in some boon
docks areas.

IIRC, Vila got booted because he was trading on his fame from the show
getting an endorsement contract with Sears. From various interviews and
reports since then, the rest of the cast and crew considered him an idiot
anyway. (That agrees with my impression from watching TOH back then, as
well as his own copycat show. I grew up in the business, so I knew a lot
of what he was spouting was pure BS.)The first replacement was okay, but
really more of a boat geek than a carpenter. He is pretty watchable on his
current series with some other channel, about historical buildings. The
current puppy of a TOH host, pretty much of a look-alike for #2,is no
expert, but he doesn't pretend that he is, and thus acts like a stand-in
for the viewer.

They have heard all the people bitching about the show becoming 'This Old
Mansion', and are trying, sort of, to get back to their roots this season
with the New Orleans arc.

---
aem sends...

Anthona wrote:

Years ago when Bob Vila was in the Old house, he left because he said
that he didn't like the way the show was going..building and repairing
luxury homes only.

Pfffft, that's a nice cover story. He didn't leave, he got canned because
he started doing commercial endorsements based on the celebrity he had from
TOH.

I agree then and still agree, the way they show how
perfect they can make million dollar homes look great is sickening.
How many of us can afford such luxury? Maybe they felt some guilt and
now show another show right after that, "Ask this old house"...which
is fine. But so far i have never noticed them visiting someone in a
city, like NY or Chicago...its always a private home in some boon
docks areas.

Not always, I agree they do too many high-priced projects but they also
tackle more modest homes, it seems like a 50-50 split to me. They're
currently doing a shotgun single in New Orleans, last year they did a
low-rent townhouse in Philly (?) and a reasonable house in Austin and that
two-owner house in Boston, none of those struck me as mansions. My
impression is they do one over-the-top home each season. I agree the ATOH
feature is of particular use to the average homeowner. And regardless of
what the the total cost of the job is, the ideas and skill you can pick up
watching them do the work are always useful.

bob kater wrote:

you wanna learn something, send them to my house, its always in some
type of renovation.

As soon as they finish mine. ;^)

high end stuff, cutting edge is good to see, as it eventually filters
down to regular people at affordable prices

a good example is closed cell foam R6 or R7.

we are looking at a kitchen dining room gut and that will definetely
be a part of the project

bob kater wrote:
(snip)
Not always, I agree they do too many high-priced projects but they also
tackle more modest homes, it seems like a 50-50 split to me. They're
currently doing a shotgun single in New Orleans, last year they did a
low-rent townhouse in Philly (?) and a reasonable house in Austin and that
two-owner house in Boston, none of those struck me as mansions. My
impression is they do one over-the-top home each season. I agree the ATOH
feature is of particular use to the average homeowner. And regardless of
what the the total cost of the job is, the ideas and skill you can pick up
watching them do the work are always useful.



I love watching Norm Abrams and Tom Silva work- Norm's other show
(presumably why he was not included in ATOH) is a little silly with the
$100k of machinist-quality woodworking tools, but they are both clearly
expert carpenters. I saw enough good and bad carpenters growing up in
the business to know the difference, and I'd hire either of them in a
heartbeat, if I was rich enough to afford them. From all published
reports, they are also nice guys with no ego problems, which is a plus.
Not at all prima donnas like the original host. You never saw Vila with
sweaty armpits.

--
aem sends...

"aemeijers" wrote in message
...
bob kater wrote:
(snip)
Not always, I agree they do too many high-priced projects but they also
tackle more modest homes, it seems like a 50-50 split to me. They're
currently doing a shotgun single in New Orleans, last year they did a
low-rent townhouse in Philly (?) and a reasonable house in Austin and
that two-owner house in Boston, none of those struck me as mansions. My
impression is they do one over-the-top home each season. I agree the
ATOH feature is of particular use to the average homeowner. And
regardless of what the the total cost of the job is, the ideas and skill
you can pick up watching them do the work are always useful.



I love watching Norm Abrams and Tom Silva work- Norm's other show
(presumably why he was not included in ATOH) is a little silly with the
$100k of machinist-quality woodworking tools, but they are both clearly
expert carpenters. I saw enough good and bad carpenters growing up in the
business to know the difference, and I'd hire either of them in a
heartbeat, if I was rich enough to afford them. From all published
reports, they are also nice guys with no ego problems, which is a plus.
Not at all prima donnas like the original host. You never saw Vila with
sweaty armpits.

