Q: My husband Tim and I just bought our first fixer upper two weeks ago in Fort Worth, Texas. It is our second home and we hope to make it our last. Falling in love with our home was the easy part, but the thing is we just don’t know where to start. Should I mention that we have a 19 month old little ball of energy “helping” us? I know you don’t know what our house looks like nor do you know what our plans are for it. I won’t bore you with the details, I just want to know if you have a post about getting started; about how to go about making a plan so that we can go about this process efficiently. Or maybe I’m over thinking it and we need to just dive in? – Amanda
That big “where do I begin?” question is something we get asked a lot, both in comments on posts like this, and in emails like Amanda’s. And since we’re at “the beginning” again, it felt like a good time to write about our process. So here are six questions we’ve asked ourselves after moving into each of our houses that have helped us prioritize our to-do list.
#1. What’s necessary for us to safely inhabit this house? If you’ve bought a fixer-upper (or any house that revealed some surprises during the inspection), this is probably a question you’ve been faced with. What’s broken, malfunctioning, or so deteriorated that it must be rectified in order for you to move in?
Is there a mold problem? Broken windows? A heating system that’s not up to code? A swarm of bees living in the attic? Some of these may not be cheap or “glamorous” projects, but it’s probably a no-brainer to put them at the top of your list. In our most recent move that list consisted of four get-on-it inspection items: a malfunctioning furnace that needed to be repaired or replaced, a few dangerous trees that needed to be removed, some rotting wood and siding that needed to be redone/repainted, and an old roof that was actively leaking.
#2. What would be easier to do now, rather than after we’ve moved in/unpacked? This is a tougher question because almost everything could fall in this category. Bathroom remodels. Kitchen gut jobs. Heck, even simply painting each room. They’d technically all be easier to do in an unoccupied space, but it’s often not a realistic goal to accomplish a bunch of major renovations before you move in, and sometimes you just like to live somewhere before rushing into picking every wall color anyway. So we’d suggest picking your tasks wisely. We actually think kitchen and bathroom renos turn out better if we live in the house for a while (that’s the only way we ever would have thought about closing off a door to gain almost 65% more cabinetry and counter-space in our first kitchen).
This time around, Sherry and I chose to tear up musty old carpeting upstairs, spray all of the blue/mauve trim up there white, and install hardwood floors before move-in day. Out of everything on our list, it was the hardest to imagine doing those things after all of our furniture came into the space. The good news is that we were 100% sure about what flooring we wanted. But if we weren’t able to find flooring we liked, this task would have been put on hold and something else would move to the top of the list.
So one tip would be not only to brainstorm what’s the most helpful to tackle first, but also to make sure you’re going to be happy with that new look/material/choice for the long haul. If any part of you is uncertain, it’s probably best to move on to something that you’re more sure about instead of rushing into something you’ll regret. And since we’ve painted two houses worth of rooms/ceilings after moving in (and prefer to think about wall colors over time instead of choosing them all at once) that approach works well for us.
#3. What will make us feel comfortable and “at home”? In all of our moves I’ve experienced a period where I feel like I’m living in someone else’s house. Something about living amongst their design choices makes it hard for me to feel like the home has become ours. Obviously big gestures like tearing out the kitchen would do the trick, but that’s neither an easy or a quick fix (aside from it being one of those things we like to think through for a while). So we prefer to tackle a few simpler tasks after moving in that make things feel more like us. Like getting rid of dated curtains and carpeting – or, my personal favorite: painting. I remember how painting the first wall in our last house was the turning point where I felt like the house finally belonged to us – even if we ended up changing the color down the road. It was an important momentum-building (and morale-building) step for us.
Oh and this feeling of not being able to relax in “someone else’s house” is probably compounded by the general chaos and exhaustion that goes along with moving and unpacking. That’s why I think it’s helpful to put something on your list that will help you feel like you can put your feet up and fully “settle in” to your new space. It could be small, like setting up a reading nook with your favorite chair and a lamp or even just hooking up the TV so you can decompress after a long painting session. In our last two moves we set up Clara’s room on the first day to make sure she felt at home quickly, and then moved on to our own bedroom. Because sleeping on a mattress on the floor certainly didn’t scream “comfort.”
