How Did Heather Convince Terry to Love Her Designs for Their New House?
Seeing is believing for this #RHOC spouse.
The day when the Dubrows can finally move into their new 20,000-square foot mansion is quickly approaching, but completing what has been dubbed Dubrow Chateau hasn't been without its obstacles. For one thing, convincing Terry Dubrow to love a custom-designed window featuring a tree etched in the glass, which Heather Dubrow debuted on Instagram a couple of weeks ago, has been a major challenge.
In fact, we saw the couple argue about the accent piece last season of The Real Housewives of Orange County. “When I gave it to him, he had a less than favorable response," Heather said during the latest episode of her podcast released Tuesday. "Terry’s knee-jerk reaction to anything about the house is negative… What comes out of his mouth is what he doesn’t like. So my knee-jerk reaction to his negativity is defensive. So he’ll tell me he doesn’t like something, and I’ll say, ‘Well, I love it.’"
But instead of staying angry about the situation, Heather took Terry's feedback about the window into consideration because she also wants him to love their new home as much as she does. Heather went back to the drawing board, and it looks like her efforts have paid off. "He’s seen the tree. He did not understand the tree until it went in. Now he loves the tree," Heather said. "It’s funny, because Terry is such a genius at picturing how tissue and skin comes apart and goes back together in different ways, but he can’t picture brick and mortar. I don’t know.”
Perhaps one reason why Terry loves the tree design is because of all of the hidden details that reflect the Dubrow family. The etched glass features four birds to represent Heather and Terry's four children, a little nest with two eggs in it to signify Heather's two frozen embryos, a bee in honor of Heather's grandmother, and a "T" and "H" carved into one of the tree trunks to commemorate the couple's love.
Unfortunately for Heather, Terry is still not a big fan of the new house's black, white, and gray color scheme. “In the last house, I made him sign every stone, every sample of everything, and he still hated 30 percent. So I figure the algorithm will probably be about the same," Heather said. "So I said, ‘Look, you wanted to build the house, you threw the job in my lap, then you can’t complain. If you want to be involved and look at it with me, that’s fine, but if you don’t want to be involved, you can’t complain about it.’”
Luckily, Heather has a plan to guarantee Terry digs their new crib. “I figure I’ll get him a little liquored up before I take him in and show him everything," she joked. "He’s gonna love it.”
When that move-in date will be is still up in the air. Last month, Heather revealed that she was hopeful she and her family would be able to move into their new abode by March 1, but she is not so optimistic these days. After the project manager said the family can probably move in by the end of March or the beginning of April, that didn't sit well with Heather. She and Terry planned on having the first party in their new house be in honor of the launch of their upcoming book, and several media outlets have already been invited to cover the festivities. "I’ve told all the news outlets that this is what we’re doing," Heather said. "I can’t move it now to the airport Hilton. No, that’s not gonna be sexy.”
After pleading with her contractor to speed things up, Heather is more hopeful that construction on Dubrow Chateau is back on track. "He has been amazing. He’s grinding on everyone," "I’m hoping that we can start moving in March 1.”
Even after all of the setbacks Heather has faced while building her new digs, she still can't wait to see the finished product. “I’m excited about it. It’s coming together really nicely," she said. "I think there are certain things in the house that are so unique to the house that I love."
Miss the old Dubrow Chateau? Take a tour of Heather's former residence in the clip, below.
