The Latest ‘Battle on the Beach’ Bombed So Bad, Does Anyone Really Deserve To Win?

“Battle on the Beach” Season 3 seems to be going from bad to worse, with the competitors committing major renovation mistakes throughout their homes. And in the latest episode, these eyesores are inflicted on the outside of the houses for all to see.

In the episode “Elegant Exterior,” they focus on curb appeal. And although coaches Ty Pennington of “Rock the Block,” Alison Victoria of “Windy City Rehab,” and Taniya Nayak of “Build It Forward” try their best to steer their teams in the right direction, the teams don’t always listen.

Understandably, judges Bryan and Sarah Baeumler of “Renovation Island” don’t let them get away with some of these flubs.

But for all these renovation shortcomings, the action that unfolds does deliver some valid advice on what to do—and avoid—when renovating any house, whether it’s on the beach or elsewhere. Take a look at what we learned this week.

First impressions are everything

“One of the most important things to consider when you’re selling a house is the first impression,” says Nayak as she explains the challenge. “First impressions are crucial to prospective buyers, and a bad first impression could alienate the buyer before they even see the house.”

We’ve all been there. You see a listing online that shows gorgeous interiors, but when you drive by the house, the exterior is so trashy you keep on driving.

In the case of beach houses, however, this “first look” could be from two perspectives. One is traditional curbside, and the other is what the house looks like from the water. Both are essential, a lesson that serves as a good reminder to consider all angles of a home, not just what you see from the street.

The exterior should match the interior

Victoria is big on this. “We used green throughout the house, so it’s only fitting that we bring in the green,” she tells her team, consisting of Ben Argall and Pete Meldrum.

They want to use the same green on the outside of the house as they did on the inside of the house. That does give a cohesive, flowing look.

Victoria also encourages her team to use bead board to make the covered porch ceiling fancier.

“We’ve got the bead board inside, so bringing it out is great. It’s just a nice continuation,” she says.

Never put your back to the beach

Pennington’s team of Ashley Basnight and Steve Lewis has a massive deck with built-in benches, a dilapidated screened porch, a lot of wrecked wood siding, and stairs leading down to the beach. They have to make tough choices on how they’ll spend their money.

This home is so weather-beaten there’s no way they can fix everything with the cash they have left and the time they’ve been allotted.

So they focus on the screened porch area, paying little attention to the outside deck. They’ll leave the built-in benches as they are, facing away from the beach and toward the house.

They’ve built a nice pub table, but they opt to shove it up against the porch and place the bar stools so that they, too, are facing the house, rather than the beach.

Guys, the view! What about the view? It’s why people buy beach houses, for heaven’s sake.

Plumbing and built-ins add value

This challenge is about so much more than just sanding and staining a deck and strategically placing attractive outdoor furniture on it.

Nayak’s team of Kelsey and Ryan Mansingh adds plumbing and a sink to the outdoor cook space. Victoria’s team builds in a grill.

“It’s hardscape,” says Victoria, always looking for ways to add value.

All teams manage to add bathrooms to their homes, which is a no-brainer for value. But beyond that, there are some questionable decisions. Like Pennington’s team, which spent very little time or money adding anything to the deck.

“So where is your grill?” judge Bryan asks Pennington. “Where is your sink?”

Oops.

Pay attention to the space under your house

“You’re already focusing on your decks, but the space under your house could be just as important,” says Pennington as he explains the special challenge to also redo the area underneath the high homes, each one containing a storage area.

“Think of it as one more chance to add value to your houses, ” says Nayak. “All you have to do is finish out these storage closets below your house.”

This challenge, by the way, is foisted on the teams when they’re already in the throes of redoing their decks, and they don’t have a dime to spare on one more thing. Yet somehow, they find ways to add fun features like swings and hammocks to the open area under the homes. Well done, considering what few resources the teams had to complete this task.

Who wins this round of ‘Battle on the Beach’?

While the judges have major problems with all of the exteriors, they manage to drum up a few compliments, with great effort.

“I feel like we always end up in this spot,” says Bryan as he and Sarah discuss what they’ve seen.

In fact, they don’t even announce a winner this week. They’re saving that announcement for next week, when the grand prize winners of the whole shebang are finally selected.

We suspect (Hope? Pray?) they’ll give the teams time and money to fix the mistakes they’ve made up to this point.