HGTV host finds solitude solace in renovation
Kate Campbell takes sledgehammer to her Stonehouse home amid pandemic
Kate Campbell is one of those women that many of us aspire to be; she is focused, directed, beautiful, smart, motivated, successful and one heck of a kick-butt, handson renovator.
No project is too big for this HGTV regular, who balances her time between renovation projects, speaking engagements, advocating for women in the trades, and a hefty filming schedule. She was in the midst of filming the new series Family Home Overhaul when the pandemic hit and although filming is paused, she has found plenty to do to keep herself busy.
These days, you'll find her fully focused on a renovation project near and dear to her heart: her home. She calls it “the Stonehouse,” and it is just that — a 150-year-old granite stone farmhouse with a full stone foundation sitting on two acres of farmland, located in a small hamlet just east of Toronto.
The renovation is a solo endeavour — she's doing it all herself, bringing in sub trades when needed. And through it all, she is living on a trailer on the property. It's a home that symbolizes new beginnings for this charismatic entrepreneur.
“The home is really my lifeline,” she says reflectively.
“It has a lot of emotion, personal healing and personal ties for me,” she says, adding she and her father, who was a real estate agent, scoured the province for the perfect home — her trademark is finding centuries-old character homes and bringing them back to life.
That was two years ago. Just after she purchased the home, her father unexpectedly died and then, not long after that, she and her husband decided to split.
“It's been a really tough year with the pandemic and being on my own, when really all I want to do is be around family and friends. But here I am, living in a trailer in a small town and working on my home,” she says.
Over the past several months, she's wielded a sledgehammer and gutted the interior, moving walls and opening the back of the home, creating an eight-by-sixfoot opening, adding large windows and a door, which she says was not an easy feat given the home's walls are almost two feet thick and made of solid stone. But now the rear of the home has views to the west across open farm fields. “These homes were built to stay warm and keep the wind out, so the entire back of the home didn't have any windows or doors,” she says.
As the project progressed and purse strings tightened, Campbell scrapped her original plans to add an addition, realizing there was more than enough space in the original floor plan — it just needed to be creatively reconfigured.
There's no light pollution out here. It's very quiet. I'm really a farm girl at heart. This has been my little haven.
Her overarching vision has been to modernize the home, bringing it into the 21st century, adding functionality — new plumbing, new wiring, plenty of light and designing with her self-described “pseudo Joanna Gaines style.”
“It's a little bit farmhouse with a modern edge,” she says. Think lots of matte black accents, whitewashed walls, wood and stone.
The kitchen is 90 per cent complete, and she is racing to finish the rest so she can move in before the cold weather hits.
She says that despite the hard work, long days and isolation, the experience has been a gift.
“There's no light pollution out here. It's very quiet. I'm really a farm girl at heart. This has been my little haven.”
KATE CAMPBELL OFFERS A FEW DIY TIPS
Keep it simple. Before you commit, break down the job and look at how technical it is. How many tools
will you need? Do you know how to use them? Do you have them on hand, or will you have to rent or purchase them? With some jobs, it is just better to hire a professional.
Think twice about starting a project that requires demolition. You just never know what could
be behind the walls.
Do dive into cosmetic updates — a lick of paint or a covering of wallpaper (Campbell suggests peel and stick) can change an entire look.
Definitely update fixtures and faucets from sinks to taps, hardware and lighting. It's impactful
and easy.
Refresh the grout throughout the home — often all it takes is a good scrub with grout cleaner.
Glean inspiration from social media and online sources, which can also offer valuable how-to's for just about any job.