Back From the Brink: A Fixer Upper Story

When Charmaine Hooper and Chuck Codd first saw this Waco, TX home two years ago, it was unlivable: no running water, dangerous wiring, and dirt-covered floors. But the couple took the plunge (with their nine-year-old daughter, Charlie) and purchased the abandoned 1927 house from the city for $24,008. Chuck wasn’t so sure, but his wife convinced him that with its tall ceilings, French doors, and windows galore, the house could one day be a stunner.

Local home remodeling duo Joanna and Chip Gaines of Magnolia Homes, hosts of HGTV's show Fixer Upper, felt the same way. “We’ve fixed up a lot of condemned-looking houses, but this was one of the worst because it had been in such bad shape for so long,” says Joanna. It took the team six weeks working around the clock to restore the home, but it was worth every second. “I know I’m biased, but it’s the best house on the block!” says Charmaine.

The landscaping was so overgrown that it obscured most of the house, so Chip and Joanna cleared out the unkempt trees and shrubs. Charmaine said, “It was a shame to see such a sturdy, well-built home going to waste.”

They kept all the home’s original windows but ripped off and rebuilt the porches, and painted the siding greenish gray (Messenger Bag) and the front door dark gray (Iron Ore, both by Sherwin-Williams). They painted the trim Dover White by HGTV HOME by Sherwin-Williams.