May 22, 2008
What Happens After the Extreme Makeover
(Pictured above, the Hebert home before and the Hebert home after, Photo Source: Sullivan Homes)
Late last year, close to home, Kirkland’s own Chapin family was the recipient of a generous home makeover from ABC’s Extreme Makeover, Home Edition. During the last week of October, the dilapidated 2,060 square foot home that was clearly suffering from structural deficiences was transformed into a 3,500 square foot beauty, complete with a custom-monogrammed pool, updated stainless steel kitchen and large screen TV.
The irony of the show, however, is that recipients of these generous makeovers are typically of lesser means. Consequently, we wonder how these families are able to keep up with the higher property tax, utility, and maintenance costs that go hand in hand with the upkeep of a larger, more luxurious home. In other words, what happens after the cameras go away?
Enter the Hebert family of Sandpoint, Idaho. They received an Extreme Home Makeover in late 2005, moving up from what was described as a daylight basement with a roof to a three bedroom/ three and a half bath/bonus room/den home. The master bedroom, which connects to a deck, is complete with deck, fireplace, and hot tub. Hebert says that since the upgrade, his bills have trippled, and consequently, the home is now listed for $529,000. According to Hebert, he doubts he will ever again live in such a nice home.
Roland said:
Funny, isn’t it?
It brings back to mind your blog post from just a few days ago containing the idea that the only real cost today of staying in the suburbs in a very large house was the extra 10 bucks a week gas has gone up in the last few weeks.
Some of the costs of a larger home you bring up here in this post, property tax, utilities, maintenance - now suddenly seem relevant.
I guess the Herbert family is feeling the full and true costs of owning a home far larger than they need. I guess one only experiences those higher costs if they somehow change recently. Or something. Otherwise, they don’t seem to exist.
Suburban magic!
Love the blog! Cheers.
May 23, 2008 12:59 PM
Roland said:
Funny… I just clicked on the blog post links with out reading the email. From the Redfin email:
I love living in small spaces. Not only is it more environmentally friendly to reduce your bio-footprint but you also spend less on heating and housekeeping the fewer square feet per person you have.
Friends and real estate agents look at me like I’m crazy when I rule out a property for being too big. In Seattle finding a small house is not that hard since most homes near downtown were built before 1950 but it is difficult to find one that hasn’t been molested by an overzealous renovation.
Ever since the ’50s home buyers have been saying “supersize me” yet the average American family has been shrinking. The pendulum is now swinging back the other way for homes as more and more people are opting for fewer square feet that are more functional as opposed to the “bigger is better” mentality of recent decades.
…
Posted by marie.hagman, 05/23/2008 11:54am
Thanks Marie. Katrina, meet Marie. Have coffee. Chat.
May 23, 2008 1:03 PM
Another Extreme Makeover Bites the Dust | Redfin Seattle Sweet Digs said:
[…] two months ago, the Hebert’s of Idaho were forced to put their 2007 Extreme Makeover up for sale. However, the news just broke that yet […]
July 28, 2008 10:31 PM