The Truth About HGTV's Jenny And Dave Marrs' Spectacular Home
"Fixer to Fabulous" stars Dave and Jenny Marrs' love of older and historic properties is well-documented on their hit show. The Arkansas-based couple focuses their attention on under-loved, even dilapidated properties on which they can work their magic, turning them into jaw-dropping family homes. As the Marrs told At Home in Arkansas, "Historic homes were built with such care and attention to detail," adding, "The builders focused on using all available space and local resources to build these homes."
The home renovation experts went on to explain how newer homes are typically built to be cost-effective, so they don't have the same charm. As a result, "We appreciate history and the thoughtfulness that went into these homes." Jenny and Dave are the perfect double act because she's more design-orientated while he's into the actual construction side of things. As they told Pop Culture, Jenny loves finishing off a project, when everything finally comes together, while Dave gets more excited about starting it.
Dave shared, "I think that's what makes us work so well together is ... when I'm starting to wear out towards the end, Jenny's engines kick in and she takes over and then we get to work on ... or she gets to kind of take over and make it beautiful." Aside from making their client's dreams come true, the couple also took on a massive, personal project renovating their own house. Naturally, it was totally worth it.
The Marrs' family home started out as a dilapidated farmhouse
Unsurprisingly, given their commitment to restoring old properties to their former glory, and even better, the Marrs' family home was originally a dilapidated farmhouse in which, seemingly, only the couple could see its true potential. In a blog post, Jenny Marrs recalled the very first time her husband, Dave Marrs, took them "for a walk over the grass field and up the rickety steps leading to the back door of an old farmhouse he had been asked to demolish."
Jenny recalled how Dave was clearly enamored with the property, "as he walked excitedly from room to room describing his vision: remove this wall, move the side door over here, replace that wall with windows, reconfigure the kitchen layout, replace the spiral staircase with a wooden one, and on and on." Although it was a huge undertaking for the hardworking duo, Jenny knew she loved it too, noting the house "exuded character and hospitable charm."
Everything changed at that moment, as the Marrs fully committed to making the place their own, renovating and expanding it, from the inside out, more than once over the years as their family grew. Closer Weekly confirms the HGTV stars have made many unique changes in that time, including adding a wine room and rustic mud wall. Much like their clients on "Fixer to Fabulous," Dave and Jenny made their dream home a reality by looking at the bigger picture.
The HGTV stars still enjoy an idyllic farm lifestyle
They may have turned their farmhouse into a more suitable family home, but Dave and Jenny Mars incorporated some of that down-home lifestyle going forward, too. Even so, in an interview with Good Table, Jenny admitted it can be overwhelming tackling their menagerie of animals, a blossoming berry farm, their jobs, and five children, quipping, "Every day is a brand new form of crazy." The Marrs never intended to be famous either.
In fact, Dave and Jenny told The List, in an exclusive interview, they initially turned down a TV show. The couple had concerns about how welcoming cameras in could impact their lives. Fortunately, it's all worked out for the best, particularly since "Fixer to Fabulous" shines a light on the couple's community and their work. They're especially proud of their blueberry farm, which notably also supports farming in Zimbabwe.
The Berry Farm, per Jenny's blog, began "as a way to provide educational skills and opportunity for orphaned and at-risk teenage boys in Marondera, Zimbabwe." The blueberry, meanwhile, is a symbolic fruit for Jenny and Dave. The farm's website points out, "If you nurture berries and properly care for them, their investment will span decades," which is similar to "the way we are investing in the lives of the children in our program."