Back when we used to have cable, we all loved watching HGTV. We also loved entering to win their Dream Home's. We started entering in 2006, and while we loved the house when you could win it, going back and looking at it now, there are very few things we like about. But there are others, overall we still like. (Obviously none of the images are mine, they are from the HGTV and DIY websites).
Tyler, TX; 2005 Dream Home
Not much I like about this home, but the few things there are, I really like.
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| Exterior Detailing of stone, wood and earth; 2005 Dream Home |
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| Tall Doors in natural wood with a lot of glass; 2005 Dream Home |
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| Kitchen with it's stone and natural wood; 2005 Dream Home |
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| Guest Suite; 2005 Dream Home |
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| Pool; 2005 Dream Home |
Lake Lure, NC; 2006 Dream Home
This is the first home we entered to win and thought it was absolutely perfect! But there are a few things we still think are awesome about it, and those few things are...
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| Attic Room; 2006 Dream Home |
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| Craft Room; 2006 Dream Home |
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| Stone and Timber Facade; 2006 Dream Home |
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| Sauna; 2006 Dream Home |
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| Sleeping Porch; 2006 Dream Home |
Winter Park, CO; 2007 Dream Home
Not a whole lot I really like about this home. I like aspects about it, like the window in the second guest bedroom, or that it has a loft, and the fireplace in the den is cool.
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| Exterior; 2007 Dream Home |
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| Guest Bedroom 1; 2007 Dream Home |
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| Dining Room; 2007 Dream Home |
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| Master Bedroom; 2007 Dream Home |
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| Outside Dining; 2007 Dream Home |
Islamorado, FL; 2008 Dream Home
Few things I like about this home. It's nice, it's just not for me. The master bedroom, however, I like as a guest bedroom.
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| Fishing Room; 2008 Dream Home |
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| Master Bedroom; 2008 Dream Home |
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| Master Bathroom; 2008 Dream Home |
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| Master Balcony; 2008 Dream Home |
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| Guest Bedroom 1; 2008 Dream Home |
Sonoma, CA; 2009 Dream Home
There's only one thing I absolutely love from this home, the master bedroom, but there are a few other nice features.
I ADORE this home. ADORE it! There's really only minor things I would change/add.
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| Kids Room; 2010 Dream Home |
No one in my family has children. I love this room, just nix the little kid stuff.
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| Guest Bedroom; 2010 Dream Home |
I love this room. What I do not like, however are when beds don't fit the space, as in the twin bed on the right being slightly in front of both windows. I would have one bed, perhaps a double, and flip it so that the head was on the right wall. Otherwise, great room!
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| Casita; 2010 Dream Home |
Great little off house guest suite. What is odd however is the flow from the bathroom to the bed. There is no large picture window on the other side of the bed to capture great views. I would have a curtain, so that who ever is occupying the casita could choose whether to look into/out of the bathroom or not.
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| Back Patio; 2010 Dream Home |
This is where the pool should be added, somewhere around the back patio. Otherwise, besides these minor things I love EVERYTHING about this home.
Stowe, VT; 2011 Dream Home
I like this home about half, perhaps a bit more.
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| Kitchen; 2011 Dream Home |
Far too bland for my tastes. Also way too large and just lacks any real appeal.
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| Dining Room; 2011 Dream Home |
I like it, just not the chairs.
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| Master Bedroom; 2011 Dream Home |
I LOVE the master bedroom. I'm not fond of the Queen Anne chest of drawers, so I'd put something different, but that's easily changeable. This, however, is, well... bad design. Great idea to hide the TV from view, but it's not practical, because you have to move the lamp and other things to even be able to get to the TV.
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| Guest Bathroom; 2011 Dream Home |
The guest bathroom is really lovely and had really nice features, but it seems a little lacking as well. I like the simplicity, but it needs something. A better tub, perhaps?
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| Ski Dorm; 2011 Dream Home |
It is an awesome ski dorm, however, we do not need a ski dorm, nor space for this many people. I love the colour on the walls and the ceiling and floor, so I would just make this into a normal double bed guest room similar to the other one.
