Laurel Mercantile Co.

Home Town Season 3 Recap: Guay Family

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“Houses with big porches and rocker chairs on them…for us that’s pretty much Southern Charm!” -Patrick and Peggy

Last night, we saw something unprecedented on Home Town. A couple moving all the way from Quebec!

Patrick and Peggy came down and visited us once, and the rest is history! They fell in love with the heat, the culture, the people, and the small-town homes.

Luckily for us, they decided to buy a vacation home that they can use later for retirement. We’re so happy to have this Canadian addition to Laurel!

“They’re doing a great job for their community. I want to be part of that.” -Peggy quoting Patrick on how they chose to buy a home here

RTR Media

Let’s Talk Budget

Patrick mentions that their all-in budget is $140,000. That’s pretty good! Especially if they choose an older house that hasn’t been renovated in some time.

My prediction: Cottage Home 

The Chandler House

Built in 1935, the Chandler House gets its name from Gary and Ginger Chandler, who lived there for 23 years. Its asking price is $74,000, and it features 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, and 1600 square feet.

The first thing I noticed was what great condition it was in! However, the modern updates did leave it a little plain. My hope is that the inside will match the exterior in condition, but have a little more charm. *fingers crossed*

As we move inside, there are more complaints on the modernity of the home. I agree and disagree with that. There are modern light fixtures and laminate flooring, but there are also areas of the home like the only bathroom that are very dated. 

Although, Erin had a ton of great ideas to make things feel a lot more homey! Making the bathroom bigger and adding an antique tub, salvaging the original sink and cabinetry in the kitchen and replicating it, and bringing some color to the exterior by painting and sandblasting the brick.

With everything that needs to be done, they end up right on budget at $140,000. Is that too close for comfort?

The best part: Absolutely the incredible back deck. The entertaining space is to die for!

The Key House

Built in the 1940s, the Key House gets its name from Peggy Key, who lived there over 20 years. Its asking price is $51,000, and it features 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, and 1300 square feet.

The first thing I noticed with this one was how overgrown the yard was. It seriously needed some attention! It was honestly so bad, I didn’t notice much about the exterior of the house.

Once they gave us some closer up shots of the home, I was wow’ed by the size of the porch. It totally matched what Patrick and Peggy were looking for. It also had some remaining craftsman details that gave it some historic charm.

The inside boasted original flooring and french doors in the living room. The only downsides were the bright red walls and the stucco ceiling. There was also a window unit that indicated no central heat or air.

Fun Fact: A lot of the homes (especially un-renovated ones) in the historic district still have no central heat or air.

Erin and Ben had loads of great ideas to make this home feel like a cozy Southern cottage. Some of the best were: getting built in bookshelves for the living room and adding a fireplace, custom butcher-block countertops in the kitchen, and adding some great tile in the bathroom. All of this comes out at $136,000.

The Key House is 100% my pick because of all the cute little details. It just needs some love!

The After

RTR Media | Bottle set on top of shelf + white ceramic houses from Lott Furniture Co.

In my opinion, Erin and Ben totally nailed what Patrick and Peggy requested on this one. Somehow, after they were finished, the house even seemed bigger. They did lots to open up spaces by knocking down walls and adding the vaulted ceiling. Paint colors and floor plans had a lot to do with it too.

Something about this house was just so insanely cozy. 

The vintage bath tub, faux-vintage sink and fridge, and the cream and black color palette just made everything feel so classic. Not to mention the Ben builds in the master bedroom and the new fireplace!

And there were a few Lott Furniture Co. items hiding in there! 

The Guay’s loved the Navy swivel glider so much, they bought it! The Hogues from the last episode also bought one for their home.

Navy Swivel Glider from the Guay House | Photo taken in the Hogue House

Overall, we all enjoyed this episode so much! It was a pretty challenging house, with a few (fixable) problems during the reno that were interesting to see. Also, we love Patrick and Peggy! They have been great customers after the show, but even better friends.

