When Steve Ford found his future dream home, it was an unlivable industrial warehouse — which was exactly what he wanted.
“As far as I know, the building was previously used as a heavy machinery garage. It was completely uncared for, which is exactly what I needed,” Steve tells PEOPLE exclusively. He was so excited to call it home, in fact, that he moved in before it was technically habitable.
“Yes, I was a squatter in my own home,” he jokes. “I moved in immediately, broken windows and all.”
Reid Rolls
In addition to making it a suitable crash pad for when he’s not filming, Steve needed to make the space functional for himself, his business and, and of course, his dog.
“My building functions as a work space and a living space, so there are many people who come and go throughout the day, but mostly my good friend and carpenter Ed Zeiler,” he explains. But, “at the end of the day, it’s me and my pup Yoko.”
Once construction was complete, Steve was excited to be his sisters’ client for once. “I usually do what Leanne wants [on the show], but on this project, we did whatIwant,” he says. “If there was anything we would have butt heads on, she let me win.”
Now, he says, the completed space, “feels like home because we essentially built my dream house. I think this place represents my personality to a T. Plus, I can look around and remember the experience, which makes it all that much better.”
The Ford siblings are also gearing up to release their first book together.Work In Progress: Unconventional Thoughts On Designing An Extraordinary Lifecomes out October 29. (Get a first look at the cover above!)
source: people.com