For laughs, I still love the TOH episode where Bob Vila is grabbing
some plants in the yard only to have the homeowner point out that
it's poison ivy!

aemeijers wrote:
bob kater wrote:
(snip)
Not always, I agree they do too many high-priced projects but they
also tackle more modest homes, it seems like a 50-50 split to me.
They're currently doing a shotgun single in New Orleans, last year
they did a low-rent townhouse in Philly (?) and a reasonable house in
Austin and that two-owner house in Boston, none of those struck me as
mansions. My impression is they do one over-the-top home each
season. I agree the ATOH feature is of particular use to the average
homeowner. And regardless of what the the total cost of the job is,
the ideas and skill you can pick up watching them do the work are
always useful.



I love watching Norm Abrams and Tom Silva work- Norm's other show
(presumably why he was not included in ATOH) is a little silly with the
$100k of machinist-quality woodworking tools, but they are both clearly
expert carpenters. I saw enough good and bad carpenters growing up in
the business to know the difference, and I'd hire either of them in a
heartbeat, if I was rich enough to afford them. From all published
reports, they are also nice guys with no ego problems, which is a plus.
Not at all prima donnas like the original host. You never saw Vila with
sweaty armpits.

--
aem sends...



There can not be a more noble goal in life than to have (and use)
more tools than Norm.

Right, wrong or somewhere in between those people have been an
inspiration to many over the years. I am not a carpenter or a
contractor, just a guy like the rest of you. I built this place
myself.

http://www.granite.mb.ca/~lorence/Cabinfront7.jpg

The foundation and HVAC were hired out, most of the rest was done
with help of friends and family.

I started with small projects. Seeing what others had done gave
me the confidence to try. That house is what came of it.

Anyone who can swing a hammer without hurting them self can do
the same.

Norm said so.

LdB

vila left because they wouldn't allow him to do endorsements for products
(like the bella wood floors he's hawking these days).
this old house does tend towards expensive renovations, but they have had
budget projects as well: new orleans and washington d.c. to name two most
recent examples.
ask this old house goes all over the place, including nyc where tom silva
helped two girls with a vinyl floor in their apartment. they've also gone to
the southwest, texas, california, etc. both are great shows undeserving of
anything less than praise.
-chris

"Anthona" wrote in message
...
Years ago when Bob Vila was in the Old house, he left because he said
that he didn't like the way the show was going..building and repairing
luxury homes only. I agree then and still agree, the way they show how
perfect they can make million dollar homes look great is sickening.
How many of us can afford such luxury? Maybe they felt some guilt and
now show another show right after that, "Ask this old house"...which
is fine. But so far i have never noticed them visiting someone in a
city, like NY or Chicago...its always a private home in some boon
docks areas.

washington d.c. predates the new orleans project and was a non-profit
project.
also, it occurred to me that they did visit chicago (lake forest, il to be
precise) with a kitchen remodel for a family with three kids.
-c

"aemeijers" wrote in message
...
Anthona wrote:
Years ago when Bob Vila was in the Old house, he left because he said
that he didn't like the way the show was going..building and repairing
luxury homes only. I agree then and still agree, the way they show how
perfect they can make million dollar homes look great is sickening.
How many of us can afford such luxury? Maybe they felt some guilt and
now show another show right after that, "Ask this old house"...which
is fine. But so far i have never noticed them visiting someone in a
city, like NY or Chicago...its always a private home in some boon
docks areas.

IIRC, Vila got booted because he was trading on his fame from the show
getting an endorsement contract with Sears. From various interviews and
reports since then, the rest of the cast and crew considered him an idiot
anyway. (That agrees with my impression from watching TOH back then, as
well as his own copycat show. I grew up in the business, so I knew a lot
of what he was spouting was pure BS.)The first replacement was okay, but
really more of a boat geek than a carpenter. He is pretty watchable on his
current series with some other channel, about historical buildings. The
current puppy of a TOH host, pretty much of a look-alike for #2,is no
expert, but he doesn't pretend that he is, and thus acts like a stand-in
for the viewer.

They have heard all the people bitching about the show becoming 'This Old
Mansion', and are trying, sort of, to get back to their roots this season
with the New Orleans arc.

---
aem sends...

for the record it's norm abram. the new yankee workshop is indeed the reason
that norm doesn't work on ask this old house.
-c

"aemeijers" wrote in message
...
bob kater wrote:
(snip)
Not always, I agree they do too many high-priced projects but they also
tackle more modest homes, it seems like a 50-50 split to me. They're
currently doing a shotgun single in New Orleans, last year they did a
low-rent townhouse in Philly (?) and a reasonable house in Austin and
that two-owner house in Boston, none of those struck me as mansions. My
impression is they do one over-the-top home each season. I agree the
ATOH feature is of particular use to the average homeowner. And
regardless of what the the total cost of the job is, the ideas and skill
you can pick up watching them do the work are always useful.



