What to Do Before Moving Into a Fixer Upper (What We Learned the Hard Way)

Life has a way of changing direction when you least expect it. At one point in time, life threw us a curveball when our family situation took an unexpected turn. We had to say goodbye to the home we had built and leave behind our real estate assets.

But in the middle of all of that, something unexpected happened.

Our fixer-upper out in the countryside, the one we had planned to fix and sell, was sitting empty.

And suddenly, it became the place we needed to call home.

It wasn’t close to the city like we were used to. It needed a lot of work. But it had the space we needed for our equipment, trailers, and trucks… and it gave us a place to land when we needed it most.

My husband, a General Contractor, looked at the house and said what he always says:

“It’s got good bones.”

So we packed up, moved in quickly, and stepped into what would become one of the biggest fixer-upper journeys of our lives.

Moving into a fixer-upper quickly… means doing the essentials first

Because the house had been sitting vacant, there were immediate things that had to be done before it was even livable.

This wasn’t about making it pretty yet.

This was about figuring out what to do before moving into a fixer-upper when you don’t have time, and you don’t have a big budget.

We had to focus on the basics first.  But with my husband’s expertise and determination, we were ready to tackle the necessary repairs.

Some repairs weren’t optional… they were urgent

One of the first things we realized?

We had to connect the sewer line to the septic tank. Yikes! Where had all the waste been going before this?

Yes… that was at the very top of the list.  

The carpet had to go, too. It was worn, damaged, and holding onto years of history we didn’t want to bring into our next chapter. We ripped it out, sealed the floors with Kilz, and put down indoor-outdoor carpet just to make things workable.

Nothing fancy. Just functional.

We were heating and cooling the entire outdoors

Another big issue was insulation.

Or honestly… the lack of it.

It felt like we were heating and air conditioning the entire country.

So we rented an insulation blower from Home Depot and did it ourselves. My husband was up in the attic blowing insulation while I stood outside filling the hopper bag after bag.

It wasn’t glamorous, but it was necessary.

And it’s a good reminder that when preparing a fixer-upper before moving in, sometimes the biggest improvements are the ones you don’t see right away.

Then nature added its own to-do list

As if things weren’t busy enough, an ice storm came through and took care of some tree trimming for us.

Limbs were down across the yard and driveway.

We handled what we could ourselves and brought in help for the bigger jobs that weren’t safe to tackle.

Because sometimes, knowing what not to do is just as important as knowing what to do.

Making it work with what we had

One thing about this season, we didn’t have extra money for projects that weren’t absolutely necessary.

So we got creative.

We used a Morgan Building, a carport already on the property, and horse panels to create a paddock right in the front yard.

It honestly looked like something straight out of the old west.

We moved buildings across the property, rolled structures into place, and made it work with what we had.

The leaning garage that had to stay

There was also a detached two-car garage… that was literally leaning.

In a different situation, we would have torn it down and started over.

But this wasn’t that season.

We needed it functional, not perfect.

So my husband used heavy scaffolding to stabilize it enough to make it usable, and we stored equipment inside as best we could.

Sometimes, what to fix first in a fixer-upper comes down to one question:

👉 What has to work right now?

Doing the best we could inside

Inside the house, we made simple, budget-friendly changes just to make the space livable.

We patched the fencing for the dogs.
We worked with a kitchen straight out of the 70s.
We painted cabinets.
We used what worked, and adjusted what didn’t.

The oven didn’t even work. Only the propane cooktop worked. First time for everything, doing meal prep without an oven!

What no one tells you about moving into a fixer-upper

There’s the physical work… and then there’s the emotional side.

And the emotional side can hit just as hard.

We were coming out of a difficult season with family. Leaving a home we thought we’d stay in long-term. Starting over in a place that needed work in almost every direction.

It changes you.

I’ve always said, remodeling a home also remodels you.

It exposes things you didn’t expect.

Just like when you open up walls and find what’s been hidden behind them… sometimes moving into a fixer-upper brings things to the surface in your own life too.

Preparing more than just the house

Looking back, I don’t think you can ever be 100% ready for a move like this.

But preparation matters.

Not just physically, but mentally, emotionally, and even spiritually.

Because when you take on a fixer-upper, you’re not just building a home…

You’re building resilience, patience, and a whole new chapter of life.

A simple fixer-upper checklist before you move in

If you’re wondering what to do before moving into a fixer-upper, here’s what mattered most for us:

• Take care of essential systems first (sewer, HVAC, electrical)
• Remove or replace anything damaged or unsafe
• Handle insulation and structural needs early
• Clear debris and make the property safe
• Make the home functional before focusing on design
• Do what’s necessary first, and improve over time

Final thoughts

Moving into a fixer-upper wasn’t easy.

It stretched us in ways we didn’t expect.

But it also gave us a place to rebuild, both our home and our lives.

And in the end, that’s what made it worth it.

Check out the rest of our amazing Fixer-Upper Journey right here.