Where Are They Now? HGTV Dream Homes

A rendering of the 2014 HGTV Dream Home

Although the contest hasn't officially opened, HGTV has announced the location of its 2014 Dream Home: Lake Tahoe, California. The 3,200-square-foot cabin is being built in Schaffer's Mill, a golf, ski, and lake community, with lots starting at $275,000. This is the 18th Dream Home giveaway, which most likely means the 18th home HGTV builds, and then either has the builder sell (if the winner takes cash) or watches the new owner sell after the reality of outrageous property taxes sets in. 

The winner will be granted access to a 48-foot yacht (owned by the Schaffer's Mill community) and door-to-door service to a nearby ski resort. In addition to the home, the winner will receive $250,000 and a new vehicle from GMC, but is responsible for real estate transfer taxes, deed recording costs, and closing costs (ack!). The IRS will, of course, take a cut. 

The design features two wings, one with entertainment space, the other with three bedrooms. The wings are separated by an outdoor living space. 

Alternately, the lucky winner can take a cash prize, effectively giving the property back to the builder to sell. "Sometimes, it's not even a matter of whether or not they can afford the house," says Jack Thomasson, the HGTV house planner. "Sometimes, it's a matter of geography, and if you and your family are very settled in a certain area in another part of the country, it's not really practical to move to another location." 

Somehow, I have trouble believing this, as even winners who have tried to claim the properties have ultimately sold them, usually for financial reasons. 

2013 Dream Home | Kiawah Island, South Carolina

Carole Simpson, a resident of rural Columbia, Tennessee, won this Kiawah Island property, not too far from Parris Island, where she was formerly stationed as a Marine. An avid baker, Carole was especially excited about the well-appointed kitchen, as well as the gas fireplace (so she'd no longer have to haul wood). She planned to use part of the $500,000 cash prize to visit her son in Australia. 

Alas, Carole listed the home in June for $2,395,000. (See the listing here.) Features include an aluminum roof, hurricane-proof windows, a great room with 22-foot ceilings, a 600-square-foot deck, a plunge pool, and easy access to the beach. 

2012 Dream Home | Midway, Utah

Vicki Naggy, a hairdresser from a small town in Pennsylvania, won this 4,321-square-foot showplace after entering online twice a day, every day. The home was built for outdoor living, with five decks (connected via boardwalk), mountain views on all sides, and a 2.4-acre lot. Vicki had never been to Utah before, and her husband had never flown in a plane. 

Ultimately, the couple decided to take the cash prize, so the house was listed for sale, fully furnished, for $1,495,000. The home sold in 2012, but lots are still available in the development. 

2011 Dream Home | Stowe, Vermont

Winners Eric and Katie Makstenieks had never been to Vermont. But after they won the 3,400-square-foot, ski-in, ski-out lodge, the Illinois couple decided to use it as a vacation home, then rent the property the rest of the time. They only managed to stay there five times. 

Which is why they put it up for sale. The selling price: $2.7 million, down from nearly $3.8 million (with annual taxes of $27,720). A family of seven from Boston bought the place, with plans to add a fourth bedroom over the garage. The home boasts two giant gathering rooms, a chef's kitchen, and fantastic views of the ski slopes, and was sold with all of the furnishings and artwork from HGTV. 

2010 Dream Home | Sandia Park, New Mexico 

A New Orleans woman whose home was destroyed during Katrina won this New Mexico masterpiece. She later listed the 4,208-square-foot home, located between Santa Fe and Albuquerque on a 3-acre plot, for $1,195,000, and eventually reduced the price to $899,000. It has since sold. (See the former listing here.)

2009 Dream Home | Sonoma, California

Cheryl Smith, a Florida retiree, was another winner who'd never visited the state where her prize home was waiting. As she told a Florida newspaper, "We've never been to California. We don't know what's going to happen." She also noted that she didn't have a dog to live in the matching doggy dream home. Then bigger concerns set in: The sales taxes on the 3,700-square-foot home were half a million dollars, and annual property taxes totaled $25,000 a year, which would have forced Smith's husband out of retirement.

