HGTV's Love It or List It: Page, Pools and Parenthood Panic

HGTV's Love It or List It, Season 20, Episode 1 - "A Place to Go or a Place to Grow"

It’s the Season 20 premiere of Love It or List It and the Designing Besties are here to break it all down—shiny brass fireplace and all. Page Turner steps into Hillary Farr’s designer shoes (or tosses them aside entirely) and takes on a cluttered Canadian starter home with no main-floor bath and some serious basement energy.

Rhonda and Shari recap all the design wins, parenting chaos, real estate drama, and questionable bathroom math in this fresh episode from HGTV’s long-running hit. Will Jen and Theo love it? List it? Or fake it for production? And is David still doing all the driving?

From heated floors and emotional pantries to baby-shoe-strewn basements and slider-door standoffs—this one has everything.

Love and Kisses,

Rhonda and Shari

Find us at https://designingbesties.buzzsprout.com, Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter).

Transcript

018 - FINAL - LOVE IT OR LIST IT S20 E1

[00:00:00] Shari: It is a new season of Love It or List It. And guess what? There's a new designer in town.

[00:00:04] Rhonda: And she brought demo day confidence and zero patience for indecisive husbands.

[00:00:11] Shari: Hi there, I'm Shari, and this is my BFF Rhonda.

[00:00:14] Rhonda: And welcome to Designing Besties. This podcast is for women.

[00:00:18] Shari: and brave men

[00:00:19] Rhonda: who eat, sleep, and breathe interior design and recognize their addiction to HGTV.

[00:00:24] Shari: Whether you're rearranging your living room for the 12th time or here to justify another HomeGoods spree, you're in the right place.

[00:00:30] Rhonda: Let's talk design, disasters, and all the beautiful chaos in between. 

[00:00:35] Shari: We're diving into the Season 20 premiere of Love It or List It, and this one's called "A Place to Grow or a Place to Go," which honestly sounds like the title of a breakup album. And spoiler, someone is ready to break up with their house.

[00:00:47] Rhonda: Jen. Jen wants out. Theo wants to stay, and the poor house is stuck in the middle with 15 years of starter home trauma.

[00:00:55] Shari: Enter Page Turner stepping into the designer role after Hillary Farr's long reign. She's not trying to be Hillary 2.0. Page is bringing her own flare and flipping the script in her own way.

[00:01:06] Rhonda: Meanwhile, David is doing what he does best, throwing real estate spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks.

[00:01:12] Shari: Will Page win Jen over with a revamped version of their current home? Or will David finally get someone to say yes to a listing without budget induced side eye?

[00:01:22] Rhonda: Let's unpack it all from tight hallways and renovation chaos to the one Love It or List It tradition that lives on David still has to do all the driving.

[00:01:32] Shari: he does. 

Well, for those of you familiar with Love It or List It, I love this show, but I have to be honest, I haven't watched it as much in the past few years as I used to.

[00:01:42] Rhonda: It did get a little routine. Yes.

[00:01:43] Shari: gets a little predictable, but the show features David Visentin and Page Turner now replacing Hillary Farr. 

[00:01:50] Rhonda: Yes. 

[00:01:50] Shari: David is a Canadian real estate agent and started the show 20 seasons ago like I had.

I looked it up to see it and I just thought, wow. And I looked up also to see if David and Hillary started the show season one, and they absolutely did. So it was this team back in 2012 who actually started Love It or List It.

[00:02:09] Rhonda: Well, I remember when it was. Should I stay or should I go?

[00:02:12] Shari: have no idea what that show is.

[00:02:14] Rhonda: was the Canadian version that HGTV must have bought or you. Took over whatever the right word is, for business. But yeah, it was should I stay or should I go? Which of course is a fantastic song, but Love It or List It is what came into HGTV into America with Hillary and David.

[00:02:31] Shari: back in 2012, they premiered. I actually watched the very first episode, 

[00:02:35] Rhonda: Oh yeah. 

[00:02:35] Shari: is that the formula doesn't change.

[00:02:38] Rhonda: No, it doesn't.

[00:02:40] Shari: That's part of why, like Hillary said, she left the show after 19 seasons because she wanted new challenges and felt like the show had become a little too predictable and routine.

[00:02:49] Rhonda: Yeah, I'm with her. I will say Page. Really was a great selection to 

replace her. It reminds me a little bit of Top Chef, for a long time they had this, spokesperson named Padma who was really quite famous and she left and there was sort of this big, like no one can replace

Padma, but this girl, Kristen came in and she has done a fantastic job.

And that's kind of how I feel. Page. Page is not gonna be Hillary. She's gonna be Page.

 I remember seeing her first on Flip or Flop Nashville. I think it was her and her ex Deron, who I really did

like, I liked him and I liked their chemistry, and was disappointed when it was canceled.

So I'm glad to see she's back and you and I both love her on Rock the Block with her partner. Mitch, was that his name?

[00:03:32] Shari: I can't remember. It was her contractor partner

[00:03:35] Rhonda: Yes. 

[00:03:35] Shari: and she was also on a show called Fix My Flip, which I don't actually

remember, 

[00:03:40] Rhonda: I did not like it.

it had a mean edge to it, you know what I mean?

[00:03:44] Shari: It had a what? 

[00:03:44] Rhonda: Like, the way they would a a mean, it was a little bit mean. They, the way they would talk to her, I didn't care for, she would give them her advice. And the response was sort of, I don't know. 

[00:03:55] Shari: like we, the experts, it was like a 101? 

[00:03:58] Rhonda: It was, except the, homeowners talking back, kind of talking down.

[00:04:02] Shari: Oh. This is seeming more familiar. 

[00:04:04] Rhonda: anyway, it just rubbed me a little long. So I never really watched it, to be quite honest.

[00:04:08] Shari: I agree. I think she was a good pick. I was interested to actually see this new season to see how it worked out.

Uh, and the show starts out as always with David picking up, but Page instead of Hillary,

[00:04:19] Rhonda: Yes.

