Two Homosexuals Transform 1950's Cottage In Upstate New York

Oh, God. They’re opening up the kitchen.

"It's a post war blight 1950's ranch house."

That "blight" of which you speak allowed thousands and thousands of renters to become homeowners for the first time because of these homes' affordability, something completely lost in today's real estate marketplace.

R2- The original price of the first Levittown New York houses was about $7,900. In today's money that's $116,000. That would be a dirt cheap bargain.

R2. Your outrage has been duly registered.

Video blocked for everyone not in the US.

Clearly they're not Dataloungers or they would've welcome us with "WELL, hello!"

Oh god, every proposed change sounds disastrous. I am not a fan of knotty pine but those cabinets looked in good shape. If they can be cleaned up, lean into the 50s ranch-ness of them. And two sinks in a tiny bathroom sounds crazy. Did he grow up in a huge family? Because how often do people brush their teeth at the exact same time? I’d rather have counter space.

+ no ceiling light in the bedroom, that’s a plus! Unless you want a ceiling fan. But ceiling lights are terrible. You can get lamps that tie into a wall switch.

R7- I agree with you - but you must remember that these two queens are from Wisconsin and it does not occur to them that period details like the knotty pine cabinets in the kitchen are worth preserving.

I grew up in a ranch house in NJ exactly like the one here, bought in 1952 when I was 3 (I think for about $8000), with those very same knotty pine cabinets with the black iron decorative joints.

They were originally finished with an orangey varnish but in the late 1960s my mother had me paint over them them with one of those kits that had two steps, the first for color (ours was a sort of wedgewood blue) and then a feathered kind of coating that left a faux antique finish. I hated those cabinets in either incarnation. and I'm not surprised the style has never been revived.

Same childhood kitchen but in a Cape Cod. Couldn’t they be stripped though? I like the look of white unfinished pine but it darkens with age if you don’t preserve it somehow.

I love what they did to it! However. I would have got rid of the stone feature wall where the fireplace is. That faux stone is very dated. It looks OK and I loved the fireplace screen. Of course they had to spend money on fixing the problems with the water, and trying to stay within their budget. Over all they did a great job. The kitchen and the guest bedroom were my absolute favorites.

They need another bathroom.

Sure but they’d have to give up a bedroom, that house is tiny by current standards. Their best bet is build an extension to enlarge the master and put a bathroom in that.

They seem very much in love and they're the sweet nerdy kind of guys that have always attracted me. I like what they did with the house. Guest room and kitchen were great looking.

It looks like with their property they'll have plenty of space to build an extension to the house when they've saved up more money.

Sweet guys. I wish them well!

[quote] But I like these two queens.

Then you probably shouldn't be calling them queens.

Are you actually gay R17? And what are you doing here?

OMG. I so wanted to be bitchy and snarky but those girls went to WERK! They transformed that place into something cute for just $51,000?! All I can do is give them a deep Thatcher-esque curtsy.

I can't view the video, but from the DL comments it's a too familiar story: >95% of people -- and no smaller percentage of gays and lesbians-- who restore or renovate a house think they invented the fucking wheel. And in the process they obliterate nearly all of what attracted them in the first place.

Did they ever mention what they do for work in that tiny town?

Sounds like work from home.

I don't understand people who buy mid-century modern homes because they like the MCM vibe, but then proceed to tear out and destroy everything that gives the house the MCM vibe: the kitchen cabinets, the pink bathroom fixtures, the fireplaces, the vinyl flooring, etc.

That's why I like Lustron houses. You can't take out the MCM features unless you dismantle the entire house.

R23, That house was a fucking time capsule. IMO there was nothing worth saving in that kitchen with the atrocious cabinets!

[bold]So this is the Magnolia Network trying to LGBTQ friendly now? [/bold] The ratings must be slipping. They were so not "gay friendly" up until this point. Remember them saying how religious they were and it was nothing personal but they would not show gay couples on their show ever.

[quote]I don't understand people who buy mid-century modern homes because they like the MCM vibe, but then proceed to tear out and destroy everything that gives the house the MCM vibe

Most people buy a house because they need one to live in, not as a glorified art project or second home.

[quote]two sinks in a tiny bathroom sounds crazy. Did he grow up in a huge family? Because how often do people brush their teeth at the exact same time?

