TV stars restore glory of Galveston's famed 'Kettle home'

Tuesday, September 3, 2019
TV stars restore glory of Galveston's famed 'Kettle home'
ABC13's TJ Parker and ABC13+ meet with the stars of DIY Network's "Big Texas Fix, who have restored more than 20 homes on the island.

GALVESTON, Texas (KTRK) -- If you've ever seen or heard of it, you know how unique Galveston's "Kettle Home" is.

Ashley and Michael Cordray bought it and finished renovating it. They're featured on DIY Network's "Big Texas Fix," and they've renovated 20 more similar historic homes on the island.

Michael and Ashley are pretty proud of their Kettle home.

"The space was kind of unique to work with. I mean, you have 200 square feet of floor space, but you have 700 once you get to the ceiling," said Michael. "So we built the beds into the wall to kind of capitalize on some of that space."

There's a center staircase supporting the structure.

"We ended up with this spiral staircase that has been here. That is fun and hairy sometimes," said Michael.

With the building's unique round shape, the upstairs had another set of challenges.

"We kind of just worked off all the vertical supports of the house," said Ashley. "So it's like a pie. So there's different pies of the home."

And with the odd shape, the real trick was furnishing the space.

"It was interesting when we brought everything in. It just didn't work, so we put the couch on the outside wall facing everything out," said Ashley. "People are coming here not because it's cute, because they're in a metal orb right now, so it's kind of cool."

The Cordrays love historic homes and want to keep renovating them.

"Our show basically started because we wanted to restore old homes," Michael said. "And Galveston has an amazing collection of old homes that need restoration."

SEE ALSO: Most expensive home for sale in Galveston

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