[00:04:20] Shari: and then at the end, David confirms that he's still gonna be expected to drive every time, and they have that typical back and forth banter that Hillary and he were so good at.

[00:04:30] Rhonda: They do. It's a different, it's different, but just as, cute, just as clever. So

[00:04:36] Shari: then the show currently films, for those of you who aren't familiar with it, it currently films in the greater Toronto area of Canada. 

[00:04:42] Rhonda: back to Canada. 

[00:04:43] Shari: yeah, for a 10 year period, they were filming in North Carolina. Do you remember Hillary's home there? We got to see it, but they've moved back to Canada.

Everything we hear is that Canada has cheaper production costs. So, I kind of wonder, do tariffs affect that? I don't know how they would affect production costs, but, 

[00:05:01] Rhonda: I

don't know. You know what? They also got rid of the narrator, that female voice

that narrated. Yeah. I thought, huh, that's strange. Wonder why that got, maybe it's cheaper not to have a

[00:05:11] Shari: I, I'm assuming one less person working. It probably is.

[00:05:17] Rhonda: The robot voice. Yeah.

[00:05:19] Shari: Now we get to meet the family

and see the current house, and it's Jen and Theo, and they're a younger couple. They have a four bedroom, two bath with a one car garage, and they've lived in there for 15 years. They call it their starter home. And they have two adorable kids, Lucas, who's 10, and Naiya, who's five

now.

Theo says the kids were born in the house and Rhonda was wondering, do you think they were literally born in the house? Because he says this again later on in the episode. And I thought, 

[00:05:50] Rhonda: Like right 

here in the living room. 

[00:05:52] Shari: squeeze them out in the house or

did they happen to live there when the kids were born? And I don't know, it's like 

things that made me 

go, huh? 

[00:06:01] Rhonda: I was gonna say, nowadays I do, work with a gentleman who has, he's, I think it's his ninth kid is coming up here on Veteran's Day. And, every single one of 'em was born in his house.

[00:06:12] Shari: Wow. Well, I feel 

like by the ninth kid, they just basically fall out.

[00:06:15] Rhonda: like a clown car. God bless him. God bless him. Anyway, so yes, he's

[00:06:25] Shari: My apologies to mommies everywhere who decide

to have babies in their house.

[00:06:29] Rhonda: I could see the appeal of it, I didn't get the same feeling that they had him in the house. I got the feeling that they

brought them home. 

[00:06:35] Shari: it so specifically and he 

repeats it again at the end, and I just 

[00:06:39] Rhonda: You're right. 

[00:06:39] Shari: huh,

[00:06:40] Rhonda: Yeah. I, I do know, I have a, a girlfriend that's very nostalgic when she. Moved outta her starter

home. She was literally crying because this is where she brought her babies home. Like she remembers those memories

[00:06:53] Shari: I could not 

[00:06:54] Rhonda: a baby home. 

[00:06:55] Shari: of my starter home. I still have those

memories with Matt there, but I was just like, I was ready to go.

[00:07:03] Rhonda: That's funny. Well, I think you and Jen are in the same mindset because Jen is definitely ready to

[00:07:10] Shari: The other thing besties is I'm not terribly sentimental,

[00:07:13] Rhonda: mm-hmm.

[00:07:14] Shari: So for me, yeah, it was an, an easy move.

Now it's always, there's a dynamic where one person, the couple wants to stay, and in this case it's Theo the husband and one who wants to go and buy something new. And that's Jen, the wife. And she wants more storage, another bathroom for sure, and updated a kitchen and laundry and a suitable bedroom for Naiya.

[00:07:34] Rhonda: Yes.

Crazy talk. 

[00:07:36] Shari: I know now the current house does have a beautiful backyard with a pool.

[00:07:39] Rhonda: That was a big

deal. The pool seemed to be a really big

[00:07:42] Shari: the second big deal was they're five minutes from this beautiful lake. 

So as always, David's gonna have a challenge finding them, something that's in basically their same neighborhood, but also more affordable.

'cause even as Page points out later, the affordability over 15 years has changed.

[00:07:58] Rhonda: it has. When she mentioned that the price of housing, I actually made a note. About that, that that would certainly affect the show. Not just that, but the interest rates right here in America. interest rates have gone way up. So what you can afford to buy may be way less than what you currently have. 

[00:08:14] Shari: Now they have a small eating kitchen. It's a galley style with almost no counter space. But go 

[00:08:20] Rhonda: No counter space. No, I was just gonna say the overall feel as they were walking through this house that I

had was just dark and jam packed.

[00:08:30] Shari: Lots of stuff. Marie Kondo book started 

flowing through my head, but I also realized with two younger children, there's a part of that clutter that you just, I guess as a parent today, you just need to have it and 

[00:08:42] Rhonda: I. 

[00:08:42] Shari: bring clutter with them.

[00:08:44] Rhonda: Yeah. The time it takes to go through that I'm sure is taken up with the raising of

children and trying to, you know, maintain a house like that. but that was my, when, when Page kept saying jam packed. And I thought, yes, that's exactly right. It's, it's definitely needs a Marie Kondo, uh, work workout

[00:09:00] Shari: Mm-hmm. Now, oh my God. A fireplace in the kitchen.

[00:09:04] Rhonda: the heck? What the

[00:09:06] Shari: Of course Page wants to move it. So see, Rhonda having a fireplace in your kitchen is not the flex you think it is? Because if you listen to as besties, you know, I have a fireplace, it's in my kitchen. I plan on getting rid of it and putting a fireplace, someone else 

[00:09:20] Rhonda: a beautiful beautiful fireplace. That thing looked cheap in seventies and

[00:09:26] Shari: Well, 

[00:09:27] Rhonda: don't know why somebody even put it there.

