Frequently asked questions about HGTV’s Fixer Upper, including the Fixer Upper children’s names
What are the Fixer Upper children’s names? How much do Chip and Joanna make per episode? And do the families on the show get to keep all the furniture after the reveal? HGTV’s hit show Fixer Upper just debuted its third season, and is drawing more viewers than ever for the network. A lot of those viewers are brand-new to the show, and the increase in publicity that stars Joanna and Chipper Gaines are doing to promote it means that there’s more Fixer Upper information than ever to sort through–including, yes, the Fixer Upper kids names.
In addition, we’ve already written in-depth articles for some of these questions. In order to check those articles out, click on the link embedded in the questions below!
Behold–the Fixer Upper FAQ!
Do the people on Fixer Upper get to keep the furnishings?
This might be the most popular Fixer Upper question of all. Unfortunately for daydreaming fans of the show, the answer is no. Joanna Gaines customizes each reveal with items from she and Chipper’s store, Magnolia Market, and then supplements those furnishings with antiques and knickknacks she finds while the renovation is underway. Every episode of Fixer Upper features scenes of Joanna decorating the house with her market trappings before the big reveal, which means that every reveal features a huge truckload of furnishings that have to be unloaded, set up, shot, and then packed up and taken back at the end of the day.
The good news for fans of Joanna’s farmhouse chic stylings, though, is that almost all of the furnishings you see in each Fixer Upper reveal are available for purchase at Magnolia Market itself.
How much would it cost to decorate your house like a Fixer Upper reveal?
So, if you don’t get to keep all the Fixer Upper furnishings after moving in to your brand-new Chip and Joanna-designed home, how much would it cost you to buy everything you saw during the reveal? The answer depends on the extent of the renovation: some Fixer Upper episodes feature two or three rooms in one house, while others showcase an entire, bottom-to-top redo. Based on our analysis, you’re probably looking to spend somewhere in the neighborhood of $20,000 if you want to match the furnishings item for item.
(It’s also worth pointing out that that estimate is based on a season one episode of Fixer Upper; season three, which is currently airing, features more furnishings than older episodes–and more elaborate ones, too.)
Does Joanna Gaines have her own furniture line?
She does indeed. Joanna Gaines paired with Standard Furniture to produce a five-part line of furniture bearing her name. That line debuted at a trade show in North Carolina this past October, and is scheduled to be available for residential purchase starting in January of 2016. According to what we know so far, Fixer Upper fans can expect furniture in the following styles: Cottage, Farmhouse, Industrial, Modern Boho, and Vintage.
Is there a Fixer Upper bed and breakfast?
There is indeed! Joanna dropped the Fixer Upper B&B surprise on fans with an Instagram hint a couple of months ago, and then announced the project officially just before Fixer Upper‘s third season premiere. The Fixer Upper bed and breakfast isn’t yet open as of this writing, but HGTV is promoting a month-long giveaway in advance of the Fixer Upper B&B episode, which will air on Tuesday, December 22nd. The winner gets a two-night stay at the cozy hotel, and a $500 gift certificate to Magnolia Market. (To find out how to enter, click the link above!)
What are the Fixer Upper silos?
The Fixer Upper silos–also known as the Magnolia Market silos– are pair of long-abandoned silos in downtown Waco, formerly owned by the Brazos Valley Cotton Oil Company. At the end of Fixer Upper‘s second season, Chip and Joanna purchased the silos and began the long work of renovating them from the inside out, with the intention of moving their entire Magnolia Market and Magnolia Homes operations inside. The pair celebrated the completion of this project with a massive Silobration this autumn; the third season of Fixer Upper features the renovation as an ongoing subplot.
How much does it cost to be on Fixer Upper? How big does your budget have to be?
HGTV and High Noon Entertainment, Fixer Upper‘s production company, are currently casting couples for season four of the show. According to their casting call, interested families must have a minimum budget of $30,000 specifically for renovation, in addition to the purchase price of your home. Families featured on the show do tend to have a bigger budget than the minimum.
How does the budget on Fixer Upper work? Are the prices all real?
The prices are real; the reason so many Fixer Upper fans are confused by the show’s economics is because HGTV’s intervention gives something of a false sense of a renovation’s cost. A Waco Tribune article addressed this question after season one:
HGTV doesn’t fund the renovations, though producers may throw in some extra landscaping or design flourishes. Homeowners who agree to share their remodeling projects with the nation must invest at least $30,000 in the project, with the money going to the Gaineses. HGTV also pays Chip and Joanna a talent fee and covers the cost of one bonus feature in each remodel.
How long does each Fixer Upper renovation take?
From your mouth to God’s ear:
About 8 weeks! I can find you one here in @Wacotown ??? https://t.co/dV0lu4repk
— Joanna Gaines (@TheMagnoliaMom) February 17, 2016
Do you have to live in Waco to be on Fixer Upper? Are Joanna and Chip going to film the show in any other cities?