#4. What can we afford? This one’s pretty self explanatory, but if you have ten things on your to-do list that you can’t wait to tackle, but you can only afford to take on three of them, bump those guys to the front of the list and get going on them while you wait for your savings to build up again for the larger/more expensive tasks. For example, when we had those four important inspection items to take care of from tip #1, they made us feel like we turned the money faucet on high and drained our entire bank account. So we dove into nice cheap (and even free) projects, like stripping wallpaper, painting trim, removing an old glass shower door, ripping up more carpet in the sunroom, painting a bathroom, painting our front door, etc. They’ve definitely helped us stop the money bleed and made us feel more in control while we slowly build our savings account back up.
#5. What’s quick and easy? If trying to answer the above questions didn’t leave you with any clearer sense of where to start, then just keep it simple. Getting a new shower curtain or organizing your silverware drawer may not constitute an earth-shattering design decision, but it’s certainly better than doing nothing at all. Accomplishing lots of fast and affordable things can add up to an updated room – and eventually, an updated house.
#6. What will make us the happiest? In the end, you can throw all the logic, reason, and worry that you’re doing the “right” or “most important” thing first – but it really comes down to doing what makes you smile. And often times, that’s something free and something that you consider to be more fun than work. On our first night here I was initially surprised to see Sherry playing around with the items on the built-ins in our living room. Of all the things to do, that seemed pretty far from crucial. But as I sat on the sofa resting my weary moved-ten-million-boxes bones, I could tell that it was her way of relaxing into our new space – and that having one not-trashed corner to rest her eyes was her way of finding peace among the chaos.
In the end, the good news is that it’s hard to mess this up. Because no matter what starting point you pick, you’re already doing something right by doing something at all. The truth is that the right starting point (or the right order) is most likely different from person to person and house to house. How do you guys figure out where to start or what project to tackle next? Are their other questions you ask yourself that help you sort through your to-do list. We’d love to hear ’em, because we’ve got quite the list going on ourselves!
Katharine says
Great post! Thanks for sharing!
Off topic but do you guys watch Big Brother?? I swear Sherry and Kaitlyn look like they could be sisters! Sherry would be the prettier sister, of course! :-)
YoungHouseLove says
So many people have said that! We googled her but don’t see it. Maybe we have to see her moving and talking to get it. Haha!
xo,
s
Kim says
This post was perfectly timed for me! My husband and I beginning our house-hunting adventure this weekend, so I will keep this list in mind as we move forward!
Krista says
My first thought (after inspection items) is, what can I not live with? When we bought our house it was, more or less, move in ready but it had aweful wall paper in the dining room and kitchen. We had time to remove it and paint before moving furniture in so we tackled that immediately. This was also one that falls under the quick and inexpensive changes.
Another thought is, what will make my life easier and enjoyable? I hate carpet in main traffic areas and in dining rooms. We knew this was going to be a big cost that we couldn’t do immediately but we had something to work towards. Now we have bamboo flooring throughout our downstairs which is low maintenance and you can’t tell the wear and tear on it like you do carpet.
Loved your thought process, I can still use these to prioritze my “to do list, wants”.
Rebecca says
My mother-in-law is the most intense nester I’ve ever known. She and my FIL have a tendency to buy fixer-uppers, but she always manages to make a place feel like home. Her trick? She has this little stained glass star that she hangs in the kitchen window as soon as the key is in her hand, and that means HOME.
Sammy says
Must keep this post in mind for the future =)
caroline says
What what!! Shout out for Funkytown (Fort Worth for you non-Texans)!
Kristen says
This is a wonderful answer – we’ve lived in our house for 8 years and I still feel like we need to get started, but there’s so much anxiety over where to start (and then all the wonderful things that pop up like needed a new water heater, or broken a/c). Thank you for taking the time to break it down!
CJ says
Hi guys! Love the new digs! One suggestion I have is if you plan to re-do your kitchen, or even just the counters, paint the walls (if you plan to paint them) right before new counters arrive. We had such an easier time painting, especially the little wall above the cabinets, while standing on the old counter tops, worry free! All the best to you!!! -CJ
YoungHouseLove says
Smart tip!
xo
s
Lisa says
Such a great post! We moved into a short-sale fixer in April. There are tons of projects, but we had to do two right away. One was a requirement of our insurance company–fix rotting frame around the basement door. The other project was decided when the garage door broke two days after moving into the home. That was a case of “we were going to replace the garage door and opener later” but it got moved up the list. The other projects were replacing toilet flushing mechanisms, gaskets and seals around lots of leaking toilets and sinks. We also painted a few rooms. After spending a couple thousand right away we had to stop renovations at the new home and turn our attention back to old home to get it market ready. Fortunately, our old home sold quickly and we are now back in new house mode.
