Family Feuds Erupt Amidst Beautiful Kitchens

10/29/2009

My entire family is in the business: my brother, Joe is a custom cabinet maker. My mom is a fabulous seamstress, and she's got an unbelievable eye for faux painting. My dad's been a handyman and a carpenter his whole life, and my brother, Matthew is learning all trades.

My family's worked together prior to this, but of course, we didn't have the time constraints we have now. It's such a short amount of time, you'll see that tempers absolutely flare, we step on each other's toes, and opinions differ. My brother Joe and I absolutely have different ideas!

He's a custom cabinet maker, so of course, he thinks the vast majority of budget should go into that. He'll debate: why spend money on window treatments, and things to finish room – and he gets frustrated. He wants all of the budget to go into construction materials.
Matthew sits back and watches. He might stick his nose in every once in a while, but my parents are really stuck in middle. It's an interesting process. While it seems like it might drive us away from each other, it really brings us closer. At end of the day, when all projects are done, my brother and I understand each other a little better, not only on the show, but also outside, with my parents, and we're able to help them out.

There's a lot of personality in the show. It's tense and it's fun.
We're a close knit family. We love each other very much, we're not the kind of family that just gets together on holidays. My mother is my best friend. I spend time with family, because I want to, not because I have to. We're very close, we have good, open communications, we laugh and we play practical jokes. The show runs the full gamut of emotions.

Thoughout the season, the kitchens are by far the hardest project! And it's not just about the workload. That's where my brother and I always, always, always butt heads over the cabinetry. I see his frustration that he wants to make the custom cabinets the best, but I need to wear a designer hat and a GC hat. For him, I should be a general contractor first and foremost, and a designer is secondary. He does the labor, but it's inevitable that I'm going to ask him to construct it in such a short period of time. Kitchens, in general, are overwhelming projects for do-it-yourselfers or professional contractors. There are so many elements, kitchens are challenging.

The viewers will get a lot of design advice, construction advice, and demolition advice. Unlike other renovation shows, we don't want you to  just take a sledge hammer to everything! There is a responsible way to demolish, and keep items that can potentially stay or be reused.

I hope the viewers are inspired at the end of the day, and motivated to tackle some of these tough projects. Whether it's revamping your room, searching for ideas on color, furniture, or the potential of their room, we have it. I hope viewers are more informed on how to deal with a contractor, but realize that a few bad contractors can't overshadow the tons of contractors who do fantastic, excellent work.
I want people to be less afraid to take a chance. Sure, they need to do their homework, but when you've chosen the right one, it works. I really hope it's an inspiration.

It's a wild ride. It's been a wild ride for the family. I hope the viewers will be entertained. It absolutely shows what happens in a renovation. A lot of networks will edit out the hard stuff, but it was really important for me to show the challenges. That's my biggest pet peeve, when shows have the big reveal, without showing the work, and viewers think it’s a piece of cake. Then, the do-it-yourselfer gives up as soon as they encounter the first problem. Problems happen all the time, and when you're compressed for time, there are lots of mistakes, things get mismeasured, but at the end of the day, we rally, and figure out a way to solve it.

I hope viewers walk away knowing you don't have to let the problems stop you in your tracks. If you really pay attention, these things are possible. The show is the real deal – things aren't always perfect.
In the end, business is business and family is family. I hope people find the show really entertaining, I hope they love the designs and I hope they know how much I love the work we are doing!

Unhinged is labor of love for this family of contractors

10/21/2009

The idea for "Unhinged" began when my parents were building their dream retirement home in Hawaii. They ended up losing life savings and their retirement from dealings with a contractor.

Unfortunately, they lost everything. My parents filed bankruptcy. They lost their property, and they lost their retirement. Everything they had ever saved in their entire life; and they are in their 50s, was gone. Now, they are starting from scratch. They are trying to get restitution, but unfortunately, things move slowly. So, in the meantime, they are starting over! Their dream house was to be in Hawaii, but they are in Southern California with us, and they are back to square one.

 

Their dealings with the contractors, their problems spurred me to go out and make sure this didn’t happen to anyone else. And the rest of family wanted to do the same thing.

