Chip and Joanna Gaines take “Fixer Upper” out of Texas for a Colorado mountain build

Chip and Joanna Gaines are finally taking their signature renovation franchise out of Waco and into the Rockies, trading Texas farmhouses for a Colorado peak-side retreat. Their new limited series follows the couple as they transform a dated mountain property into a family escape, testing how far the familiar “Fixer Upper” formula can stretch when the altitude, climate, and design language all change.

The project is more than a change of scenery. By uprooting their cameras to Colorado, the Gaineses are turning a personal vacation home into a case study in how their brand of storytelling, construction, and design translates beyond the red dirt and live oaks that defined their rise.

The first “Fixer Upper” outside Texas

For a decade, the words “Fixer Upper” have been shorthand for shiplap, open-concept kitchens, and Waco’s unlikely transformation into a design destination, all anchored in Texas soil. With Fixer Upper: Colorado Mountain House, Chip and Joanna Gaines are deliberately breaking that geographic rule, positioning the new series as their first full renovation for the franchise beyond state lines and extending the reach of the original Fixer Upper brand. The move signals that what started as a local cable hit has evolved into a flexible format that can travel, both literally and creatively.

That shift is not happening quietly. The new series, titled Fixer Upper: Colorado Mountain House, is framed as a limited run that follows a single, deeply personal build rather than a parade of client projects. By centering their own family’s retreat, the Gaineses are effectively stress-testing whether viewers will follow them when the familiar Waco landmarks disappear and the drama comes from altitude, snowpack, and mountain wildlife instead of small-town traffic and Texas heat.

A 1960s shell in the Rockies

The canvas for this experiment is a 1960s-era house perched in the Colorado high country, a far cry from the century-old farmhouses that usually anchor their episodes. Reporting describes Chip and Joanna Gaines taking on a dated structure and working to turn a midcentury shell into the alpine home of their dreams, with Their journey framed as a step-by-step reinvention rather than a cosmetic refresh. The age of the property matters, because it means confronting older systems, low ceilings, and layouts that were never designed for panoramic mountain views.

The financial commitment underscores how serious they are about the project. Coverage of the purchase pegs the price of the Colorado place at $5.5 million, a figure that instantly separates this build from the starter homes and modest ranches that populated early seasons. That number sets expectations: viewers are not watching a budget flip, but a high-stakes investment where gutting both floors and reconfiguring the footprint becomes part of the narrative tension.

From Waco comfort zone to Rocky Mountain risk

Stepping into the Rockies is not just a new backdrop, it is a calculated risk that tests how much of the Gaineses’ appeal is tied to Waco itself. Earlier coverage of the announcement made clear that the couple would travel to the Rocky Mountains for their first-ever Fixer Upper project outside of Texas, a framing that turns geography into storyline. By leaving the silos, the Baylor campus, and the Magnolia empire’s home base, they are voluntarily giving up the shortcuts that come with renovating in a town they know block by block.

That leap is built into the marketing language around the show. Another report describes the couple again traveling to the Rocky Mountains for a twist on their usual format, emphasizing that the familiar banter and renovation beats will now play out against snowfields and steep driveways instead of flat Texas lots. In practical terms, that means new permitting rules, unfamiliar subcontractors, and a climate that can shut down a concrete pour overnight, all of which give the series built-in stakes that do not require manufactured drama.

A family vacation home, not a client flip

Unlike the original run of Fixer Upper, where homeowners handed over keys and budgets, this series is explicitly about Chip and Joanna Gaines building for themselves. One feature on the project spells out that NEED KNOW details include the couple creating a dream family vacation home “outside of their home state,” which reframes the usual client-designer dynamic. When the house belongs to them, every design decision doubles as a parenting choice, a business calculation, and a long-term investment.

That personal stake changes the emotional temperature of the show. Instead of unveiling a finished space to tearful clients, the payoff is watching the Gaines children claim bunk rooms and favorite corners, something Joanna, 47, has described as central to the vision for the property. The fact that this retreat sits “outside of Texas” is not just a travel note, it is a signal that the family is willing to root part of their story in a different landscape, even as they keep their business empire anchored in Waco.