We proudly welcome them to the Laurel community!

-Keri Rowell, Lott Furniture Co.

Follow along with us and check back here for a new recap on the blog every Tuesday during Season 3 of Home Town! Sign up in the gold box for email updates to be the first to discuss the episode with us every time we post.

Let us know in the comments what you thought about this episode!

RESOURCES

-Haven’t seen the episode yet? Watch for re-runs on HGTV, or visit their website or the HGTV app to stream the episode after airing for free. (Depending on your cable provider) Not to mention, you can find exclusive content here like photos, videos, and the new digital series “Erin’spired” and “Talkin’ Shop” with Erin and Ben.

-Want to know everything Home Town used in the Watts House, down to the paint color? Visit RTR Media’s resource guide after every episode to shop exact pieces and fixtures as seen on the show.

**** This is solely our commentary. Our opinions do not reflect on Home Town Season 3 Productions, HGTV, the cast and crew, or Scripps.

 

Home Town Season 3 Recap: Hogue Family

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“Southern living means….a porch!” -Bill and Julie Hogue

On last night’s episode, we got to meet the Hogue family. (Party of 12, might I add) They are fresh out of Arizona, and moved

here this past year, complete with 4 out of 10 children. The Hogues have become an absolute staple in our community– our Downtown especially.

Their food truck, The 5000, serves up artisan, Southewest-style street tacos, specialty fries, and the best dang grilled cheese on this side of the Mississippi River.

For this recap, we reached out to the Hogues for some extra tidbits on their Home Town experience! Throughout, enjoy some direct quotes from episode 2’s guest stars.

“We looked at five cities in four states. We knew for sure that we wanted to move to this side of the country, so we started exploring! An old house in a small town was a must. [Laurel] turned out to be the perfect fit for all we were looking for.”

Provided by RTR Media

Let’s Talk Budget

The Hogue’s first requests included an old, stately Southern home and a big front porch. And I think we can safely assume at this point that they also need a pretty great kitchen, with Bill being a chef and all.

So what are we working with?? $250,000

We’ve gotten lucky two episodes in a row for big budgets! (When we’re talking Laurel, of course.)

The Rockett House

Our first stop on real estate day is the Rockett House. Newburn and Emma Rockett lived in the home over 30 years, and Newburn worked at Laurel Machine and Foundry. One of our most historic companies in Laurel!

The Victorian style home was built in 1903, and has lots of really neat, historic details on the exterior like a sunroom and a very intricately patterned screen door.

It’s a 2,500 square foot home with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. (It also had an extra room that could stand as a fourth bedroom for one of the kids.)

Best part? It’s listed at $109,000. Way under budget.

As they tour the house, it seems like there’s just not much there. Not great condition, but not bad. The whole thing was very charming, but didn’t seem very “stately”, as per Julie’s request.

Although, the budget allows for some amazing Erin and Ben transformations and even some money left over, we’d like to wait and see.

Best features: The incredible french doors in the formal living room/foyer space and the antique fireplaces.

The Redd House

Great neighborhood alert!

As Erin said, the Redd house is definitely on the most sought after street in Laurel’s Historic District. (Therefore, we’re already giving this house major brownie points.)

The Redd House gets it’s name from Roscoe and Lucille Redd, owners of Redd Music & Cigarette Company, who lived there for over 40 years.

It’s a colonial home that boasts a build date of 1890. Wow! More brownie points for historic value.

It’s significantly larger than the Rockett House, being 3,300 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 3 baths.

Our asking price comes out to $169,000. Which is quite a lot more than the Rockett House! 

As we tour the home, we see some pretty interesting features scattered about. Outside, we see 2 concrete lions at the start of the sidewalk, upolstered walls, an iron raining inside, and most of all: beautiful fireplaces, grand staircase, and hardwood floors.

The character of the home is unmistakeable, and it has plenty of room for our family of 12. (Plus a great potential kitchen/family room area)

Although we come in a bit over budget, we have high hopes for the Redd House becoming the Hogue House.

