Chip and Joanna Gaines weren't always the titans of a multi-billion dollar Magnolia empire. Honestly, if you go back and watch Fixer Upper season one, it’s a bit of a trip. It feels smaller. It feels local. There is this raw, unpolished energy that you just don’t get in the later seasons where everything is a perfectly curated brand experience. Back in 2013, they were just two people in Waco, Texas, trying to convince homeowners that a "shiplap" obsession was actually a viable design aesthetic.
Most people forget that the pilot aired in May 2013, and the full season didn't even drop until 2014. It was a gamble for HGTV. At the time, home renovation TV was dominated by "Property Brothers" and "Love It or List It." Those shows were slick. They were high-stakes. Then came this couple where the husband literally climbed into a dumpster to find a "treasure" and the wife talked to plants. It worked. People didn't just watch for the tile choices; they watched for the chemistry.
What Really Happened in Fixer Upper Season One
The first season consists of 13 episodes. That’s it. It started with "The Castle Heights House" (the pilot) and ended with the "Three-Generation House." If you look closely, the budgets were different back then. We’re talking about $150,000 houses with $30,000 renovation budgets. In today’s market, those numbers look like a typo. But back then, Waco was affordable, and Chip and Jo were grinding to make every dollar count.
One thing that sticks out about Fixer Upper season one is the absence of the "Magnolia" polish. You didn’t see a curated shop at the end of every episode. Joanna’s signature style—the farmhouse chic that eventually took over every Target in America—was still evolving. She used more color. She used different textures. It wasn't all white walls and black metal frames yet.
Chip was also less of a "character" in the early days. He was always goofy, sure, but in those first few episodes, you see him doing a lot more of the actual heavy lifting and site management. It felt like a real construction business because it was just their local business at that point. They weren't celebrities; they were contractors with a camera crew following them around.
The Design Shift Nobody Talks About
If you re-watch the early episodes, you’ll notice something interesting about the "Big Reveal." In the later years, the reveal became this massive, staged production with giant rolling posters. In Fixer Upper season one, it was a bit more intimate. The stakes felt more personal because these were often their neighbors or people they actually knew in the community.
There’s a specific nuance to Joanna’s early work. She wasn't just doing "Modern Farmhouse." She was trying to fit the homes to the people. Take the "Gully House" from episode two. It was about making a home for a family with four kids on a tight budget. The design was practical. It was rugged.
Why the Shiplap Obsession Started Here
We have to talk about the shiplap. It’s the elephant in the room. Before this show, shiplap was just something you found behind the wallpaper of old houses and promptly threw away. During Fixer Upper season one, Joanna "discovered" it during a renovation and decided to keep it. She liked the texture. She liked the history. She didn't realize she was about to launch a thousand interior design ships.
Actually, it's kind of funny. Shiplap became a meme, then a trend, then a cliché. But in season one, it was a genuine "aha!" moment. It represented the idea that you could find beauty in the bones of a house rather than just covering everything in drywall.
The Reality of the "Waco Effect"
Waco, Texas, changed because of those first 13 episodes. Before the show, Waco was mostly known for Baylor University and some pretty dark history from the 90s. The show gave the city a new identity. But in season one, you still see the "old" Waco. The houses are cheap. The neighborhoods are hit-or-miss.
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Critics often point out that the show contributed to gentrification in the area. That's a fair point to discuss. In the first season, the houses were often bought for under $100k. By the time the show ended its original run, those same houses were being listed on Airbnb for hundreds of dollars a night. The "Waco Effect" started right here, with these first few families who took a chance on a TV renovation.
Lessons from the Early Episodes
If you’re a DIYer or a fan of the genre, there is actually a lot to learn from the early days of Chip and Jo.
- Focus on the layout first. In almost every episode of season one, the first thing they do is knock down a wall between the kitchen and the living room. It’s the "open concept" gospel.
- Character over perfection. Jo was big on finding one "weird" thing in a house—a fireplace, a built-in, an old door—and making it the centerpiece.
- Sweat equity. Chip showed that being willing to do the dirty work (demo day!) saves thousands.
The Controversy You Might Have Missed
It wasn't all sunshine and barn doors. Even in the beginning, there were questions about how much of the furniture the homeowners actually got to keep. The truth? Not much. The houses were staged with items from Joanna's shop, and if the homeowners wanted them, they had to buy them at the end.
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Also, the "three house" choice at the beginning of each episode? Most of the time, the homeowners had already closed on a house before filming started. The "search" was mostly for the camera. Does that make it fake? Sorta. It’s "produced reality." But the renovations were very real, and the stress of the timelines was definitely not made up.
How to Apply Season One Logic to Your Own Fixer Upper
You don't need a TV crew to fix your house. But you can take the Fixer Upper season one philosophy and use it. Focus on the bones. Don't be afraid of "ugly" houses in good neighborhoods. Look for the shiplap behind your own walls (metaphorically or literally).
The real magic of that first season wasn't the budget or the specific tiles. It was the idea that a house doesn't have to be perfect to be a home. It just needs a vision.
Actionable Steps for Your Own Renovation:
- Audit your "bones": Before buying new furniture, see if there are architectural features hidden under carpet or behind drywall.
- Prioritize the kitchen-living flow: If you have a limited budget, spend 70% of it on the area where people actually gather.
- Don't over-stage: Season one felt cozy because it wasn't overly minimal. Mix your new stuff with vintage finds to avoid the "furniture showroom" look.
- Research local property history: Just like Chip and Jo, knowing the "story" of a house can help you decide which original features are worth saving.
The legacy of those first few episodes is huge. It changed how we look at old houses and probably responsible for about half the sliding barn doors in your neighborhood. Whether you love the style or you're totally over it, you can't deny that those first 13 episodes changed the landscape of lifestyle television forever.