Santa Rosa Homeowner Goes On DIY Remodeling Spree During Shelter In Place
SANTA ROSA (KPIX) -- A lot of people are looking for ways to occupy their time during the shelter in place. At one home in Santa Rosa, what started as a small painting project became so much more.
"I was kind of bored and I wanted to be productive," said attorney Robin Estes.
She had to shut her family law practice down during the shelter in place so, with only her dog Bella for company around the house, she decided give one of the bedrooms a fresh coat of paint.
"And I really liked the way that it looked," she said, "so I thought, well, I could get a little more paint."
One thing led to another and after repainting virtually the entire house, Robin really got busy.
She replaced the ceiling fan and lighting in the kitchen, the sinks and shower door in the master bath, and created wall-to-wall carpeting using a large area rug in the sewing room.
She repainted lampshades, the bathroom cabinet and even the toilet paper holder. She re-matted and reframed the pictures in the hallway and somehow found time to create six new watercolor paintings. Then, she moved outside and turned the entire front lawn into a raised-bed vegetable garden.
"I certainly had no intention of it going through the whole house," Estes said. "But then, I certainly didn't know that the pandemic was going to last like it has."
It was a lot to accomplish in two months for someone with virtually no training. But Robin says staying busy saved her sanity and the demands of the projects brought some much-needed structure to her life.
"It gave me a feeling of control a little bit," she said. "This is something I can do, I can control this. I can't control what's happening out there but I can control this little bit of my life."
Robin says by supplying her own labor, the entire indoor renovation only cost about $1,500.
Still, she says she's happy to be able to reopen her law practice this week because she's run out of things to fix or repaint.
Every room in the house was touched except for one. It is the bedroom of her youngest son, Hunter, who after serving four years in the Marine Corps will be coming home on Thursday. Estes says the 8-week home remodel has been rewarding in its own way but nothing compares to having him back.
"The greatest reward out of the last four years will come on Thursday. My son will be coming home."