We wanted to show others, that not all contractors are out for the buck, or out to get them. They do the work you pay them for, and they will not leave you in the lurch, like my parents were.

The show features my entire family: my dad, my mom, my brother Joe, and my brother Matt, are all working to help people who feel they have been taken advantage of by dishonest contractors.

We want to show people the real deal, and what a great process it can be, when approached from the right perspective.

The projects  on the show are small and large, but they are isolated to one room because of  budget. The focus is always people who have had unfortunate dealings with contractors, and how we can make their situation right.

We’ve done bathrooms, bedrooms, a game room,  and more, all unfinished, when the contractors fell short. We were able to go in, and take over the project.

In the premiere, there’s a kitchen makeover that began when the clients had wanted the floors leveled. All they wanted done were their floors. The woman, Amy, came downstairs to find 90 percent of the kitchen demolished, with big gigantic, gaping holes in floors. Talk about a major, major hazard for her  two small children!

She only wanted the floors done; and instead all lower cabinetry, sinks, faucets, and fixtures were demolished. She had the contractor removed from the property.

She was living in that kitchen for two years, when we met her. She did have the money to get an emergency contractor to put plywood over the holes; so her children didn’t get killed. But she had a make-shift countertop made of plywood, and the sink resting inside of that. All of that was, of course, rotting out in two years, and she’s left with an unsafe, rotting kitchen. It was dangerous, hazardous, and disgusting because it wasn’t a safe place to prepare food and eat, certainly not a place for two kids to get ready in morning.

The troubling thing is it was an older home, their dream home. They had spent a lot of money in living there, adding their personal touches. The kitchen  was gorgeous – all the  original cabinetry was in great condition, and because of this contractor, it all had to be replaced. Unfortunately, they had a small budget saved, and they lost it on paying the contractor to make it safe. 

There’s no money left to put in flooring, cabinetry, or electrical. Their refrigerator was hooked to an extension cord. Here it is, you think the kitchen is the heart of home, and they were prisoners in their home, and emotionally exhausted by the entire process.

 

 

Find out how it gets turned around when “Unhinged” premieres, Saturday, October 24, at 11/10c.

A pop of personality to inspire your kitchen

09/29/2009

We all know the kitchen is the biggest bang for your buck. Renovation dollars spent in the kitchen almost always increase the value of your home. 

But what if your renovation budget is lackluster? 

The biggest mistake people make in their kitchen is not doing anything at all!

I hear so many people complain about their kitchen, but knowing the cost of a large remodel, they do nothing. 
My advice is: Don’t give up!

Think about what you want to utilize in the kitchen. For a lot of people, storage is an issue. Then it’s a matter of taking stock of what you have and revamping your storage system. Invest money in the organizational materials for your cabinets. Put your pastas, and spices in beautiful containers, and move things around until your kitchen works for you. You don’t always have to change the footprint of your kitchen; you just need to better realize the items you already have. Start there.

Paint is another inexpensive way to improve a kitchen.
In my opinion, bold is better in the kitchen. It’s not a room you have to sleep in, so why not be brave?
It’s a room where you’re cooking and entertaining, make the color a part of the conversation. You want your kitchen to be an inspiring place to cook and entertain.

I don’t have any rules about what colors to stay away from in a kitchen. I base colors on a fabric, style or just the way I want to feel in the space. My kitchen is nostalgic. I went for a pale olive green, with crisp white cabinets. But I wanted that nostalgic kitchen: I have black and white accessories. I use containers of lentils and lima beans for interest. I love that East Coast style; I like white. But it’s a personal preference.
My brother Joe hates that I paint everything white. He loves natural wood, and has a completely different style than I do.

I’ve seen some really dark saturated blues and eggplants or soft sage greens that I like. It makes you hungry and inspires you to cook and enjoy the space. That’s what you want: Inspiration to be there and have FUN! 

I know so many people who hate their kitchen. Renovations seem costly, and because they don’t want to cook in there, they end up eating out, or eating quick meals, and they are spending more in the long run, simply because their home isn’t their inspirational space.