This Couple Learned to Renovate Their Home By Watching YouTube Videos

If you think you can’t complete a remodel yourself, you need to meet Bri and Wes Roberts. This fearless couple harnessed the power of the internet and turned a simple South Carolina fixer-upper into the home of their dreams. Using—of all things—YouTube tutorials, the Robertses gained the confidence to tackle home renovation projects most homeowners wouldn’t even consider.

Home renovation is a surprisingly popular topic in the YouTube community. Renovation videos rake up hundreds of thousands of views—even more if they feature celebrities or social media influencers. You can learn simple techniques like how to use a stud finder or learn about more advanced tools like a wet tile saw (which the Robertses avoided). Check out their favorite projects, mastered with the help of YouTube, and see how two average joes made this redo not only doable but done.

Project 1: Refreshing the Exterior

The first renovation on the list: a fresh coat of paint. They chose Rookwood Dark Green SW 2816 as the base and Youthful Coral SW 6604 for the door. The Robertses knew their limits, though—Wes and Bri painted the door and main level themselves, but left the second story to a professional. Lattice also made a big impact for little effort: just cut, paint, and attach to be done in an afternoon.

Editor's Tip: Most home centers will cut wood for you for free. Wes and Bri took advantage of their local store to get new stair treads cut to length.

Project 2: Adding Open Shelves

Adding open shelves to your kitchen or dining room creates a display piece that doubles as storage. The Robertses faked floating shelves by painting shelf brackets the same color as the wall—in this case, white. Bri advises sketching out what you want to store to plan for proper clearance before hanging them. To give her shelves a vintage look, Bri distressed new wood with hand tools and stain.

Project 3: Installing a Tile Backsplash

Kitchen backsplashes are way easier to clean than a painted wall. Bri and Wes used a $20 handheld tile cutter to get the job done. “It takes some strength, but it makes simple, straight cuts, and we didn’t need to rent a wet saw,” Bri says. As for the install, it takes several hours for tile adhesive to set, allowing time to identify and fix mess-ups.

Project 4: Stair Makeover

Bri got an idea from Pinterest to add a woven stair runner. After removing the worn-out carpet, they patched and painted the stairs and used a staple gun to secure a runner using white staples that blend with the paint and fabric. It’s a small detail, but well worth the extra effort.

Project 5: Interior Paint

When the Robertses bought the house, the walls were a mix of bold colors. They simplified by choosing a single white color to paint every room—in this case, Pure White by Sherwin-Williams. It was a good choice for the budget, too. Buying 5-gallon buckets yielded the best price. “One place where you should spend money is primer,” Bri says. “It allows your paint to cover more.”

Editor's Tip: Match trim and cabinet paint to the walls for a streamlined look.

Project 6: Built-In Furniture

If you’re renovating your own home, make custom built-ins that best serve your needs. The Robertses configured a bench in the sunroom using an online tutorial and a pair of unfinished cabinets—the kind you find over a refrigerator. Framing around the top and bottom strengthened the unit and made it the right height.

Project 7: Custom Wall Art

Bri painted a frame to hold a gift from Wes: a year-in-review poster of Instagram pictures. In another hall, Bri painted a rectangle with chalkboard paint and framed it with trim attached with a bead of Liquid Nails. The chalkboard turned a high-traffic hall into a menu and activities planner.

Project 8: Board-and-Batten Wall

Strips of trim give the look of board-and-batten paneling. Bri’s advice: Measure, remeasure, then measure again. Once the trim was up, she caulked the edges and filled the nail holes before painting. “It’s the finishing touches that are easy to skip, but do them," Bri says. "Finish strong."