Lesley says
So I totally took the bait and linked over to ‘Listy’, I can’t believe you have only been there a month and already have some before-and-after’s (progress) that you could flaunt. I hate you a little bit… but only like >| |<much.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, thanks Lesley!
xo
s
Diana says
Idk if maybe there was a nation wide craze with that blue paint (maybe it was the chevron of the time lol) bc my sister had it in her first home. Trim and doors as well so I know the pain of having to paint over all the blue. It took a while but it was the best feeling to see it all gone! looking forward to watching ur progress.
Also might I suggest a blue trim painting party lol.
Gina says
Hey guys…THIS IS TOTALLY OFF TOPIC….but I was looking at your new house photos under the Home Tour tab and it looks like you have an older model washer and dryer now. I think I remember reading on your blog that in your area that appliances stay with the house. Are you going to upgrade again to front loaders like the ones you left at your house you just sold? And does it feel weird doing your laundry again in a top loader?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, that’s on the list someday! We thought we’d hate these because they’re so old, but they’re not too bad. Happy to have them to do the job for now :)
xo
s
Sarah says
Our money faucet is turned on high as well. :/ We’re putting in a heat pump, having roof work done(not the whole roof thank God!), two rooms sheet rocked, and the floors refinished in five rooms! I’ve never looked forward to painting so much!
Tamara says
Great post, guys! I love your process, and so wish my husband and I had made a similar plan when we moved into our house four years ago. Instead of thinking about it first, we just dove right in and started tackling about a thousand projects at once. It was chaotic, we spent way too much money in too short a period of time, and, in the end, though we love our little home, I admit that there are things I would have done differently had we taken some time to just get to know our house for a little bit. That being said, living in the upper Midwest, I agree with the person who said to think about projects seasonally. You don’t want to be painting a room in mid-January when you can’t open a window for ventilation because it’s five below outside!
Harmony says
I’ve been wanting to ask this for a while, but HOW ON EARTH do you keep all of your projects organized??? I feel like my head is spinning trying to keep track of all the little improvements for each room/outside. Do you have a binder or something or keep digital files? I just can’t wrap my head around all the jobs in our old house…and with four kids, I need help organizing!
YoungHouseLove says
We just have one long list (you can see it here) arranged by room and we bounce around using the tips in this post (what can we afford? what will make us happiest? what do we feel like doing?).
xo
s
Leo C. says
Great piece and I can’t stress #2 enough, how many times have people had to re-arrange things or move things about because of they are re-doing a floor or something else that needs the room to be empty.
Stephanie says
Great advice here! Big ditto on living in a space before a major gut job…we lived in our kitchen a year before the big reno (here: http://hospitablyyoursblog.com/2013/01/15/new-year-new-kitchen/) and we couldn’t be happier!
My favorite advice came when we moved in and vowed to pace ourselves not to hurry to fill/finish the house. We were told, in regards to furniture, “if you find something you absolutely love and can afford it, buy it. It will have a spot”. This helped us keep the big picture in mind, too, and not hyper-focus too much when we were out shopping for house items!
Laura says
For my first move, my mother gave me the best advice for what to do first when moving: set-up your bed and make it up with sheets, quilts and pillows. After a long day of moving, being able to climb into a freshly made bed feels like heaven!
Gina says
This is one of the VERY FIRST things I do after moving into a new home!!! Great advice!!
Manda Wolf says
I understand your thought process completely but also know how every whelming it can be. We did the floors first, it was easier and plumbing to the downstairs it was necessary. I hooked the TV up (before we even had a fridge) and hung a piece of homemade art behind it, to make it feel like home (that was when sitting in the living room was still done on camping chairs). We just finished building out deck outside and I can tell you the next time we move that will be one of the first things we do! It made us love our house so much more (but then we bought the house for the yard, the house was kind of eh, but the yard is amazing!).
