A Homeowner Added Tons of Storage in This Philadelphia Home for Only $400

“I’d define it as ‘what if Walter Wick and Keith Haring made out in Pee-wee’s Playhouse?’” describes Kevin, when asked what their personal home style is. That style is on display in every room, where collections of nostalgic, themed items line shelves and surfaces.

When it came to renovating the home, Kevin says he “exposed some brick and tore down a wall and ripped up some floors,” explaining that he learned how to do those things by watching YouTube. But one of the biggest challenges was budget.

“Before opening A Four Foot Prune, I worked for a large organic grocery store chain — so I’ve never had much money,” he begins. “Owning a small business doesn’t pay much. Retail doesn’t pay all that much. All the ‘renovations’ were completed for very little money (nothing more than a couple hundred) and far more audacity than I deserve to possess,” he writes of the house originally purchased for $136K.

The carpet addition on the stairs, for instance, took a month and a half to finish by buying needed tools one at a time and purchasing the materials from an outlet store in Pittsburgh. And tons of storage was added to the home by utilizing affordable pipe shelving.

You’ll notice that all the storage in the home is open, and that’s for a specific reason: “If I can’t see the object I’ll forget it exists — and it’ll never be used,” Kevin explains. “So every kitchen tool, every sweater, every book is on display.”

Thanks, Kevin and Mac!

This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.

Share your style: House Tour & House Call Submission Form