After seven years off HGTV, "Rehab Addict" returns for Season 9 with Nicole Curtis. She says things haven't been smooth-sailing behind the scenes.

I learned my lesson,” HGTV star Nicole Curtis tells PEOPLE, explaining the absence of Ethan, 27, and Harper, 10, on season 9 of the HGTV home renovation series

One of those big decisions was buying a new home in Wyoming—an unfinished 1890s flip in need of substantial repairs. In the upcoming ninth season of Rehab Addict, viewers will follow Curtis and her team as they restore the Wyoming house, along with a Detroit property that had been overrun by squatters.