Did you grow up with a silver spoon in your mouth? When I first met my partner we lived in something even smaller than that and I could tell you every time we needed to go out to some event we were always tripping over each other in the bathroom at the same time. Taking turns does not always work when both have last minute things they need to do in the bathroom and leave the house at the same time.

"Most people buy a house because they need one to live in, not as a glorified art project or second home."

And most people buy a home because they need one to live in and want said home to be in move-in condition as much as possible (within their financial constraints) because they don't want to deal with the hassles and aggravation of major home renovations/contractors/permits, etc.

So someone who intentionally buys a house with "dated" features with the intention of remaking it into their image and likeness most likely will not mind if their home is an art project or a second home.

OP's response at R3 makes no sense.

People should not use words they do not understand, even if they represent the "blight" they're using as some sort of pejorative word for standardized, "affordable," postwar subdivision housing.

For God's sake the "damaged cedar siding" they are handling isn't cedar siding at all, it is asbestos shingles. I didn't watch much of the video but hope they got professionals in to replace the siding.

Also, there is nothing in Ellenville but multiple drug rehab centers. It's not some up and coming place in the Hudson Valley. It's bleak. But their property does look very lovely.

[quote]I don't understand people who buy mid-century modern homes because they like the MCM vibe, but then proceed to tear out and destroy everything that gives the house the MCM vibe: the kitchen cabinets, the pink bathroom fixtures, the fireplaces, the vinyl flooring, etc.

Did they say that? I admit I didn't watch much of it. I assumed they bought the house because they could afford it. Also, how long do you expect vinyl flooring to remain in use?

They did a good job. Hope they fixed that chimney leak. Kind of glided right by that.

I'm not a fan of open plan., but it is a nice transformation. In the first place, it wasn't an architectural marvel that required preservation. Second, except for the kitchen, the layout and features of the original house largely remain.

Reading some of the comments here, you would think they gutted the place or were tampering with Mount Vernon or Monticello.

[quote]And most people buy a home because they need one to live in and want said home to be in move-in condition as much as possible (within their financial constraints) because they don't want to deal with the hassles and aggravation of major home renovations/contractors/permit - s, etc

More Silver Spoon talking. Yes it's a hassle, but when you dont have a lot of money and you see it as an investment down the line, most people will suck it up and plan to eventually remodel kitchens, bathrooms etc. It's only rich and entitled that see renovation as inconvenient and turnkey as the standard.

"Approximately 62% of homeowners in the US are planning to undertake some form of home renovation or remodeling within the next year, according to a recent survey by Civic Science."

[quote]I would have got rid of the stone feature wall where the fireplace is. That faux stone is very dated.

That shows how subjective opinions on interior design are. Like them, I view it as one of the best features of the house. At this point, it's so old it's not dated.

[bold]The uploader has not made this available in your country[/bold]

Truth be told that house wasn't worth what they paid for it, and if an inspector had come round before they closed and saw that chimney leak, and the damaged siding they could have saved another $15,000 on the purchase price. Maybe more.

By doing it themselves they didn't have to pull permits and believe me their property taxes would go up if there was a public record of the renovations.

R37 What did they pay for it?

I couldn't keep watching... those two guys were just exhausting. I may go back and just fast forward to see the end result, but man, they were irritating.

They were enthusiastic, not irritating. Good for them to get their piece of the American Dream for just about $315k all-in. That's fantastic for 2025.

While Ellenville and that area of the Catskills is depressed in places and lots of MAGA REpugs live there, there's also a thriving gay community, mostly of married couples, with great gay-owned affordable restaurants, coffee houses, indie book stores and small movie theaters. I went to the Borscht Belt Film Festival up there last fall and really enjoyed exploring the area. Certainly great for a weekend getaway home if not a full-time residence.

"Upstate". Please, go to someplace like Hannibal and let's start talking "Upstate".

[quote]Most people buy a house because they need one to live in, not as a glorified art project or second home.

Well, yes, and as my older brother liked to tell me when I was in a separation of foods on the plate phase, "Don't bother. It all makes a turd."

It's a small minority of people, even among educated, prosperous people who can afford the time and priority to focus on the fine points of their house. It seems crazy to me that most people at a comfortable level of income take my brother's attitude toward where and how they live. Most couldn't give a rat's ass, or exercise any opinion on aesthetics. They have no knowledge and no vocabulary for it. Hence, The Property Brothers.

Oh, yeah. I watched this a while back. It was part of the show "In With The Old" on Magnolia (if you have HBO Max it's there too).

