Before & After: The Brownstone Boys Overhaul a Brooklyn Garage Into a Family Home
Barry Bordelon and Jordan Slocum convert an 1894 carriage house into a bright dwelling with a central courtyard, two rooftop terraces, and plenty of flex space for houseguests.
Barry Bordelon and Jordan Slocum convert an 1894 carriage house into a bright dwelling with a central courtyard, two rooftop terraces, and plenty of flex space for houseguests.
René and Heather Paula have long encouraged friends to drop by their house on a whim. "It’s very much like Seinfeld, in that random friends will show up unannounced," says René. "We’ve always said, ‘Just come over whenever,’ and people know we’re here."
Their home, a completely refashioned 1894 carriage house in the Clinton Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn, is more than ready for impromptu visits—but that wasn’t always the case. When the Paulas—he’s a lawyer and she works in marketing—purchased it in 2020, it had lived many past lives. It started as a stable built by a local grocer for $1,500, before transitioning into a garage in the 1920s, and decades later, a junk shop.
The Paulas had long been looking for a property with outdoor space and a parking spot, and after going into contract on another location and losing out on it, they moved quickly on this one. "It was very scary," says René. "Our brokers said, ‘Look, this property is a complete teardown, but if you're bold enough, you could build something amazing here.’"
Before: Exterior
Before: Despite an uninspiring facade, the carriage house had something other buildings did not: a curb cut, which René envisioned turning into a parking space. "You cannot create a new parking space inside a building in New York City anymore," says René. "You have to find something that already has the curb cut to be able to have a garage."
Courtesy of the Brownstone Boys
After: Exterior
The Paula family in front of their new home. To fit in with the historic neighborhood, the Brownstone Boys suggested a traditional facade: white brick with decorative arches, and a custom white oak front door by True Trade Carpentry.
Photo: Nick Glimenakis
"We signed a contract and then we were like, ‘My God, what have we done?’" says René with a laugh. The couple had to rezone the property from commercial to residential, while keeping the parking allowance intact. While they were ultimately successful, early conversations with architects and engineers were less heartening: The existing structure, aside from the brick party walls shared with neighbors on either side, would need to be entirely rebuilt.
One night, while researching the scope of the project, René found a renovation diary on Brownstoner.com, written by the Brownstone Boys, aka Barry Bordelon and Jordan Slocum. The pair met in 2017, fell in love over a shared enthusiasm for old homes, bought their first brownstone (a 130-year-old fixer upper in Bed Stuy), and chronicled its renovation on their own blog and other outlets.
"I went down the rabbit hole, realizing that they had, you know, dozens if not hundreds of posts around how they did their whole project renovation," says René. "I basically read every single post and then reached out, saying, ‘I have this crazy project. Can I take you out for coffee?’" Bordelon and Slocum agreed.
Before: Interior
Before: Jordan Slocum and Barry Bordelon—aka the Brownstone Boys—tour the long and narrow carriage house before renovations. "It seemed like we could put together a bowling alley," says René with a laugh.
Courtesy of the Brownstone Boys
See the full story on Dwell.com: Before & After: The Brownstone Boys Overhaul a Brooklyn Garage Into a Family Home
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