Brittany Kelley
WIMBERLEY — Wimberley’s own Rebecca Franchione and Kristy Etheredge are the stars of A&E’s newest home renovation show, “The Mother Flip,” which features the pair flipping several homes in Hays County.
The two met in 2020 after Franchione moved to Wimberley in the summer. According to Franchione, her friend Roy Salinas — who is also featured on the show — would often come up to visit, so they encouraged him to buy the house next door to Etheredge and flip it, since he has worked in construction for more than 40 years. From there, the trio began to work on homes together.
“I feel like we are some of the best damn project managers and designers when it comes to flipping because your moms are extremely resourceful. We’re very, very thrifty. We’re used to juggling [multiple tasks],” emphasized Etheredge, stating that the two are very hands on.
After they flipped several homes, Franchione reached out to a good friend, who happened to be the president of a production company, three years ago and told him about her and Etheredge’s endeavors, to which he replied that it “could be a show.”
The show, titled “The Mother Flip,” follows Franchione and Etheredge as they tackle homes across Central Texas, three of which are located in Hays County — San Marcos, Buda and Wimberley.
It was important to the pair to feature Hays County because not only do they live here, but they felt it was important to showcase the small towns between Austin and San Antonio, both of which also have houses flipped in the series.
Although the concept is similar to other shows that have premiered in the past, Franchione stated that A&E “didn’t want cookie cutter houses.” So, each house is not only unique in its design, layout and location, but in its challenges.
“It’s very important for viewers to know that flipping homes in the Hill Country is like no other. You’ve got the rugged terrain; you’ve got limestone [and] so many animals. It’s not your traditional home flipping show,” said Etheredge, adding that the sources for both the homes and the interior design vary from the standard procedure.
The houses are often “pocket listings,” which means they’re not listed on realtor websites and are instead hidden gems. They also take advantage of thrift stores and second-hand options, such as Habitat for Humanity, or outlet shops, which often have discounted items.
“One of the things we pride ourselves on is pulling natural resources. Again, this is something that’s unique to the Hill Country. We’ve built outdoor showers out of rocks, picnic tables, pavilions, fireplaces. We really try to use a lot of the outdoors and, sometimes, even bring it in,” explained Franchione. “This is sustainable flipping. We’re not going out and buying all these rocks; we really focus on each property and say, ‘What can we use to enhance this without paying a dime?’”
The episodes all vary in not only locations, but style, as well, said Franchione. For example, one house is styled with the Palm Springs desert vibe, since her son used to play baseball out there and she loved the style of the homes. There is also a mid-century modern house, a lake house and more: “We just try to mix it up every week, so the viewers aren’t watching the same, rinse and repeat sort of thing,” she said.
One of Etheredge’s favorite episodes, she shared, is Critter Country, which features a San Marcos home and all kinds of challenges, from someone stealing the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) unit to the critters and squatters living inside the building.
The two concluded by encouraging others to flip and renovate their own homes, but to do research prior, stating that “big whammies” to walk away from when it comes to a potential home renovation project include mold, HVAC and foundational issues.
“It’s just exciting to have a show featuring the Hill Country. I feel like the Hill Country is the heartbeat of Texas,” said Franchione. “So, I just hope viewers can get a true glimpse of the beauty.”
“The Mother Flip” premieres on A&E at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 16.