Manda Wolf @ Our Wolf Den
Vanessa @ Love This Crazy Life says
This is insanely helpful for me right now! We’re moving in a few weeks and contemplated living apart (myself and my daughter at my parents, my husband and son at my FIL’s) while we remodel the house. We then started thinking about taking the whole process slowly and living in the house as we tackle one room at a time… We’ll be doing the latter thanks to your advice :) Perfect timing!
Cara says
Oh how I wish I had gotten my husband to take #1 seriously. Over 2 years after moving in, last week we finally tackled a roof issue that was on our inspection report and the resulting ceiling issue. For 2 years I’ve been saying that there had to be mold there, and he kept insisting there wouldn’t be. When he and his father opened the ceiling, I got reports like “the worst mold Dad’s ever seen” and “we need you guys to stay out of the house for a few more hours.” He now says that, yeah, we probably should have done that 2 years ago. Things we did before the roof/ceiling? Oh just little things like build an outdoor kitchen from scratch and create an in-law suite above the garage. Plus, smaller projects of knocking down a wall, lots of painting… Ah well, its done now! And I haven’t yet bit a hole through my tongue while avoiding the told you so.
YoungHouseLove says
Eeks! That sounds crazy! But so glad it’s all taken care of now. And those in the meantime projects sound awesome!
xo
s
Rachel says
I’ve recently started reading your blog but have fallen in Young Blog Love with your posts, and especially this one! We bought our first place 3 years ago: a tiny 900 square foot condo built in the 80’s. It’s not much, but it’s ours and we’ve loved it here! It was a foreclosure, so there was a bit to do, and buying it took up pretty much all of our savings. We started with the water heater which needed replacing as well as buying a fridge for the kitchen. Then we had 2 weeks before moving in, so we painted every square inch of the peachy-pink walls. Conveniently the previous owner was doing their darndest to update the house before they lost it, so the floors were new but we had no baseboards or door casings, which made painting a lot easier not having to do all that taping. We also sat down and made a list of projects categorizing them into one of three areas: cost intensive, time intensive, or both. That helped us plan our weekend/evening projects seeing what we could reasonably tackle based on our available time and finances. Before our kids came along we put in the baseboards, casings, and closet doors (none of those either) for safety, and over time we fixed up the patio and put in some raised garden beds. For us the trick was that I got these big grand ideas, presented them to my husband, and he’d help me make them realistic and practical. Again, such a great post, and I’ll be referring to it many times in the future!
Gillian says
Sherry is just like me. I would do organise a display cabinet straight away before unpacking boxes. I agree they it makes you feel like you achieved something, made something just like home.
Nancy says
My only addition to your list: always, always create a place where you can actually sit down and eat! Even if the rest of the house is in total chaos for weeks or months, if you have something as simple as a card table and folding chairs in a temporary space, it’s less likely that you will skip meals or grab junk on the run. It is so easy to neglect your own health and well-being while in the midst of moving, renovating or major redecorating. A place to sit and have a meal, even if it’s takeout provides a short respite or normalcy when everything else seems upside-down.
Whitney says
I love this post! And I definitely agree with it. I know there are crucial things that may not be as fun but have to be dealt with first. But the most fun things for me have been improvements that made us feel more at home. We’ve been living in our house together now for about 2 and a half years, and when I moved in, I didn’t feel like it was “my” house. What really helped it become ours was when we painted our kitchen – I hated the color of it before, and after it was done it was so much cozier to me. I think moving in our personal style in decor items and furniture has helped, too.
j. says
Excellent post!
I just moved from the east coast to the west coast with my family. We know nobody where we live and getting settled in my new house has been my biggest comfort. We are short on cash so all of my big renovation plans are on hold. I am trying so hard to remind myself that this time is allowing me to really think through the changes that I want to make. When I finally do get to rip the awful cheap 70’s out of my house I will know exactly what I want to put in it’s place. I have also been keeping myself busy with making my house as organized and “put together” as I can with what I have.
Moriah Jovan says
I have nothing of substance to say/ask, except that I’m addicted to this blog. You’re very inspiring.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Moriah!
xo
s
Diana Buchaban says
I second that, Moriah!!