I love watching Norm Abrams and Tom Silva work- Norm's other show
(presumably why he was not included in ATOH) is a little silly with the
$100k of machinist-quality woodworking tools, but they are both clearly
expert carpenters. I saw enough good and bad carpenters growing up in the
business to know the difference, and I'd hire either of them in a
heartbeat, if I was rich enough to afford them. From all published
reports, they are also nice guys with no ego problems, which is a plus.
Not at all prima donnas like the original host. You never saw Vila with
sweaty armpits.

--
aem sends...

regarding hosts: steve thomas was a boat geek, but i liked his approach to
hosting the show. he was knowledgeable, but only showed it in spurts,
instead allowing the others to show their expertise (sometimes at the cost
of his own appearances). but when you watch enough of his work you realize
that he's just asking questions that the average person might ask. he also
had a strong command of the language and talked about architecture with
grace.
kevin o'connor was originally on ask this old house as a homeowner with a
wallpaper problem and eventually got hired as the new host. his role is
essentially that of an apprentice who is learning the trade. he asks the
obvious questions and, as time has gone on, has learned more and more about
the trades which has made his commentary and questions even better. steve
was my favorite, but i think that kevin is coming into his own.
-c

"aemeijers" wrote in message
...
Anthona wrote:
Years ago when Bob Vila was in the Old house, he left because he said
that he didn't like the way the show was going..building and repairing
luxury homes only. I agree then and still agree, the way they show how
perfect they can make million dollar homes look great is sickening.
How many of us can afford such luxury? Maybe they felt some guilt and
now show another show right after that, "Ask this old house"...which
is fine. But so far i have never noticed them visiting someone in a
city, like NY or Chicago...its always a private home in some boon
docks areas.

IIRC, Vila got booted because he was trading on his fame from the show
getting an endorsement contract with Sears. From various interviews and
reports since then, the rest of the cast and crew considered him an idiot
anyway. (That agrees with my impression from watching TOH back then, as
well as his own copycat show. I grew up in the business, so I knew a lot
of what he was spouting was pure BS.)The first replacement was okay, but
really more of a boat geek than a carpenter. He is pretty watchable on his
current series with some other channel, about historical buildings. The
current puppy of a TOH host, pretty much of a look-alike for #2,is no
expert, but he doesn't pretend that he is, and thus acts like a stand-in
for the viewer.

They have heard all the people bitching about the show becoming 'This Old
Mansion', and are trying, sort of, to get back to their roots this season
with the New Orleans arc.

---
aem sends...

On Mar 18, 1:33*am, "Chris Miller" wrote:
washington d.c. predates the new orleans project and was a non-profit
project.
also, it occurred to me that they did visit chicago (lake forest, il to be
precise) with a kitchen remodel for a family with three kids.
-c

"aemeijers" wrote in message

...



Anthona wrote:
Years ago when Bob Vila was in the Old house, he left because he said
that he didn't like the way the show was going..building and repairing
luxury homes only. I agree then and still agree, the way they show how
perfect they can make million dollar homes look great is sickening.
How many of us can afford such luxury? Maybe they felt some guilt and
now show another show right after that, "Ask this old house"...which
is fine. But so far i have never noticed them visiting someone in a
city, like NY or Chicago...its always a private home in some boon
docks areas.

IIRC, Vila got booted because he was trading on his fame from the show
getting an endorsement contract with Sears. From various interviews and
reports since then, the rest of the cast and crew considered him an idiot
anyway. (That agrees with my impression from watching TOH back then, as
well as his own copycat show. I grew up in the business, so I knew a lot
of what he was spouting was pure BS.)The first replacement was okay, but
really more of a boat geek than a carpenter. He is pretty watchable on his
current series with some other channel, about historical buildings. The
current puppy of a TOH host, pretty much of a look-alike for #2,is no
expert, but he doesn't pretend that he is, and thus acts like a stand-in
for the viewer.

They have heard all the people bitching about the show becoming 'This Old
Mansion', and are trying, sort of, to get back to their roots this season
with the New Orleans arc.

---
aem sends...- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Even though the Washington DC project was a non-profit and the budget
was ~250K IIRC, one has to wonder how much of discount and/or free
materials/labor they got from the various vendors.