[00:09:29] Shari: but listen, it also looks so out of date with the black and brass, but I wanna tell you, mine had brass accents too, like that shiny brass accent. And I just used high heat paint and I painted that. And I don't understand why some people live with these. Ugly out date things and it literally cost me a $10 can of paint and not even a full afternoon.

 that shiny brass paints beautifully. People just fix it. I'm getting rid of mine anyway, but I just,

I couldn't look at that bright brass anymore. And I even for the time period that I have it in there, I didn't wanna see

[00:10:04] Rhonda: Now besties. It's a beautiful, beautiful brick fireplace. She has a giant, is it a Boston

fern 

in there? It's just the prettiest and the way she does it for Halloween and for Christmas, but no, it 

has to go. 

[00:10:17] Shari: to go. 

[00:10:18] Rhonda: she's crazy. 

[00:10:18] Shari: a fireplace somewhere else.

[00:10:20] Rhonda: It will not be as nice as that one. Let me

just, 

[00:10:23] Shari: so much nicer. 

[00:10:24] Rhonda: Full stop.

[00:10:26] Shari: Then they go down to the basement, also known as the kid zone, and there is like, if we thought it was cluttered upstairs, here we really see literally there are baby clothes in the bar zone.

I'm just wondering how do you 

still have those baby clothes sitting on a counter in your, the, the 

youngest child, 

[00:10:44] Rhonda: shoes, 

[00:10:45] Shari: five years old,

so if there's been there for five years, I have all of Matt's baby stuff that he doesn't wanna take yet and I don't wanna get rid of in a nice little, you know, bento bin.

It's all labeled with, here's Matt's baby stuff. And, but it wouldn't still be sitting out five years later. It wouldn't be sitting out. That was 

funny to me. 

[00:11:03] Rhonda: I wonder if Theo pulled it out and put it there so they could, have some sentimentality with the basement. I don't know. It was very strange to walk down a hallway and pick up a pair of baby shoes that are, you know, like you said,

[00:11:14] Shari: Yeah. I 

[00:11:15] Rhonda: Uh, right on top. 

[00:11:16] Shari: placenta next? Did they leave that in

the house 

[00:11:18] Rhonda: God.

[00:11:21] Shari: to show she literally had the babies in 

the house? 

[00:11:25] Rhonda: here. Here's the stain, here's the stain. God,

[00:11:29] Shari: And 

then there I probably will. And then their pantry is also literally down in the basement. So can you imagine to do so is their laundry room. So to do laundry or to go to the bathroom. or get your food from the pantry. It's down in the basement. Now they can go upstairs to go to the bathroom, but I just thought, how is there no bathroom on that main floor?

And no one says, Hey, let's put in a little powder bath here.

[00:11:56] Rhonda: So I think this is exposing your California upbringing

[00:12:00] Shari: Oh, we just 

[00:12:01] Rhonda: because. 

[00:12:01] Shari: outside. Is that what you mean?

[00:12:04] Rhonda: Total dirty hippies. Yes. No.

[00:12:07] Shari: I grew up in Santa Barbara. People, it's a hippie zone. Come on. Okay. Just kidding. We didn't 

[00:12:12] Rhonda: My favorite city in America. That's my favorite city. But anyway, yeah, if you grow up back east, you're familiar with these type houses that. Uh, I will tell you that I used to have to go down in the basement to get, you know, my grandma would send me down there to get, can of cream corn or whatever the heck 

[00:12:27] Shari: Oh, doesn't, 

[00:12:29] Rhonda: because, 

[00:12:29] Shari: that's where most of the murders happen? Like nothing good happens in a basement.

[00:12:34] Rhonda: it was scary.

It

[00:12:35] Shari: Yeah. They get leaks to him. We listen to Mike Holmes on his show, constantly talk about.

[00:12:41] Rhonda: Don't 

[00:12:42] Shari: basements are, you know, problematic with radon, and they're not watertight.

And heaven forbid you try to do any kind of renovation because you're gonna mess up that 

zone 

anyway.

So you're right. I have no familiarity with basements. I've never lived in a house with a basement. I only see them in scary movies. They terrify the crap outta me. I, I don't ever want a basement.

[00:13:04] Rhonda: Anyway, yes. Most of the old houses I've been in there's usually for some reason, a, Toilet in the basement, but no bedroom or anything accompanying it just sort of a strange, I, I think it's from in Pittsburgh anyway, from the old days of working in steel mills and being filthy dirty when you come home.

So you come in through the 

basement and clean up. Clean up. But I presume the same thing happened in Toronto because that's what they had. Like I did the same thing you did. Why is there a full base? Why 

[00:13:32] Shari: That house felt so nineties to me. We don't know when it was built, but just with all those diagonal lines. But speaking about the bathroom in the basement, now David calls it a three piece and Page says where 

she's 

from. 

[00:13:44] Rhonda: my notes. 

[00:13:45] Shari: It's called a full bath.

[00:13:46] Rhonda: Yeah.

[00:13:46] Shari: And what I'll tell you is I've done some research on this.

Is that the, it's based on the going knowledge in your area from the assessors. Because code doesn't care about whether you call it a three piece or a four piece, or a full or a half bath or a threequarter bath, but it's really based on the real estate market in your area and how they refer to it.

It has nothing to do with code. It has to do with the of real estate community in your area. 

[00:14:09] Rhonda: I was just thinking more along the lines. people really don't take baths anymore. Like how many flips do we see where they take out a bathtub? You know, those giant, jetted bathtubs.

cause people use it for storage, 

[00:14:20] Shari: in my area where a lot of people come here to retire. it can be considered an upgrade to have a full shower and no bath

[00:14:27] Rhonda: I wrote it in my notes. I said, what's three, three piece versus full bath?

And when we built this house, I asked my mom, because she would be the one mainly staying in the guest bath, about the, the layout. And she said, take out that bathtub and put in a full shower.

You know, walk in, walk out, shower. 

[00:14:44] Shari: here it would feel like an upgrade

[00:14:46] Rhonda: Yeah. 

[00:14:46] Shari: as long as you have a tub somewhere. 

 In this house that we're watching on tv, the laundry 

room is pretty 

[00:14:52] Rhonda: Yes. 

[00:14:53] Shari: every time I went down there, I would think that there's an ax murderer down there. I would be afraid to go down. I'd be, honey, I have to wait till you get home from work to go down. 'cause you're spending time in the basement with me. 