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| Dorm Bathroom; 2011 Dream Home |
Again, it's a great bathroom, but we just don't need to accommodate that many people. I like the theme around the sink, so I'd probably just nix the sink and light in the center, but otherwise leave that as is. Depending on where this is in the house, we could utilize part of the space for something different. If it's near the guest bath, I'd use the space to extend the guest bath a little bit. If it's near the laundry room, I'd use the extra space to extend the laundry room out a little. Otherwise I'd just close off the extra space and make it into a craft room or office since I can't conceive of a vacation home, all of these would be homes.
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| Laundry Room; 2011 Dream Home |
Again, not enough people to warrant double washer and dryers. Though that's nice if you have a lot of people and they're all being active skiing and such. I would only have one set, and have this double as an office (see previous point) or just use the niche filled by the second washer/dryer set as extra counter and cabinet space and this would also be a butlers pantry.
Midway, UT; 2012 Dream Home
This exterior look and layout of this home is very odd, but the inside is rather nice. Seems like the type of place my parents would like to call home and my sister and I would not mind visiting in the least.
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| Kids Secret Playroom; 2012 Dream Home |
We do not have kids and even if we did, we don't like this. I'd repaint and fill will books and make it a secret reading nook.
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| Master Porch; 2012 Dream Home |
This bothers me. It's lovely and all that the master suite gets it's own porch. But to get to it you have to go to the master wing and through the master bedroom, yet there are four chairs and four wine glasses. Who are these other two people? Is this a house for swingers? Which is fine if it is, but this would not work for my parents.
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| Guest Bedroom; 2012 Dream Home |
I like the furniture, but really why couldn't this guest room be more lovely like the first guest room. It is entirely too patriotic/country for my tastes. It would have to be overhauled.
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| Changing Room; 2012 Dream Home |
A changing room is not something we would need. As is, this has a sauna, so I would just make it more of a nice, away from the house, hanging out area, much the way it looks now. If the sauna were a bathroom, I would make this a guest suite.
Charleston, SC; 2013 Dream Home
I am not fond of Charleston or South Carolina, so I would want this home somewhere else. But overall, there is little I would change about this house, so it's in my list of favourites.
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| Great Room; 2013 Dream Home |
The large iron gate over the fireplace creeps me out.
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| Deck; 2013 Dream Home |
The deck is lovely. It wraps from this side, around the front and to the other side. And while an elevated pool is a great idea in a marshy area, it is too small, because even so far north of me, it is still hot there in the summers. So, I would extend it out just a bit so it wasn't so skinny.
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| Guest Room 1; 2013 Dream Home |
Really, it's a lovely bedroom. I just don't care for the colour blue of the foot stool or the rug. But, those are really minor.
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| Guest Room 2; 2013 Dream Home |
I love it, but also it's too much. I love the bed and it being turquoise, but perhaps just one twin, or a double. I'd paint the dresser a neutral colour. Perhaps less blue in the rug, though I like the style of it.
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| Bunk Niche; 2013 Dream Home |
It's really adorable, but again we don't have kids, so it isn't needed. Since this is just a large upstairs landing, I'd make a sitting area or reading area or something.
Lake Tahoe, CA; 2014 Dream Home
I love the living spaces and the exterior of this home. Some places need minor changes, other a bit more than minor. But it's still great over all.
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| Living Room; 2014 Dream Home |
I love this room over all, but would change the fabric of the two armchairs in front of the fireplace. They're too fancy 1980s for my taste.
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| Downstairs Hallway; 2014 Dream Home |
It's a great idea to utilize the space under the stairs for the dog, even including a dutch door so the dog isn't completely closed up. But we don't have dogs, so I would have to use the space for something else and since it's so small, I'm not sure what, other than storage.
