DIY takes professional turn with help of retail specialists
The first wave of DIY and how-to television in the ’90s convinced many homeowners that anybody can do their own renovation and decorating work, usually over a weekend, with the help of a trusty friend or two. That illusion, fuelled by the magic of television, was roundly debunked by subsequent shows that featured pros fixing the blunders of well-meaning amateurs, imparting the message that the only safe route was to hire a high-end, highly experienced con- tractor and/or designer to handle the entire job. That’s great if you have a wheelbarrow full of cash and a secret line to the one contractor/renovator in the GTA who’s not booked until March 2016. There is, however, a third way, one that’s being driven by home-improvement retailers offering instore, on-site and online support for renos and repairs. Over the next few months, we’ll take a look at some of these options. A recent bedroom makeover in my home, for example, was stickhandled by a “project guide” at a Rona store (rona.ca), part of a program that connects customers with a designated staff member who will lead them, for no cost, through a project. In our case, the aim was to increase wall space by closing in a wall closet and creating a larger closet under one of two dormers, freshening a space that looked as though it hadn’t been touched since the last time the Leafs won the Stanley Cup. The ancient hardwood floor, covered in layers of linoleum and shag carpet, poorly patched in parts, was beyond redemption and it was clear that there was no insulation behind the dormers and along an exterior wall. Our guide was Venie Rodrigues at Rona’s Stockyard location, who offered advice, provided product information and options, and organized various installers. We wanted to do some of it ourselves, and she gave good advice on which parts of the job were DIY-friendly. For example, she green-lighted us doing some prep by taking out old plaster where needed. That became my job, as demolition is my only real reno skill. The Man of the House (MOTH) decided to tackle the insulation. He was really impressed with Roxul (roxul.com) mineral wool insulation, citing the fact that it did not irritate his skin, was effortless to cut it with a serrated knife, and that its flexibility — “squashiness” — made it easy to fit into the awkward spot behind the dormers. MOTH also stripped and sanded drawer fronts and window sills, and installed a new ceiling fan. Rodrigues nixed the idea of doing the floor ourselves (thank goodness, as it proved to be extremely tricky to level the sub-floor). She also wisely suggested that we extend the Canadian-made solid red oak flooring into the landing, and order enough to do a nearly identical room across the hall that’s now getting a facelift. Rebuilding the closet and drywalling the walls and removing the extremely unattractive stucco ceiling was left to pros. Arranging tradespeople, whose work is guaranteed by Rona, was done by Rodrigues, who also scheduled teams in the appropriate order. Those who came to do the work arrived on time and cleaned up before they left. Some also offered good advice; the drywallers, suggested, for example, adding a small wall inset on my side of the bed for my books, a detail that has become one of my favourite features of the room. Rodrigues was also extremely helpful in sourcing specific products. She found an in-stock sliding closet door for the room’s other closet, the frosted finish co-ordinating with the pocket door, and she found the low-profile ceiling fan the height-challenged room required. When I decided I didn’t like the first we chose, it was easy to send it back and choose something else.
Money-saving tips were also part of the service; hence the decision to use MDF moulding with no profile for a clean, crisp trim.
The finished room also still had one sloping dormer above the builtin drawers. Rather than trying to figure out where to start the ceiling paint, walls and ceiling were covered with Pure Silver Grey from the Rona Collection.
It proved a perfect canvas for the muted brown, grey and silver leaf-patterned drapery from Ikea (ikea.ca), sprigged Oslo linens in a grey-toned lilac from Au Lit Fine Linens (aulitfinelinens.com), silver and charcoal chrysanthemum motifs on the lamps from Bouclair (bouclair.com), and the glasstopped bedside tables from Ikea (ikea.ca) where the black-andwhite Picasso print was also found.
By the end of six weeks we had a new bedroom, a new friend and a new understanding of the elements of a reno project. It might not have made for great television, but we were thrilled by the lack of drama.
For a full list of products used, go to my blog at thestar.blogs.com/onthehouse. More from Vicky Sanderson can be found on her community page at Casaguru.com. Follow her on Twitter
@vickysanderson or email her at vswriter@sympatico.ca.