Drew and Jonathan Scott Reveal The One Decorating Habit They Find ‘Frustrating' (Exclusive)

For the Property Brothers stars Drew and Jonathan Scott, decorating sustainably — and economically — starts by using what you already have.

“Look for something that is used, something that already exists. You're going to get a much better price,” Jonathan, 46, told PEOPLE in an exclusive interview alongside his brother. “It doesn't have to be refabricated, because it's already there — even if you rework it or sand it, stain it, whatever.” 

“We are such a culture of replacing, and a disposable culture, and I kind of find that frustrating,” he added, encouraging people to fix furniture at home whenever possible. 

Drew, 44, chimed in with an example of how he had refurbished a set of vintage chairs instead of buying new ones while decorating his own dining room.

The set that was offered to coordinate with his dining table ran in the thousands of dollars, but Drew found a “really good price on these chairs because they needed a little bit of work, We repainted them with a nice soft color just to bring a little bit of a pop to the dining room and they look so good.”

After adding some nature-themed upholstery, Drew said that the chairs “transformed the look of the dining room.” 

“It didn’t cost a lot, it just took some elbow grease from us,” the HGTV regular said. 

The brothers also shared some funny anecdotes about how their own secondhand purchasing habits. 

“I used to just troll the alley in our neighborhood, behind the house we're working on, to find discarded pallets and things like that so we could turn it into a table or a headboard," Jonathan said.

“Were the police called? Yes, the police were called on Jonathan for prowling the neighborhood,” Drew joked in response. 

According to the Brother vs Brother costars, their approach to sustainability comes from habits they built as kids growing up in rural Canada. 

“We grew up on a ranch and we did not have the means to just be buying new things here and there, so we would fix everything,” Jonathan told PEOPLE. “Most products that you have within your home, you can fix them for a fraction of the price, and save yourself all that extra cost.”

The twins have a busy summer coming up. In August the latest season of the Scotts' show Celebrity IOU is set to premiere on HGTV. And while a date hasn't been confirmed, Jonathan is looking forward to his wedding with actress Zooey Deschanel, which the pair have teased may happen soon. Drew, meanwhile, just welcomed his second child with his wife Linda. Piper Rae arrived on Mae 21.

Celebrity IOU, which Drew and Jonathan first launched in 2020, gives A-list celebrities the chance to give back to those who have supported them throughout their lives by giving their homes a makeover. 

“Celebrity IOU is about giving back to people who have already given so much, but it’s also about watching these celebrities get their hands dirty and get creative in a way you never get to see otherwise,” Jonathan said in a press release.

The seven-episode eighth season, which airs starting August 12, will feature Mandy Moore, Tony Hawk and Wanda Sykes among other celebs. 

Ahead of IOU’s seventh season premiere in January, Jonathan told PEOPLE that he enjoys seeing their guests “jump in and do something that they have no experience doing.” 

“They don't say no because they want to show their gratitude for how much these people have done for them,” he said.