In other words, could you or I have renovated that place for $250K?

I'm sure the same holds true for other "low-cost" projects.

On Mar 18, 1:40 am, "Chris Miller" wrote:

kevin o'connor has learned more and more about
the trades which has made his commentary and questions even better. steve
was my favorite, but i think that kevin is coming into his own.

Kevin is great, but the show is at least loosely scripted, and
rehearsed, and he doesn't think of the greatest majority of those
questions or the commentary off the top of his head.

"aemeijers" wrote in message

...

Anthona wrote:
Years ago when Bob Vila was in the Old house, he left because he said
that he didn't like the way the show was going..building and repairing
luxury homes only.

I think he was ****canned due to his capitalization on his popularity
combined with a severe case of "star-itis", combined with a lack of
ability to keep his big yap shut.

See his new show? He's pitiful as "talent". He often interrupts, and
rudely, and at the exact wrong time when the interviewee is arriving
at the most relevant portion of their response because he isn't
listening to it to begin with, and he's looking at the floor,
"thinking".

He often doesn't allow a pause between the answer and his next
question, so he "walks" all over it. He makes editing a ****ing
nightmare and more than twice as much work to produce a decent program
than if he possessed the absolute most basic of interviewing skills.

I agree then and still agree, the way they show how
perfect they can make million dollar homes look great is sickening.

Well, there's the "production" crew and equipment to consider. It's
pretty tough to fit all that crap in the 11x13 living room of a $750K
900sf. SoCal cottage.

And average Joes don't very often pour a ton of cash into a complete
renovation, but rich people do. And the show often gets the advantage
of working from foundation to roof, landscaping, etc., and working on
one site for an extended period.

A rec room redo or installing some cabinets just isn't as interesting,
at least to me, and there are now numerous DIY shows that have filled
that gap.

And I think it's easier for a guy to simplify aspects of a high-dollar
renovation than take a simple one done on the cheap and expand upon
it.
-----

- gpsman

gpsman wrote in
:

On Mar 18, 1:40 am, "Chris Miller" wrote:

kevin o'connor has learned more and more about
the trades which has made his commentary and questions even better.
steve was my favorite, but i think that kevin is coming into his own.

Kevin is great, but the show is at least loosely scripted, and
rehearsed, and he doesn't think of the greatest majority of those
questions or the commentary off the top of his head.

"aemeijers" wrote in message

...

Anthona wrote:
Years ago when Bob Vila was in the Old house, he left because he
said that he didn't like the way the show was going..building and
repairing luxury homes only.

I think he was ****canned due to his capitalization on his popularity
combined with a severe case of "star-itis", combined with a lack of
ability to keep his big yap shut.

See his new show? He's pitiful as "talent". He often interrupts, and
rudely, and at the exact wrong time when the interviewee is arriving
at the most relevant portion of their response because he isn't
listening to it to begin with, and he's looking at the floor,
"thinking".

He often doesn't allow a pause between the answer and his next
question, so he "walks" all over it. He makes editing a ****ing
nightmare and more than twice as much work to produce a decent program
than if he possessed the absolute most basic of interviewing skills.

Previous three paragraphs is why I can't stand that Sears Whore (and HSN
Whore I hear). He's always been that way. But...he's "that way" all the
way to the bank I guess.


I agree then and still agree, the way they show how
perfect they can make million dollar homes look great is
sickening.

Well, there's the "production" crew and equipment to consider. It's
pretty tough to fit all that crap in the 11x13 living room of a $750K
900sf. SoCal cottage.

And average Joes don't very often pour a ton of cash into a complete
renovation, but rich people do. And the show often gets the advantage
of working from foundation to roof, landscaping, etc., and working on
one site for an extended period.

A rec room redo or installing some cabinets just isn't as interesting,
at least to me, and there are now numerous DIY shows that have filled
that gap.

And I think it's easier for a guy to simplify aspects of a high-dollar
renovation than take a simple one done on the cheap and expand upon
it.
-----

- gpsman

On Mar 18, 11:17*am, gpsman wrote:
On Mar 18, 1:40 am, "Chris Miller" wrote:



kevin o'connor has learned more and more about
the trades which has made his commentary and questions even better. steve
was my favorite, but i think that kevin is coming into his own.

Kevin is great, but the show is at least loosely scripted, and
rehearsed, and he doesn't think of the greatest majority of those
questions or the commentary off the top of his head.

"aemeijers" wrote in message

...

