The reigning King and Queen of home improvement television, Chip and Joanna Gaines, are set to premiere their newest show, chronicling their adventures renovating a real-life castle they bought in 2019. The couple, who rocketed to stardom on HGTV‘s “Fixer Upper” and successfully launched their own Magnolia Network in January 2022, will kick off an eight-episode series called “Fixer Upper: The Castle” on Friday, October 14. But if you can’t wait to see what they did with the place, keep reading…
How Chip & Joanna Gaines Wound Up Refurbishing a Castle
In a newly-released trailer for the new series, the couple shares that Chip spent 20 years pining over the historic but worn-down Cottonland Castle, located in the couple’s hometown of Waco, Texas.
“For nearly two decades, Chip watched and waited, persistently putting in offers whenever the castle was relisted—each one passed over for someone else, while very few improvements appeared to be made,” Joanna wrote in a blog post about the property.
In 2019, they were finally able to purchase the historic castle, which was completed in 1913 after nearly 23 years of construction. Joanna called it “a fixer-upper unlike any other we’ve ever tackled.”
The Gaines began offering paid tours of the finished 6,700 square-foot castle in July 2022, which will only run through the end of October, after which they plan to put the property up for sale. Magnolia Network released a trailer to promote the upcoming show, with a few peeks into the final result.
Social Media Users Provide Glimpses of Finished Castle Renovations
A handful of fans and real estate agents who took guided tours of the castle have posted photos and videos on social media, giving sneak peeks of the finished property ahead of the show’s debut. Magnolia has said all of the renovation and decor seen on tours is what viewers will see on the TV show.
One of the most prolific posters from inside the Gaines’ castle is a woman named Tamara who works at their Magnolia Silos and is a huge fan of the couple’s work. After touring the property in July 2022, she began sharing photos taken during her walk-through.
“Waco castle sunroom, who wouldn’t want to sit here and have coffee?” she wrote in one post, featuring a photo of a narrow but bright sitting room with black-and-white checkered floor tile…
Tamara also shared inside the laundry room, which continues the black-and-white theme with painted cabinetry and a black washer and dryer, accented by wood elements like baskets and wall hooks…
A brief video by Tamara also provides a peek inside a large kitchen “pantry,” with forest green cabinetry, a massive refrigerator, and a huge fireplace…
In August, another visitor named Christina posted multiple reels to her Instagram feed after touring the castle, including a look at an upstairs girls’ bedroom with rose-colored walls, two frilly twin beds, and a large rose fireplace with maroon tile…
The same woman put together a montage of photos from the many refurbished bathrooms inside Cottonland Castle, featuring tiles, fixtures and artwork to fit the period when the castle was constructed, from 1890 to 1913…
Another fan, named Mercy, posted multiple times from inside the castle. The first reel she shared features video inside the dining room and living room, as well as details of the landscaping and decor, like a burning candle in a cozy living room, and glass canisters and hanging pots in the kitchen…
In a “part two” reel posted by Mercy, viewers can see multiple bedrooms, a downstairs TV room with a sectional couch, a walk-in closet, and stunning views from one of the castle’s clawfoot tubs…
It’s not known how much the Gaines paid for the castle in 2019, but according to the Waco Tribune, it was listed at $425,000 at the time, with a tax appraisal of $350,700. The paper reports it is now appraised at $1,127,470.
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