Thanks for the link, brutuses.

I went through the house by photo (my computer is too slow for the video tour) and my initial impression is that the house is very much overbuilt for the neighborhood and that every room (while lovely in its own way) looks like it was designed by a different person. The dining room is my favorite, clean and cool and elegant. The living room, by contrast, is very visually cluttered and feels claustrophobic. The family room doesn't have much of a connection with anything!

It's curious, because you expect a certain dissonance when viewing a designer's showhouse where every room really IS decorated by a different firm. The dream houses are supposed to be designed by one team, and the previous ones have seemed to have a more cohesive overall design than this latest.

Yeah but...at least this one didn't have a 1,000 seashells everywhere.

Nothing offensive but nothing spectacular.

Didn't care for the interior one bit. Could possibly live w/ the MBR but it's a bedroom I'd rather stay in as a guest instead of having as my own.
The only other thing that interested me was the wall color in the foyer as it's one that I've been mulling over painting my MBR for months now but I've not been 100% sold on it. It was good to see it all over in a pic.
Really liked the outside.

I really like the raised beds in the garden, and will have to look for instructions on how they made those. They look elegant, with that sort of "fancy top." :) Though i won't paint mine.

And i got a kick out of all the obvious product placements - sweepers under foot and dish detergent in the middle of a pristine counter top.

~ shrug ~

I think they used a creamy beige for furniture, drapes and accessories to try to tie the rooms together. As for the color of the living room and dining room, I think they could have worked better if the living room blue was a bit more bold. As it is the room is kind of boring compared to the lush color of the dining room. I think it is interesting that the color goes onto the ceilings as well.

All in all the house is OK, doesn't have any punch for me. Looks like a hundred other new construction homes here in Colorado. Ahhh, I love my old house!
Diane

Well if you guys don't want it, I'll have it. OK? :D

The old farm house in my childhood neighborhood looked a lot like that house. I could really enjoy living there. And in Sonoma? Yes, please!

I do lust after the front porch!

Looking at it some more, though, you know what I don't like? It's those rather funerary, tombstone-like things in the foyer. That taupe-y gray and those gold walls... wrong, and the puddly drapes? What's the larger design concept there? It's not welcoming, anyway. Just my 2p.

Not to my liking, and I don't do steps, left those behind in PA. 28 years ago, and sure don't miss them..

I liked the MBR but not the wall color. If that had been on my list for buying, my first thought would have been ,
oh, no, I'll have to paint the whole house. I thought all the differnt wall colors were confusing for "a dream home".
The drapes in hall ways etc. Perfect for a male dog to mark. Kitty cats loove curtains.
I expected more of a tradional look, maybe its just my age
but it looked like everything was bought at Pottery Barn.

Just my .15 worth.
Linda

I've always been curious as to who eventually bought these HGTV dreams homes when it was all over. All of them were overbuilt for the area they were in, and I am sure they did not get what they were worth. Is there a website or blogger who did a story on it?

Well I would gladly live there myself but overall ....I found the paint colors to be very much on the dull side. There was not one paint color that gave me the wow factor nor desire to paint it in my house which was what I was looking for...inspiration.

Beautiful home - inside and out but I would not call it a Dream Home.

I like it and it's a neat idea. But I don't like that foyer. What I would expect walking into a house like that is a grand staircase, but what you see is the family room. Definately strange for what is supposed to be a Victorian farmhouse inspired home.

It's lovely, but it's so not me.

The landscaping is totally unimaginative.

The different wall color in every room would make me feel like I was living inside a box of crayons.

Way too much white furniture for my lifestyle.

I've always loved nearly every inch of the previous Dream Homes, but I found very little that I liked about this one.

I'll take the laundry room!

There's just so many yards and yards of those drapes. And, the green in the master bedroom is a bit much, to say the least.

Thanks Brutuses for sharing the link. It was a good distraction for me as I am eating dinner after a long day sitting and taking notes at a seminar today. My "furkidz" missed me so much.

I do not like most of the color choices except for the pretty blue in the living room, the creamy color in the beautiful laundry room (was the only room I loved everything about) and the clean looking white paint in the very nice oversized garage. The Master Bedroom was very nice except for the wall color that to me was too vibrant to sleep in. I like soft colors for the bedroom I have learned from past experiences. The style of the home was very nice and so was the landscaping but I didn't like the oversized patio furniture. If I won the house, I would have to repaint most of the bedrooms. I also prefer tile in bathrooms and not hardwood floors. So in summary, I will take the laundry room and the Master Bedroom's huge closet and the garage.

