Chip Wade - Expert Craftsman

It’s been such a busy spring! I am extremely proud to announce that I have partnered with construction expert Ryan Taylor to create Wade Taylor, LLC, a custom design-build firm that will provide distinctive, turn-key design, planning and construction services to the high-end commercial and residential market.

Ryan and I have teamed up to offer a refreshing approach to design along with creative, high-level construction, engineering and fabrication expertise for clientele seeking one-of-a-kind masterpieces that bring their vision to life. Wade Taylor’s services are geared to corporate facilities, restaurants, hotels, retail, religious facilities and other commercial and high-end residential clients. We’re focused on bringing a renewed energy to the design and build process that empowers clients to express themselves through unique, inspired craftsmanship.

Interested in seeing some of our recent work? Check out pictures from Oprah’s “Messy Homes in America Tour”, where Ryan and I were put to the test when renovating one of Georgia Tech’s messiest dorm rooms together!

I’ve got some exciting news to share with you! As you may know, I’ve been the carpenter on HGTV’s Designed to Sell for the past several years. I’ve had a blast transforming outdated homes into hot properties, while maximizing homeowners’ dollars. Now, I am thrilled to tell you that I’ll be starring as a contractor on HGTV’s all new series, Curb Appeal the Block.

Curb Appeal the Block is different from any home design and renovation show you’ve seen before. Each episode, I’ll be tackling projects that focus on heightening the beauty and value of homes through exterior renovations, front façades and unique landscaping techniques. Wondering how that’s different from other shows? The cool thing about this series is that on each episode I’ll perform a $20,000 makeover on a house, while completing renovation projects on accessory houses in the neighborhood to improve the curb appeal of the entire block!

Designer John Gidding will team up with my custom design and construction company, Wade Taylor Unique Design Build, to transform neighborhoods, one front yard at a time. Expect tons of design and landscaping tips mixed in with all of the surprises that make reality shows irresistibly fun to watch!

We’re scheduled to start shooting Curb Appeal the Block next week. I can hardly wait to roll up my sleeves and get busy! The show will premiere in spring, 2010. Until then, you can catch me on Designed to Sell on HGTV.

It’s been about 6 months since I started building the newest addition to our house—my workshop! I am happy to say it is progressing and it should be done in no time. I am so excited that I am finally constructing the best little custom fabrication shop I could imagine.

The slab is poured and polished and it looks beautiful. The structure is framed, clad, and sided. The green metal roof is installed, along with the gutters. Painting is about eighty percent complete and I’ve installed all of the cedar accents. They really set off the architecture perfectly. I am making preparations to get the HVAC installed and pour the driveway all the way up to the custom, Spanish cedar carriage door gracing the front entrance. This all adds up to one heck of a man cave! 1,500 sq. ft. of workshop filled with the best and baddest of every tool you could think of—what more could a guy want?!? I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. And, it won’t be long before I’m churning out custom pieces!

Since appearing on Oprah, the question people ask me the most is, “what is Oprah really like?” To be transparent, I didn’t really know what to expect. I travel a lot and I rarely get a chance to watch TV—not to mention the Oprah show! But, from the little I knew about her, she is just like I imagined she would be. She is a very smart and successful business woman. She was personable and nice during the show and afterwards when we got a chance to chat for a few minutes. Oprah was quite lighthearted at times, actually cracking some jokes about herself and members of the audience. But, when it came to keeping the show moving, she had plenty of assertiveness to go around. Surprisingly, I wasn’t that nervous when I met her—it just seemed surreal! Everything is a bit of a blur now but, hopefully I’ll get a chance to appear on the show again.

Check out the Oprah Winfrey Show this Wednesday, March 18th. Yours truly will be a guest, along with HGTV’s Taniya Nayak, from Designed to Sell and HGTV’s David Bromstad, of Color Splash. We had a blast working together as we made over rooms at Georgia Tech for the Messy Homes in America Tour. Whew—that was one messy dorm room! After filming in Atlanta, we flew to Chicago to meet Oprah herself. The experience was amazing and she is fantastic! I’m very excited about the show and I hope you’ll tune in and let me know what you think. Check out some of the pictures of the coolest frat room ever!