Fans of Fixer Upper have seen a great deal of remarkable projects completed by Chip and Joanna Gaines over the seasons. Still, one of the most memorable transformations took place when they renovated a houseboat during a season 4 episode titled “The Floating Fixer Upper.” For an update on what happened to the property after the show, scroll below.
Who Owned the ‘Fixer Upper’ Houseboat?
Chip and Joanna decided to step outside the box when it came to renovating the 1970 houseboat for their friend Brett Swartz in 2017. Brett purchased the floating property for $27,000. He gave the couple a budget of $58,000 to perform all of the necessary decorating and structural changes.
Of course, one of the biggest challenges faced by Chip and Joanna was making sure that after all of the renovations, the double-decker boat would still be able to float on Lake Waco in Waco, Texas. Initially, Brett described the boat as “big and pretty ugly” to the audience. He was more than pleased with the final outcome and even happier when the houseboat was able to float in the water without any issues.
Some of the incredible touches on the estate included a set of French doors that opened up to a balcony, natural wood accents throughout the interior and a custom kitchen island with a metal base and wooden top.
“Chip and Joanna really captured just the simple, subtle, modern design that I wanted,” Brett said after the big reveal. “I didn’t want anything flashy. I didn’t want anything shiny. I just wanted it simple, and I feel like they really got it perfect.”
What Happened to the ‘Fixer Upper’ Houseboat After the Show?
After the episode aired, the houseboat was available for rent on Airbnb for $300 per night. The listing has since been removed. In 2020, fans of the show spotted the floating home docked at Lake Waco.
There Was Another Famous Boat Scene on ‘Fixer Upper’ With Chip and Joanna
Brett’s dramatic houseboat renovation wasn’t the only time Fixer Upper featured a boat. In March 2018, HGTV aired a special episode called “How We Got Here.” During the broadcast, Chip and Joanna candidly revealed that they almost did not land their own show on the network.
A gesture made by Chip during the pilot episode actually helped the couple solidify their successful home design series. Viewers got to see a clip of Chip surprising his wife with a houseboat that he had purchased with the intention to live in it.
“Chip is like that kid, like the 5-year-old kid that’s trying to make his mom breakfast and there’s milk everywhere,” Joanna quipped. “Good heart, big mistake. But what do you do? You don’t want to spank him!”
The couple, who are parents to kids Drake, Ella Rose, Duke, Emmie Kay and Crew, went back and forth until it was settled that they would continue to live in their Waco home.
“The goal was that I was going to move the family into this houseboat while we renovated the farmhouse and boy did that dream not come to reality,” Chip said during the hilarious clip.
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