I'd like to amend my previous post a little.

About the wall colors, it's not that I don't like the colors (I actually do like every one of the colors individually, and I'm a big fan of brightly painted walls), but something about the "look" of the room as a whole just seems a little off to me. I guess it's that the only color in the room is on the walls; the furnishings and decorative accents are all neutral. It just looks kind of like a brochure for a paint company to me.

While I wouldn't choose those paint colors, I do think they flow well. They're cool and yet colorful against the fairly neutral furniture. As with all staged homes, it's just lacking a family to give it personality...family photo's, grandpa's tricycle, etc. But in general, while I'd much rather do a real victorian, I could live there. If I wanted to live in a new house in california LOL (Not likely)

i personally thought it looked like a lower budget dream house. i didn't care for the drapes around all the room openings. I thought the kitchen lacked cabinets. Really didn't like the bedroom color nor the bath color. There was some element missing in that home and I can't put my finger on it but it felt like you wouldn't want to go in and relax. Even the living room looked like a good presentation in a furniture store. On the other hand , if I win it, I'll be happy lol

Love the front porch, and the colors used throughout the home. Would probably prefer a moss-ier green for the master bedroom, but otherwise I thought the colors were great.

Liked the living room, study, master bedroom and guest room. Thought the family room was boring - two of everything lined up, and all angles - not comfy as you would think of for a FR.

Master bathroom felt like an old-fashioned doctor's office or something - too much white cabinetry. No interest in 'doing my business' in a closet - feels like an indoor outhouse.

Kitchen was just okay, way too much stainless steel and industrial appliance feel. Not warm or welcoming as I would want for a kitchen space.

Way too many fabric panels everywhere, especially used as portieres. Way too much white furniture - felt like they were trying to do a beach house.

I agree with the comment about all the product placement, and also interesting that most of the still pix of every room were closeups of little details or products, not pix of different views of the room.

I will enter to win, just for the heck of it. But I would be wanting to make some changes pretty quickly if we won! LOL

The laundry room certainly had lots of storage space, but no personality! This is a room where one can let loose with whimsy and color and all manner of fun. I can think of many laundries by members of this forum which are much prettier and just as practical.

What is with the kitchen? No hanging cabs? It would break my back to have to bend over every time I needed a coffee cup.

The house did have a Pottery Barn look, but IIRC, the Dream Houses are done by Ethan Allen. This one was not special.

I absolutely love this house, it has a lot of my favorite things, off-white drapes everywhere, bold art, good sized lamps, lots of them, I would repaint the living room for sure but I'm not a blue person per se; I would also repaint the master, too bright a green for me. Paint is cheap enough, anyone moving in could adjust that.

I like the fact that the wood is all painted, except for the natural floors.
The leather top desk from EA is amazing.
I consider that house casually elegant and comfy, imo.

As the other "dream houses" in previous years were way over the top, this one is more down to earth.It does seem to dwarf the neighborhood however. This is a very lovely house , but is it something you would see in that area as a rule? It looks very New England to me.
june

Master bath was really the only thing I really liked. I kind of felt as if it was more just a big commercial spot for Ethan Allen than anything else. I realize they need that in order to accomplish this every year, but it seems like in years past, they managed to incorporate more local flavor, artists, etc.

I'm still bitter I didn't win the one in the Blue Ridge Mountains of NC a couple years back...now THAT was my dream house!!

I wasn't fond of all ceilings painted the same color as the walls. I'd rather see a lighter shade on the ceiling. I love dramatic walls, but having all walls and ceiling the same color makes me feel like I'm in a box.

Unlike some of you, I wasn't impressed by the laundry room. The washer and dryer seem to be an afterthought. I couldn't figure out what the W&D were, but they must be small FLs, and would be hard to unload at floor level.

Because I'm just now working on walk-in closet fittings, I looked closely at those . . . loved the curved rods that solve the "lost corner" problem. I wish they'd identified who did the system.

Arlene

I like the floor plan and many of the room colors individually. But I'd agree that the color flow didn't really flow...

The master and kid's bedroom paints were, IMO, too 'wake up!' and not enough 'go to sleep'. And those ceiling-height cabinets? Not useful for me... I did like the kitchen floor plan, though the finishes weren't to my style. And the family room was just plain ugly. Not welcoming at all. And what's with all the drapes? Especially in the foyer.

But I'd love to live in Sonoma and won't complain if I win.

The outside is cute, but I agree with everyone else on the inside. At least this dream home has some color in it! Remember the log on wood on more wood dream home?

paint chips, I remember that one, all wood, wasn't it 2 years ago ?