R25 This show has had 6 or 7 seasons and there were a fair number of gays on them. Another episode had a single gay man in the Finger Lakes. There was a black lesbian renovating an old house in Baltimore. Not quite as many gays in the last season or two but I think a few have popped up.

Magnolia also had two "friends" who were on First Time Fixer and then got their own show and I'd eat my hat if those two women weren't lesbian lovers.

The view of the hill is gorgeous.

I bet it was done to (eventually) be an airbnb.

R35 is Joanna Gains.

Sorry Dear, that show has not had gays on it before this one and it's only had 5 seasons. Chip & Joanna Gaines have been very publicly leaning into blaming their religion as to why they never feature gay couples on their show and now their network. It's only NOW that ratings are slipping that suddenly they have become gay friendly.

Chip & Joanna Gaines are the Chick-Fill-A of LGBTQ friendly businesses. Talking out of both sides of their mouths.

^^R45 not 35.

It doesn't look THAT dramatically different to me. Just a few cosmetic updates.

Not sure this is considered 'transformative'. Minor updates and some decor.

I guess this is what passes on Chip and Joanna Gaines' channel as a renovation. There's no wow moment or wow factor - at all.

“Look I’m Martha Stewart!” 🤡

Why are the gays always trying to transform, rehab and restore? Can't they just buy something, sit back and put theirr feet up?

A friend of a friend went nuts with MCM. He spent every waking hour purchasing that 50s shit with an unlimited budget from his husband. The house looked like Donna Reed threw-up.

Yeah, they divorced. Husband kept the house.

R50 the kitchen definitely deserves a Wow! when you consider what it looked like originally. They did a good job on the bathroom, too, and knocked out a wall between the Kitchen and the living r oom.

R47. What grounds do you have for that speculation?

And is that a highly rentable location?

[quote] Why are the gays always trying to transform, rehab and restore? Can't they just buy something, sit back and put theirr feet up?

Yeah. It would probably be nice not to work as well and just put your feet up.

I've always had a fascination with small, post WWII houses like those found in Levittown. We elder gays used to call them gay couple houses.

In my Canadian hometown there are several large pockets of them, built from around 1946 to 1953 or so, same footprint as a Levittown Cape Cod - 25x30. The difference was Canada's climate and frost line made a full basement more practical and city regulations required brick cladding.

They were small, solid, starter homes mostly on 50'x100' lots. They came with a finished main floor with two bedrooms, living, kitchen with dining nook, bathroom on the main floor. All hardwood floors except the bathroom. The upper floor came unfinished with the possibility of two additional bedrooms with sloped ceilings under the eaves. Many large boomer families lived this way. Basements were converted to living space.

As years passed, some were extended, others modified the layout within the footprint. My uncle, then a schoolteacher, bought one new in 1950 for $9,500., the limit of what he could afford. My cousin recently sold it for about 100x that. They were worth about 10x that in the 1990s.

r7 in a nutshell.

I tell ya, knotty pine will come back in style.

The only thing worse than knotty pine is knotty pine laminate. Sadly, I have seen this for real.

Kitchen cabinets, paneled walls, and interior woodwork should not be more orange than your tabby cab.

In *some* cases, paint can do a world of good in making something of the deep vertical mouldings which toning all that acid orange the fuck down.

[quote]city regulations required brick cladding.

That’s wild. I’ve never heard of such a thing.

They like to entertain but got rid of a lot of kitchen storage--makes no sense. I'd agree that the knotty pine is a nice period feature if they're in good shape--not my usual taste but good kitchen cabinets are expensive and you want to invest in more pressing needs.

R61, I believe it was something to do with impeding the spread of fire.

Ugly dog---thick bodied little dogs seem popular now--heaven knows why.

[quote]They like to entertain but got rid of a lot of kitchen storage--makes no sense.

Well it was on trend a few years ago to get rid of all the upper cabinets and use shelves to display your plates and dishware. I think since then it's died down a bit since it's not really practical, you have to dust all that crap now that it's in the open and grease gets all over that stuff when cooking.

That said, they probably cut their new cabinet cost in half by doing that. Plus it does make tiny kitchens look more spacious.

UGH a tv over the fireplace.

I do hate that ^^^^^^^^^^^ very tacky.

R65: Debatable that it makes kitchens look more spacious--often they seem more sparse.

We bought a 1957 ranch with the original kitchen, including the knotty pine cabinets and electric wall oven/cooktop. It was great if you wanted to live in a time capsule but not practical.

