Before and After: Step Inside Chip and Jo's Colorado Mountain House Renovation

It was a long time coming, but it's finally happening. Chip and Joanna Gaines are venturing outside their beloved Central Texas stomping ground of Waco to take on a very special fixer-upper: the renovation of a 1960s vintage home in Colorado they're intent on transforming into a Gaines family mountain retreat. This marks the Gaines' first out-of-state reno, and the project comes with a variety of challenges Chip and Jo face with the creative and adventuresome spirit Fixer Upper fans have come to expect. If you're a regular or longtime viewer, you might rightfully expect that Joanna's design plan reveres the home's history and unique features while incorporating imaginative elements that blend rustic, traditional and European-inspired motifs with thoughtfully integrated modern touches.

The house is located at the foot of a mountain, nestled among green pines, firs, spruces and aspens. It comes with a large stone fireplace, a patio, a wraparound deck, two adjacent guest cottages and easy access to the adjacent mountain stream. Seen here is the exterior of the larger of the guest cottages, after the renovation. A deep green exterior, natural wood shutters, hand-hewn support columns and upgraded exterior lighting blend in with the surrounding greenery.

"I would say Chip's dream has always been perched high on a mountain with the view all around," says Joanna. "My dream has always been at the bottom of the mountain — tucked away. I'm a valley girl, not a mountaintop person. But it would be a dream to have a place where we could all go together. Not only our immediate family, but our parents, our sisters, their families." Joanna furnished this deck at the rear of the main house with a foursome of lounge chairs that are perfect for enjoying the tranquil surroundings and the sound of the rushing stream below.

The original foyer was sizable and opened into the large living room, a smaller adjacent sitting area and a modest galley kitchen. The entry space itself was also spacious, met Joanna's general approval and got her thinking about a ski lodge-style entrance and mudroom.

Now, the entry offers a warm and inviting first impression. A cased opening leads into the new main living space.

The palette has been radically reimagined with antique oak paneling in an unstained finish, coordinating wood furnishings, soft lighting and a long utility bench with cushions upholstered in understated green.

When Joanna first laid eyes on the home's interiors, she had some misgivings — and difficulty wrapping her mind around how the unconventional layout and room sizes could translate into a manageable restoration. But with some creative reimagining, she began to formulate a modified floor plan to accommodate both the family's needs and a visually unified design. It also didn't hurt that she soon fell in love with the scenic and secluded woodsy location. "[I feel like] I'm in a Bob Ross painting," she says, "… and if I feel like this is for us, I'm gonna make it work." Joanna planned to transform this space, originally the home's living room, into a new kitchen and dining area.

The original galley kitchen is no more. Say hello to this large, open and naturally lit space (thanks to ceiling-height windows). All-wood custom cabinetry, stone countertops and a massive wood table with seating for up to 12 carry the woodsy ambiance from the outside through the home.

The reimagined kitchen includes a new range and vent hood, a double oven and a dark green tile backsplash. Chip and Jo created a cozy reading room in the space that formerly housed the old galley kitchen, just off the new kitchen.

Throughout the renovation — as exemplified here in one of the several new living spaces — Joanna drew on nature-inspired colors, textures and materials to create a casual-yet-intentional look. The decor relies heavily on subtle hues and neutrals balanced against deep shades of green and blue. Other unifying themes include smooth black stone surfaces and unstained light oak (used on the walls and ceilings, and in many of the furnishings). In total, the newly redesigned home projects a warm, rich and friendly ambiance ideal for family and visitors.

This newly configured living space, formerly the main bedroom, is defined by the stone fireplace — added for functional warmth and extra coziness — and a light oak ceiling in natural finish. French doors offer natural light and a view to the wooded exterior, also visible from a newly added nook and window seat.

The two guest cottages on the property are small, cozy and, prior to the renovation, visually unspectacular — as seen here in the living space of the larger of the two cottages. This one comes with a covered porch, a kitchenette and this main living space. Existing features include a vaulted ceiling, exposed beams, plaster walls and a tongue-and-groove wood ceiling.

Joanna's design for the larger guest cottage includes hardwood floors, a fireplace with a stone surround and two newly enlarged windows. The wood ceiling is painted a rich green to match the trim and create a moody, earthy, masculine feel. The well-appointed furnishings include tufted leather chairs, a generously proportioned sofa in sand-colored fabric, a rustic wood coffee table and a bay window with a window seat and gingham upholstered cushions.

The cottage's galley kitchen maintains the same masculine vibe with natural wood butcher-block countertops, dark green paint for the new wood cabinets and twin pendant lights along with new recessed lighting. Other additions include a scalloped wood vent hood and open shelving. An original Dutch door from the main house was repurposed here as the kitchen's exterior entry door.

In the larger of the two cabins, this tight, unassuming bathroom came with a single stone-topped vanity. Joanna thought new tile and fresh paint or wallpaper would revive the space.

The refashioned bath in the larger cottage maintains the same palette of rich, dark green offset by natural wood. The existing vanity is upgraded with new countertops in black stone finish, twin sconce lighting and a vessel sink with brushed brass hardware.

The renovated bedroom features neutral tones accented by plaid wallpaper in shades of taupe, red and dark green; brass sconces with white shades; and a sturdy black bed frame with turned wood styling.

In addition to the non-Texan location, the Colorado Mountain House project represents another milestone for the Gaines family. It's the first real renovation that involves the participation of Chip and Jo's daughter, Ella, and her nascent design skills. "Chip had an idea to let our daughter design the little cottage,” Joanna told People magazine. Ella's response to the idea: "I’m accepting the challenge." Her design choices, as seen here, include a rich palette of deep blues and greens, natural wood furnishings and finishes, patterned tile and rustic-contemporary styling.

The bones of the kitchen in the smaller guest cottage were strong, and its minimalist design turned out to be the perfect blank canvas for Ella's debut design project.