Fixer Upper Recap: Season 4 Episode 9 – From 80s to Elegant

In this episode of Fixer Upper season 4, Chip and Joanna are helping out a fellow designers, Kristen Bufton and her husband Brett! They have a two year old daughter and a baby on the way. Kristen works for Chip and Joanna and her and her husband have already bought the house, she just needs their help fixing it up for her and her family. They were looking to put about $100,000 into the house.

The house that they purchased is about 2700 square feet, four bedroom, two and a half bathrooms with an informal den that Kristen was hoping to turn into a play room for her little ones. Joanna comes up with a plan for each of the rooms. The living room is mostly cosmetic, paint, new mantle on the fireplace and new flooring. The kitchen needs to have a wall knocked out so they can open it up a little because it’s a little small at the moment. The dining room is really small and has an awkward wet bar in it and the den in the back will become a play room. Here is what the house looks like before the renovation.

Gallery: ‘Before’ Fixer Upper Photos

After taking out the wet bar in the dining room and the structural columns, they had to put new headers into the room to make sure the second floor doesn’t collapse. They bring in a plumber to try and move some of the plumbing and the entire project is halted. The plumber found a three foot sinkhole under the house. This could be a huge setback.

This could be a $30,000 fix. Chip calls in an engineer to look into it a little bit more. Luckily, the engineer tells him that the house is actually on a suspended foundation so that when the soil under the house expands and contracts it doesn’t bother the foundation of the house. There are more beams under there supporting the house.

The rest of this project goes very smoothly, including some cosmetic work to the outside of the house where the brick was painted and some wood accents on the gables. Joanna brought her daughters to help with some decorations for the play room. Joanna finds a great antique chicken coup for the play room that will be used to organize their books and toys.

Chip finished the new mantle for their firehouse and I love how the built in entertainment center matches the wood color on the mantle shelf. Before we know it, it is time for the big reveal! Are you ready to see what it looked like after? Here it is!