I might send in my little five-year-old first to make sure it's a safe zone. but I, I might take the dog. Yes. And the basement overall, we talked about this feels a little bit cluttered they only have a one car garage, so I think that's also part of their storage issue.

Normally, like I stack all kinds of crap in my garage. I don't know how I could live without a three car garage, and somehow these people are doing it with one car 

and they get real winter.

Uhhuh now. 

Naiya's room is 

[00:15:37] Rhonda: Yes. 

[00:15:38] Shari: but I love the kid 

[00:15:39] Rhonda: Oh, the 

[00:15:40] Shari: is so cute. 

[00:15:41] Rhonda: on that

wall, weren't they? 

[00:15:42] Shari: I did, and I wished because Page painted it a similar color overall, and I thought she 

[00:15:47] Rhonda: I would've kept them. I thought they were beautiful. They were really well done.

Really well done. 

[00:15:51] Shari: and we're 

getting ahead of ourselves because that, we'll 

talk about that 

later at the renovation.

I'm sorry. All right. So David's worried about the lake location. 

Of course there's always something he's worried about. A lot of times it has to do with people wanna stay in their 

[00:16:04] Rhonda: Yes. And then Page is worried about obviously space, right? There's just not a lot of 

space to work with there, 

[00:16:11] Shari: Yes. Now, in this current house, they never give us the total square footage, but it's valued at 725,000,

and then they each have stay or go conditions.

To move, Theo wants four bedrooms, three baths, a primary en suite, a large kitchen, a two car garage. A finished basement, a large yard. I mean, this is a long list.

Oh, and they still wanna be close to the lake and have, or have space for a pool. They wanna be within 15 minutes of the lake, and his budget starts at 850,000. And page clarifies if the 850 K includes a pool or if they need to add it. So does that include a pool if they need to add it? And Jen says, we'll, we'll 

[00:16:53] Rhonda: Yeah, find me the house first. 

[00:16:55] Shari: To stay., Jen wants an updated kitchen, more storage. She wants to create a real mud room, update the basement and the basement bathroom,

update the laundry room, like basically create a laundry room 'cause it kind of, they're just stuffed in somewhere.

The washer dryer.

 do something to work with Naiya's bedroom. And that budget is 140,000.

 The list seems 

very long and 140,000 Page. Like I think I can work with that. 

But as we always know, things come up.

 but what I can't figure out, and this is kind of my feeling throughout the episode, is these people have a bathroom problem.

The idea that on the main floor there is no bathroom,

go to the killer zone if you wanna go to the bathroom.

[00:17:39] Rhonda: it's

[00:17:40] Shari: And like I would've taken the ugly basement bathroom and kept it if they would've given me a powder room on the main floor.

And then the other thing

that wasn't obvious to me at first, 

, they don't have an en suite, so they literally have one bathroom on the second floor and all four of them share it.

And that would be kind of a non-starter 

for me. 

[00:18:00] Rhonda: it's a little bit of, it's your starter house. You're used, just you and your husband, and then the first baby comes and it's not a big deal. And I, I think it's just sort of takes over before you

realize. 

[00:18:11] Shari: I get it, but you're gonna spend $140,000 to update it, and you're not addressing either of those two things. They could have had a smaller mudroom and a smaller pantry and put in 

[00:18:21] Rhonda: Sure everybody has something that's important to them. 

and I'm with you. 

[00:18:25] Shari: Honestly, this is when I started thinking these people aren't staying in this house, whatever the result is, because I felt like, production is gonna want her to win for her first episode,

but I also felt like it doesn't pass my hoho test. You don't do these kind of updates and say, oh yeah, I'm gonna 

live with that. That's what I think. That's my personal 

opinion. Like Tamra would say, like, that's my opinion.

[00:18:47] Rhonda: I was thinking, you know, when you have a pool and then the kid says, I have to go to the bathroom, where are You sending them 

Right. You sending them down 

in, through the 

[00:18:55] Shari: good point. 

[00:18:56] Rhonda: like almost always a, Out here in the west where, you know, a lot of people do have pools. A big selling item is, uh, bathroom access

from the, backyard. That's always a big 

[00:19:05] Shari: Good point. Yeah. Now for the renovation, Page brings Matt the contractor through the house.

She tells him in the kitchen area, she wants to remove the fireplace, thank God, so they have more room for

a proper mudroom in a 

pantry that's convenient to the kitchen.

She also wants to close up their slider doors so the cabinet run can go all the way down the wall and then she'll add an 

[00:19:27] Rhonda: When she suggested that, I remember I thought to myself, that's a bad idea.

for light. 

[00:19:32] Shari: Yeah. And there is a door. There's another door right there. But you're right, like I just thought, oh God. They talk about their backyard, like it's the holy grail, like

these people aren't gonna wanna 

[00:19:42] Rhonda: Yeah. in and out, in and out all day. 

[00:19:44] Shari: Yeah. Now in the basement she wants the stone behind the fireplace to come down so she 

can add 

storage. And you know what? Like that's 

real stone. 

[00:19:51] Rhonda: yeah.

[00:19:52] Shari: It's real stone. I, in my head I was thinking, I wonder what else they're gonna do with that stone. 'cause if I took stone like that down, I would wanna use it somewhere.

 And she'll update the bathroom down in the basement. Squaring it out to give it a little more room.

She wants to flip the laundry area to the other side of the basement next to the bathroom. So it gives them a dedicated laundry room,

which was on Jen's must have list. And this will leave the former laundry room and pantry area to be just dedicated storage. And it's actually a fairly large space

now.

She isn't sure how she's gonna fix Naiya's room.

I agree. It was a good layout except for, it's missing, a half bath in the 

main floor of the house, 

[00:20:32] Rhonda: but, 

[00:20:32] Shari: but that wasn't a must have for Jen. So that isn't Page's fault. And Rhonda, Do you think it's odd that they actually just never talk about giving them a primary en suite bathroom?