Best Original Feature: The upholstered walls and wainscoting in the foyer.

Provided by RTR Media

The After

Before we go any further, we just have to say: this is one of our very favorite Home Town houses to date.

Erin and Ben did such a good job of incorporating personal touches to the family like including Bill’s grandmother’s clock and adding a chef’s kitchen, while protecting the original integrity of the home and highlighting the things that are reminiscent of Laurel.

We were just over the moon about the reclaimed “Laurel” wood in the dining table and the Laurel bricks laid in the kitchen floor. Not to mention the uncovering of the bead board and keeping the “mossy” lion on the porch!

Provided by RTR Media

And did you spot a couple of Lott Furniture Products? We can take credit for the fabric on their custom ottoman in the family room, and the charcoal arm chair in there as well.

Enough about our favorites though, for a second. We took the time to ask the Hogue’s what their favorite room was that Erin and Ben designed!

“Honestly, looking at the big picture, we would have to say the kitchen. We love that it opens into the family room to make one big giant space. We have a very big family and love to entertain friends. To have such a grand space where you aren’t tripping over one another is such a blessing.”

Provided by RTR Media

The “After” the After

Lott Furniture Co. was lucky enough to gain the Hogues as customers, as well as friends. All thanks to Home Town!

After the show, the Hogues stopped by our Design Studio to create some custom pieces for their brand new home.

“We had and have limitless amounts of faith in the Lott Furniture Co. Design Studio. In fact, we didn’t even see a few of the pieces. We just described what we wanted– that it needed to hold up to kids, grandkids, and the pool. It was so fun to just have things delivered without us having to put in the stress of figuring it all out on our own. We had a pretty tight budget after the renovations, so we included that as well and left the rest to the talented team at Lott’s. We were not disappointed!”

It was very special to us to get the opportunity to be involved with helping the Hogues find their perfect pieces to fit their style and needs, and most of all–to help bring them home.

  • Custom Fabric By-The-Yard (Bassett Furniture)

  • Hello Hogue Sofas!

    The Hogues chose 2 identical sofas for their living room, complete with custom accent pillows and stain/tear resistant fabric.

  • The Most Classic Chair

    The most beautiful (and comfy) custom Bassett Chair. We selected a classic stripe for the Hogues.

  • A Chair to Relax In

    Our comfiest chair in our line. This one was made custom in North MS for Bill to rock in and watch TV. It’s great for the grandkids too!

  • The Perfect Pillows

    For something a little more fun, we selected a navy printed pillow to mix with the herringbone fabric on the sofas.

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A few more fun questions for the Hogues about their experience on Home Town:

Did you enjoy Home Town? What was so great about the experience?

We loved participating in Home Town.  We are not very talented in the area of decorating, so it was perfect for us.  We were able to share our desires for the home, our color palate and how our family operates.  After that – we were able to walk away and come back seven weeks later and see how this amazing team executed everything that was in our heads into real life.  
 

What would you tell a potential homeowner thinking about being on the show?

 Faith!  You need to have a lot of faith in the team.  I (Julie) know that giving up control is very difficult.  It’s a daily struggle for me.  However, its a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I don’t think it’s possible to ever duplicate that much talent in one room again.  Erin, Amanda, Blake, Sarah, and Whitney (I’m so sorry if I’m forgetting anyone) are fantastic individually, but put them together and its the perfection.  

What do you value most about being a Laurelite?

A sense of community.  I love that we are in a place that we know so many people and our kids are known.  We often will run into people that will tell us, “hey, we just saw your daughters at the store.”  I love that our kids are watched after even when they don’t know it.  We love feeling like we have been a part of Laurel forever.  This is most definitely our “Home Town” and we are blessed beyond measure. 

Follow along and look for a recap blog every Tuesday throughout the season. Be the first ones to discuss the episode with us, and sign up in the gold box for email updates every time we post! 

-Keri Rowell, Lott Furniture Co.

