Local entrepreneur believes in DIY

Winnipeg

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This article was published 10/01/2024 (656 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For Heather Barnes, DIY is more than just a passion project, it’s her livelihood. But that wasn’t always the case.

“I was on maternity leave with my daughter about five-and-a-half years ago,” explained Barnes, a former elementary school teacher who has grown her social media platform to over 100,000 regular viewers.

“I wanted to take advantage of the time, so I started doing DIY projects on our home, which we’d bought knowing it was a fixer-upper. Previous to that, my dad was a contractor, who let us do whatever with any tools that weren’t power tools. I never felt scared to do anything on my own. I also wanted to start sharing things online. I wasn’t trying to make a business or anything, I just wanted to share.”

By the time Barnes went back to work, teaching Grade 2 in the Lord Selkirk School Division, her follower count had grown significantly.

“When I went back to work I tried juggling both,” the St. Andrews resident said.

“But after two years, I took a leave of absence to do DIY full-time, then eventually resigned my position. I never intended it to become a business, but here we are.”

Today, Barnes regularly posts content to her website, OurBarnesYard.com, and to her Instagram account, @ourbarnesyard, which aims to inspire everyday folks to pick up a couple of tools and make home improvements of their own.

“Something important to me on my channel is budget-friendly DIY,” Barnes said.

“You shouldn’t have to take out a large sum of money to create a home you love. I also believe strongly that anyone can have success with DIY, but you have to start at the beginning.”

Barnes believes anyone can learn the skills necessary to do projects around the house, but that it is also important to start small and build skills as you go.

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You shouldn’t have to take out a large sum of money to create a home you love

“Last year, I renovated a bathroom from start to finish and did things I’d never done before,” she said. “But I would never start there. Just start, and you’ll learn. That’s the teacher in me. Anyone can learn anything, it’s a matter of trying.”

Barnes will share some basic do-it-yourself home improvement tips at this year’s Winnipeg Renovation Show, which is set to run Jan. 12-14 at the RBC Convention Centre. She will be presenting on the show’s Lifestyle Stage on Saturday, Jan. 13 at 3:30 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 14 at 2 p.m.

“I built a little mock wall at my home that I’ll use to demonstrate various things,” she said. “It will be really demonstrative and immersive, rather than me just talking about people. I want people to leave with the idea that they start to make small improvements in their home and from there it will snowball.”

For more information on the Winnipeg Renovation Show, visit winnipegrenovationshow.com