Good Bones Recap: Episode 10

Living room on Good Bones “Pricey Paradise With Big Problems”Photo courtesy Two Chicks and a Hammer

Hi HGTV fans! Good Bones took on a big, dirty, and pricey job in the latest episode. Recapping it are Megan Fernandez, the homes editor for Indianapolis Monthly, and art director Kristin Sims. 

Two Chicks and a Hammer heads back to Talbott Street in the Old Southside. They have purchased one of the last places that needs work on this street, where they have already made a lot of investment. The property is 2,000 square feet with three bedrooms, three bathrooms, and no kitchen. It cost $70,000, which is twice as much as the first house they ever bought. That’s because they have helped raise the property values in the areas where they continue to work. Their reno budget, though, has not increased proportionally. Also, someone started a renovation before selling the house to Two Chicks.

Exterior on Good Bones “Pricey Paradise With Big Problems”Photo courtesy Two Chicks and a Hammer

Kristin: How does someone live in a house with no kitchen? There’s no way someone started to renovate and still didn’t rough in a kitchen?

Megan: Seems like a bit of an oversight. Maybe it’s a new type of affordable housing downtown—under $200,000, but no kitchen. Just use delivery.

Kristin: I liked the mellow-yellow house color. I hope they keep the color. Not the siding, but the color. It’s a cute house—another weird layout, but clean-ish. The basement was gross. I loved that Mina just stood at the top of the stairs and uh-huh’s Karen as she investigated the creepiness. Random spray foam on the walls, thought to “cover up dirt.” Mr. Flipper, did you do that, too? Shady.

Front porch on Good Bones “Pricey Paradise With Big Problems”Photo courtesy Two Chicks and a Hammer

Megan: Yeah, he or she never thought it would be caught on camera. So no kitchen, sketchy basement, but the second level has the potential to be a nice main suite with a separate living area. The pitched roof looks pretty low up there, though. And the flooring appears to be a basketball court.

Kristin: I loved the basketball floor. How smart to mix up the pieces so it makes an interesting random design. And I’m sure it’s better than having the random Team Wildcat logo in the middle of your bedroom.

Megan: I heard “dining nook”—so no dining room again? Are you going crazy? And do you really use yours?

Kristin: We don’t use our dining room every day, but it’s great to have for entertaining or even if you have a big project. I bet a lot of people are using their dining rooms as offices these days.

Kitchen and custom stair railing on Good Bones “Pricey Paradise With Big Problems”Photo courtesy Two Chicks and a Hammer

Megan: Oh my—Tad throws something through a picture window from the outside in, with Karen a few feet away from the shower of glass shards. I wonder if he knew she was there. That wasn’t good. I feel like we pick on Tad a lot, but hey, the show puts this stuff in there. 

Kristin: Agreed. I know I pick on him, but he just creates a mess for others to clean up.

Megan: Tad hoists a toilet out a second-floor window and it didn’t break. Which gives him a chance to injure his back by throwing it into the dumpster over his head. Backward.

Kristin: I was waiting for “toilet juice” to drip out. 

A built-in dog bed under the stairs on Good Bones “Pricey Paradise With Big Problems”Photo courtesy Two Chicks and a Hammer

Megan: Tad uncovers some gingerbread under siding on the porch. That’s what you hope to find in an old house, right? Did you find anything great in either house you have bought in Indianapolis?

Kristin: In Irvington, we found a tucked-away built-in in the basement. It had old canning jars filled with unrecognizable treats. We left them in place for the 18 years that we were there. They belonged to the house. Then we left a little time capsule under the bricks when we constructed the patio.

Megan: Well, they also find $20,600 worth of extra problems during demo. Bye-bye, Carrera marble.

Kristin: That amount seems reasonable considering how crumbly and termite-eaten the foundation and sill plate were.

Megan: Tad and Cory tell Mina that they can fix everything with all but $5,000 of the contingency budget. Mina said they better or they are fired. Then she was like, all proudly, “You guys haven’t been fired in a long time.” 

Kristin: I know! She looked excited!

Upstairs main bedroom on Good Bones “Pricey Paradise With Big Problems”Photo courtesy Two Chicks and a Hammer

Megan: The vibe this week is French farmhouse.

Kristin: ​​I braced myself, but this design meeting wasn’t as painful as some.

Megan: It involves balancing out the white walls, cabinet, and counters with warm wood furniture, velvet furniture, and “florals,” they say as they hang a painting. I don’t love walking right into a living room without an entry area. 

Kristin: Doesn’t bother me. A lot of old houses are that way. That room was probably the parlor and the original front door might have been covered. We’ve seen that in other Good Bones houses this season.

Megan: We haven’t seen enough of Iron Timbers, though. But they are back! They make a black metal stair railing with the coolest handrails. They are translucent resin with ambrosia maple inside. It’s an one-of-a-kind creation.

Kristin: I liked the handrails a lot but I didn’t see them blending with the gray floors as promised.

Dining room on Good Bones “Pricey Paradise With Big Problems”Photo courtesy Two Chicks and a Hammer

Megan: They found a place for a dining room!

Kristin: In a BEDROOM!

Megan: True, it’s a room across from the kitchen, separated by double doors, that Two Chicks added closets to so it can officially count as a bedroom. This house already has a buyer, and she is so cute on the reveal.

Kristin: She was delightful. She made the reveal joyful.

Main bathroom on Good Bones “Pricey Paradise With Big Problems”Photo courtesy Two Chicks and a Hammer

Megan: I like the shower with an angled ceiling completely tiled in a cool white/gray graphic. 

Kristin: But why in the world would you hang one round mirror centered above a double sink? That was awkward. There was plenty of room for two round or rectangular mirrors. Or one long horizontal mirror. The stranger thing is—Mina was a judge on HGTV’s Battle on the Beach, and they criticized and took points off for the very same violation.

Upstairs main bathroom on Good Bones “Pricey Paradise With Big Problems”Photo courtesy Two Chicks and a Hammer

Megan: Busted! My guess is that they were waiting for another one to come in when they filmed the reveal. And they filmed this season in the thick of the pandemic last year. The upstairs suite is cozy. Mina describes it as “like a hug.”

Kristin: While I liked this week’s overall reno, I thought the second floor could have remained open. The “office” area at the top of the stairs is small and awkward. Funny how they make every house open concept, and then when they have open concept, they put up walls!

Upstairs suite on Good Bones “Pricey Paradise With Big Problems”Photo courtesy Two Chicks and a Hammer

Megan: The homeowner has always wanted to live downtown. She seems over the moon, and not just because she has a kitchen. It’s a cute place, especially with a dusting of snow. We’re heading into the final episodes of the season. Let’s hope the boys don’t get fired before then!

Back deck on Good Bones “Pricey Paradise With Big Problems”Photo courtesy Two Chicks and a Hammer

The backyard on Good Bones “Pricey Paradise With Big Problems”Photo courtesy Two Chicks and a Hammer