When Sha’rel Moore and her husband, Brandon, bought three acres of abandoned land in northwest Iowa in 2024, they dreamed of creating a home where they could raise their growing family.
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they → buy → family
The property already contained an old farmhouse, but the couple soon realised that restoring it would cost more than they could afford.
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they → contain → more
Rather than abandon their plans, they found an unusual alternative, a 1920 farmhouse located just four miles away.
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they → abandon → alternative
The previous owners had built a new home and were willing to sell the century-old property for $12,000.
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owners → build → 12,000
The Moores decided to buy it and undertake the extraordinary task of moving the entire structure to their own land.
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Moores → decide → land
Once relocated, the farmhouse became the foundation for their dream home, although extensive repairs and renovations were still needed.
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repairs → relocate → home
The family's restoration journey later attracted hundreds of thousands of followers online, turning their ambitious home transformation into a widely followed project.
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journey → attract → project
Why the Iowa family moved the entire farmhouse four miles
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family → move → farmhouse
The decision allowed the family to preserve the character of an older home without taking on the cost of rebuilding from scratch.
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family → allow → scratch
Moore told AOL that the farmhouse appealed to the family because of its spacious rooms, high ceilings and original details, but relocating it was only the beginning of the challenge.
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relocating → tell → challenge
Once renovation work began, the family discovered structural damage that had not been immediately apparent.
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that → begin → damage
The problems added both time and expense, illustrating the difficulties that can arise when restoring a house more than 100 years old.
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that → add → house
Despite the setbacks, the Moores continued with a largely hands-on approach.
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Moores → continue → approach
They eventually estimated that around $80,000 had been spent on repairs and renovations, considerably more than the original purchase price but still part of their effort to create a permanent family home.
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80,000 → estimate → home
The Iowa family moved the entire farmhouse four miles (Image: Iowa Public Radio)
Why the family documented the renovation online
Moore initially began sharing the project on social media to keep her husband's family in Washington state updated, particularly his 90-year-old grandfather.
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family → move → state
What started as a way of sharing progress with relatives soon attracted an international audience, with hundreds of thousands of people following the farmhouse's transformation.
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thousands → start → transformation
The family also wanted to show a less polished side of home renovation.
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family → want → renovation
Rather than presenting an expensive, professionally managed makeover, Moore documented the work, unexpected problems and do-it-yourself projects involved in bringing the property back to life.
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Moore → present → life
The timing made the project even more demanding.
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project → make → ?
Moore was pregnant with the couple's third son during the renovation while she and Brandon were also raising their two older children.
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she → raise → children
Support from viewers became an unexpected part of the journey, with followers regularly checking in on both the family and the house's progress.
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followers → become → family
Preserving the farmhouse's original character
While modernising the property, the couple remained determined to retain its historic features.
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couple → preserve → features
They carefully removed and stored the original woodwork, with plans to refinish and reinstall it rather than replace it with newer materials.
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They → remove → materials
The family also hopes to restore the historic outbuildings surrounding the house.
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family → hop → house
The goal was never to follow a particular interior design trend.
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goal → follow → trend
Instead, Moore said the family wanted the house to feel warm, comfortable and lived in while keeping costs under control.
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house → say → control
After moving in, they began shifting their attention from major construction towards landscaping, exterior work and smaller personal touches.
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they → move → landscaping
For the Moores, relocating the farmhouse ultimately became about more than finding an affordable building.
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relocating → relocate → building
It gave a century-old structure another life while allowing their family to create the home they had originally envisioned on their own property.
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they → give → property
The Aporia