[00:20:42] Rhonda: because, yeah, 

you're 

right. 

[00:20:44] Shari: right. 

[00:20:44] Rhonda: I don't know. That's a good I did, it didn't really occur to me because I thought, well, the 140 K seemed like a good budget for what they Wanted 

to 

do,

Yeah. It, it felt like, okay, that's a, that's a good number, right? 50 K on the kitchen, blah, blah. Moving walls, taking out a fireplace.

Uh, if they'd have thrown anything else on that, it would've been ridiculous. Right. And there's probably no room. It doesn't seem like there's a lot of room in that house.

[00:21:05] Shari: Yeah, they're not able to actually increase the floor plan.

So she walks Jen and Theo through the renovation plan and drama alert.

Theo is not on board with taking out the slider door because they use it often for access 

[00:21:17] Rhonda: Yes. 

[00:21:17] Shari: Exactly as you 

[00:21:18] Rhonda: I also thought about the light, the house is already dark and you take that giant window out. I felt like it was just gonna be so much less, uh, inviting, let's 

just say that. 

[00:21:27] Shari: Now, renovation begins and Matt shows her the chimney Stack is pulling off from the 

house. 

So it's 

[00:21:34] Rhonda: Oh my 

[00:21:34] Shari: chimney stack, and he tells her it's an estimated 12 K 

[00:21:39] Rhonda: I, I saw that and thought, how has that stayed on that long? 

How has that stayed attached? High winds. 

[00:21:47] Shari: and he's, and Matt's worried because to do the renovations they're gonna do, there's gonna be inspectors there, and that inspectors are 

[00:21:54] Rhonda: that reminded me of what we had always said about other inspectors coming for other things and 

then seeing something. 

[00:22:00] Shari: Yes. Like, by the way, 

Now as she takes Jen and Theo on a walkthrough. Through the house after it's been demoed, she shows them the old fireplace wall and it's black. This is the old fireplace wall in the basement, and it's black because whoever installed that fireplace did it through an old window and the venting wasn't done right.

And I am telling you, I couldn't tell if that was black from heat because drywall

wouldn't turn black from heat, I don't think. I don't know. Or was it black from like creosote? Like I didn't know what exactly was the black, but it 

[00:22:31] Rhonda: I thought it was black because it was Stephen King's entrance to hell.

[00:22:35] Shari: that could 

[00:22:37] Rhonda: I expected Pennywise the clown to come crawling out. I

mean, it looked like a, 

it looked horrible, 

[00:22:43] Shari: scary. And she also tells them about the chimney stack removal.

Jen is so upset. Page had offered that she could take the laundry room off the list to make up the 12 K, and 

Jen is like, I'm gonna have to take a minute. And I can see where in real time when you're hit with these things, and I always feel like people should expect to hear bad news when they have an older home.

I'm assuming that's about a 30-year-old home and people have done things in that home or updated it and maybe not done it right. Or with professional contractors,

I think she should be really happy that her house didn't burn down with them in it. 

anyways, she's really upset. 

[00:23:23] Rhonda: that was a real indicator of her desperation to change the way she's living,

to just change the clutter and the, just everything jam packed and living like that has just gotta be. Such a, such chaos. Such 

negative energy. 

Yeah. Yeah. 

[00:23:37] Shari: Yeah. but yay. Then yes. But then later on, Matt tells Page that the engineers come up with an idea that the city is also happy with.

They're gonna use a 

[00:23:48] Rhonda: Yay. 

[00:23:49] Shari: to tie the chimney back into the house, and it will only cost 2000.

[00:23:53] Rhonda: Everyone wins.

[00:23:54] Shari: So do you think that was a real or made up drama for reality tv?

Rhonda?

I 

[00:23:59] Rhonda: me. felt 

[00:23:59] Shari: I felt like they already had the answer. They already knew it was 2K when they said, 

[00:24:03] Rhonda: hmm. Okay. her walking off, I felt genuine for a, an amateur, 

[00:24:09] Shari: That for sure went 

real. 

[00:24:10] Rhonda: off credible, anger. 

[00:24:12] Shari: And now we get to go on 

house tours with David. 

[00:24:14] Rhonda: Yes. 

First house 

[00:24:15] Shari: So in the usual format, he's gonna go through 

three houses, 

starts with the first house. Do you wanna 

[00:24:21] Rhonda: clean, picked up

bright. Big bedrooms, bath attached, which yeah, you would've jumped on immediately, right?

the main bedroom, I put in quotes, beautiful space.

They just

all loved that. That main bedroom, did have an unfinished basement,

which even unfinished. It still looked better than their finished basement and, small yard. And unfortunately, Shari, it's a long walk to the lake from

there. Mm-hmm.

[00:24:47] Shari: It is. And It doesn't have a 

[00:24:49] Rhonda: No, no pool.

[00:24:50] Shari: It's a four bedroom, four bath.

The kids get to share their own Jack and Jill bedroom. This is new. Jen likes the house, but Theo does complain about the walk to the lake, 

and this is what David always does with the first home tour.

It goes one of two ways. He either shows them a house that has everything they want, but it's way overpriced,

or he shows them a house that meets, some of their criteria, 

but is within their 

budget 

[00:25:15] Rhonda: location. 

[00:25:16] Shari: And and then they either have to say, at some point, I'm gonna raise the budget, or I'm gonna give up things on my must have list.

And either way, it's always a win for David. 'cause it tells him like, here's where they're willing to go and Jen offers after this first 

home tour, that

they maybe could stretch the budget. 

[00:25:33] Rhonda: door. 

[00:25:33] Shari: I 

[00:25:34] Rhonda: Yeah. 

[00:25:34] Shari: like Theo 

was ever on board with that plan.

[00:25:37] Rhonda: Me either. 

[00:25:37] Shari: House number two listed at 900,000. So it's 50 K over budget, which I even as Jen points out , you amortize that.

That's not a lot of money.

it's 

[00:25:45] Rhonda: Yes. 

[00:25:46] Shari: bed, four bath with a pool and a two 

car garage. 