For now, Joanna and Chip are only filming Fixer Upper in around the Waco area. The Gainses are serious about investing in Waco, making it a better place to live, and promoting its image. A recent My San Antonio article highlighted the tremendous effect the Gaineses have had on Waco, both inside and out; the couple has also been profiled by the Dallas Morning News for making Waco “cool.” And, in 2014, Chip and Joanna were honored with the city’s “Wacoan of the Year” accolade.
On top of all that, the Gainses really do live and work in the city: in addition to their home, they own one of the three construction companies that HGTV employs for Fixer Upper purposes. There is the teensiest bit of wiggle room, though. According to the above casting call, you can be considered for the show if you’re moving to a home within 40 miles of Waco.
How did Chip and Joanna meet?
The legend of Chipper and Joanna Gaines was recently addressed on Fixer Upper itself. The third season premiere shared a bit of the couple’s back story: Joanna’s dad owned a Firestone store, where Joanna once worked. She starred in a handful of local commercials for the store, and, when Chip met her, he exclaimed “Hey, you’re the girl in the commercials!” (Click here to check out one of the commercials!) Chip was so smitten that he wound up getting oil and tire changes on his truck much more often than was necessary, in order to have an excuse to bump into his future bride. They dated for about a year, and married in 2003.
Is Joanna Gaines a trained interior decorator?
Joanna has no formal training in interior decoration; her participation in Chip’s already-begun house flipping business started on a sort of whim. “”I was actually a communications major and had never done design,” she said recently, “[and] I had always had a dream to open up a boutique of some sort.”
Added Chip, “When she started watching me do what I did…she got kind of curious and interested. I love what I do from a construction standpoint, but in regards to interior design and colors, forget it. I would lean on her—What color do we do this wall? How can we do this floor plan?…Next thing you know we are years into this thing and the design part of the equation became noticeably different from our competition.”
What happens to the giant posters Joanna and Chip use to reveal each home on Fixer Upper?
The posters are one of the most memorable things about the show, in part because they are indeed giant: Each one is a twenty-four-by-twelve foot canvas printout (which is itself actually two twelve-by-twelve posters standing side-by-side) of the house as it looked before the Fixer Upper crew got to it. When the Gainses pull the posters apart, the new home is revealed for the first time. And, after the walkthrough of the finished product, the families get to keep the poster: “We fold that thing up and we give it to the family,” according to Chip. “We try to make an event of the canvas itself.” A friend of the Gainses who owns a billboard company prints the posters for the show.
What happens to the rooms that Fixer Upper doesn’t renovate?
Joanna has addressed this question numerous times. In her words:
At times, we only work on rooms that are of priority to our clients and that work within their budget. Some homeowners want to finish off their other rooms on their own since it is mainly cosmetic (paint and carpet). Other times, we finish the spaces for them after the reveal and this is separate from the budget shown for TV. We help them finish their renovation even when the cameras aren’t rolling. It all depends on budget and our clients’ priorities for their home renovation.
Do Chip and Joanna really help the families on Fixer Upper buy the house they renovate?
Sometimes, but not always. According to the same Waco Tribune article referenced above, some of the families on Fixer Upper have either put in an offer on the house they want to buy, or own the house outright.
One thing that is always genuine, though, is the homeowners’ surprise when they see the finished product. Fixer Upper‘s producers–and the Gainses themselves–give the families strict orders not to check out the house before the reveal, so that the surprise for the cameras can be honest. Said Doug McNamee, who was featured on Fixer Upper during season one, “It took discipline not to sneak a look.”
Are there any Fixer Upper spin-offs in the works?
A recent feature on Fixer Upper revealed that Clint Harp, the show’s go-to carpenter for customized work, has at least two specials in the pipeline, and that a stand-alone show is also a possibility. “He’s going to have a couple of spin-off shows on DIY that will come out here sometime mid to end of next year,” confirmed Chip, who was delighted for his friend. “We are really excited about the idea of him getting his own place to spread his wings.”
UPDATE – Click here to check out our feature on “Against the Grain,” Clint and Kelly Harp’s very own show!
Do Chip and Joanna build houses from scratch, too?
If you want a home with the couple’s touch, but don’t see yourself landing a spot on Fixer Upper, you’re in luck. Magnolia Villas is a Waco-area subdivision made up of 37 homes–they’re being billed as “garden homes”–designed and built by the Fixer Upper crew. The Villas are selling fast, but a second Magnolia development might be in the works.
What are the Fixer Upper children’s names?
There are four Fixer Upper kids names: Drake, age 10; Ella, age 9; Duke, and 7; and Emmie, age 6. (Yes: the couple had four children in six years.) Family photos crop up every now and again on Joanna and Chip’s Instagram pages. Here’s a recent pair:
Boys night out.. #theforceawakens A photo posted by Chip Gaines (@chippergaines) on
My girls! Unbridled! Untamed! Fearless! World changers! Arrows in my quiver! And… Just like their momma! A photo posted by Chip Gaines (@chippergaines) on
Are we missing any questions? What else do you want to know about the show? Let us know in the comments!
Fixer Upper airs Tuesday nights at 9 PM EST on HGTV.
(Photo credits: Fixer Upper children’s names, Fixer Upper kids names via Instagram)
