Last night on Fixer Upper season 2, Chip and Joanna Gaines helped a friend of theirs find a loft with a guest bedroom and an office in the heart of Waco. Catherine, who is the founder of a fitness studio in Waco, is looking for a loft close to her studio. She is currently renting an apartment close by and really likes the location, so much so, that the first loft they look at is in the same building. Her all-in budget is $350,000.
The first apartment is a two bedroom, two bathroom with just under 1300 square feet in living space. The list price on this loft is $260,000. When they get into the apartment, the view is amazing and there are tons of windows for natural light. The floors are really dark wood and Catherine isn’t in love with them, she would like them to be lighter. The kitchen needs some updating as well, she has more of a modern flair about her. There is a second bedroom that Jo would like open it up and make an office with a loft inside.
The second apartment they look at is inside a building that has exposed stone in the hallways, which I thought was really neat. The apartment has two bedrooms, two bathrooms and 1150 square feet of living space and it’s listed at $245,000. The inside of the apartment has a ton of exposed brick, but it’s a little funky as far as the colors used to paint the place. The kitchen is shaped really weird, Jo would square it off. There isn’t much of a view like the first apartment does and the bedroom is really dark and closed in. This building does offer a pool that the tenants can use. With $105,000 to go towards the renovations, but Catherine isn’t really sold.
With her budget, there isn’t much else for Chip and Jo to show her, it is up to Catherine whether she wants the first apartment they looked at or the second. After thinking about it, she doesn’t feel like this second apartment is going to work for her and she decides to pull the trigger on the first apartment. Here is what it looked like before Chip and Jo got into it.
Gallery: ‘Before’ Fixer Upper Photos
It is demo day and Chip starts with taking out the wall between the second bedroom and the living room to open it up and make it an office and loft. One of the things that Catherine wanted was higher ceilings and they are able to do that as long as Catherine is okay with having her HVAC system exposed, which she is.
Jo has Catherine come to look at the plans and they look amazing. The kitchen is going to be very modern and black and white. The loft is going to be surrounded by a wall of windows instead of closed drywall. The bedroom and bathroom will be brightened up as well. I really can’t get over the view from this apartment and the amount of natural light that comes through all these windows.
The demo is coming along, there were some issues with the flooring because it was glued down, but Chip is able to get a machine to finish that up. Something that has been bugging Jo is that the windows aren’t floor to ceiling and now that the ceilings are higher, they look really stumpy. Jo has the idea of doing a dramatic trim around them.
Jo then goes to talk to Dustin, he is the guy they go to with their glass and window needs. He has done amazing work in the past using iron and glass walls around the office, dining room and in between the kitchen and entry way in another project from earlier in the season. Dustin is excited about this project until Jo breaks it to him that the apartment is on the third floor and he has to bring the panels up three flights of stairs. He gets them into the apartment and him and Chip install them, I can’t wait to see this finished project. It already looks amazing!
It is time for the cabinets to come in and get installed. They have also gotten the accent wall/headboard for the bedroom put in. The metal bookshelf for the loft bed is being brought in, but it’s too big for the elevator so they have to bring it up the stairs and it weighs 1100 pounds! The loft is going to double as her office and it is going to have a reading area under the bed right in front of the windows.
The finishing touches are being done and the furniture is coming in. Chip decides that the only way to celebrate this project is to have a dance party in the kitchen. After that, Jo gets all the furniture set up and the rest of the decor put up. It is time for the big reveal! Are you ready to see Catherine’s new apartment?
Gallery: ‘After’ Fixer Upper Photos
Catherine’s project wasn’t the typical project for Chip and Joanna, but it turned out to be an amazing one! Let me know what you think of this transformation in the comments below, on Facebook or on Twitter!
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