[00:25:49] Rhonda: Lots of natural 

light, lots of, I love the windows in that house. I

thought they were beautiful. 

[00:25:54] Shari: my goodness. Still 15 minutes away from the lake. 

[00:25:57] Rhonda: They all said this. 

[00:25:58] Shari: But the basement's 

[00:26:00] Rhonda: Yes. And I put in quotes, crazy, beautiful. And they were talking about the 

bedrooms, so. 

[00:26:05] Shari: yes. yes. And they're big,

[00:26:08] Rhonda: The 

pool was 

smaller, but the backyard 

bigger. 

[00:26:10] Shari: the yard was beautiful. 

[00:26:11] Rhonda: Yes, absolutely.

[00:26:13] Shari: So Theo is kinda like errrr on the $50k over budget. So finally they go see one more it's a house in their neighborhood and David explains like it's one of only two houses for sale in their neighborhood.

So it's kind of this or nothing. It's on budget at 850. It reminds me a lot of their 

[00:26:28] Rhonda: Me too. Except no dining

room. 

No

dining room. 

[00:26:33] Shari: only one car garage, like it looks just like their house. 

It does have a finished basement and an updated kitchen with the open concept for the kitchen and family room, as you pointed out, no dining room.

 Now there is no en suite, like there is no bathroom attached to the 

[00:26:48] Rhonda: No. 

[00:26:48] Shari: bedroom,

but generally it feels like they're a 

little unimpressed with 

[00:26:52] Rhonda: it's just too small. I think it was the same feeling, that 

[00:26:54] Shari: Yeah, 

[00:26:55] Rhonda: with that.

so yeah, it's that. 

[00:26:57] Shari: And then Jen says she's still kind of stuck on the last house, on house number two. so Theo says they wanna see what Page does and what it's worth, once renovated before they'll make a decision,

but they're kind of set.

If they make a decision to sell, they're interested in number two,

[00:27:11] Rhonda: They just have to balance closer to the lake. Closer. Closer to budget, 

[00:27:15] Shari: and I wonder how often they walk down to the lake. A lot of people. 

[00:27:19] Rhonda: Yeah. 

[00:27:20] Shari: They talk about a 

feature, but they don't actually use 

it that 

often. So I wondered. 

[00:27:26] Rhonda: You had a pool. 

[00:27:27] Shari: and if they used their pool a lot, they're not at the a pool, and what did you tell me?

 for the first three months 

[00:27:31] Rhonda: Mm-hmm. 

[00:27:33] Shari: a maintenance, like it became a lot.

[00:27:35] Rhonda: Yeah, I think you told me the last year you were there, Matt went in at once or you went in at 

once. I can't remember what 

It was 

like. 

[00:27:41] Shari: like that. It was probably Matt. 

[00:27:44] Rhonda: yeah, I, I use my pool every day, almost as a, uh, I'm gonna get my money's worth out of this.

[00:27:51] Shari: Yeah, Rhonda doesn't really 

shower besties, so she uses the pool to clean 

up. 

[00:27:57] Rhonda: It's very sweaty 

here. 

[00:27:58] Shari: Her water bills are very expensive. They're in 

southern Nevada, so any way you can save water, it's a smart thing to do.

[00:28:05] Rhonda: Oh my

gosh. 

[00:28:06] Shari: And then we get the big reveal.

And it starts with the new front door, which looks 

[00:28:11] Rhonda: Well, let me just say, Page was looking fabulous.

So pretty in pink. 

[00:28:16] Shari: Yes, 

she did. Page is 

[00:28:19] Rhonda: pink. 

[00:28:20] Shari: though. But yes, she looked very good. 

[00:28:22] Rhonda: everything. 

[00:28:23] Shari: And in the entryway, the banister and stairway have been updated

along with all new flooring for the main floor. And now the kitchen is still 

a 

[00:28:30] Rhonda: a minute, wait a 

minute. Shari, 

[00:28:33] Shari: Yeah. What 

[00:28:34] Rhonda: give them a white

kitchen? 

[00:28:36] Shari: I don't understand how we're talking about open floor plans and white kitchens when according to the internet they are 

Ding, ding. 

Gone. 

Gone. 

[00:28:44] Rhonda: interior designers that are on my feeds, white is out. 

It could not be more boring 

and sterile. Right? and then I see this kitchen, I'm like, this is beautiful. I would take it in a hot minute. I think

it's gorgeous. 

[00:28:58] Shari: And it looked so much better. Again, it's not a huge space, but it looks so 

[00:29:02] Rhonda: With 

[00:29:03] Shari: open and less cluttered. 

[00:29:06] Rhonda: the backsplash. I loved it. 

[00:29:07] Shari: Even though they kept the slider door, she was able to still give them a custom appliance storage garage just a little smaller.

And then the quote unquote, most random fireplace in the world is gone.

And now they have a walk-in pantry and the 

mudroom has been 

[00:29:20] Rhonda: you see Jen's face?

When she sees 

that walk-in pantry, euphoric. Seriously, 

[00:29:26] Shari: when I start thinking maybe they're not selling. 

[00:29:29] Rhonda: it's so cute to me to see how a frazzled mom reacts to just some storage, some life solutions,

[00:29:37] Shari: Can you imagine though, 

cooking in the old kitchen where 

you go down to get something from the pantry down below and then you realize you've 

[00:29:45] Rhonda: Oh, Bacon's burning. 

[00:29:47] Shari: back down, you go. 

[00:29:49] Rhonda: down there looking for the can of

corn. Mm-hmm. 

[00:29:51] Shari: Mm-hmm

Speaking of the basement, it looks great. The stonewall is gone and now they have closed storage, which is just a must if you have kids.

And it looks like they put in an electric fireplace, which is what 

I'm gonna do too, 'cause I'm getting rid of a gas one and Rhonda is 

like, ran just like 

that. It also 

looks fabulous. 

[00:30:09] Rhonda: crying.

She started crying. Now

again, 

Jenny is not a paid 

actress. Jenny is not being paid. You know, she is a human being who is really just that thrilled that her life getting better.