We waited 6 years until we gutted it and did a complete renovation, including covering up a second doorway into the adjoining den to create more counter and cabinet space.

We spent $75k but it looks amazing. Will post a video.

I give it two years before that dump is back on the market at a 200k markup and they’re on their way back to a rental they can’t afford in the city.

Perhaps it will be on the market with a 200k markup. It won't sell for that.

They're cute. I'd fuck them.

R17 is probably straight.

R66 "UGH a tv over the fireplace"

No, no, NO!!!!

Can't see the vid but I'm guessing "a u-shaped kitchen/diner which makes a great social space!"

R48 I'm not a Joanna Gaines fangurl - I start most of the HGTV threads here and I dislike "Chip 'n Jo". I know their anti-LGBTQ history.

I do like a few of the Magnolia shows, including the one the episode at OP came from (In With The Old) because they tend to be a little bit lighter on the faked drama or oversharing of personal stuff.

They do have a bunch of fundie people on most of their shows - including Donna Summer's daughter - and I avoid most of them, but there's a few I'll watch.

Also, I stand corrected - the other gays weren't in the first seasons of In With The Old but in season 3 and 4.

The Baltimore lesbian is in S3 Episode 2 "Charm City."

And the younger gurlina who renos a Finger Lakes place with boyfriend is S4 E4 "Silver Lake."

They did an extraordinary job and it is phenomenal that they did almost all of it on their own, learning as they went along. I really liked them. They seem like authentic, kind men.

Meanwhile, the queens on The DL can't even get figure out a VPN and how to get one.

The tall one is kinda hot.

My parents lived in a tiny tract house with aluminum siding, 800 SF and paid $8,000 for it. It was their first home after renting for five years. When suburbia grew and the tract houses were little one story, brick boxes, with maybe 1200 SF like the one in NY, the floor plans were all the same. They weren't "ranch" houses. They were almost perfectly square. My Aunt lived in one until my uncle died. I had another aunt who was very proud of her two bedroom ranch house. I find them uninteresting and kind emblematic of the era: Stifling, and repressed.

They did a good job and stayed on budget. I wish them well.

[quote] I went to the Borscht Belt Film Festival up there last fall

R42 For those who don’t know, that area of the Catskills was, from the 1940s into the 1960s, a summer vacation location that was popular with Jewish people from NYC. I know because my parents took the family on summer vacations there when I was a gayling.

We went to a place in Kerhonkson, which is northeast of Ellenville. It was, shall we say, rustic. Even way back then, the “downtowns”of Kerhonkson and Ellenville looked rough to me. I was already a little queen, because I loathed it.

Frighteningly, the place in Kerhonkson still exists, is used as a camp for Yeshiva kids, and has sewage problems that stink up the area (think lactose intolerance). You don’t have to be a queen to not want to be around that!

Meh. Everybody’s a homosexual in or from upstate New York, OP.

Here's the Hudson Valley lesbians. But they were on HGTV (not Magnolia)

The tall one is a woman???

R84 Yup.

R83, I liked those two gals and the work they did.

It was a cute show, nice houses. I don't think it will come back, though.

I like those two as well - but not gonna lie, the tall lesbian could have taken me. She had such a fresh, frat-boy look about her. She looked considerably younger than her partner.

I thought she was a very handsome, nice-looking man. And I mean that in all the right ways. And she's not trans.

This has happened before for me - some young, sporty, clean-cut lesbians passing as good-looking twinks.

r88 That happened to me several times in my first years out at the bars.

Love at first sight across the room.....until I learned the man of my dreams was a butch lesbian.

*sob*

R61: That's why you don't see wood frame houses in the City of Chicago, unless it was built150 years ago. The fire changed everything.

Was this sponsored by Wayfair?

Very, mine is in the crowded mid-September range. I was really annoyed when I had to start sharing my birthday cakes with my annoying and obnoxious sister-in-law.

Absolutely beautiful renovation. I'm with R7 about the two sinks in the bathroom. It looks like they put in a narrow vanity to make it work. I'd rather have a second bathroom. I have no desire to have another man in there with me (unless we are in the shower together playing drop the soap), while I do my business.

Separate bathrooms, please.

I assume the desire for two sinks is more about being able to leave your personal stuff out, not about using the sinks at the same time, but in this case the lack of counter space is a fail.

I think everyone would prefer two bathrooms, but that’s not an option here.