There's no doubt that one of the best home renovation shows is HGTV's Fixer Upper, starring
the charming husband-and-wife duo, Chip and Joanna Gaines. If you've ever wondered whatever
happened to some of Fixer Upper's iconic homes, you may be surprised.
While there's no denying that Joanna Gaines loves the modern farmhouse interior design
style, in season 2 of Fixer Upper, she and her husband tackled a home that was a far
cry from their typical style.
"The Mid-Century Modern" was the perfect home for their friends, Jill and Josh Barrett.
The gorgeous house was the couple's first, and it turned out perfect. The home went from
unkempt and dated to cool, open, and modern in a fresh-yet-retro way.
The "Mid-Century Modern" became instantly iconic in the world of Fixer Upper. Now, if
you ever want to plan a trip to Waco, Texas, the house is available to stay in for $299
per night, on VRBO. According to the listing, it's still owned by Jill and Josh.
Cameron and Jessie Bell own one of the smallest homes in Fixer Upper history. "The Shotgun
House" presented a significant challenge, but like almost every project that Chip and
Joanna Gaines tackle, they nailed it. At barely over 1,000 square feet, the home is adorable,
and the Gaines deserve the credit for taking it from shambles to fabulous. The tiny home
was one of the last shotgun-style homes left in Waco, and the Gaines kept that in mind
when renovating the loft-style house.
However, although the Shotgun House was a big hit, many questioned the hefty price tag
when the Bells later listed the home for $950,000, despite it being appraised at only $132,010.
The home didn't sell, and is now listed on Airbnb, available to rent for $275 per night.
On season 3 of Fixer Upper, newlyweds Ken and Kelly Downs found their dream home in
"The Three Little Pigs House," an adorable, cottage-style home in Waco. And while Chip
and Joanna Gaines put in a lot of work to make the home a gorgeous place to live, the
Downs and the home itself haven't had the best of luck since the family moved in.
In 2017, a car crashed into the home, causing a ton of damage. At the time, Kelly blamed
the Gaines' team, saying that the location felt like the Wild West and telling The Waco
Tribune-Herald,
"We've lived here a year and a half and we feel deceived by the city of Waco and Magnolia
Realty."
Kelly went on to call their neighborhood and the entire experience "a Fixer Upper gone
bad." The home is now available on Airbnb, though it's listed under another host, so
it appears that the Downs either sold it or listed it with a property manager.
One of the most iconic homes on Fixer Upper was the season 3 "Barndominium," a literal
barn that Chip and Joanna Gaines turned into a charming liveable space. The home is stunning
and totally original, but it's also caused some controversy since it was first flipped
on television.
The original owners of the Barndominium, Lexia and Todd Meek, had to move out of Texas for
a work opportunity. Real estate investor, Kristi Bass, then ended up buying The Barndominium
— only to list it on VRBO for short-term rentals starting at $1,200 per night. However,
due to neighborhood complaints and city council rulings, Bass ended up trying to sell the
property.
Currently, the home is listed on Airbnb under Bass' name, though the nightly price has significantly
decreased. Perhaps Bass couldn't sell it, or the city council finally allowed her to
rent it out. Whatever the case, The Barndominium is available to stay in for just $585 per
night.
On season 4 of Fixer Upper, Chip and Joanna Gaines took things to a whole new level when
they renovated a houseboat for Brett Swartz, who wanted a cool place for himself and his
children. Dubbed the "The Double Decker House," the boat turned out beautifully, and it appears
as though Swartz was thrilled with the results.
"I love it, absolutely love it. Would do it over again in a heartbeat."]
It appears as though Swartz is still the owner of the iconic houseboat, as he is listed as
the host on Airbnb. The home costs $271 per night to rent, which is a pretty good deal
compared to other former Fixer Upper listings. And there's no denying that staying on a houseboat
is certainly a unique experience.
Most house hunters who appear on Fixer Upper are couples or families, though there are
a few widows or divorcees as well. But in season 3, bachelor David Ridley found his
perfect home. Called "The Peach House," Ridley wanted the sprawling home because of the size,
large yard, and proximity to the lake. Obviously, the house needed a lot of work, but naturally,
Chip and Joanna took it from dated and cramped to open and modern.
But Ridley's house wasn't exactly the star of the episode, as Chip quickly dubbed Ridley
the "Most Eligible Bachelor" in Waco, causing the episode to get even more attention.
However, in 2017, Ridley's bachelor status disappeared, as he got engaged to girlfriend
Rachel Rich. In an interview with KWTX, Ridley said,
"I never thought I believed people when they said when you know you know, but when I met
Rachel, I knew."
Ridley added that the two planned to move into his iconic Fixer Upper home. According
to the home's VRBO listing, he is still the owner, along with Rachel.
On most episodes of Fixer Upper, Chip and Joanna Gaines help homeowners renovate houses
that they can picture themselves living in forever, but those plans don't always work
out.