The couple sold the home 3 months later for $2.2 million to the man who built it. (He turned around and listed it again for 10 percent more than that.) The charming part of the story: The couple donated the contents of the home, valued at $187,000, to a California charity for needy children and schools. They did, however, keep the wine from the fully stocked cellar for themselves. 

2008 Dream Home | Islamorada, Florida 

Stephanie Dee, of Iowa, won this 3,500-square-foot Florida Keys stunner, which features a media room, gourmet kitchen, and a fishing room, complete with 18 rods. Dee entered the Dream Home giveaway four or five times a day, but after she won, said she wished the home was in Iowa, rather than the island location in the Keys.

Then there was the money issue: She and her husband would have to fork over $700,000 in sales taxes, another $20,000 in annual property taxes, and several thousand a year for wind insurance. The couple sold the home a few months later for $1,650,000. Then 14 months later, the new owners listed it for $1,599,000 million. The house sold approximately 700 days later for $850,000.

2007 Dream Home | Winter Park, Colorado

This one is close to my heart: The winner lived in Johnson City, Tennessee, where I was born! Bob O'Neill, a retired postmaster from Florida, and his new wife in Tennessee won the 4,000-square-foot Rocky Mountain chalet after they'd spent months hunting for a home together. He ended up selling the place to invest in a dream home closer to his Tennessee residence. 

2006 Dream Home | Lake Lure, North Carolina

 

The winner of this Blue Ridge Mountain mansion, Donald Cook, was from West Virginia. His plan: to live in the 5,700-square-foot home for a few weeks, then sell it to avoid shelling out nearly 20 grand a year in property taxes. He ultimately sold it back to the developer of the lake-view community, Grey Rock. 

The day the building site was announced, the Dream Home developers received 6,000 property inquiries. As of 2010, though, Grey Rock still only had one home: the HGTV Dream Home. It sold at foreclosure price in 2009. The new owners say they relish the solitude: "Being the only home on 4,500 acres is somewhat unique in that our 'neighbors' include black bears, deer, fox, bobcats, wolves, coyotes, plus too many turkeys to count...We still have a number of people who drive up to the electronic gate in hopes of getting in to see the Dream Home. We usually politely refuse their requests to visit." 

2005 Dream Home | Lake Tyler, Texas

Don Cruz of Ilinois won this Texas Dream Home, and in a rare move, opted to settle into the barn-inspired home for good, rather than immediately selling it as most winners do. At 6,000 square feet, the prize home, which includes a main building, separate master suite, and guest house, was seven times the size of his Chicago-area residence.

His first plan was to make the home a B&B, but then he found out he didn't actually own the land the behemoth was built on. He just had a 30-year lease on it, which, according to local rules, meant he couldn't open a business on the property. Then, he considered selling the guest cottage, but hit the same roadblock: Town regulations required that the property stay intact. He finally decided to make ends meet by simply living off of the then-$250,000 prize money.

But the expenses quickly piled up: $2,900 in monthly upkeep, $7,000 a year for homeowners' insurance, $1,000 a month for the mortgage on the family home back in Indiana, and thousands a month on electricity. Then there were the property taxes and the $672,000 he was expected to pay on his winnings. Oh, and the $11,000 he spent repairing his boat, $6,000 to install a dog run, $2,000 for scuba lessons, $1,800 for a go-kart, and $40,000 to charity. 

He finally faced reality after a year and listed the house for $5.5 million, even though local realtors said it was only worth $2.5 million. The final selling price after the home went into foreclosure: $1.43 million.

Did he regret not selling it from the start? Nope. "It's been a blessing. I'm going to miss all of our family and friends here," Cruz told a local reporter. "But no regrets, whatsover. I'd do it all over again." 

