MEMO RENOSouth Mississippi renovation
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Full renovation · South Mississippi

Rebuilding an abandoned house in South Mississippi.

Memo Reno documents the full process honestly—from demolition and discoveries to repairs, planning, tools, mistakes, and measurable progress.

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The houseSouth Mississippi
Joel and Chelsea standing in front of the abandoned South Mississippi house at the start of the Memo Reno project
Starting pointAbout 1,800 square feet on three wooded acres.
Purchased sight unseen, the unfinished house is now being opened, assessed, and rebuilt one phase at a time.

Latest from the project

Our first night inside the abandoned house.

Before the demolition and the discoveries, there was the small matter of actually spending a night in the place. Episode 9 goes back to that first overnight stay and the house as we found it.

EP. 09FIRST NIGHTMEMO RENO

Episode 09 · October 4, 2026 · 12:19

The First Night at Our Abandoned House

Joel and Chelsea spend their first night inside the abandoned house they bought sight unseen. With the property still packed with old belongings and only a basic overnight setup, the visit becomes an early test of what it will take to make the place usable before the real renovation can begin.

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  • The first overnight stay at the property
  • A basic sleeping setup brought into the house
  • Old belongings and unfinished spaces still filling the rooms
  • The house's starting condition documented before demolition
  • Immediate livability problems put to the test
  • The first practical plans for working on site take shape

What the project looks like now

The work is real, unfinished, and still revealing itself.

These are frames from the renovation itself—not finished-room reveals. They show the demolition, discoveries, and temporary arrangements behind the project record.

Joel examining exposed framing and insulation after the downstairs walls were opened
01 · Walls openMost of the downstairs is now open for assessment, exposing framing, insulation, wiring, and plumbing that could not be understood from the finished surfaces.
Drywall demolition underway inside the Memo Reno house
02 · DemolitionStraightforward removal became long, repetitive work as each cleared section led to another sheet.
A before-and-after view of the temporary conditioned break room inside the renovation
03 · Working conditionsOne room was cleaned and cooled as a practical break space during demolition—not as a finished room.

One house. Every phase.

A complete renovation, documented for the long haul.

Memo Reno follows the work from the first tear-out through the final interior details. The aim is a clear record of what the house needed, what the project discovered, and how each decision moved the renovation forward.

Read about the project
  1. 01Demolition
  2. 02Planning & assessment
  3. 03Structural work
  4. 04Plumbing
  5. 05Electrical
  6. 06Roofing & exterior
  7. 07HVAC
  8. 08Insulation
  9. 09Interior finishing

Tools & materials

The gear that earns a place on the project.

Product notes will be added only after tools, materials, safety gear, or filming equipment have a real role in the work.

Open the resource shelf

Partners

Built for credible collaboration.

Memo Reno is open to relevant sponsorships, product testing, affiliate relationships, and brand collaborations that genuinely fit the renovation.

Work with Memo Reno

Follow the full rebuild

There is more behind every wall.

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