DIY Renovations Don’t Have to Be Scary With These Tips from the Brownstone Boys

At the intersection of heritage and modern design, you’ll find renovators and designers Jordan Slocum and Barry Bordelon—the Brownstone Boys.

In 2018, seven months into their relationship, the intrepid pair bought their beloved 1890 Brooklyn brownstone. As the pair documented their journey on their blog, YouTube videos, and social media posts, viewers followed the couple’s adventures in renovating their 120-year-old home.  With backgrounds in design and DIY projects, Slocum and Bordelon eagerly jumped into their cosmetic and historic renovation. "We wanted to learn the home’s history and we really felt the best way of doing that was doing it ourselves," Slocum says with a smile.

Their audience became their clients, and in just a few short years, a personal passion project became their full-time career. Slocum and Bordelon are beyond busy as renovation project managers and interior designers. What makes their projects unique are the personalized touches that generate a gravitational pull, creating spaces that homeowners love and want to enjoy to the fullest.

While the idea of doing any renovation whether it be painting your hallway or changing the hardware in the kitchen can feel intimidating, it doesn’t have to be. If you're interested in dipping a toe into the world of home renovations, large or small, heed this advice from the Brownstone Boys.

Planning pays off

The Brownstone Boys are no strangers to doing their homework to help projects go smoothly, attributing project success to all their prep work. They subscribe to a measure three times, cut once philosophy (literally and figuratively) in their approach to home renovation.

Having an honest conversation around budget is first and foremost. Knowing how finances affect your project can make a difference in which projects you start, the materials you use, and whether or not you can afford professional help if you need it.

A part of planning that homeowners may not consider is the flow of their space. The Brownstone Boys recommend understanding how you live and use a room so you can renovate it to suit your lifestyle. Slocum points out that there are certain nuances that you pick up on once you spend time in a home. "You want to live in your space before renovating so you understand how everything moves together," he says. "It’s an opportunity to get your configurations right and then handle all the smaller [cosmetic] projects afterward."

Be prepared with the essential tools on hand. Whether you beg, borrow, or rent what you need, Slocum says, "Tools are the most important thing in any DIY and having the right tools will definitely set you up for success." He recommends a drill, a ladder (which people always seem to forget), and a saw for a basic DIY setup.

Should you live in your space during a renovation? It depends. There’s no need to relocate for small cosmetic projects that are done and dusted in one afternoon. If you’re ambitious and have contractors working on features that affect your electrical, plumbing, or noise levels, temporarily leaving your abode will do wonders for your peace-of-mind.

Find resources

Benefit from the experience of others who have taken on projects you're considering. When the Brownstone Boys started, they couldn't find answers to their specific questions about historic renovations, bringing older buildings up to code, salvaging the home’s original elements, and more.. They researched, did a lot of work themselves, and became a resource for others undertaking brownstone renovations.

Seek advice from people you know, watch YouTube videos, follow experts on social media, participate in targeted community forums or websites about your project, and get inspiration from plenty of online sources. Some of these folks are very engaging and willing to answer your questions, which can help make your project easier.

Start small with a paint project

Paint can be transformative, and there is a lot you can do with it—add accent walls or murals, create texture, and use different techniques. There are very low stakes with a painting renovation. If you’re not fond of the result, repaint it with another color or revert to your original hue.

Before picking up a brush, Bordelon advises to, "spend a lot of time taping everything out so when you start painting, everything is protected."

Collect everything you need before you start—rollers, brushes, trays, and inserts you can swap out so you don’t lose momentum. A trick the Brownstone Boys picked up from professional painters is wrapping brushes and rollers in plastic bags between coats, which keeps them from drying out, even overnight.

Learn how to apply wallpaper

Wallpaper is having a moment right now, and countless designs are available. Wallpapering can be intimidating for many DIYers due to its precise measurements, pattern matching, potential for air bubbles and creases, and how time consuming it can be. It feels like there’s a lot of pressure to get it right. 

Whether you’re adding an accent wall or papering an entire room, the Brownstone Boys have some words of wisdom to help the application go smoother.

First, they prefer the wallpaper where you paint on the glue because you can move it around on the wall to get it just right. Some new peel-and-stick wallpaper is not so forgiving for adjustments. "The peel-and-stick wallpaper is easy because you don’t have to use the glue, but once it’s on, it’s on. It’s very difficult, so you can’t really move it around as much," Bordelon says.

Second, when coming up to a corner, trim your wallpaper in place using a sharp razor blade, as the walls in many homes aren't a perfect 90-degree angle.

Lastly, wallpaper patterns only repeat so many times, so make sure that you factor that into your plans by laying out the paper and lining up the pattern before adding it to the walls. You may not have enough if you calculate the amount of wallpaper you need based on square footage alone.