Escape To The Country

We do keep hoping! But I think I'm past caring. As BF's mother used to say 'this will see me out'.

Merlot - I saw that one with the couple with 6 dogs. Good grief! I am always flabbergasted when they walk into these (what look to me to be) huge kitchens and say 'it's a bit small'. We have what I think they call a galley kitchen. DH and myself can just about fit in there at the same time. I'm happy with it though, having just had it all refitted. I suppose it's what you are used to.

Inheritance, lottery win, margaretm74!

Rowantree - I have been hankering after a new kitchen for ages as it is the original one from when the house was built and everyone else around has changed theirs. But have come to the conclusion that I would rather spend the money elsewhere, and anyway, their new ones are not such good quality! A modern range would be nice though, and perhaps those nice drawers that hold pans, and a swingout corner cupboard, and cupboards that go up to the ceiling and don't collect dirt on the top and and ........

Still bemused at how a young couple with 2 children can afford a £750, 000 house, FlicketyB! Even if 'well-educated'. A lot of my family are 'well-educated' but can't afford a place like that, even the ones without children.

Hahaha - couldn't resist smiling at this thread. I've watched a few of these now and then and they do often irritate me. I too wonder what kind of money some of them have - and how it's been earned. It's definitely different money from ours!
As to a large kitchen....we've lived in our perfectly ordinary 30s semi in unfashionable Suburbia since 1983. We must have one of the smallest kitchens I've ever seen, but I still managed to produce good meals in it whilst our children were growing up and I still do - not an Aga in sight (it would totally fill our kitchen). We've never had a dishwasher and I don't want one now, as it would mean losing cupboard space. We have been trying to get estimates for a new kitchen for the last 3 years - and we've been gobsmacked at the prices even for our tiny space. We could try and extend, but the cost of that for gaining an extra foot or two is beyond us, so we won't bother - makes no sense when there's just us two here, mostly. We could have moved to a larger house years ago but decided we'd rather have the money to do things with the children rather than mortgaging ourselves up to the hilt with no spare cash. We don't regret that decision, BUT......
I'm rather prone to envy (NOT a good habit, I know, I KNOW) so watching these programmes sometimes makes me feel rather....well, challenged, to say the least, and a bit inadequate. But then I remember I am lucky to have any roof over my head and a home to live in. And I don't think these programmes tell it like it really is - it's sanitised and highly edited, as others have already noted, to create an illusion for others to covet.
Best watched with one's tongue firmly in one's cheek, innit

Even if we had the space (which we don't), I would hate an Aga. From what I've heard they are very fiddly to use and take ages to get used to.

Granny23 I too often wonder how some of these people have amassed so much money. The same goes for programmes like "The Hotel Inspector" where people who are absolutely clueless about interior design, cleanliness and catering, and who appear to have no people skills whatsoever, are running not just modest guest houses but large hotels.

Thank you dragonfly1, must take a look. "Going round in ever decreasing circles" has also become very much one of our family sayings as well as "we're looking very howard and hilda today!"

BTW - margaret- Howard, Hilda and co are on at the mo on BBC4, Thursdays at 8pm. As funny now as it was then. I'd forgotten how brilliant Richard Briers and Penelope Wilton were.

Yes I wondered if part of the perks was having a spring clean, spruce up and garden makeover done. Or do other people always live like that?

Apparently me ex dh was on it once with "our" house.

It always amazes me as to how tidy and gleaming everything is. Perhaps they have a team of people go in and clean up before the filming. The gardens' always look totally under control as well. Love the well placed bowl of flowers and cuddly toys etc!!!
Wonder what they could find for our budget of say £250000 - the usual budget on the programme is way above the national average so not really of use to most people.

But think about all that power you can generate from your windmill on your island hill

aka
although I have seen a few who enthuse about the view over farmland from a hill - I have a view from a hill house facing southwest over farmland and it is windy (not much sleep last night)

Way things are going weather wise I think 'escape to the hills' might be a follow up programme. Anyone selling a house in Buxton?

I suspect their huge budgets are based on getting mortgages rather than being cash in hand, and there are young people with that money. We recently acquired new neighbours, a young family with two children and parents in their late 30s. We like them very much and we get on well. They are not air heads, but well educated, hard working and have made lots of friends in the village.

They paid over £750,000 for the house next door. It is a beautiful old house with an AGA in the kitchen. He runs his own business and she also has a high-powered job. They moved from London where they had lived for some years, so presumably had a hefty lump of equity to help finance their purchase.

I must confess I prefer Location, Location, Location. They show a much wider range of people with much wider housing budgets, from relatively little, some London buyers have budgets around £200,000 and less out of London and often have particular requirements, practical or ridiculous, that make the programme interesting. They have also had several programmes where one of those looking has had a disability of some kind.

Yes Granny23, DH watches in the sittingroom while i am in the conservatory, every so often I hear £795, 000 or some ridiculous figure and call 'HOW much?'

It's the same with the houses they pick in Wanted down Under, priced too high, totally unsuitable and nothing like they asked for

Although I must say, Elegran, that DS was in Songs of Praise when he was very young and it was very enjoyable. It was filmed in a big London church, with choirs including his and the London Community Gospel Choir with Bazil Meade, hosted by Sally Magnusson. Great fun (for all us Mums anyway). Oh Happy Day!

Next time you watch it, look at the congregation and try to guess who belongs there and who is a stranger (as well as who is officially a member of the congregation but has not been there for years)

Elegran! You've spoiled it for me now!!!

Last week they had someone with SIX dogs??? Every room they went in had to accommodate the dogs. They wanted a garden so the dogs could 'run'.

You've got to laugh but I love it.

But don't you too want a kitchen that is not only the "hub of the house" but the "heart of the home" and has a range (as they can't say AGA) ? Add in to that the 3 1/2 hour commute back to the job which is paying for it (usuually for both parties) and then reconsider "we want to be able to spend more time together"!!!
BTW I am a total addict, as you can guess!

DH and I watch these house buying shows with total disbelief. The key thing we usually want to know is where did the get the money. Not all, but many of the participants seem to be complete airheads and relatively young, so we cannot fathom how they have acquired over half a million quid to spend on a house. Usually it has to be in the country but near a motorway or station so that they can continue to work in 'the city' occasionally, but we are never told what their job is. Perhaps they have won the lottery or disposed of several wealthy relatives .

I would like to see a companion show called Get Rich Quick which shows us ordinary 'hard-working-families' how to accrue such wealth without having any obvious qualifications, brains, talents or goodlooks

If it is anything like "Songs of Praise" they have no say in anything.

Many years ago, our parish church was on that. The hymns were chosen by the programmers, they bussed in all kinds of people who had no connection with the church and the interviews were with complete strangers, some from completely different denominations or even faiths. Everyone was told to come with something to put on at half-time so that it would look like two different services, and could be shown as two separate programmes, and before the service started there was a warm-up talk by someone telling questionable jokes.

I so agree with you Mollie, I have lived in the country all my life and have never had rose tinted specs on. Country living is great but is often harsh and hard work but they always want to go to the country pub and have long walks in the country. They don't seem to realise that the cleaning of their houses surrounded by land inhabited by animals will take lots of time. As will the shopping when the nearest shops are miles away. The time left for the pub and walks will be very short !
I watch it for a laugh at their naivety!