Three years ago, a family made a decision that sounds a little reckless and feels a lot like hope. They bought a farmhouse on 50 acres, knowing it needed plenty of work. Creator @itsalexgibson shared the journey on social media, marking three years since the whole fixer upper adventure began, and the story is a lesson in patience, baby gates and learning to love an unfinished house.
@itsalexgibson
A farmhouse with good bones
She says the house had great bones. What it lacked was upkeep. It simply had not been maintained, which is a very different problem from a house that is structurally unsound. Because the family planned to do the work themselves, they got started right away.
There was a catch. They were still living in a rental about an hour away. So every weekend, they made the drive out to the farmhouse and started working and demoing. She says she mostly looked after the kids while her husband did a lot of the hard work, though when the little ones were napping, she was able to pitch in too.
The borrowed RV
Eventually, her dad stepped in. She calls him an angel, because he let the family borrow his RV so they could actually spend the night at the property and squeeze more work into each trip. No more packing up the car and driving home exhausted. The camper became a base camp.
She also points out something that many people forget about renovating with small children around. The family spent as much time trying to make the place safe for the kids as they did actually working on it. Open walls, debris and tools are no match for curious toddlers. The first goal, she says, was simply to make the house livable.
She adds a joke that anyone far from a big hardware store will understand. Living an hour away from a Lowe’s or a Home Depot, she says, builds character.
Living in the middle of it
Before long, the family was staying at the farmhouse full time, though they still did not have a real bathroom or a kitchen. She sums up that stretch with lots of patience and a lot of baby gates. The RV was still around, but as the weather turned colder, the heating bills got crazy, and the kids were not big fans of the shower there. So the whole family ended up sharing one bedroom inside the house.
Then came another big change. She was pregnant. The priority list was clear: first the bathroom, then a laundry room, then the kitchen. She adds that they live near the beach. When the baby arrived, the kitchen still was not done. She calls it the hardest time of their lives.
Finally, a kitchen
After that, the family was finally able to work on the kitchen. She also started stopping by the thrift store every chance she got, bringing home furniture to refinish and decorate with. She is open about her personality here. She says she is a very impatient person, and this renovation tested that. It is not the couple’s first renovation, but she says this one has taken longer, and they do not have an endless budget.
Three years in, she says there is still so much to do. They do not have a master bathroom yet. There is a ton of furniture waiting to be refinished, and a whole 50 acres to deal with. She describes it as feeling like the start of a whole new chapter of their story.
Lessons from a long renovation
Her experience lines up with advice that seasoned renovators often share. Here are some general takeaways that may help anyone facing a similar project.
Start with safety and livability. Before cosmetic changes, a home needs sound structure, safe wiring, working plumbing and a dry roof. A house that has simply been neglected can be a better candidate than one with deep structural trouble, but a thorough inspection before buying is still wise. Ask an inspector to point out anything that could become expensive.
Sequence the work. Many families, like hers, put a bathroom first, then laundry, then the kitchen. Rooms that support daily life tend to come before rooms that are about style. Planning the order of jobs also prevents rework, such as painting walls before the electrical is finished.
Childproof the construction zone. If young children live on site, set up gates, lock away tools, cover exposed nails and keep work areas completely closed off when no adult is nearby. Cleaning up dust and debris at the end of each work session matters more than it seems.
Expect the timeline to stretch. Do it yourself projects almost always take longer than first imagined, especially when the work happens on weekends or around naps. Building in extra time, and extra money, keeps frustration manageable. Many renovators suggest setting aside a cushion of ten to twenty percent of the budget for surprises.
Live in a temporary setup carefully. Camper living in cold weather can drive up energy costs, as her story shows. If a family plans to stay on site through a season change, it helps to estimate heating costs and a backup plan ahead of time.
Thrifting and refinishing along the way
One of the sweetest details in her story is the thrift store habit. Furnishing a big farmhouse on a limited budget is a challenge, and secondhand pieces can make a space feel layered and personal. When shopping for pieces to refinish, look for solid wood, sturdy joints and drawers that slide smoothly. Surface problems like worn finish or scratches are usually fixable with sanding, stain or paint, while a wobbly frame or water damage is harder to repair.
Before refinishing, clean the piece thoroughly, test a hidden spot for finish type and wear a mask when sanding older furniture. Older paint may contain lead, so using a simple test kit before sanding is a smart precaution, especially in a home with small children.
Why unfinished is still a home
What stands out in her story is not a perfect reveal. It is the honest picture of a family living in the middle of a project. They shared a single bedroom, used baby gates as a design feature and waited a long time for a kitchen. And yet, three years later, she describes the moment as a new chapter rather than a finish line.
That outlook may be the most useful tip of all. A big renovation on a limited budget is a long game, and the house changes along with the family living in it. For anyone staring at a long to do list, her story is a reminder that progress counts, even when the master bathroom is still on the wish list.
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