Updated July 22, 2020.
It’s Throwback Thursday, and since I’ve had some people wanting to know more about our stay at the Mailander House, I decided to write a post about our stay to complement our post about the owners’ experience living there! So, my friends, here’s a sneak peek inside Fixer Upper‘s Season 1 Mailander House, also known as the Bicycle House!
The Mailanders Live on in the Details
So, who were the Mailanders? The Mailanders are the people who originally built the house in 1910. They were furniture makers, and their care for woodworking and detail show in the house. The built-ins around the fireplace have been preserved, with a Roman soldier still looking out for the house from the fireplace. There are a couple of types of hardwood floors in the home, one of which is a now-extinct wood called cocobolo. Dave, the homeowner, even told me “the floor is worth more than the house itself!”
More here: What’s It Like Living in a Fixer Upper?
My favorite part of our stay was having coffee in a #shiplap mug with my Roman friend on the fireplace.
The Bicycles
Why is it sometimes called the “Bicycle House”? The current owners, Dave and Marla, are an active couple. In their episode of Fixer Upper, they talked about Marla running ultra marathons, and they both bike extensively. So Joanna found a very cool vintage bike dating from 1905–older than the house itself! It’s hanging on the wall in the office that doubles as a bedroom, and Dave and Marla have provided a few bikes around the house for renters to use to ride through nearby Cameron Park or into town to visit the Silos!
More here: How to Plan Your Fixer Upper Getaway
The Kitchen
The kitchen needed some updates when Dave and Marla bought the house, and they were beautiful executed. Dave and Marla had already talked about concrete countertops, and luckily, that’s Chip’s specialty! He put them in himself. There’s also a beautiful farm sink, pretty slate floors, new appliances, nice finishes, and a stainless steal island to top it off!
Keep reading: What to Eat at the Maagnolia Silos Bakery
The Windows
If you read my post about Living in a Fixer Upper, you know Dave’s favorite feature of the house is the windows. This beautiful home was built before electricity came standard in a home. As a matter of fact, Chip and Joanna still had to add lighting in the living area and kitchen for visibility at night! So what did you do before electricity? You made sure to have large windows to capture as much sunlight as possible. Many of the panes are original–we could even see the waves that are a tell-tale sign of historic windows!
Keep reading: 5 Trips for Positive Vibes
The Bedrooms
The Mailander House is listed as a three bedroom, two bathroom home. There is a queen size bed in one bedroom, two twin beds in another bedroom, and a twin bed in the office that now doubles as a bedroom.
More here: Your Guide to Shopping at the Silos
The Bathrooms
The bathroom situation was interesting! There was a teeny-tiny bathroom in the room with two beds, and there was a huge bathroom in the office! There was no bathroom in the room with the largest bed, so my Mom’s friend Debbie stayed in that room and shared the tiny bathroom with my Mom!
Read on: 10 Reasons to Visit Waco
Touches from Joanna
Dave and Marla have done a great thing by keeping some of Joanna’s touches around the house. That’s what brings people into town these days after all!
Keep reading: What to Do in Waco Besides the Silos
Fully Stocked
The Mailander House is inherently welcoming, but Dave and Marla have gone just another step further to make their guests feel at home. When we arrived, the fridge was fully stocked and there were muffins from a local bakery waiting for us as well!
More here: What to Eat in Waco
The Exterior
One thing that we noticed about the Fixer Upper homes we saw in town was the rough neighborhoods. The homes surrounding the other Fixer Upper homes in town are still rough, though the hope was that the homes would give the neighborhoods “up and coming” status. We were shocked at the condition of some of the surrounding homes elsewhere in town, but honestly, the Mailander House is by far in the best place compared to the others. It’s near a popular park, only about a mile or so from the Silos, and the neighboring homes seemed cleaner than others.
That said, the exterior of this house is adorable and historic! As with the inside of the house, the details make the difference.
How did you like your tour? Thanks so much to Dave and Marla for a great stay, and for making us feel so welcome in Waco! Check out my United States Page for more about Texas, too!
To see the house on Joanna’s blog, click here!
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