2004 Dream Home | St. Marys, Georgia

 

Californian Kathi Nakao claimed this coastal beauty, but with her background in accounting, immediately knew she wouldn't be able to keep the place for long. "I never let myself get where I thought I was going to stay there forever," she told reporters. After spending several long vacations at her Georgia Dream Home, she sold it in July 2005. How'd she spend the winnings? She paid her taxes on the home, renovated her house in Sacramento to resemble the Dream Home, donated money to charity, helped out her children, and bought a 1956 Chevrolet sports car.

The 3,900-square-foot home is now back on the market for $1.25 million, down from $1.5 million. (See the listing here.)

The Homes of ABC's 'Nashville': Rayna's House is on the Market!

Source: New York Times

'Nashville' character Rayna Jaymes (played by Connie Britton), a country singer married to the city's mayor, lives in this gorgeous Georgian mansion. It boasts an incredible 20,500 square feet and 24 rooms, and is currently on the market for $19.5 million. That makes it the most expensive home for sale in Belle Meade, one of Nashville's wealthiest neighborhoods. (For you Google Maps stalkers, the exact address is 1358 Page Road.)

The home had already been for sale a year when the show's producers approached the homeowner, Sylvia Roberts. Although Roberts' realtor was initially skeptical, he came around, telling a New York Times reporter, "I realized that we could never buy the advertising that the house is getting for free." Reps from the show refuse to disclose how much they're renting the place for.

The house was built in 1999, yet still manages to capture the charm of an old Southern estate, which is what attracted the producers. Jeff Kniff, the production designer, told the Times he was captivated by the painted portraits of the homeowner's children, the "keeping room" (a den off the kitchen), the cigar room, and the billiards room. 

The home's grand front entry hall is an astonishing 45 feet long.

 

Recognize this room? It's the home office where Rayna often meets with her (ex)husband and father.

 
The kitchen is one of the rooms the producers opted to rebuild on a sound stage. Here's ABC's version, which is about half the size of the original:

I love this recessed wood ceiling! So rustic, yet elegant.

The producers also recreated the home's French-style master bedroom on set. You can see the differences here:

Show Me the Chevron!

When I moved into my last apartment a couple years ago, I picked up a pair of chevron pillows from the clearance pile at Kohl's. At the time, I didn't know what the pattern was called; I just thought it was zig-zag. But then, in the last year, the pattern started showing up everywhere, and I learned the actual name: chevron. I'm kind of obsessed (as is anyone with a flare for funky design).

As modern and playful as the pattern looks, it actually has roots in the military. The number of V's stacked on the sleeve of a military uniform indicates the soldier's rank or years of service. It wasn't until the 1970's that the fashion world stole the repeating V pattern; now, chevron has made a major comeback, appearing on everything from clothing to lamp shades to rugs. It even works as a paint or backsplash pattern! 

 

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The Chocolate Cake You Must Try

As much as I love chocolate, I actually don't really like chocolate cake. But it was Frank's birthday a few weeks back, and chocolate cake is his favorite. So I began surfing the web for any clues about what distinguishes a so-so chocolate cake from an award winner. I came up empty, so I just settled on a highly rated recipe on Allrecipes.com. 

I didn't want to risk the cake sticking to the pan, so I greased my cake pans and lined them with parchment paper. Yeah, well, the cake still stuck. (I found out later I should have used wax paper instead.)

But instead of tossing it in the trash, I improvised. I pressed the cake from one pan into the bottom of a glass dish. Then I mixed up a little chocolate milk, brushed it over the cake, and patted down the cake from the second pan on top of that. I brushed this layer with chocolate milk, too, and finally spread the homemade frosting on top.

Oh my gosh. The cake came out incredibly dense and fudge-like, with a deep, rich flavor reminiscent of dark chocolate. As Frank says, "It just falls apart in your mouth." It's the best baking mistake I've ever made!

