HGTV Asia / YouTube Kim Wolfe
A mid-life crisis looks different for everybody. For some, it means dying your hair and getting a new job. For others, it means making a big purchase, like a new car. For HGTV’s Kim and Bryan Wolfe, it means purchasing and renovating a home.
The “Why the Heck Did I Buy This House?” couple began a new project in November 2021 and have followed the process with a series of Instagram posts in and around the 1920s Olmos Park, Texas, home, which they have nicknamed “Thelma.”
“We are taking a mid-life crisis break to figure out what we want to be when we grow up,” Kim joked in her first Instagram post about the project.
Kim, who won the 24th season of “Survivor” before joining the HGTV family, received lots of encouragement from her former castmates.
“I’m so excited for you! Can’t wait for the open house PARTY!!!”, commented season 3’s Ethan Zohn.
“I can’t wait to see what you do with it,” commented season 32’s Michele Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald and Zohn would have to wait 11 months to see the finished house, which hits the market this week, according to the Wolfes.
SNEAK PEEK: See Kim Wolfe’s Finished ‘Thelma’ House
The Wolfes’ original plan was to live in the “Thelma” house once construction had ended, though “plans change” according to Kim, and the house is set to be put up for sale this week.
“We are a bit sad she isn’t ours,” Kim said on Instagram, “but beyond proud of how well she’s built and what a beauty she turned out to be (inside and out).”
Fans and prospective buyers alike can take a closer look at the “Thelma” renovation when the house is listed this week. In the meantime, Kim and Bryan have shared some sneak peeks on their Instagram profiles, including the brand-new dining room, which used to be a porch lined with bright green astroturf floors.
Why Did the ‘Thelma’ House Take So Long to Finish?
According to public records, the Wolfes purchased the home in 2021 for $444,800. The Olmos Park home, which Kim says was originally meant to be the Wolfe family home upon completion, took much longer than anticipated to complete.
Two months into the “Thelma” renovation, Kim shared an update to Instagram, showing the progress the couple had made. Many walls had been taken down to reimagine the layout of the space, and the garage and outdoor sun porch areas had been completely torn down.
Six months later, in a July 7 update, the house was coming along, but the couple had not made as much progress as they would have liked. Kim shared that some of the delays were because the “builder is taking longer than he said he was going to take”, to which Bryan chimed in “supply chain issues.”
The Wolfes are not the only home designers to face delays at the hands of supply chain issues over the past few years. Many in the industry have been affected, and have had to look for more creative solutions to make sure their jobs are finished on time, such as vintage shopping and trying to predict the delay by ordering some elements well in advance.