Megan @ The Brick Bungalow says
Our floors need refinishing and I really wish we had splurged before moving in. 6 years later and they still need redone. We have more furniture, less free space, one 4 year old and a baby on the way so it won’t be happening soon. It goes along with the carpets…just do the flooring ASAP if necessary. I like to have beds up, dishes organized and then start figuring out what’s the most necessary thing that can fit in a budget. In our 6 years, we’ve done quick fixes… Wallpaper removing, paint, organizing, etc. to expensive, time consuming issues…adding insulation, remodeling rooms (majorly, not just paint), HVAC, fencing, windows, you name it!
Heather MacFeather says
This is such a great post! I did the kitchen and bathroom within two months and am glad to say the risk of jumping in was worth it. I knew I would burn through the savings if I waited!
I totally agree about what would be easier to do before moving in. My realtor reccommended refinishing the fir floors first. I moved in 6 days before Christmas so I had all the boxes moved into the basement in anticipation of having sanders and stain taking place in the early new year. I fretted for nights over the logistics (and nearly died when i saw the sea of boxes in the basement (bedding was buried in the furthest, hardest to get to box). But the kitchen reno bumped to the top of the list and resulted in a wall change that impacted the floors so I’m glad I waited.
I guess my point is to think about future projects that might “undo” some of your initial changes and then decide what level of undoing ($$$/time/effort) you are ok with.
Have fun with the projects and thanks for sharing.
JG says
Great list- totally agree.
I would also add-
If your landscaping is super-neglected when you buy the house and you have neighbors close by, general cleanup, mowing, etc can make the neighbors happy which is always useful!
And sometimes, something is so darned ugly it has to move to the top of the list for sanity’s sake! Even if it is only a temp fix or disguise!
JG says
Also, anything security-related!
Amanda says
I totally agree that you need to live in a space. We didn’t want to live through a kitchen reno and so we gutted our current house and completed it mostly before we moved in. I wish we had waited so I had time to feel the flow and figure out what would work best. Our cabinets are awkward now and I kinda wish we did white instead of wood. But that last part could also be because we were doing a total kitchen reno while being seriously sleep deprived from having a sick newborn. :-P
Niki says
Thanks for this post. We decided to completely rebuild our house instead of doing one piece at a time. We constantly are questioning our decisions during this process! Not to mention as soon as we make one decisions, 20 more are stacking up behind it! I am sure you guys are going through the same thing :)
Chelsea says
This is semi-related to this post, I guess. I just wanted y’all to know that you (and your book) were the inspiration for my blog post tonight!
{http://roamourhome.blogspot.com/2013/07/whistle-while-you-tweak.html.}
I really just wanted to say THANK YOU for all of the great tips! Don’t ever stop doing what you do…it’s a blessing to us all and reading your blog is a little extra spot of sunshine in the day (also Clara conversations are phenomenal and hilarious)!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks so much Chelsea! That book is our baby, and your kind words are so nice to hear!
xo
s
Diana Buchaban says
We could not be more in sync! My husband and I just bought our first house and I am so ready to start some projects! You guys are my inspiration! I just started my blog and the only reason I did is because of how much I love YOUR blog!
Also, major shout out to Amanda and Tim in Fort Worth! Born and bred! ;)
Nicole says
Such a well thought out list! We moved just 2 weeks ago! Oh boy did I find comfort and clarity from your post! Thanks for the great tips! I will keep making my lists and press forward!
Mandy says
#6 is the sweetest! its just lovely to feel in your words (and hers too in others posts) how you two are with each other :)
have a great weekend!
greetings from Brazil <3
shelby says
This post was so helpful! Thank you!
gail says
You two have a gift for decorating. I’m not so confident in what I want. When we moved into our home, someone said not to do anything major until we had lived there for at least 6 months. That would give us time to get used to living in a new space. I think there was wisdom in that advice. We did projects that we knew we needed to do as far as fixing things, but waited before we made major changes that we may have regretted later.
alg says
(Oops — tried to send this yesterday, but forgot that I can’t attach a link in your comments center, so I don’t think it went through. Just wanted you to be able to check out my still-under-construction site if you wanted to.)
John & Sherry — I’m launching an online mag devoted to empowering renters. The first issue will launch in early August.