[00:30:23] Shari: Page also updated the 

[00:30:24] Rhonda: Mm-hmm. and included a heated floor, which was a bonus, 

aqua Marine tile. I actually looked it up 

'cause I wanna have that for my house. 

[00:30:32] Shari: Uh huh 

Aquamarine is my birthstone,

[00:30:36] Rhonda: too, one of the cheaper gems. I 

[00:30:38] Shari: mm, 

[00:30:39] Rhonda: your head and it would be $5. But anyway.

[00:30:41] Shari: yes. true.

true. 

[00:30:43] Rhonda: could have just held on another week and gone to April, just saying,

got 

[00:30:47] Shari: Yeah. I would have to hold on for longer. Mm-hmm.

[00:30:50] Rhonda: But anyway, David points out, who is this for? Is this bathroom for, are you coming down two flights of stairs to take a shower in the morning? I don't know. 

So. 

[00:31:03] Shari: You know what? That's a good point. I maybe at one point, I don't know if there's a bedroom 

down there or not that we just didn't see. 

[00:31:10] Rhonda: just that,

that living area in the laundry 

[00:31:12] Shari: I don't know. Again, I would've taken the money and I would've put a half bath 

on the main floor, but 

that's just me. 

[00:31:17] Rhonda: Yeah.

[00:31:17] Shari: then Jen now has a dedicated laundry room, and that room also looks so 

[00:31:24] Rhonda: I 

[00:31:24] Shari: and so, so much 

utility. 

[00:31:26] Rhonda: Isn't that the room with Blue cabinets,

the laundry room. 

I was really surprised to see Blue Cabinets. I loved them, but I thought, do the homeowners, they never show this because of course they've gotta show that, you know, it's full of other stuff. But did the, did the homeowners have any say in the materials on these shows?

[00:31:42] Shari: They must, because blue was used all throughout the basement 

[00:31:46] Rhonda: Yeah. Mm-hmm. 

[00:31:47] Shari: ways. And I felt like that had to have been a 

[00:31:50] Rhonda: Because, yeah, if it was you, you'd be like, well, I hate blue, but this is nice.

[00:31:56] Shari: I will be like, how much would it cost to paint those and how 

[00:32:02] Rhonda: Was there anything left over? Because we gotta paint these cabinets.

We can 

keep the blue tile. We can keep the 

blue tile, but these cabinets have to come. 

[00:32:12] Shari: the final task that Page had was Naiya's bedroom.

And they were really curious to see how Page did, because she never really would give them a, complete answer on what solution she had for it. But I will tell you, she really created what looks like more room, but isn't, Page is really good at not adding any square footage, but somehow making it seem like it's more square footage.

Now the only negative I have to say about it is that that kid who's five years old is gonna have to stand on the bed to get to some of those shelves, which I thought was pretty funny. 

[00:32:42] Rhonda: So I wanted to ask if, I don't know if you noticed before the before picture of her room, there's one of those heat registers in the floor.

[00:32:50] Shari: I didn't notice. 

[00:32:51] Rhonda: we don't 

run into that a lot because ours are in the ceiling. 

 So, yeah, you have to pay attention to where those are and how you're gonna use them.

Right. How they're gonna be situated in the room. So she basically put that bed and little shelving thing right on top of that heat register. So do you have to move the register or can the

heat 

[00:33:08] Shari: No, you can just redirect it. 

[00:33:10] Rhonda: it. 

[00:33:11] Shari: I have moved one of my registers. I did it for my office Reno

mostly because we literally moved a wall.

but no, you can just redirect it so they have things you can put on 'em that redirects where the 

airflow is going. 

[00:33:23] Rhonda: So, yeah. Anyway, I just saw that in the first one, and then I thought, wait a minute, that bed is now covering that, that heat register. I do remember as a kid growing up, I would sit on top of it with my little polyester, probably flammable nightgown, and like cover, you know, 

[00:33:36] Shari: Yeah. Cover, 

[00:33:37] Rhonda: with my little gown, you know, 

so it would blow up and just try to warm 

[00:33:41] Shari: Uhhuh feels so good. 

[00:33:43] Rhonda: Yeah.

So anyway, 

memories. 

[00:33:46] Shari: and we've talked about this before with this show. How hard would it be to walk away when everything 

looks so perfect and 

new? There's no, I live here clutter.

And it was 

[00:33:56] Rhonda: Oh yeah. 

[00:33:57] Shari: moment of, oh my gosh, like this just 

[00:34:01] Rhonda: Well, where's all their stuff? Is it, is there some sort of like transp sitting out front 

[00:34:05] Shari: Well, they created that room down in the basement that could just totally be storage.

She's also created more storage in some of the spaces. So maybe that's where it is. But yeah, this looks like a model home perfect now. And that isn't how it's gonna look when people live in it.

But I can imagine that first feeling of, oh, this feels so good and everything's been done just the way I wanted it. I needed this and I needed this, and that's what they've done. So I feel like it'd be hard to walk 

away from that. 

[00:34:30] Rhonda: if yes, me, but.

[00:34:31] Shari: Now David's convinced the four bedroom house is their forever home.

And I agree. I still really think that these people did sell that house because their starter home is not gonna be their forever home. And how much longer do they wanna live with no en suite no bathroom on 

their main floor. 

[00:34:47] Rhonda: I was gonna say, I just thought the list, it was really the 

right decision in this case.

[00:34:51] Shari: Now David also shows them the new value of their house.

So the value went from $725k to $910k after they spent 140 K in renovations. So with that added equity in their home, provided they sell 

[00:35:04] Rhonda: Mm-hmm. 

[00:35:04] Shari: assessment, they should be able to afford the number two house, which was 

50 K over budget. 

[00:35:09] Rhonda: when you look at that over 30 years, it's really a hundred dollars or something. It's not a lot.

[00:35:14] Shari: And then so the 

decision, do you wanna say.

[00:35:17] Rhonda: We're gonna love it.