Anthona wrote:
Years ago when Bob Vila was in the Old house, he left because he said
that he didn't like the way the show was going..building and repairing
luxury homes only.

I think he was ****canned due to his capitalization on his popularity
combined with a severe case of "star-itis", combined with a lack of
ability to keep his big yap shut.

See his new show? *He's pitiful as "talent". *He often interrupts, and
rudely, and at the exact wrong time when the interviewee is arriving
at the most relevant portion of their response because he isn't
listening to it to begin with, and he's looking at the floor,
"thinking".

He often doesn't allow a pause between the answer and his next
question, so he "walks" all over it. *He makes editing a ****ing
nightmare and more than twice as much work to produce a decent program
than if he possessed the absolute most basic of interviewing skills.

I agree then and still agree, the way they show how
perfect they can make million dollar homes look great is sickening.

Well, there's the "production" crew and equipment to consider. *It's
pretty tough to fit all that crap in the 11x13 living room of a $750K
900sf. SoCal cottage.

And average Joes don't very often pour a ton of cash into a complete
renovation, but rich people do. *And the show often gets the advantage
of working from foundation to roof, landscaping, etc., and working on
one site for an extended period.

A rec room redo or installing some cabinets just isn't as interesting,
at least to me, and there are now numerous DIY shows that have filled
that gap.

And I think it's easier for a guy to simplify aspects of a high-dollar
renovation than take a simple one done on the cheap and expand upon
it.
*-----

- gpsman

because he isn't listening ...begin with...

My favorite exchange from his new series Hore...errrr I mean...Home
Again:

A contractor was cleaning an aluminum door in Florida.

Bob - "What is that you're using on the door?"

Contractor - "Well, it's basically a chemical solution for cleaning
aluminum."

Bob - "So, it's bascially a chemical solution for cleaning aluminum,
right?"

Contractor - (with a quizzical look on his face) -
"Uh...yes...Bob...that's right."

On Mar 18, 11:17*am, gpsman wrote:
On Mar 18, 1:40 am, "Chris Miller" wrote:



kevin o'connor has learned more and more about
the trades which has made his commentary and questions even better. steve
was my favorite, but i think that kevin is coming into his own.

Kevin is great, but the show is at least loosely scripted, and
rehearsed, and he doesn't think of the greatest majority of those
questions or the commentary off the top of his head.

"aemeijers" wrote in message

...

Anthona wrote:
Years ago when Bob Vila was in the Old house, he left because he said
that he didn't like the way the show was going..building and repairing
luxury homes only.

I think he was ****canned due to his capitalization on his popularity
combined with a severe case of "star-itis", combined with a lack of
ability to keep his big yap shut.

See his new show? *He's pitiful as "talent". *He often interrupts, and
rudely, and at the exact wrong time when the interviewee is arriving
at the most relevant portion of their response because he isn't
listening to it to begin with, and he's looking at the floor,
"thinking".

He often doesn't allow a pause between the answer and his next
question, so he "walks" all over it. *He makes editing a ****ing
nightmare and more than twice as much work to produce a decent program
than if he possessed the absolute most basic of interviewing skills.

I agree then and still agree, the way they show how
perfect they can make million dollar homes look great is sickening.

Well, there's the "production" crew and equipment to consider. *It's
pretty tough to fit all that crap in the 11x13 living room of a $750K
900sf. SoCal cottage.

And average Joes don't very often pour a ton of cash into a complete
renovation, but rich people do. *And the show often gets the advantage
of working from foundation to roof, landscaping, etc., and working on
one site for an extended period.

A rec room redo or installing some cabinets just isn't as interesting,
at least to me, and there are now numerous DIY shows that have filled
that gap.

And I think it's easier for a guy to simplify aspects of a high-dollar
renovation than take a simple one done on the cheap and expand upon
it.
*-----

- gpsman

but the show is at least loosely scripted, and rehearsed,,,

Here's how scripted and rehearsed TOH is - true story -

As the scene opens, Rich Trethewey has one hand a large concrete
distribution tank that is being lowered into the ground by a crane. He
is "quiding" the operator - "Keep coming...a little more...a little
more". Kevin enters the scene and marvels at how big the tank is.

Rich takes his hand off the tank and says to Kevin "Come on, I'll show
you how the system works." The camera follows them as they walk away
from the tank.

I'm sitting there thinking "Hey Rich, weren't you supposed to be
guiding that tank into the ground? What's the driver supposed to do
now?" Yeah, like he was really talking to the crane operator...