ReStore's Got Talent

ReStore customers are a talented bunch. The majority have do-it-yourself skills, ranging from beginning to advanced.

Dan O’Halloran is a self-taught craftsman who built this cabinet from a magazine picture that his wife, Dana, found. To make the cabinet doors, he bought inexpensive bi-fold doors at the ReStore and cut them to size. He also shopped the scrap bin at a home improvement store. The total cost of the 8-foot-long unit was under $200.

The cabinet solved a problem for the O’Hallorans. “We do not have a lot of cupboard space in our kitchen,” said Dana. “The cabinet is adjacent to our kitchen counter so we use the bottom of it for items that don’t fit in our kitchen storage. And, honestly, I couldn’t have a better showcase for my Depression glass collection.”

Joanna Howe had a different problem. Her young son would be crawling soon but Joanna didn’t want him on the old, worn carpeting. The solution? Install ReStore’s laminate flooring, which is more durable and hygienic than carpeting and easier to install and maintain than a wood floor. It’s a job for a moderately skilled do-it-yourself-er because the tongue-and-groove planks click together so nailing is not required.

“It took two family members about five hours to do the living room and hallway floors, which is close to 240 square feet,” Joanne commented. “We have done some renovation before with self-stick vinyl tile. I think this was even easier.”

Howe purchased 10 boxes of new laminate flooring at the ReStore for about $25 per box.
For more projects, visit our Facebook page, click the Photo button and select “Customer Project Gallery.”

Photo courtesy of Dana O’Halloran

By Barb Machowski, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity ReStore