Designing for altitude, snow, and wildlife

Designing a mountain house is a different puzzle than refreshing a Craftsman on a tree-lined Texas street, and the series leans into that contrast. Previews highlight how Chip and Joanna Gaines are building a vacation home that has to withstand heavy snow, dramatic temperature swings, and the kind of wildlife encounters that simply do not happen in suburban Waco, with one report noting the animals investigating unoccupied homes in the area. That reality forces the couple to think about materials, window systems, and storage in ways that go beyond aesthetics.

The sneak peek footage underscores how they are translating their signature style into this harsher environment. A preview piece invites viewers to Watch Sneak Peek clips that show vaulted ceilings, expanded windows, and unique architectural details designed to frame the mountain views rather than hide from them. The result is a hybrid aesthetic: still recognizably Magnolia, but with more stone, heavier beams, and a layout that anticipates ski boots, wet dogs, and gear piled by the door.

Feeling “disconnected” in a new landscape

For all their on-camera ease, the Gaineses are not pretending that uprooting their process is simple. In early looks at the series, Chip Gaines and Joanna Gaines admit that they feel out of step at points, with one preview describing how Chip Gaines and Joanna Gaines feel “disconnected” amid the new project. That vulnerability is part of the draw: viewers are not just watching a renovation, they are watching two seasoned professionals admit that a new context can knock them off balance.

Another preview reinforces that tension, framing the show as a Fixer Upper Colorado Mountain House Preview in which Chip and Joanna Feel the strain of distance from their usual crews and routines. In a genre that often glosses over the messy middle, acknowledging that disorientation gives the series a more grounded emotional arc and reminds viewers that even the most polished brands have to recalibrate when the setting changes.

How and where viewers can watch

The distribution plan for the series reflects how central the Gaineses have become to multiple platforms. The project is positioned as a Magnolia Network tentpole that will air on traditional cable while also streaming, with the official release noting that Fixer Upper: Colorado Mountain House premieres on Magnolia Network and HGTV and St in a shared rollout. That dual presence means the show will sit alongside both legacy home-renovation titles and the couple’s broader Magnolia slate.

For viewers who prefer streaming, the series slots neatly into the existing Magnolia ecosystem. Episodes are set to be available through the dedicated watch.magnolia.com platform, while the broader HGTV audience can find the show through the main HGTV site and apps. Coverage of the couple’s Colorado purchase also notes that the series streams on HBO Max, tying the mountain build into a larger Warner Bros. Discovery strategy that already carries Magnolia content across multiple services.

Magnolia’s mountain-state storytelling

Even before cameras rolled, Joanna Gaines was already narrating the emotional pull of the Rockies in her own writing. In a reflective essay about the project, she describes how the place will only feel like theirs “Once we’ve gathered here a handful of times, made our marks on the floors,” a line that appears in a Magnolia Journal piece titled Once the mountains are calling. That framing turns the Colorado house into more than a set; it becomes a character in the family’s story, one that needs to be worn in before it feels like home.

The television rollout mirrors that narrative approach. Promotional material positions the show as a continuation of the couple’s broader storytelling about place, family, and work, with the mountain house serving as a new chapter rather than a spin-off gimmick. A lifestyle feature that teases the series under the banner Chip and Jo Are Back with a Brand New Show and guidance on How to Watch the Next installment reinforces that the Colorado project is meant to sit alongside, not replace, the Waco stories that built their audience.

Why this mountain build matters for the franchise

From a franchise perspective, the Colorado Mountain House is a stress test for how far the Fixer Upper universe can stretch without losing its core identity. The original series turned Waco into a character, but this new chapter asks whether the real draw is the city or the couple’s chemistry and design instincts. By anchoring the show in a single, high-end project that belongs to them, the Gaineses are betting that viewers will follow their taste and storytelling into any landscape, whether that is a Texas farmhouse or a snow-dusted ridge.

The rollout strategy suggests that the networks share that confidence. The series is being positioned as a marquee event across cable and streaming, with cross-promotion that treats the mountain house as a must-see evolution of the brand rather than a side project. A how-to-watch guide that walks fans through tuning into the How Watch the Next installment of Fixer Upper underscores that this is not a one-off experiment, but a template for future expansions that could take the Gaineses to other regions if the Colorado gamble pays off.