That was the case with season 4's "The Prickly Pear House." The home belonged to the Severn
family, and got a cool "German schmear" update that gave the once-traditional home a modern
cottage feel. Mary Severn told Joanna that she loved the final product, saying in an
interview for the Magnolia blog,
"it was worth the wait to see the way Clint turned my family's bowling lane wood into
our amazing kitchen island."
However, the family sold the house, and it's now owned by someone else and listed on Airbnb.
On season 5 of Fixer Upper, the Gaines took on an especially personal project, when they
flipped "The Safe Gamble House" for Joanna's little sister, Mary Kay, and her husband,
David McCall. In the episode, the Gaines took the McCalls' home from dull and plain to stunning
and fabulous with a mid-century flair.
In an interview for the Magnolia blog, Mary Kay shared her feelings on the final result,
saying,
"I have wanted Jojo and Chip to do a house for us since we first got married 13 years
ago, so this was a dream come true. Jojo knows my style more than anyone, so I had complete
confidence that she would design the perfect home for us."
One of the most memorable renovations that Chip and Joanna Gaines have done on Fixer
Upper was season 3 fan-favorite, "The Brick House." The home already had a ton of character
and history behind it, but the Gaines brought all of those elements out even more, complementing
them with modern touches. However, the Craft family, who bought the home, didn't live there
for long, and eventually put it on the market.
The season 3 stunner was listed in 2019, and sold in less than a month for a reasonable
price. But whoever bought The Brick House apparently bought it as an investment, since
it's now listed on Airbnb for the affordable price of $214 per night.
The second-ever episode of Fixer Upper featured a house that was as big as it was messy, and
the transformation was totally jaw-dropping. "The Gorman House" was literally declared
unsafe by the city of Waco, so it was a huge undertaking for Chip and Joanna — but of
course, they nailed it. When they were done with the renovation, the home was picture-perfect.
Today, the original owners still seem to be in possession of the home. Just like many
other Fixer Upper houses, "The Gorman House" is available for a short-term vacation rental
on VRBO. It's listed under the original owner, Charmaine Hooper, who bought the house with
her husband, Chuck. Clearly, the home has worked out well for the couple, even if they
don't live there anymore.
Though a season 4 home on Fixer Upper was called "The Plain Gray Ranch," it was anything
but dull once Chip and Joanna got their hands on it. When Melissa and Matthew Yieldings
first moved in, they were totally in love, with Melissa telling Joanna on the Magnolia
blog that she particularly appreciated the kitchen, living, and dining areas.
However, just two years after the Yieldings purchased the home in 2015, they turned around
and listed it for $325,000 in 2017. Eventually, after the Yieldings were unable to sell the
home, they had to lower the price to $260,000 — though it still doesn't appear as if it's
sold.
Yet even though the house remains unsold, the Yieldings have held off on listing the
home on any vacation rental sites. While that doesn't tell us anything definitive about
their feelings on the home, perhaps that indicates that they're not completely ready to let it
go.
When a widow named Patti Baker was looking for a small home she could move into after
losing her husband to cancer during season 5 of Fixer Upper, she found it in "The Baker
House." The charming little bungalow was perfect for Baker and her sons.
Following the emotional episode, Baker couldn't have been happier with the results of the
flip, telling People,
"I loved everything about it. Who else better could do that for a widow [than Chip and Joanna]?
I walked in 12 weeks later to everything not only being done but it being beautiful."
However, that dream home wasn't Baker's forever home, as she soon remarried and moved away
to live with her new husband. But while Baker no longer lives in the adorable home, she
continued to work with the Gaineses by listing the bungalow with Magnolia Realty.
Season 1 of Fixer Upper brought a lot of challenges to Chip and Joanna Gaines, but perhaps nothing
quite as unique as "The 5th Street Story."
"She has picked the property with the trash in the front yard.”
The Gaines were able to breathe new life into the tear-down house, which was close to the
biking and running routes the clients loved, and also had a very unique exterior.
Though the couple tried to sell the home for $375,000 back in 2017, it appears that they
still own their Fixer Upper. On the home's Airbnb page, the owner is listed simply as
"Joshua," who says he's happy to meet with guests to tell them about their experience
on the show.
In season 4 of Fixer Upper, Chip and Joanna assisted the Wixsom family in their search
for their first home in Waco, Texas. The couple, Dean and Brittany Wixsom, settled on a sprawling
but dated house. Due to the three doors on the porch, they named the home "The Pick A
Door House."
Of course, the Gaines were able to turn the house into a modern and industrial delight,
and the end result was stunning and surprising. While the house was a far cry from the Gaines'
typical style, it was still a masterpiece.
Yet not long after they moved in, the couple wound up listing the home for $565,000. Although
it's unclear who lives there now, it's not currently listed on any vacation rental sites.
That means that whoever bought the iconic home might have bought it for themselves to
actually live in, not just to rent out.
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