[00:35:18] Shari: Yes. They decide they love their home and they're gonna 

stay. And Theo reminds us. 

[00:35:24] Rhonda: house. We've been here 

for 15 years, 

[00:35:26] Shari: So all the sentimental stuff, our kids were born in here.

[00:35:31] Rhonda: Right here 

[00:35:33] Shari: Um, and course Page is thrilled and David is kind of a little questioning it, but you know, I have read online, and I think you've read some stuff about Love It or List It it 

online too, that they film both a love it and list it ending, and it's the producers who decide which one is shown

that the idea of whether they sell 

[00:35:51] Rhonda: Mm-hmm. 

[00:35:52] Shari: Has nothing to do with what the, um, homeowners 

actually do. 

[00:35:56] Rhonda: It's an example of reality TV being the least reality thing in the world

[00:36:01] Shari: Yeah. And when you even think about the order of the show, that has to happen because there's no way the house 

that they love is still gonna be available 

by the 

time a reno is done. 

[00:36:10] Rhonda: said, here's 50 k, hang, you know, 

hang on to this house 

[00:36:13] Shari: and 

I just feel like, well, especially now, HGTV is being so cheap, there's 

[00:36:17] Rhonda: Maybe, maybe that's why they're out of money holding all these houses.

[00:36:22] Shari: That's right. 

[00:36:23] Rhonda: But yeah, I, uh, I thought the list it was clearly the best decision in that case, although, would you go through that kind of renovation where you move out, pack up all your stuff, get out of there and then. put that 140 K into your house with your fingers crossed that it pays off in six months.

[00:36:40] Shari: I wouldn't do it, but I think about. The show with Lindsay and Leslie Lamb Unsellable

houses, and that's kind of what happens, except that Lindsay and Leslie put up the renovation money up front then they share in the profit. So I guess I have to say it is different in that Lindsay and Leslie are very sure when they make their investment, that they're gonna be able to get the investment back.

But yeah, 140 k and that's not the largest budget I've seen on this show. So it is kind of a lot of money to put up and think, oh, I'm just gonna get all this done and 

then I'm gonna sell it. 

[00:37:12] Rhonda: And that's gonna pay 

off, 

[00:37:14] Shari: You're right, 

[00:37:15] Rhonda: especially when you're not putting an en suite

[00:37:17] Shari: Yeah. 

[00:37:19] Shari: So I wonder if this is really just another version of the couple renovation show.

[00:37:23] Rhonda: maybe, maybe, but either way I was glad to watch it. I watched, probably that whole season it was available on, uh, HBO Max I have to say the shows got more and more interesting. This was sort of an entry, right? An introduction Page. But yeah, besties, there's some other shows in Love It or List It season 20, the House with all the different levels. 

[00:37:44] Shari: I heard it described online about a new infectious energy with Page. 

That's kind of revived the show, which is not to put Hillary down because I love her. I miss Hillary and I hope to see her back on a different show where she does get the challenge 

[00:37:59] Rhonda: Yes. 

[00:38:00] Shari: the Page 

and David Duo 

really does work 

for 

the Love 

It or 

list it formula. 

[00:38:05] Rhonda: I,

never once 

thought, oh, I wish Hillary was still here, or, oh, that wouldn't have happened if Hillary was here. 

it was, it was a seamless introduction and you know, basically they're off and running

as I watched the 

[00:38:14] Shari: Yeah. 

[00:38:15] Rhonda: I really, like I said, I was really invested in them because they get more and more interesting as the season goes on.

[00:38:20] Shari: Anything else to say about this show before we wrap

[00:38:23] Rhonda: No, 

I don't, I usually try to say no and then have something, but this time 

I'm gonna say no. 

[00:38:27] Shari: Mm-hmm. Okay, well that wraps up the season premiere of Love It. Or List It. honestly, it had 

[00:38:34] Rhonda: It did. 

[00:38:35] Shari: sentimental dads, strategic storage, and a galley kitchen glow up. 

[00:38:39] Rhonda: Page came in strong and David got a fresh reminder that no matter how many houses he shows.

still has to drive.

[00:38:46] Shari: That's right. The real MVP though, that basement transformation, closed storage, a 

heated floor and a laundry 

room. That might actually make me wanna do laundry. Might... but I am still nervous about the serial killers who hang 

[00:39:00] Rhonda: basements. Well-lit basements. Finished 

basements. 

yeah.

[00:39:03] Shari: yeah. 

[00:39:04] Rhonda: Can we talk about Naiya's room? 

I mean, it's cute, 

[00:39:07] Shari: Mm-hmm. 

[00:39:08] Rhonda: she's training for Cirque de Soleil, the shelf situation does feel like a lawsuit waiting to

happen. 

[00:39:14] Shari: Mm-hmm. And also, how are we still pretending that one shared upstairs bathroom is a long-term solution? Love the Reno, but I'd be brushing my teeth in the

[00:39:22] Rhonda: Yeah, those kids are gonna grow up just

saying, 

 alright, special posting time. Head to our Instagram and Facebook to vote. Are you team keep the memories or are you team, give me an en suite or give me death? Drop your verdict in the comments. Was this a love it win or a production pick-me-up to welcome Page?

 was the fix in.

[00:39:43] Shari: And as always, we have some apologies. I'm sorry, to people who love kitchen fireplaces, especially the ones from the nineties trimmed in shiny brass. You can paint that. People just paint 

it. 

[00:39:54] Rhonda: again, I would love to know the story behind that fireplace. Was that there when they moved in? 

[00:39:59] Shari: Well, I feel like for sure the one downstairs was an addition, like someone added that because they used a window to vent it.

[00:40:08] Rhonda: Yeah.

[00:40:08] Shari: Well, until next time, besties. Bye.

[00:40:11] Rhonda: Bye. See you soon. 

[00:40:12] Shari: If you are vibing with us and your brain is basically made of HGTV at this point, you need to catch up on all of our episodes at designingbesties.com. We're literally everywhere you listen to podcasts, so hit that follow like star or whatever button you're app throws at you. We're not picky. We're just needy.