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| Powder Room; 2014 Dream Home |
I like the idea of using raw wood pieces on the walls for detail, as they did in the Family Room. But in that room it makes a nice design on the walls. This just looks too polka-dotty for my taste (I'm not a fan of polka-dots), or from this view black squares on neon green, which is too 1980s in a bad way for me. They are just pieces of raw wood, but that element over the entire wall like that, I'm not loving.
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| Laundry Room; 2014 Dream Home |
This is a very tiny laundry room. I don't need large and luxurious, but I doubt I could turn around in here. I would have liked it better if they had brought it out into the foyer a bit more, incorporating that storage closet into the laundry room. Also, the white stripes are just paint, but raw wood strips that were white would have looked lovely and brought more of that look into parts of the house that they were going for. The blue colour of the walls needs to be different. A pretty mustard or dark orange or a paler blue would work better for me.
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| Guest Bedroom; 2014 Dream Home |
What is this? This looks like they ran out of time or just stopped caring. Again I don't like beds with a tiny portion in front of the window. I think it looks tacky like no effort was put into the design. Also, that clock is entirely too large for the space. I love the paint and all the other things. But, really we wouldn't need a closet, so I'd make that a bed niche, to where the head of the bed was in there with side tables. Boom! The room is instantly better (of course that clocks got to go or would be centered in the middle of the wall it's currently on).
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| Kids Bunk room; 2014 Dream Home |
The kids bunk room is absolutely adorable, especially because it's Muppet Show Themed, but we don't have kids, nor do we know a lot of people, so bunk beds are not reasonable. My sister I would probably keep something Muppet Show related, but I'd have the make the room more adult like. No curtains, a double bed, nix the rug. And I'd just make a reading nook loft space for those high windows like in a different house. I imagine these types of rooms to be where my sister would stay and that would be perfect for her!
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| Kids Bathroom; 2014 Dream Home |
Basically I'd make this bathroom look like the adult guest bathroom. You could utilize some of the bedroom space to accommodate a nice tub, because it would need a tub; my sister likes to soak.
Now we'll take a gander at the DIY Blog Cabins. We never really did watch much of the DIY Network before we got rid of our cable service, but we have been entering to win a DIY Blog Cabin since 2011. There are three cabins that I like overall (2012 - 2014) and would change little of; others have a few nice features, but overall are either lacking or are just not my thing.
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| Exterior and that it is in the Great Smoky Mountains; 2007 DIY Blog Cabin |
Asheville, NC; 2009 DIY Blog Cabin
This is a pretty great cabin overall, structure-wise and I like the location, but there's only a few things I would not change.
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| Exterior; 2009 DIY Blog Cabin |
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| Windows and porch beyond; 2009 DIY Blog Cabin |
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| Yard; 2009 DIY Blog Cabin |
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| Guest Bedroom - just have one bed; 2009 DIY Blog Cabin |
Bethel Springs, NY; 2010 DIY Blog Cabin
This is not a bad cabin structurally, but I'd have to redo both bathrooms, the laundry room, the mess of the foyer/dining area, change furnishings in the master bedroom as well as in the living room. The guest bedroom is not pictured. I do like the living room fireplace and the doors in the house though.
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| Exterior; 2010 DIY Blog Cabin |
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| Kitchen; 2010 DIY Blog Cabin |
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| Door Latches; 2010 DIY Blog Cabin |
Matthews, VA; 2011 DIY Blog Cabin
Really there's only a few rooms and features that I like about this home, but overall, it's not my cup of tea. Also, this is the year that the cabins stopped being cabins. They are more like luxury homes.
I like how they updated this home overall. There's only a few minor changes I would really make.
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| Foyer; 2012 DIY Blog Cabin |
I love the foyer space. What I don't love is how it was utilized. I would definitely nix the tall cabinet and one of the benches. I'd leave the one closest to the door, add a cushion, close in the bottom to either be baskets that pull out or you lift the top to get to things. By the stairs I would put a squishy chair and a thin, hall type table for mail with a lamp or some flowers.
