The “From City Life to Farmhouse in Waco” episode of Fixer Upper saw Chip and Joanna Gaines take the Ramseys’ old house and turn it into the farmhouse of their dreams.
The Ramseys’ Fixer Upper episode has always stood out to fans of the show because they bought their farmhouse sight unseen from Pakistan.
However, even though they had never seen the house in person before, the Ramseys trusted Chip and Joanna Gaines to take their new home from a dilapidated old farmhouse to a modern, Scandinavian-inspired farmhouse with personality.
What made this episode of Fixer Upper unique?
There is no doubt that buying a home is one of the biggest purchases that most people will make in their lifetime.
However, when Brooke and Charlie Ramsey decided that it was time for them to pack their bags and move back home to the United States, they purchased their home online.
Shocking as it may seem, the Ramseys had never actually set foot in their four bedroom, three bathroom, 3000 square foot home prior to purchasing it. They relied solely on the pictures that they saw of the home online to make their decision.
Fixer Upper: From City Life to Farmhouse
Buying your $155,000 family home the same way that you might buy groceries may seem crazy, but the Ramseys had a good reason for doing this.
Brooke and Charlie bought their home completely sight unseen because they were still busy working and living abroad in Pakistan at the time.
This also posed a new challenge for the Gaineses, the mastermind designers and hosts of Fixer Upper.
This is because they had to help Brooke and Charlie, as well as their children, to make this 1890’s farmhouse -which they bought from halfway across the world – feel like a warm and inviting home.
Fortunately for pretty much everyone involved, when Chip, Joanna, and the Ramsey family set foot in their house for the very first time, it was immediately apparent that they had made the right decision.
As is always the case with the houses featured on Fixer Upper, their farmhouse definitely needed some tender love and care, but the overall bones and architectural details of the house were absolutely perfect for a large family.
Joanna immediately got to work planning what needed to be prioritised in the design. Obvious things that needed to be changed included centring the front door and dealing with the fireplace.
By the time that Chip and Joanna revealed the final design to the Ramseys, they could not have been happier with how the house turned out in the end.
From City Life to Farmhouse episode details
The full title of the Ramseys’ episode is “From City Life in Pakistan to a Farmhouse in Waco” and it first aired on 20 March 2018.
This episode was the sixteenth episode of the fifth season of the show, and it aired on HGTV. As for the house itself, the Ramseys had an all-inclusive $355,000 budget for their new home.
After paying around $155,000 for the home itself, Joana and Chip were left with a renovation budget of about $200,000.
What did Joanna prioritise in the design of the Ramseys’ farmhouse?
Testing for things like lead and asbestos is par for the course when you are dealing with a century-old farmhouse.
Unfortunately, the Ramseys’ house did test positive for lead, which is why you can see most of the construction crew wearing hazmat suits throughout the episode.
However, the lead was not the only thing in the house that needed changing. Joanna also decided to re-centre the front door of the home, while keeping the stained glass elements intact to keep the character of the home.
Chip also managed to save some of the original bricks from the house’s crumbling fireplace to re-use them in the new one’s façade.
The final reveal of the Ramseys’ farmhouse
When all was said and done, the Ramseys flew in especially to see their newly-renovated house.
The old two-tone exterior was replaced with a bright and clean all-white design, with the exception of the newly-centred stained glass front door and its vintage handle.
A beautiful wraparound front porch and Chip’s new landscaping in the front and backyard brought the entire exterior design together.
On the inside of the house, Joanna seemingly pulled off the impossible by combining elements like organic textures and Moroccan patterns.
She also added signature farmhouse elements like shiplap stairs and brass fixtures to create the perfect Scandinavian-inspired farmhouse design.
The bathrooms and kitchen also got a fresh, modern update in the process, with a luxurious walk-in shower and open shelving, which gave the house a modern but warm feeling.
