Editor’s note: Welcome to the 88th installment of Brownstone Boys Reno, a reader renovation diary about renovating a brownstone in Bed Stuy. See the first one here. They also blog at www.thebrownstoneboys.com.

2020 is a year we are all anxious to put behind us! Not just because of its difficulties, but also because of many reasons we have to be hopeful for 2021. At the end of any year we always like to reflect on the lessons we’ve learned and the good things that have happened. Like everyone, we spent more time at home in 2020 than ever before and it gave us the opportunity to tackle a few big projects at our place. We thought we would reflect on what we’ve done and prepare for some exciting projects we’ll tackle next year.

backyard reno

Backyard Makeover
We realized early in the year that we would be spending a lot of time at home over the summer. Our backyard was something we always planned to redo in the future once the renovation was complete. After a major renovation tapped us for funds we needed to get creative to make our backyard beautiful on the tiny budget of $2,000! We think it turned out great and boy was it a lifesaver this year. We grew grass in Brooklyn! Check out part 1 and part 2 of the full post.

installing custom cabinets

Custom Kitchen Storage and Shelves
For the last year we had a big empty blank canvas of a wall in our kitchen. It’s a project we saved to give us time to figure out exactly what we wanted to do. It was a challenging space. For starters, it’s huge. We knew anything we did would be a big feature of the entire house. We went through many ideas before we finally settled on a design. We needed storage, but we wanted the project to compliment the rest of the space. We came up with a streamlined design that solves the challenges of dealing with the old fireplace bump out and a not so ideally placed radiator.

Now that it is done the more we look at it the more we love it! The tall storage on the right is exactly what we needed and we love the dedicated space bar space on the left. The white oak veneer and flat cabinet doors have a bit of a modern Scandinavian design feel. The feature that really makes it all work are the two upper shelves that change in depth to minimize the bump out and tie the 2 sides together. Check out the entire story here.

brownstone boys stoop reno

Stoop Makeover
As you might know, someone stole our front stoop newel post two days after we closed on our house. It was very sad that something that was there for 130 years was gone. It has been on our list to replace since. Our stairs also needed a little TLC. They were slowly chipping away more and more since they took a beating during the renovation. We also had the deteriorating masonry beneath the stairs repointed so that they can last another 130 years. Not to mention it’s now usable storage space for us. Read all about it here.

laundry reno

Basement Laundry
We don’t even have an answer for why we waited so long to install a washer and dryer in our basement. Even though it is still a work in progress, it might be one of the biggest transformations for us personally. The connection was there but we needed to install venting and build a new wall. The rest of this project is on the list for 2021.

Next Year
We’re excited for 2021. We have more projects at our place, lots of exciting renovations planned, and we’ve even hopeful for the world!

We are going to continue our basement makeover, hope to install new windows, and redo our roof and cornice. We also have a few fun DIY design projects to keep us busy.

We are grateful for the opportunity to share our renovation and home improvement story! Thanks for reading, commenting and being part of our reno family. From our stoop here in Brooklyn, we wish you a healthy and wonderful 2021! Barry & Jordan

[Photos by Brownstone Boys unless noted otherwise]

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