"WANTED!" by HGTV

HGTV’s “Bank For Your Buck” wants to film our basement!

Seriously…they do!

And I said no.

If you remember, we just finished a HUGE five-month remodeling job on our new house – where just about 99% of the house was gutted and redone. This included our basement – BUT – (and this is a BIG “but”) - we had to stretch the budget somewhere, and so our basement didn’t exactly get the “wow” factor. It got the “good enough” factor, if that makes sense. The “wow” factor went upstairs – on the main living area – and we were okay with that.

So – anyway – I guess HGTV is coming to Kansas City the first week of March to film basement remodels – and we received an email this week from the producer with an application. They got wind of our remodel from one of our contractors, and they felt that our basement would be “perfect” to showcase on the show.

What an honor, right? But I said no.

If you know anything at all about the show, “Bank For Your Buck” will showcase 3 families who’ve done a remodel – all spending approximately the same amount of money. While the family watches remotely, a designer and a realtor will then come into your remodeled space and critique it – they’ll tell you what you did right, and what you did wrong – and then they compare the 3 homes at the end of the show and decide who will get the most money back in resale – the most “bang” for their buck.

Hubby and I talked it over – and we feel that the last thing we both need right now is the stress and pressure of a television crew in our basement – critiquing our choices and our redesign….Not to mention, I don’t take criticism well…at all. Period.

And I don’t know that I could calmly sit there – while being filmed – listening to some designer tell me my basement is ugly. I would so rip their throat out. Seriously. And that wouldn’t be so good for my image, I guess. And then my kids would be teased mercilessly as the children of the “crazy lunatic lady who ripped the throat out of a designer on that HGTV show.” Who wants that stigma?

And the application? Oh my God. It is seriously thicker than a college application. It’s 7 pages long – including the “interview”, where they ask questions like, “What kind of personalities do you and your spouse have?” (probably trying to see if we’re crazy and ultra-sensitive and subject to ripping out throats), as well as, “What would you say is your style?” Snort. Style? I have no style – unless you can call “Get ‘er done!” a “style”, as that became very much the impetus behind most of my design decisions for the basement. (“Just get ‘er done so I can move in!”)

So – you will not be seeing the Drama Queen’s basement when they showcase Kansas City on “Bang for Your Buck.” And I am at peace with that decision. It’s nice to just be able to relax and live and be ourselves in the house – style or no style.

Peace.