What was your favorite part of this episode? What are you looking forward to this season? Let us know in the comments!

RESOURCES

-Haven’t seen the episode yet? Watch for re-runs on HGTV, or visit their website or the HGTV app to stream the episode after airing for free. Not to mention, you can find exclusive content here like photos, videos, and the new digital series “Erin’spired” and “Talkin’ Shop” with Erin and Ben.

-Want to know everything Home Town used in the Watts House, down to the paint color? Visit RTR Media’s resource guide after every episode to shop exact pieces and fixtures as seen on the show.

**** This is solely our commentary. Our opinions do not reflect on Home Town Season 3 Productions, HGTV, the cast and crew, or Scripps.

 

Laurel Mercantile Co.

Home Town Season 3 Recap: Watts Family

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Home Town is back on HGTV, and we are thrilled! This season features 13 all new families and homes in beautiful Laurel,

Todd Douglas / Getty Images – Taken from https://www.hgtv.com

Mississippi. We can already tell that season 3 is going to be the best yet, so we’re going to post recaps of every episode!

Not to mention, there are lots of Lott Furniture Co. pieces featured! That means you can shop the look you see on your TV and get your home looking like Erin and Ben designed it!

On last night’s episode, we got to meet the vibrant Watts family!

  • Wanna know more about the Watts family? Click their name right above and head on to LMCo’s journal to see an exclusive interview with Toy and Cory! LMCo will post on their journal every week after the episode.

Toy has a new job as school district superintendent, so she’s moving her family inland from the Mississippi coast. Toy and her husband, Cory, need help finding a large home with architectural details and plenty of space for their three kids. Their $300,000 all-in budget goes a long way as they consider two massive homes: a 5000 square foot brick beauty and a 3600 square foot home with a pond and gazebo. Along with a new kitchen and living room, a spa-like bathroom is high priority for these professionals to relax after a busy day. (episode description from RTR Media)

First of all, let’s talk about budget.

The Watts family has an all-in budget of $300,000. For a lot of places, this is pretty average (or even below average)! But in Laurel…that’s a big budget for our real estate market!

Laurel’s median home value is $83,700. Compared to the USA national average of $222,800, that’s a crazy deal!

Hearing this got us all excited to see what Erin and Ben could do with that budget!

The Yeates House $221,000

Our first stop this episode is the Yeates House! Built in 1978 by Geraldine and William Yeates, and it features a whopping 5,300 square feet! That includes 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, and a huge garage.

Toy’s first impression of the exterior was that the colors were a little “drab”. The interior was in great condition, and featured tall ceilings and a huge kitchen. Although the house was beautiful, it just wasn’t very “Watts” yet. (Even though they did like it.)

We think this fun-loving family needs a home with some personality! Thankfully, Erin had some pretty great ideas on how to spruce up the place.

We loved the Yeates house, but with the reno budget leaving everything at an even $300,00, we think that might be cutting it a little close!

Best Feature: The back yard was absolutely outstanding. It had lots of space and a beautiful landscape with a pond. It seriously had us swooning.

The Herndon House $210,000

Todd Douglas / Getty Images – taken from htpps://www.hgtv.com

Our second stop is the Herndon House! Built in 1979 by the Herndons, this house is absolutely stunning. It’s not as big as

the Yeates house, but it’s still a great size of 3,600 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 3.5 baths.

The first thing we noticed was the beautiful New Orleans style wrought-iron balcony. Secondarily, we love the large front yard and circle drive. Like the Yeates House, this one also has pretty neutral coloring.

As we venture inside, the first thing we see is the beautiful wood flooring in the foyer, along with a stately chandelier. Not to mention the gorgeous, rounded doorways and elegant moulding!

The Living Room

Todd Douglas / Getty Images – Taken from https://www.hgtv.com

Then we travel to the living room…and there a good many pros and cons.

The spacious size with an open concept to the kitchen is awesome and perfect for entertaining! The balcony dining area and stairs are also such a nice touch to the character of the home. Not to mention, it’s the most extreme (and coolest) sunken living room we’ve ever seen.