I also remember controversy about last year's winner and the video of her "surprise" when they walked in on a party to announce her win; there is also the fact that apparently most winners end up not being able to affort to live in the house they win.

Yes, that is what I am wondering about in my previous post. Only two winners ever used the home abiet a short time. One famous family 'the Cruzes' went broke in a year by mismanaging the money HGTV gave them, and they spent it on booze parties instead of on property taxes like they were suppose to and never used the money on maintenance as the house slowly fell into disrepair. (The winners get a quarter million dollars cash as part of the prize.) There was one other woman who ran her winning home as a time share arrangement in order to keep it, but ended up not being able to pull it off and had to sell.

I think this years obviously scaled down dream home, in a plain residential neighborhood, was done so that the potential winner can actually keep it and live in it. They built something that looks affordable to maintain for most people. Anyone who is currently paying rent/mortgage can switch that amount of money over to paying property taxes on this thing without a problem. There is no pool to maintain or boat dock to worry about. No tree growing in the middle of the living room. No long winding private road to have to plow all the time in the middle of winter. Its a pretty average house with boring landscaping.

I've tried to find out whether HGTV offers a 'cash out' instead of the house, or if the winner must accept the house and hope and pray they sell it before the next years tax bill comes due. Like I mentioned before these homes are overbuilt for the locations they are in. One of the problems the Cruz family had was trying to sell such an expensive home in the neighborhood it was in. They eventually tried selling with some sort of land share or condo arrangement and the results of that attempt are not in the news that I can find. I think the Cruz's attempt to sell this way is what gave the 2002 winner the idea as a way to have some use of the winning home.

But in todays real estate market even this scaled down home may be a hard sell for the winner.

I think I heard that they usually have "offers" lined up after the sweepstakes so that the winner can sell right away. Don't remember where I got that, so it may not be correct. I was so excited when I saw the outside, so homey! But I was disappointed in the interior. While I like the interior itself, I don't think it matched the outside at all. I would have liked to see something a little more "farmhouse"-like.

That would be interesting, superchick. I wonder if HGTV actively solicits offers for the property ahead of time, for the convenience of the winners? It still all seems like a hassle for the winners, and I wonder what they actually walk away with coming out ahead? Ten thousand dollars? Twenty? A million? I'm sure they have to hire their own accountant and lawyers to do their taxes the year that they win and to negotiate the selling of the home. I know I would not want a 10,000 sq/ft log cabin perched on a precipice, accessible solely from a dangerous winding mountain road. Give me cash.

If I remember correctly, wherever I read this said that HGTV already has realtors/accountants, etc. standing by and potential buyers lined up beforehand. If someone in that area had lots of $$ and is in the market for a house like that, it's a good deal all around. The buyer can get a house below market value and the winner still comes away with lots of $$. Say the house is worth $1,000,000, they sell it for $750,000, perhaps the winner could come away with $400,000 plus the new vehicle and whatever furniture they wanted from the house. Sounds like a deal to me! :) Wish I could remember where I read that. Perhaps it was somewhere on GW...this seems to be the only site I'm ever on!

I was excited to open up the link this morning but was disappointed in the house. And I'm disappointed that I'm disappointed because entering the sweepstakes and watching American Idol help me get through the dregs of winter. Anyway, the house is beautiful on the outside but seems oddly dark and depressing, and I think it might be the dark painted ceilings. Hostagram is right; they make each room feel like a box. But the outside is beautiful!

Funny, but the painted ceilings are one of the things I love about the place! So much better, imo, than a "fifth wall" that looks almost unpainted because it is so light by contrast, and makes the ceiling more prominent than it is when it is the same color as the walls. But then, most of our ceilings are painted the same as the walls here, too!

Here is some info I found from the 2006 house:
Man Says HGTV Dream Home Too Expensive

Donald P. Cook, who won HGTV's 5,700-square-foot Dream Home in April, says he's selling the house. The annual $19,396 tax bill plus maintenance costs are too much for the state auditor from Alum Creek, W.Va.
Cook plans to live in the house near Asheville, N.C., for a few weeks then sell it. The home overlooks Lake Lure in Rutherford County.

Cook plans to retire in October and stay in West Virginia. He said he'll use the money from the Dream Home's sale to buy another house. Taxes and upkeep contributed to his decision to sell-the Rutherford County Tax Collections offices said the home is assessed at $3,015,100.