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| Laundry Room; 2012 DIY Blog Cabin |
I think the laundry room could have been better updated. It's too spread out and doesn't function or flow well. Perhaps, if they must use all of the space, make it a butters pantry as well.
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| Childrens' Bedroom; 2010 DIY Blog Cabin |
This is not a bad guest room, but I would nix the child's desk. The colour is pretty, but it's too much of it. Either a lighter shade or the ceiling white or something. Also the original light fixtures creeps me out.
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| Master Bedroom; 2012 DIY Blog Cabin |
It is a really nice master bedroom, but I would change the shutters to the right and nix the piece of furniture that the TV is on. Do something not so shabby chic there.
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| Master Bathroom; 2012 DIY Blog Cabin |
I like the master bath overall, but I do not like the custom built bench/towel rack thing. It doesn't work in the space, besides the fact that it does not work as seating (which they state that it is) and the space between the "seating" and the towel hooks is too short, which would cause the towels to be too squished, therefore there is not a good flow.
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| Guest Bathroom; 2012 DIY Blog Cabin |
I do not like this. I would nix the side stool, the mirror, and the lighting fixture. I would extend the back splash all the way up the wall. I would probably choose a more square based sink (or use a cabinet sink) and a better mirror is definitely in order.
Atlantic, NC; 2013 DIY Blog Cabin
This is a nice home overall, there's little I would change. Due to size restraints and structure I am OK with the lack of a second, real guest bedroom or a larger guest bathroom.
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| Kitchen; 2013 DIY Blog Cabin |
I would change the lights over the bar, as well as the stools (not pictured). I would also lighten the blue that is in the back splash just a little.
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| Master Bedroom; 2013 DIY Blog Cabin |
I don't like the old shutters as a headboard and I would use a different door. The two little windows is just odd. I would probably use a door with more glass.
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| Guest Bedroom; 2013 DIY Blog Cabin |
I'm not fond of the oars as a headboard but also, at the same time, it's rather nice. I would definitely change the rug though.
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| Media/Guest Room; 2013 DIY Blog Cabin |
It would be alright to add a TV to the downstairs living room, and make this just a guest room (not guest/media room). If I left this as the media room (no TV downstairs), I like the bunk beds in here. If I wanted a double, I'd do the same thing, but make it a pull down double.
Winter Haven, FL; 2014 DIY Blog Cabin
I like this home overall. I don't like that it's in Florida, nor do I like the fishing or Florida related items, which are minor. Also there are only minor changes I would make.
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| Foyer; 2014 DIY Blog Cabin |
Now this foyer was utilized pretty well I think. I'd just nix the fishing related items. I like to fish, but I don't really care for fishing decor (except that one Fishing Room, but that's all contained in one room, that's different than spread throughout the entire house). Ocean decor is different. One house has a sun room with fish carved out of wood hanging on the wall. That is awesome.
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| Family Room; 2014 DIY Blog Cabin |
I like the table game, but that's about it as far as decor in this corner goes. This feels like they just didn't know what to do with this corner or were tired of working.
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| Family Room; 2014 DIY Blog Cabin |
I love the family room. I just don't like most of the previous photo, nor this lighted anchor on the mantle.
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| Guest Bedroom; 2014 DIY Blog Cabin |
I love the guestroom, but I think it's bad placement, as the bed OVERLAPS the bathroom door! Come on y'all, no. I would nix the closet and switch the room; having the head of the bed on the wall where the closet is, and the chair and the coffee bar on the other side of the room. I think it would work MUCH better.
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| Kid Bedroom; 2014 DIY Blog Cabin |
Do not have kids, and I wouldn't like this anyway. I'd pretty much do this room similar to the more adult guest bedroom.
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| Guest Bathroom; 2014 DIY Blog Cabin |
I like the jack and jill guest bathroom. I would just change the colour. Dusty colours are not my thing. Green I like, so a lighter, less 'dustier' green?
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| Kitchen; 2014 DIY Blog Cabin |
I love the kitchen, I would just lighten the brown of the cabinetry a little.
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