What we don’t love: The paneling and carpet.

Wood-paneled walls were a huge trend in the 70’s. Mix in some carpet, and voilà! You’ve got every 70’s family’s dream sunken living room. Somehow, we just don’t think this is the best combo for the Watts family.

The Kitchen

Todd Douglas / Getty Images – Taken from https://www.hgtv.com

On to the kitchen. (Spoiler: Matching wood-paneling)

Although we’ve got some more very 70’s details like yellow-ish formica countertops and cabinetry that matches the walls of the living room, this kitchen has major potential.

What we love: The brick-framed oven.

The “nook” for the oven is the best focal point in a kitchen we’ve seen on Home Town thus far, and Erin had the idea to add a tile backsplash to make it even more beautiful. (Swooning, again.)

The Master Suite

Todd Douglas / Getty Images – Taken from https://www.hgtv.com

Like Erin said, “it’s a very Scarface bathroom”.

The bedroom was a nice size, and really just needed new carpeting, light fixtures, paint, and what-have-you. But, the bathroom had lots of interesting surprises.

Todd Douglas / Getty Images – Taken from https://www.hgtv.com

More carpet. Smoky mirror. Fake columns. Not one, not two, but three vanities.

Yes, this bathroom had an interesting “before”, but we’re more than ready to see the “after”.

Overall, we loved the Herndon House and all the potential it was sporting. We’re so glad the Watts picked it!

The After

Todd Douglas / Getty Images – Taken from https://www.hgtv.com

Obviously, Erin and Ben completely transformed this house into something even more beautiful and so personal to the Watts Family!

The exterior had more contrast and color, and the landscaping was cleaned up.

There were way bigger transformations inside, namely making everything feel so much more open. (If that’s even possible!)

  • Todd Douglas / Getty Images – Taken from https://www.hgtv.com

  • Todd Douglas / Getty Images – Taken from https://www.hgtv.com

  • Todd Douglas / Getty Images – Taken from https://www.hgtv.com

  • Todd Douglas / Getty Images – Taken from https://www.hgtv.com

  • Todd Douglas / Getty Images – Taken from https://www.hgtv.com

  • Todd Douglas / Getty Images – Taken from https://www.hgtv.com

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Our Favorite Room

Although the entire home turned out perfectly, our favorite room is the living room. (I mean, just check out the transformation!)

The TV in the mirror is quite possibly the coolest DIY we’ve ever seen on the show. Not to mention, we’ve got a Lott Furniture Co. item in here!

Todd Douglas / Getty Images -Taken from https://www.hgtv.com

The Watts Sectional is the perfect addition to any big space. It even has a removable, rounded corner piece for switching things up! If you remove it, this sectional can act as a freestanding sofa and loveseat set.

Contact us to shop the Watts Sectional today!

This premier definitely started out season 3 with a bang. We’re just smitten with the Watts family and are so proud to welcome them home to Laurel, Mississippi.

Todd Douglas / Getty Images – Taken from https://www.hgtv.com

Follow along and look for a recap blog every Tuesday throughout the season. Be the first ones to discuss the episode with us, and sign up in the gold box for email updates every time we post!

-Keri Rowell, Lott Furniture Co.

What was your favorite part of this episode? What are you looking forward to this season? Let us know in the comments!

Resources

-Haven’t seen the episode yet? Watch for re-runs on HGTV, or visit their website or the HGTV app to stream the episode after airing for free. Not to mention, you can find exclusive content here like photos, videos, and the new digital series “Erin’spired” and “Talkin’ Shop” with Erin and Ben.

-Want to know everything Home Town used in the Watts House, down to the paint color? Visit RTR Media’s resource guide after every episode to shop exact pieces and fixtures as seen on the show.

**** None of these images are our property (we included credits), and this is solely our commentary. Our opinions do not reflect on Home Town Season 3 Productions, HGTV, the cast and crew, or Scripps.