HOME & GARDEN

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

Union Square & Co. Jun. 2024. 288p. ISBN 9781454949275. $37.50. HOME ECON
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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.
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