Book a stay at former ‘Fixer Upper’ house

Tribune News Service

FORT WORTH, Texas

“Fixer Upper” fans, you finally get another chance to step inside Chip and Joanna Gaines’ kingdom of shiplap – and sleep there at least two nights.

The Magnolia House vacation home begins booking 2017 reservations at 7 p.m. today.

It’s been a long wait for those who lost out on the couple’s guest house when reservations became available in early February. Dates booked up through the end of the year almost immediately.

On Aug. 11, the official Magnolia Instagram account announced that booking would begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 18, for stays Jan. 1-July 2, 2017.

“You’ve been waiting patiently. Magnolia House availability for 2017 goes live NEXT Thursday, August 18!,” the post said. “Set yourself a reminder and don’t forget to book your Waco getaway!”

The Magnolia House is in downtown McGregor, about 20 miles southwest of the Gaines’ Magnolia Market at the Silos in Waco. It is not a bed-and-breakfast.

It is a 2,868-square-foot vacation home that sleeps up to eight guests in five bedrooms, with two bathrooms, a big kitchen, dining room, living area and even a sweet “coffee bar” nestled upstairs.

The whole house must be reserved for at least two nights. Cost is $695 per night, not including taxes.

The couple showed the Victorian home, which dates to the late 1800s, to a client on their HGTV show. When the house was turned down, Joanna Gaines reportedly had a hard time letting it go.

She presented the idea of transforming it into a vacation rental to husband Chip, and they revealed the Magnolia House on a Christmas special in December.

The renovated house – with its white shiplap walls and ceilings, antique fixtures and farmhouse-rustic furnishings – is a peek inside the Gaineses’ world of home design. A charming downstairs bedroom even replicates their daughters’ room at home.

“The design inspiration for this house was taken from my own home; I wanted it to feel like our farmhouse so when guests stay here they feel especially welcome,” Joanna Gaines says on the website.

Only those who rent the home receive the key code to get inside; signs posted on surrounding iron gates keep visitors from hopping the fence for a peek through the windows. But the home is still a tourist magnet, attracting cars full of fans who slow down or hop out on the sidewalk for photos of the big white house.

The Gaines’ Magnolia Market at the Silos complex – which includes a market, bakery, garden shop and courtyard with food trucks and family-friendly games – attracts an estimated 15,000-20,000 visitors per week.

If history is any indication, 2017 Magnolia House reservations will go fast. But fans who miss out on the Gaines’ guest house might not lose their chance for a “Fixer Upper” experience entirely. The Waco Tribune-Herald reports that about half a dozen “fixed up” homes from the show have been listed as vacation rentals on Airbnb and VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owner).

Those include, the newspaper says, the Gorman House (season one, episode two), the Barndominium (season two, episode 11) and soon, the Harp House (season one, episode 11). Most are being rented for $250 to $350 per night, the Trib reports.

The Gaineses are rumored to have at least one more Waco- area vacation home in the works.