Dave and Jenny Marrs Have a New Spin-Off: 'Fixer to Fabulous: Welcome Inn'

In the three years since the premiere of HGTV's Fixer to Fabulous, we've learned husband-and-wife hosts Dave and Jenny Marrs can pretty much do it all. From updating run-down historic homes to raising five little ones, they've become a source of inspiration to many. Now, they’re taking on a whole new venture.

Enter Fixer to Fabulous: Welcome Inn, a four-episode spinoff series coming to HGTV on Tuesday, March 15, at 9/8c. The premise? Dave and Jenny transform a historic home built in the 1880s into an inn where guests can come and stay. Of course, they brought HGTV and its viewers along for the ride.

How Welcome: Inn Came About

Dave and Jenny never dreamed of owning an inn, but as soon as they toured this historical home, they knew they had to have it. The house in question is located one town over from Bentonville, Arkansas, where Jenny and Dave live.

“We immediately knew it was such a cool house that we wanted to save,” Dave tells HGTV. “We didn’t even know what we were going to do with it, we just didn’t want to see it get torn down. So, we kind of bought it, really, without any plan.”

The house had been abandoned for a while and was in desperate need of a renovation. As soon as Dave and Jenny began to analyze the layout, they realized it would make for the perfect bed and breakfast.

“We knew we’d be able to work the floorplan in such a way to provide a bedroom and a bathroom," Jenny tells HGTV. "And we knew we didn’t want to move into it. We also knew we didn’t want to sell it, so we just thought this would be a great project to create a place where people can come and visit and stay from all over the country.”

The Welcome Inn Difference

Though it's a spin-off of Fixer to Fabulous, Welcome Inn has its own vibe.

“It varies because we don’t have homeowners that we’re working with, and the show is shot differently,” Jenny reveals. "They actually use different cameras. It’s a little more of a cinematic approach, and, from what we know, it’s a little more behind-the-scenes and raw. They followed us around, which they do anyways, but really just let things unfold.”

What Viewers Can Expect to See

“Start to finish, every detail of the house," says Jenny, "they were filming while we were working — while we were coming up with plans and also trying to decide, you know, all the decisions of what linens are we going to carry? What food are we going to put in the welcome basket? What coffee are we going to carry?”

Each of the four episodes shows what it’s really like — and what it really requires — to renovate an old historic property. “You have to want to do it because, most times, it’s more expensive than just tearing it down and building something new,” Dave says. “I hope people see [the authenticity]. It’s not always sunshine. There are multiple times in this whole process where we really wondered, 'Did we make the right decision, to take this on?'”

In short, we'll get to see everything.

The Challenges

Although Dave and Jenny were enamored with what would eventually become their inn, the structure came with challenges.

“This was such an old house that had been sitting empty for a long time, and the homeowner that had owned it right before it was empty really didn’t take good care of it,” Jenny says. “A house that’s been sitting that long … it's just so much work. Foundational, structural issues, plumbing, electrical — everything had to be updated.”

On top of the inn, Dave and Jenny were balancing their kids, their farm and filming for Fixer to Fabulous. "[This project] wasn't one we were required to do," says Dave. "It’s the fill-in time, where you just have to go over and get it done in between all your other jobs. That’s what made it such a challenge.”

The Payoff

“It’s so rewarding as a couple. We do all these renovations for families, for their home," Dave says. “This home becomes a reflection of us and of the things we love: the finishes, the architecture, the trim work. It becomes another one of your children; something you’re so proud to go to every day because you’re doing the things that you love to do in a house, that, you know, you've always wanted.”

Of course, it’s not all personal. Dave and Jenny got the chance to reveal the finished inn to past residents — including a man who used to live in the home and a woman who was born there.

“She was 89 years old," Jenny says. "Her parents bought the house in the early 1900s, I believe. It’s not on the episode, but we got to give her a tour. It was just amazing to watch her remember what it was like when she was a child and to relive those memories with her.”

Staying at the Inn

The Welcome Inn is set to open the first week of May 2022, after all four episodes of the show have debuted. Each suite has its own bathroom and is designed with original touches. “We really wanted the house to feel like it always has,” Jenny says. “We didn’t gut it or take it down to studs and re-do it to make it more modern. We really tried to keep all of the original elements we could: the staircase, the doors (we stripped off the paint), the ceilings, chimneys, flooring. We really tried to keep it very historically accurate but of course, modernized a bit. It’s a pretty traditional style but kind of timeless and classic."

Dave and Jenny put thought into, not only the structure and design, but what the space offers and how it can be used. “We wanted to give guests a really unique experience,” Jenny says. “We actually brought in a chicken coop expert — he built a chicken coop for us. We’re going to have chickens there for guests to have fresh eggs.”

They also brought in a bee expert, who first came to the property to help with an infestation, but then discovered a way to keep the insects in a friendly, beneficial way. “He removed the bees, and now they’re back on the property in bee boxes to make honey," says Jenny.

And, of course, you won't find the furnishings at the inn just anywhere. “Dave built pretty much all the furniture, with the exception of the soft things like the sofa and dining chairs,” Jenny shares, noting that some of his building process is showcased in the show.

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, March 15, and tune into the premiere of Fixer to Fabulous: Welcome Inn on HGTV at 9/8c. In the meantime, keep up with Fixer to Fabulous at HGTV.com/FixertoFabulous and check out the first two seasons on discovery+. Interact on social media using #FixertoFab, and connect with Jenny and Dave on Instagram at @jennymarrs and @dave.marrs.