For the Love of Renovating: Tips, Tricks & Inspiration for Creating Your Dream Home

by Barry Bordelon, Jordan Slocum

Overview

For the Love of Renovating is the inspiring, game-changing book every fixer-upper needs, whether the project is budget remodeling or a full gut renovation.

Jordan and Barry—aka the Brownstone Boys—are the enthusiastic go-to renovation team for historic Brooklyn brownstones and other older homes that need a little TLC. In their debut book, they walk readers through the entire house renovation process, starting with things to consider before you’ve made an offer, followed by guidance on developing a design, a schedule, and budgeting; they end by giving a room-by-room tour that includes tips and inspiration for a successful renovation. The book also features a chapter on preserving and refurbishing historic details like wooden archways and crown moldings. Throughout the book, beautiful photos and Renovation Recipes give the ingredients and step-by-step instructions for turning the house you have into the house you'll love. 

Unlock the potential of your vintage home with this ultimate handbook for restoring historic houses. Whether you’re a new homeowner in search of DIY books to help plan home improvement projects, or are just looking for interior design books to inspire your dream home, For the Love of Renovating provides the perfect blend of gorgeous visuals and practical, hands-on advice.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781454949275
Publisher:	Union Square & Co.
Publication date:	06/04/2024
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	88,738
Product dimensions:	8.20(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Barry Bordelon and Jordan Slocum are designers, renovators, restorers, and founders of the blog and website the Brownstone Boys, a sought-after source of information for people renovating homes of any age, at any scale. In addition to working with private residential clients, Barry and Jordan have a regular column on Brownstoner, have been featured in The New York Times, HGTV, New York magazine, and Apartment Therapy, and have appeared as guests on Good Morning America and Chip and Joanna Gaines’s Point of View on the Magnolia Network. They live in Brooklyn, New York.

Editorial Reviews

04/15/2024

Brownstone Boys bloggers Bordelon and Slocum debut with a rewarding manual that walks readers through how to refurbish their homes. To prepare for renovations, Bordelon and Slocum recommend getting three to five quotes from architects and contractors and creating a “lookbook” (“Organize your inspiration for each space first by floor and then by room using something like Pinterest”). Detailing what to consider when working on each room, they suggest that “the stove, sink, and fridge should make a triangle” in the kitchen and outline the pros and cons of various kinds of stone countertops. For bedrooms, they encourage readers to buy throw pillows in a contrasting color to the walls or drapes, and for bathrooms, they describe how to save money by refashioning a credenza into a vanity. The guidance is chock-full of useful rules of thumb (“The minimum clearance that you need to maneuver around in any space is 36 inches”), and the authors place a welcome emphasis on trusting one’s gut (“Think about how you want the space to feel, not just how you want it to look”). The result is a comprehensive overview on revamping one’s home. (June)

Publishers Weekly

"For the Love of Renovating provides the perfect blend of gorgeous visuals and practical, hands-on advice."—Homes & Gardens

"The Brownstone Boys' new book will be your holy grail."—The Spruce

“An incredible resource for those looking to renovate a historic home, or really any space."— Real Simple

"Jordan and Barry have a deep respect and love for restoration. They truly know how to preserve the best details of a project, and you can see that beautifully displayed in the pages of this book."—Joanna Gaines, Magnolia Co-Founder and Co-Creator of Magnolia Network

"A rewarding manual ...  chock-full of useful rules of thumb ... the result is a comprehensive overview on revamping one’s home."—Publishers Weekly

"A comprehensive and highly enjoyable guide."—Library Journal

From the Publisher

05/10/2024

Even minor home improvements can bring major stress, so naturally, large-scale projects can feel overwhelming. This book aims to make the process less daunting for homeowners. Bordelon and Slocum, a.k.a. the Brownstone Boys, began their renovation journey in 2018, when they purchased and rehabbed their 130-year-old house. Since then, they've honed their expertise and become passionate preservationists of the beloved Brooklyn brownstone. This beautifully photographed book opens with the pros and cons of buying a fixer-upper: understanding the value and investment, knowing what professionals to include, and deciding when to walk away. After an elaborate and extremely helpful explanation about budgets and scheduling (including clear examples of costs in a range of projects and information on the billing process of architects and contractors), the authors describe how to select a team to design and execute a project. Each chapter then takes readers on a room-to-room tour of their work and provides a checklist of tasks, tips, and inspiration for lighting and decor, and thorough sections on flooring, windows, and preserving architectural accents. VERDICT A comprehensive and highly enjoyable guide to restoring old homes; while the coveted Brooklyn brownstone might not be accessible to all, the fundamental ideas can apply to any project.—Erin Dagenais

Library Journal