Things I Wish I Knew Before Committing to a Fixer Upper (Part 2)
If you read Part I, you already know that jumping into a fixer upper comes with a steep learning curve—and a few surprises you never saw coming.
By the time we got a little further into our projects, we had learned just enough to feel slightly more confident… and just enough to realize how much we still didn’t know.
Some lessons only come from being in the middle of it—covered in dust, halfway through a project, and realizing there’s no clear answer (or at least not one the internet can agree on). These are a few more of the things I wish I knew before committing to a fixer upper.
1. You might not be able to find a solution to your problem online—and may have to wing it.
Many fixer uppers are old, and old houses can be wonky. They’ve likely been lived in and modified by several families over the years. When these homes were built and remodeled, there wasn’t an online collective of best practices or how-to guides. And even if there had been, there’s no guarantee the person doing the work would have followed them anyway.
At some point, you’re almost guaranteed to uncover something during a renovation that makes you pause and wonder: Is this whole house about to collapse… or was this just one very questionable decision?
All that is to say—old houses are unique. Even with all the information available today, you’ll probably run into a situation that no one seems to have documented. When that happens, you may have to rely on your own judgment and do what you think is best. This is where experience really starts to matter.
This became evident when building our deck as we discovered the supports beneath our sunroom addition that we were going to attach the deck to were…less than ideal. Because of this, we had to make our deck freestanding, which isn’t unheard of, but did complicate the process and change the design.
Recently while redoing our front porch, we weren’t sure of the best way to attach the railing to the house. Online, we found plenty of examples for vinyl siding or newer builds with studs behind the exterior—but nothing for aluminum siding with no studs behind it. When we searched “how to attach a railing to an old house with aluminum siding,” we got a bunch of tutorials on attaching aluminum railings… not helpful.
So my husband had to rely on his own knowledge and intuition. It turned out well, but there are definitely situations where that approach might not work in your favor (I have a few of those stories too). At a certain point, you just have to accept that you might be adding a “fun surprise” for future generations to discover and wonder, “What were they thinking?”
2. Pick one thing to splurge on each project.
When you’re designing a space you’ll actually live in, it’s easy to get carried away. After all, if you’re going to do it, you might as well do it right… right?
But suddenly, your $10,000 bathroom renovation has turned into $15,000… or $20,000.
We’ve found it works best to choose one or two elements per project to really invest in—something high-end or a detail that ties everything together—then save as much as we can everywhere else.
In our kitchen, we splurged on quartz countertops and custom cabinetry to get the functionality we wanted. To balance that out, we chose more budget-friendly tile, flooring, and appliances. In our upstairs bathroom, my splurge was extending the tile beyond the shower walls—but I used a large, affordable tile to keep costs down.
Doing something “right” doesn’t mean choosing the most expensive materials. There are plenty of high-quality, affordable options if you’re willing to do some digging—and plenty of expensive options that don’t hold up (see: my grout horror story).
We save money by shopping around, using coupons, and checking places like Habitat for Humanity ReStore or local salvage shops. Secondhand sites like Mercari, eBay, and Poshmark can also be goldmines for new or lightly used materials.
When we were redoing our bathroom, I had a specific showerhead in mind but couldn’t find a matching trim kit without spending a small fortune. eBay came through—I found a brand new one for a fraction of the price. Same with our towel bars.
A little patience can go a long way.
3. You will save a lot of money—and build an arsenal of tools.
This is one of the biggest motivators for DIY. If it didn’t save money, it wouldn’t be nearly as appealing. We never would have been able to afford all the updates we’ve made if we hadn’t done most of the work ourselves.
A small example: when we redid the upstairs bathroom, we considered hiring out the drywall. Personally, I find drywall finishing extremely tedious and was more than happy to outsource it. The quote? $2,500. Our cost to do it ourselves: about $250. Once we picked our jaws up off the floor, the decision was pretty easy.
And that is just one small part, of one project — that number adds up quickly across multiple projects.
And then there are the tools.
When we moved out of our first apartment, my husband accidentally left his toolbox behind. He was devastated. I asked what was in it: zip ties, a hammer, and a few screwdrivers.
That’s it.
Now—three houses and 15 years later—our sunroom has basically become tool storage and a staging area for whatever project we’re in the middle of.
With each project, we usually budget for one major tool that will make the job easier (and, according to my husband, will be essential for future projects). Over time, we’ve accumulated miter saws, a table saw, scaffolding, a hammer drill, circular saws, tile saws, levels, a planer and jointer, an air compressor, nail guns, drills, batteries… and a whole lot more. And of course, all of that requires storage—toolboxes aren’t cheap, especially when you need ten of them.
For tools, we like to save money by buying secondhand on Facebook Marketplace, shopping garage sales, or waiting (and waiting) for sales when buying new. Some tools have been absolutely worth it. Others… the jury is still out. It’s all about weighing cost versus use. Basics like screwdrivers, tape measures, hammers, clamps, pliers, drills, and socket sets are worth owning. But for tools you’ll only use once, renting or borrowing is a perfectly good option.
Side note: when you’re starting to invest in power tools, consider sticking with one brand. Having interchangeable batteries makes life a whole lot easier.
4. You can learn just about anything from YouTube.
Maybe it’s because I remember when YouTube was mostly Charlie the Unicorn and “End of Ze World,” but I didn’t always think of it as a reliable learning tool.
That has definitely changed.
With the sheer volume of content out there now, you can learn how to do just about anything. I’ve used it to learn how to crochet, fix a dryer, and improve my night photography—just to name a few.
We’ve also relied on it heavily for renovation projects. Of course, since anyone can upload a video, it’s important to double-check your sources. But for visual learners, it’s incredibly helpful to actually see how something is done.
It definitely beats trying to interpret a tiny diagram on the back of a product label… although you should probably read that too.
5. No one cares about your house as much as you do.
This is another big motivator for us when it comes to DIY.
Like any industry, contractors range from exceptional to… not so great, with a whole lot in between. And which one you get often comes down to cost, availability, and a little bit of luck.
But even if you find a true unicorn, they still won’t care about your house the way you do.
You’re the one paying for the upgrades.
You’re the one who knows the history.
And you’re the one who has to live with the results long after the dust settles.
So who better to work on it?
Will a contractor take the time to carefully remove that beautifully carved trim so it doesn’t split? Will they entertain your idea of custom railing panels in a prefab system? Or will they tell you it’s not worth the effort?
Over the years, we’ve hired out parts of projects. Some experiences have been great—like the cabinet installers who meticulously aligned every piece of trim in our kitchen. Others… not so much. Like the electrician who drilled a hole through a structural stud we had just installed. Or the roofers who left hundreds of nails in our yard (which we’re still finding years later).
We’ve also worked with people who did excellent work—but were so booked out it took months to get on their schedule.
It just goes to show: you can do all the research in the world, but you won’t really know what you’re getting until you’re in the thick of it.
Looking Back and to the Future
If there’s one thing a fixer upper will teach you, it’s flexibility. Plans change, budgets stretch, and surprises are almost guaranteed—but so are the moments where you step back and realize you built this. Not perfectly, not always the easy way, but with intention and a whole lot of learning along the way.
There’s a certain kind of pride that comes from figuring things out as you go, even when it means making a few mistakes along the way. Especially then, actually.
And while these lessons have shaped how we approach projects now, there are still a few big ones I haven’t touched on yet—things that go beyond the work itself and into how a fixer upper changes your time, your priorities, and your day-to-day life.
So before you pick up that next tool or start tearing into another wall… there’s more to consider.
Stay tuned for Part 3.
