Courtesy / HGTV
The HGTV "Urban Oasis" features an open, airy kitchen.
October 6, 2020
TV network will give away remodeled Portland home, but it's not for everyone
Courtesy / HGTV
A renovated three-bedroom house, at 71 Essex St. in Portland, is the prize in an HGTV contest.
By William Hall
If you’re looking for an easy entry to the Portland housing market — or an investment property with no up-front costs — here’s your chance.
Cable network HGTV is raffling off a 2,000-square-foot, three-bedroom house in Portland’s Deering Center neighborhood, and entering the contest is free. The prize package, which also includes a $50,000 credit line, is worth over $650,000, according to a news release.
The contest opened yesterday and entries are being accepted until Nov. 25. Since HGTV is a top 10 network that reaches over 86 million U.S. households, the number of entries is likely to make your chances astronomical.
But at least the price is right.
The HGTV “Urban Oasis 2020,” at 71 Essex St., was built in 1900 but has been completely renovated. Leading the makeover was Brian Patrick Flynn, an HGTV host and interior designer, along with Portland architect Briburn and builder Big Country Built LLC, of Freeport.
The home isn’t the first Maine property to be raffled off in a national contest. In recent years, several inns have been contest prizes, including a Stoneham treehouse resort in 2019. The Urban Oasis, however, may be one of the funkier giveaways.
Flynn called the original architecture of the house “Victorian-ish” during a recent TV interview, but said subsequent modifications changed the period look.
“We kind of started with a big mish-mosh. It didn’t have a style, so we decided to create our own.”
The result, he said, is intended for a “comfortable and casual lifestyle.” The home’s pale yellow and white exterior is now covered with pewter-colored siding. The front door is painted in a coral hue. Other bold colors, nautical themes and a “mid-century vibe” decorate the interior.
Flynn described Maine as one of his favorite places, but its homes as “a little traditional.”
“We thought it would be fun to put a brand-new twist on Maine,” he said.
On social media, reaction to the redesign has been mixed, with some people criticizing the unconventional look.
One Reddit post said, "The interior is headache-inducing. There's nothing Maine-ish left."
Another commented: "As many have already noted, there are definitely some unconventional design choices, clearly made by someone without a true sense of Portland, Maine, and its inhabitants, which is too bad.”
Viewers can tune in HGTV Wednesday at 7 p.m. to see a behind-the-scenes look at the home’s design. The contest is open to any U.S. resident, and the network says it will accept no more than two entries per day from any individual. For more information on the giveaway and the property, click here.
Coutesy / HGTV
The remodeled living room of the HGTV giveaway home in Portland.
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Anonymous
October 7, 2020
Eclectic! Fun use of color! Charming... would live there in a New York City second!
Anonymous
October 7, 2020
Maine is full of "Mish-Mosh" homes. To say they didn't do it right is just silly. Ridiculous complaints by self-nominated gatekeepers.
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