Just what we need: another dull room makeover show, this time in the form of HGTV’s “Debbie Travis’ Painted House.” It’s her second series for the network, following the 2003 debut of “Debbie Travis’ Facelift,” in which she aids a family member or friend in re-doing a space for an unsuspecting homeowner.
In “Painted House,” host and designer Travis meticulously questions her clients to personalize their room conversions. The first episode, which debuted Friday, has Travis meeting with twin 9-year-old girls, one of whom is in a wheelchair. Both girls assist in painting and other kid-safe tasks, and their separate bedrooms are transformed to reflect their favorite colors. Travis chooses wheelchair-friendly vinyl flooring and designs a desk that’s appropriate, too.
Though she offers plenty of ideas that viewers can do at home, Travis plods along without giving enough detailed instruction about what she’s doing. She also fails to state how much time these projects take or how much they cost. Her clients seem very pleased with their respective outcomes, but, unfortunately, that doesn’t cut it for the viewer.
“Debbie Travis’ Painted House” airs Fridays on HGTV at 7 p.m. and repeats at 11 p.m.
Spud raises the roof
Over on the Discovery Home Channel, there’s a neat little series called “Houselift.”
Husband-and-wife team and co-producers Paul Hochman and Tricia Bradley decide to document the expansion of their house outside Boston, as well as “the invasion, the stress and the insanity of a real home renovation,” Hochman says in the first episode. They choose to stay in their 1907 home with their two kids and their dog during the remodeling, and the burden becomes apparent.
But this is more than just a family mini-drama: Hochman and Bradley have to decide whether — and how to — hire an architect, contractor, landscape architect and interior decorators. And there’s the surveying and permitting process required by the town, and the expenses involved (and they do reveal the prices). The couple asks neighbors and family for guidance and consults a financial adviser. A marriage counselor even gives an expert opinion about the strain that a renovation can put on a relationship.
“What have we gotten ourselves into?” Hochman says. Something fairly interesting. “Houselift” airs on Discovery Home Channel at 7 p.m.
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Carmel Carrillo is assistant editor of the Sunday Real Estate section. You can e-mail her at [email protected].