Designer and contractor Chip Wade is the host of the show “Elbow Room,” and he doesn’t just DIY for HGTV.
When he and his wife Pauli bought their house in Atlanta a few years ago, it had been foreclosed on before construction was finished. With only the framing finished, he went to work on the rest of it himself.
HGTV Magazine reports he did everything “from cutting beams for the 20-foot ceilings to designing light fixtures.” His house is featured in their September 2015 issue. Take a look!
HGTV’s Chip Wade at Home
Chip has a degree in mechanical engineering and is certified in residential construction.
He first appeared on HGTV in 2007 as a carpenter for “Designed to Sell.”
Since then he’s appeared on “Curb Appeal: The Block,” “HGTV’s Showdown,” “Design Star,” and has been the host of “Elbow Room” since 2012.
The Family Room
The family room has 20-foot-high ceilings with tall windows overlooking their 2.5 wooded acres. He says, “It feels like we’re in the middle of nowhere even though it’s just a short drive to any store.”
The Kitchen
There’s another hidden door on the other side of the range that leads to a pantry.
The island is 12 feet long with a terrazzo countertop. “It’s our entertaining epicenter,” he says.
He created a secret playroom for the kids off the kitchen:
A Dutch door acts like a safety gate for the little ones:
Chip and Pauli have three young children: Mac, 6; Mara, 4; and JT, 1.
Chip tells the mag, “We’ve shot scenes for HGTV here, plus I’m always having friends over so I can help them build things.” His son Mac “likes to draw up plans for submarines and stuff, and then we make them together.”
I still remember when Chip was part of the carpentry team on “Designed to Sell.” I miss that show! A reader spilled all the deets on what it was like to have her house featured on it that you can read here.
Check out the September 2015 issue of HGTV Magazine and video tour to see more
(photos by David A. Land; styling by Courtney De Wet).
More info about Wade on his website and about his show “Elbow Room” at HGTV.com.
wowie kazowie! and it must be so neat to have your hands truly on everything being built and done on your own house! btw, love dutch doors . . anywhere, anytime!
I do, too, Sharon! 🙂
What a great house for a young family. It’s full of those clever touches you’d expect to see from him, based on his shows. Seems like he could tackle a “honey-do” list in no time flat, too, not that his house needs one. 🙂
Did anyone else notice the shallow sink on the island, right behind a regular sized sink? I can’t imagine what the purpose of it is!
I know they changed something to make it possible to read it on iPads in horizontally/wide. Before it wouldn’t work at all. Sounds like now it’s working but doesn’t look great with the content pushed to the edge! It is tricky trying to make sure it works for all kinds of screens and devices. I remember my old site never worked right with Internet Explorer, no matter what we did. We had to come up with all kinds of weird work-arounds. Makes me glad I’m not a web designer! Ha. 🙂
Beautiful house. I especially like the wood beams in the family room. However, when I see a home with such open high ceilings, I cannot help but think about the cost to heat such a space.
BTW, what is the purpose of that small drain thing going on behind the kitchen sink? Seems like a long way to reach to wash/drain stuff in.
I had a two-story family room once and you’re not kidding. Our heat bills were insane.
Chip talks about that area with the drain in the island in the video tour. He said he designed it because they entertain a lot and put ice out for drinks. When it melts, it drains out, and the faucet turns around so you can rinse it all down.
I like the house overall. It seems like a great family home. Decor seems a bit masculine to me, but I like that he has done so much of the work himself. That probably makes living there all the more special for the family.