In an interview with HGTV posted on its Web site, Cook, an auditor for the state of West Virginia who has been disabled since childhood by multiple sclerosis, said the electricity bill alone in the home is more than 10 X's what he pays now. "I donÂt think thereÂs any possibility I could afford to live there," he told the network. "What we plan to do is live in the Dream Home for about three weeks, then sell it."

Cook said he plans to retire in October, but he wants to stay in West Virginia. HeÂll use the money from the Dream HomeÂs sale to buy another home. "ItÂs a dream that anyone would love to have-owning a house like the Dream Home," he told HGTV. "But then reality sets in."

The house is fully furnished, but Cook said he would consider selling all the furnishings and appointments inside-except for a signed painting by Brevard artist Ann Dergara. Cook said he does plan to travel-his prize came with a new GMC Yukon, which the company swapped out for a handicapped-accessible van-and $250,000 in cash.

So far, HGTV has given away 10 Dream Homes, but only two winners have used the homes for any length of time, Yarborough said. One winner in California used the South Carolina Dream Home as a vacation home for family and kept it for eight years, and another man has managed to stay in the Dream Home in Tyler, Texas, for about a year.

The other winners have sold their homes.

Yarborough said Cook, who lives with his wife, Myrna, probably will build a home on one level to accommodate his wheelchair. "This (the Dream Home) enables him to live his dream-it just isnÂt in this particular house," Yarborough said.

Here is a link that might be useful: 2005 Tyler Home

Funny how different things appeal to some and not others. My first thought when looking at the DR, is I hate the coral ceiling. It just made the room feel closed in. Ditto in the Bedroom - too dark of a color. Maybe if they had done 50% of the wall color, but to me it just looks like they were lazy and didn't want to trim out the ceiling. I'm not a huge bright white ceiling person, but a creamy white would have been perfect.

Also not loving the kitchen color. That wall color does nothing to highlight the lovely cabinets.

I love the exterior of the house. I think they did a great job architecturally with capturing the old farmhouse style with the window sizing and trim and porch.

I think the inside should have been done more in keeping with the style of the house - not necessarily country, but less contemporary. I was expecting a beautiful quaint home, but instead saw a sparse contemporary bright colored house. I actually thought the LR was one of the prettiest rooms - maybe I'd have done a slightly different shade of blue, but overall it was very nice.

That picture over the fireplace being the first thing you see when coming in was just wrong - again too contemporary for that house.

OK, I'm done venting.

I agree that the house seems disjointed, the decorating doesn't flow well. What I do love is the MBA. Can anyone tell me what they think the overall dimensions are of that master bath? I am working on my bath design and it is shaped that way. Just a guess would be great.

It could be better, but it's pretty awesome. Just think how far TV has catapulted possibilities. Pretty incredible.

Here's some info on the rugs they used, along with a link to register for the new home

Here is a link that might be useful: 2009 Dream Home Giveaway Rugs HGTV

I happened to watch the show where they give a live tour of the home; the family room comes with 3 different looks for paintings, wall art and throw cushions, to change at will.

I like that it's not as predictable as the exterior would suggest; I guess the fact that I love contemporary art helps me love the house.

Okay, I am annoyed with HGTV. When I enter the Dream Home Sweepstakes it tells me that I can enter everyday, but that the next time that I enter I only need to put in my email address, but that doesn't work and it always asks for my full info again.

There is not way I'd enter for this headache! What if you can't sell it in this market? If the prize is work $2.5 million, I think the income taxes would be over $1 million. Goodness knows what the property tax in Sonoma is.

BTW, the house is in a development, which seems to be the new trend for these "dream" homes.

BTW, if you enjoy looking that the HGTV house, you might like the list of links to designer show houses that I've been working in. I love looking at these!

Love the outside of the house, the Victorian farmhouse look. But the inside is sadly disappointing to me. If you are going with a farmhouse type style, then I expect the inside to reflect that. Not that hideous modern, contemporary look. The two don't jive for me and it seems like a waste of such a beautiful exterior.

I also love the outside,but was very disapointed with the inside. I thought maybe it was just me because I am such a old house nut. But after reading everyone elses posts I see it's not just me. I think they could have done a better job with the interior.

I was so disappointed. The outside is so inviting, but the inside looks as though they were trying to put a million dollar look in a small bungalo. When they panned around the front of the house, it looked as though it is almost on top of the street and the other houses around it - and they don't compare at all to the look of the dream house. I though it would at least have some privacy so you could enjoy the outside. I entered - let's see what happens.

I love the dining room. I've been looking for inspiration for a long time and found it in the house. Now, I don't have a huge dr like this one, but I think I can incorporate the parts I like best in my modest size DR.