Chocolate Fudge Cake
Adapted from Allrecipes.com

What you need
2 cups white sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweeetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup boiling water
Hershey's chocolate syrup

For the frosting
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
5 1/3 cups powdered sugar
2/3 cup vanilla
1 tsp vanilla

Put it all together

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.
2. Stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, then mix in the eggs, 1 cup of milk, oil, and vanilla, using an electric mixer (about 3 minutes). 
3. Gently stir in the boiling water with a wooden spoon, and divide the batter equally between the two prepared pans.
4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, then crumble the warm cake. Firmly press the cake crumbles from one pan into the bottom of an ungreased 8" square glass baking dish. 
5. Make chocolate milk: Squirt Hershey's syrup into the remaining 1/4 cup milk. Use a pastry brush to generously soak the first layer of cake with half the milk. Then press the cake crumbles from the second pan on top, and soak with remaining milk. 
6. Make the frosting: Cream butter until fluffy, then alternately stir in the cocoa and powdered sugar and the milk and vanilla. Beat until smooth and spreadable.
7. Once the cake is cool to the touch, frost the top. Then serve!

Before & After: My Dining Room Makeover

Frank bought our home because it has good bones. You know, it's structurally sound, made of brick, that kind of stuff. Which means, in true bachelor fashion, design didn't really factor into his decision.

Let's start with the dining area: It featured worn-out carpet, an etched glass and brass chandelier circa 1980, and a faux stone wall. Leroy, the old owner, had painted around one of his China cabinets, leaving a faint mint green rectangle on one wall. The bleak situation was not improved by Frank's high-top table, which was a different wood than the other furniture (left by Leroy) and was the wrong shape for the space. An intervention was in order.

Step one: We ripped up the carpet to expose the wood floors (those good bones!) and ripped down the faux stone drywall. Then I replaced the chandelier with a brushed nickel fixture with a white drum shade (Lowes, $169), and installed GE Reveal bulbs, which mimic natural light. I replaced the high-top table with a farm table bought on CraigsList for $45 (what a steal!).

When we removed the drywall, we discovered two junction boxes. Perfect for sconces! I chose nickel sconces with white glass shades (Lowe's, $30 each). The new wall color is Rainwater by Martha Stewart (sold at Home Depot), which gives the space a calming, almost ethereal feel.

I found the chairs in the basement, and I liked their shape and the cane headrests. But the finish was just ugly, as was the red damask fabric. So I painted them white, and reupholstered the cushions with a light teal and beige burlap. I also stained the table to darken it and bring out the scuffs (so it looks like a true farm table). 

Then came the big project: refinishing the China cabinet. I removed the metal lattice on the glass, painted the whole thing white, then painted the backboard Magnolia Yellow by Martha Stewart. (The yellow pops beautifully against the surrounding pale teal walls.) I replaced the old hardware with cut glass knobs, and painted the hinges with brushed nickel spray paint. 

My final purchase was two tufted benches with silver legs from Pier 1. They're actually vanity benches, but I wanted something more elegant than wooden farm benches.  

 

The Homes of ABC's 'Nashville': Deacon's House

Source: thetennessean.com

I'm usually not one for TV dramas, but Tennessee is my home state. So I felt morally obligated to give the series "Nashville" on ABC a try. I was hooked immediately (even though some of the Southern accents are hilariously bad). 

I love the prominence of the city itself, and in particular, the gorgeous homes (actually in Nashville!) that were selected for the series. My favorite is the one occupied by Deacon Claybourne, the guitarist and former boyfriend of the country singer Rayna Jaymes. 

His 1920's stone home is located in historic Edgefield, an East Nashville neighborhood, at 619 Boscobel Street. The house next door is the place Scarlett, Deacon's niece, rents. (On the show, they aren't neighbors, though.)

Deacon's home on the left, Scarlett's on the right

The house has 5 bedrooms, 3 baths, and about 1,700 square feet, and is valued at $270,000 by Zillow.com. This home was last on the market back in 2002, when it sold for just $120,000.

I love the masculine details, like the dark-stained woodwork, antique bowling pin, and mounted antlers. 

The tree trunk on the counter is quintessential Tennessee. When i was a kid, my mom kept a rough-cut marble slab, found in the woods, on her counter as a hot plate.