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[151949]

They had a couple who were given a shotgun house for free - all they had to do was move it off the property. So they bought some land and Chip moved the house. Then they took it totally down and completely rehabed it - even added a second story. When it was done they had a really adorable 1100 sq ft house. - which is the size our house in Pa was and that is not really very small - a good size for 2 people. I was particularly interested because the house I live in now is half a duplex but if it was stand alone it would be called a shotgun house. Shotgun houses are so called because back in the day they said if you shot a gun in the front door it would go straight thru and out the back door.That is exactly how my house is - we can look in the garage door from the street and see all the way thru the house to the lake behind our back door. However , ours is 1500 sq ft so not  too tiny, as a matter of fact - just a perfect size for us.

[Kachina624]

Do you ever watch Texas Flip & Move which is on Direct TV Friday nights on ch 230?  There are several teams that buy houses at auction that must be moved.  They are of course, small houses that can be transported on the highway.  They take them to a lot where the teams rehab them.  Most turn out to be really cute.  When finished they're auctioned off to the public.  People mostly buy them for 2nd homes or lake cottages.  Most sell for way under $50,000, but they must be moved.  Good show.

[libbyannE]

Tonight's Fixer Upper was a rerun from earlier this year, but I watched it again. I enjoy Chip and Joanna! And this small house was so beautifully done, wasn't it? I wondered about the cool stairway which had to be raised and lowered; it was clever but might not be practical if the owners use the loft all the time. I'm sure your shotgun house is wonderful! It was good to see that house being saved in tonight's episode. 

[freakygirl]

yes, i watched it. i really liked the way chip and joanna fixed it. i liked the hardwood floors and the kitchen. even the way they redid the outside was pretty. thanx for explaining why it's called a shotgun house. i was going to look it up, and now i don't have to! hubby and i are going to magnolia market next month. looking forward to it!

[violann]

I enjoyed last night's ep. a lot. I think sometimes the Fixer Upper treatments get a little repetitive, although they're always handsome when they're finished, but it was nice to see something done as the house was.

There was a very large Victorian moved quite some distance in our community several years ago, and although it was beautifully landscaped and some EXPERTS weren't even aware that it wasn't built where it was moved to, I notice that it's for sale again and has been for some time.

Don't know the asking price, but it's obviously not being snapped up. I think it would be VERY TOUGH to get back the cost of the move, which was AT LEAST a mile.

[151949]

When my parents died they had a large 2 story shed in their backyard which my DH decided to move to our backyard. First he had to prepare a site for it - leveled and with a gravel bed, then he had to get a flat bed towtruck , he arranged a system of pipes to place under the shed to roll it up onto the truck and then they had to strap it down to the truck - then the tricky part - they had to find a route to get it from my parents house to our house that did not have any overhead wires, so it was all small, narrow country roads. Fortunately it was only 5 miles.They did successfully get it moved, but that was just a shed , I can't imagine the logistics of moving an entire house.

[151949]

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@freakygirl wrote:

yes, i watched it. i really liked the way chip and joanna fixed it. i liked the hardwood floors and the kitchen. even the way they redid the outside was pretty. thanx for explaining why it's called a shotgun house. i was going to look it up, and now i don't have to! hubby and i are going to magnolia market next month. looking forward to it!

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Our home in Pa had recycled brick like they used on this house - saved us a fortune. My DH and the architect went to an old brewery that was being torn down and made a fabulous deal of a couple hundred dollars for a dump truck load of brick. The building being torn down was 120 years old and the used bricks really gave our new house character. They would be 154 years old now. 

[sapphire 2]

freakygirl,

So exciting you are going to Magnolia Market next month. I hope you will share your thoughts about it when you get back.

[magicmoodz]

I didn't see the episode, but looked it up online.  Interestingly, the owners of this little fixer upper bought it to rent.  This has become a trend with the homes Chip and Joanna have renovated and they are not happy.  Even Clint, their carpenter who bought one of the homes featured in an episode, is a landlord to renters.  I think part of the problem is touristy gawkers.  

The article I read stated going forward Chip and Joanna will enforce more stringent rules with regard to renovating to rent.  

[Spurt]

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@libbyannE wrote:

Tonight's Fixer Upper was a rerun from earlier this year, but I watched it again. I enjoy Chip and Joanna! And this small house was so beautifully done, wasn't it? I wondered about the cool stairway which had to be raised and lowered; it was clever but might not be practical if the owners use the loft all the time. I'm sure your shotgun house is wonderful! It was good to see that house being saved in tonight's episode. 

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@libbyannE

I was worried about that pulley system for the staircase and how it would hold up over the years.... what if you were up in the loft and the pulley broke or got stuck so the staircase couldn't be lowered.......

It was nice to see something historic saved.....they did a nice job....I particularly liked the color paint on the outside of the house and the brick work ....