My newest obsession has become "Monster House", which airs at 8pm ET every Monday on the Discovery Channel. I find it endlessly fascinating to watch the process of literally tearing a house apart and rebuilding it in a totally off the wall manner. The idea is that a homeowner signs a contract with the show that allows them to pick only the theme with which the rebuild will be done. Beyond that, all details are up to Steve Watson and his crew of merry madmen.
The idea is that the crew begins work on a Monday morning, and if the build is completed by midnight Friday, each crew member leaves with about $3000 in free tools. This is not just a matter of hammering some nails and slapping some new paint on the walls. These houses are remodeled in ways that a homeowner would come up with only if they were coming down from a bad acid trip. Avant-garde might be an apt description.
Susan and I have decided that we'd LOVE to take a chance like this on our home. It's not that we live in a dump- far from it. Still, it would be interesting to see what some professionals with creative license and a substantial budget could do. Of course, deciding on the theme could be a challenge. I'd like a Southwest or perhaps a Texas theme. Susan wants a nautical, Cape Cod design (Um, honey? We live in TEXAS, not Cape Cod....).
Unfortunately, there is one little hitch in our plans. In order to be picked, you must live within an hour's drive of Los Angeles. Damn the luck....
Of course, one of the questions that always is left unanswered is the long-term viability and maintainability of these theme homes. Since speed is the primary criteria, durability and longevity are achieved only as afterthoughts. I'm not saying the work is shoddy- these are, after all, highly trained and experienced professionals- but quality control is clearly NOT part of the process. One of the problems with things like fire-breathing Tiki Gods, koi ponds, weeping walls, or rainforest showers is ongoing maintenance. There are updates available, if you're interested in what happened after the cameras left. It would be interesting to see what some of the homeowners think about all of this, say, five years down the road. I still think I'd take the chance....
