DIY Equation equals good reno ideas

Lose the parka and the boots and slip into spring at the Winnipeg Home & Garden Show next week at RBC Convention Centre, where you’ll see great ideas presented by some of Canada’s smartest and most creative designers, TV personalities and bloggers and more booths than you can shake a gardening trowel at.

The show, which kicks off Thursday, has been a harbinger of warmer weather in the city since 1974, and there’s bound to be a few showgoers who haven’t missed even one. Decor and do-it-yourself "DIY-namo" Leigh-Ann Allaire Perrault from Cityline says this will be her third show.

"The audiences are so engaged and enthusiastic," Perrault says.

"Whether they DIY to save money or they just love to craft a project, they’re proud of something they’ve created in their own space.

Perrault’s presentation is called DIY Equation.

"The idea is to walk people through not just the planning, which is really important, but also to find the inspiration and the commitment to finish," she says.

She has one big tip for every DIY-er: do your prep.

"A good DIY result comes from preparation, and that’s the step most people skip," she says.

"Nobody loves to sand, nobody wants to prime — they just want to get the paint on and see the end result!"

She says there are new products that will speed things up without cutting quality corners.

"There is amazing product innovation these days," she says, citing two in particular: Gloss-Off, which cleans and etches surfaces to eliminate the need for sanding, and Chalked Paint, a tintable paint that eliminates the need for priming.

"I used both of these to redo a dining room table and finished it in three hours," she says.

The big fun, however, will be a big reveal.

"I will be walking through a reveal of my garage makeover, which is pretty shocking when you see the before," she says. It proves to be a relatable project for showgoers.

"I did a complete overhaul, thinking about it as an extension of the home, adding untapped real estate and putting in some really great organizational elements," she says.

See Perrault on the Urban Barn Mainstage presenting DIY Equation on Friday at 4 p.m. and Saturday at noon. She’ll be presenting Creating a Well-Curated Space on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.

Showgoers love to treat themselves with the purchase of something special from the show. And what could be more special than... a house?

Winnipeg’s own Kithouse (kithouse.ca) showcases a net-zero, fully finished, 800-square-foot home on display, showing off its environmentally friendly features and design style. And yes — the fully assembled house you see at the show is for sale.

Kithouse ready-to-assemble (or fully assembled) homes are designed to use the energy they produce themselves (that’s net-zero). It takes careful attention to the building envelope including lots of insulation, elimination of thermal bridges, careful air sealing, quality windows and doors, high-efficiency appliances, lighting and ventilation.

"The icing on the cake is to install a modest number of roof-mounted solar panels to meet the total annual energy needs of the home right on site," Kithouse’s Eric Bjornson says.

"Guests at the show should look out for natural, durable materials, and simple, easy to maintain mechanical systems because we want to have a building that lasts a long time."

He’ll be on hand to walk everyone through and answer questions.

"We’ve been learning how to do it right for 16 years and we are launching it on April 5," Bjornson says.

Once you’ve been through Kithouse, check out the rest of the show:

The Urban Barn Main Stage presented by the Winnipeg Free Press

See celebrity presenters Kortney and Dave Wilson, stars of HGTV Canada’s Masters of Flip; Todd Talbot, star of HGTV Canada’s Love It or List It Vancouver; Tiffany Pratt and Carson Arthur, stars of HGTV Canada’s series Home to Win: and Cityline expert Leigh-Ann Allaire Perrault.

Twitter: @WendyKinginWpg

Workshop

A hands-on workshop series with local artisans including Freshcut Downtown; Written Dreams by Nor; Furniture Facelift by Kobi and others. Learn about calligraphy, the succulent trend, or design a terrarium. Reserve your workshop spot online directly with each vendor at

winnipeghomeandgardenshow.com.

Planted

Five Winnipeg bloggers reimagine a plain planter into a unique patio piece. Pick your favourite entry: each creator will be giving away their piece to a lucky winner through their social feeds! Dining Alfresco designed by Dollhouse Design Outdoor entertaining dreams come alive at Dining Alfresco! Walk through three displays designed by Dollhouse Design, perfect for any style.

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