Some of the tips in this post echo what I’ve written for an article that will appear in the debut issue. Do you mind if I quote your piece? (With proper attribution, of course!) I’d also love to add a hot-link.
Let me know — I’d be more than happy to run the final text past you before launch.
Best,
Amy G
YoungHouseLove says
That sounds awesome! We’re down.Can’t wait to see it!
xo
s
Marelis says
Wonderful post & great tips!!! Will come in handy when we move again :)
JT says
we recently moved to TX and have been in our house for about nine mos; my question is how do you work on your DIY when it is so flippin hot the a/c doesn’t even help?? So far I have painted the master bath and kitchen and a few pieces of yard sale furniture. My husband ripped out the rotting wood deck due to a rodent problem. He has almost finished installing pavers for a patio but with the heat it is really hard to get motivated!
YoungHouseLove says
We usually do projects late at night when Clara’s sleeping (which also gives us the benefit of working when things cool down for the night). I’m also a fan of wearing shorts and a tank and even slinging a wet cloth over the back of my neck if I’m dying from the heat.
xo
s
Jennifer says
We’ve lived in our 1962 ranch for 7 years now. We still haven’t upgraded our kitchen or master bath, but I usually update one room a year. This year it will be the hall bath, decided by the leak and deteriorating wall next to the tub/shower. We chose a new light fixture and bought a shower curtain. I’ll re-caulk after removing the glass shower door (thanks, Petersiks, for showing me how!), then repair the drywall, then choose a paint color based on the shower curtain, and it will look like new!
Sassafras says
Lovely list. I’d say not to go too CAAA-RRRAAA-Zzzzzz-Yy on the shopping between the purchase contract acceptance and closing. Ask me how I know….I mean ahem ‘someone’ bought furniture too big for the intended space once. The temptation to fill the new space with a running start can bite one.
I too have to paint my spaces w/my colors before I feel at home. We started w/the main living areas – living room & kitchen first then move on to the rooms we have to use daily, laundry room, office & my painting studio. For me I hit slow down mode after that. I can live w/contractor tan in the master bedroom and bathroom and guest bathrooms for a year while we move on to bigger projects that will make the house more livable for us…deck tear down and concrete patio and garage slab poured. Estimate in…now we just have to tear a hole in one end of the house for a door to the new garage area before the slab can go in…we don’t want a wonky sidewalk that’s out of kilter w/the doorway do we??? …and we have to come up w/an electrician and plumber to get that stuff planned for and roughed in during the planning stages. Try to think the jobs thru to completion and use.
Sometimes on a big vs. little budget I’d suggest a middle ground…for example, wanting to get rid of formica in bathrooms and replace w/granite…you might want to go for a ‘can live with it for a while’ faux paint job that mimics the future look while you save up for the big job.
danielle says
our house was abandoned for 5+ years before we moved in, so most of our “get it done” list was out of necessity. it went a little something like this:
1. Rewire the house (there were bundles of wire stuffed into holes in the wall, wrapped in electrical tape and tons of bare wire that had been gnawed on by the nearby fried squirrels)
2. Replumb the hot water (which was all running through what should’ve been gas piping… thus the zero hot water pressure)
3. Clean out 5+ years of debris from the gutters and reattach them to the house where they’d pulled away
4. Close all the holes that were allowing animals to come/go as they pleased
5. Repair all the wood damage from water/animals
6. Evict the raccoons, bats, mice, squirrels (flying and otherwise), and MILLIONS of spiders from the house once it was all sealed up.
After that we kind of ran out of steam for a while and were just happy to have the house all to ourselves!!!
Jess says
Great post – I’m still kicking myself for not refinishing floors before we moved in. Live & learn :)
Sharon says
Excellent, thoughtful answers — every one of them.
Cams says
Excellent post with a lot of great points. I certainly will follow the recommendations, but tweaked as I live in an apartment. We’re still saving up for our dream home which we know will be a fixer upper. Really liked the quick fix idea as well.
Anna says
Such useful and practical advice! As an about-to-be firsttime-homebuyer, it’s given me a good list to get started with!
Darlene says
For me the bedroom is a priority. At the end of a long day of remodeling there is nothing better than going into a room that is finished (or at least not screaming “Fix This!). It reminds me there is a light at the end of the tunnel; things will get done and recharges me to tackle the rest of the house.