'Love It or List It': Chris and Michelle choose to live in their current house after Hilary Farr's renovation
David Visentin and Hilary Farr are back with another season of the long-running HGTV show 'Love It or List It'. The realtor-designer duo was working with a married couple Chris and Michelle in the season premiere episode that aired on August 10. As is the format of the show, David did his best to find the perfect new house for the couple, keeping in mind their budget and requirements. Hilary, on the other hand, got to work on the couple's existing home, incorporating all the elements that made them consider moving out in the first place. After David and Hilary put in all the work that was required and showed the couple their options, it was time for them to decide if they would love to stay with their existing house or list it and move to a new one.
The home in question was a 1990s abode based in Raleigh. It came with a backyard, a driveway and it was very spacious for them in the beginning. However, their son's arrival changed everything for them, and besides, they were pregnant with another baby, a daughter this time. The house just didn't feel functional enough for them as a growing family and they believed that there were a lot of changes that were needed to make the house liveable for them.
Right of the bat, they needed help with the kitchen and the layout. A wall stood right near the entryway to the kitchen, making it difficult to know what is happening in the other room. The laundry room was right next to it and it felt like it was a part of the kitchen. The flooring was hardwood with flathead nails popping up, basically a safety hazard for their son who was in the crawling phase. They needed an extra bathroom and a bedroom. Their guest bedroom vanity was something that they worried about as they thought it was "ugly". They had a pretty huge basement that Chris loved but Michelle didn't share the same sentiment. She needed the space to be renovated to look less like a man cave and more like a family-friendly space.
After David and Hilary finished touring the house, they sat down to speak with the couple to know about their expectations. The current value of their existing home was $625,000 and the budget for their new house was $750,000. They needed an office space, an open floor plan with natural lighting, a bonus room, and a dedicated office space for Chris. As far as the renovations to their existing house went, the budget was $130,000 and they needed a renovated kitchen, an open floor plan, replaced floors, a better guest room space, a play area and an updated basement.
David was able to find the perfect house for them, six minutes away from their existing house, as was their requirement. The house checked every requirement on their list. Hilary on the other hand managed to do all renovations but she was unable to update the basement and dedicated guest space. However, the other renovations around the house made it almost impossible for the couple to give their house up. They were super emotional when they walked into their newly renovated space and in the end they chose to ignore the home David hunted for them and decided to stay in their existing home.
'Love It or List It' airs on Monday nights at 9 pm ET only on HGTV.