Alberta home show regulars would be familiar with Christina Dennis, the bubbly, fresh-faced mother of three has been making appearances on stage at the various trade shows to dispense some of the best DIY home improvement advice in town.
Christina, known as the DIY Mommy, has crafted a niche for herself in the busy circuit with her own brand of homespun, budget-friendly, beautiful decor and do-it-yourself hacks to create the perfect homelife.
Based in Edmonton, Christina maintains a lifestyle blog in her theDIYMommy.com website focusing on home décor tutorials, home organization ideas, upcycling tips and even easy recipes for the family to enjoy. The website is every homemaker’s friend.
It seems she took her own DIY décor advice and put it to practice when she and her husband, Sean – a general contractor and electrician who owns The Greenovator Corp. – made the decision to renovate their own cabin by the lake.
The cabin – located on the shores of Spring Lake, less than an hour west of Edmonton – became a dream project for the pair. The Little Lake House as they called it has become the family’s vacation home, and one that also brings in extra income as a rental.
Christina says it was a dilapidated, little cabin when they first saw it in October 2020, but it still managed to steal their hearts. “The cabin was in the most beautiful location on the shores of serene Spring Lake, but it needed some care. In October 2020, we purchased the property, and shortly thereafter demolition began!”
Today, the Little Lake House is a two-bedroom, one-bathroom home fashioned in a modern coastal style, that sleeps up to five people. The cabin is heated for year-round use and has been renovated from the studs up in 2021. A real pandemic-project if there ever was one.
It was a labour of love for Christina and Sean. “From the fresh, white shiplap ceilings capped with crown moulding to the accents of brushed gold and grey-blues – the style of our lake house is modern yet calming. The view of the lake from the open-concept kitchen and living room is our favourite thing about this home,” she says.
We sat down with Christina to chat about how they came about with their Little Lake House vacation home, with a specific focus on how renovating the kitchen came about.
R+D: What was the biggest challenge in renovating the kitchen of the lake house?
Christina: It’s a tiny kitchen and breakfast nook combo, so it was challenging to come up with a new, more modern layout that functioned as both a kitchen and dining area. We ended up landing on a vintage eat-in style kitchen and I absolutely love how it turned out!
R+D: Is there a difference when planning the design for a vacation home and the actual home?
Christina: There sure is. With a vacation rental, creating simple spaces to relax in is key whereas in a full-time residence creating storage is important. We also chose finishes that were extremely durable and easy to clean because we knew our cabin would see lots of different guests and need to be cleaned often.
R+D: How did you approach the design for the lake home’s kitchen? What was the main thing you set out to accomplish for this portion of the project?
Christina: We wanted the kitchen to feel more open and more modern. Since the home is small, we also wanted to make the room feel bigger through the use of light colours and a simple design.
R+D: Can you give us the details of the features you used for the kitchen renovation? What kind of countertop? What kind of cabinetry, backsplach, flooring, etc?
Christina: This was a very budget-friendly kitchen renovation! The counters are laminate marble-look countertops from IKEA, the
cabinets are stock cabinets from
The Home Depot, the backsplash is shiplap painted with a durable kitchen & bath paint, and the flooring is luxury vinyl plank from Diving Flooring.
R+D: How much was the total cost for the work on the lake home, how big of a portion did the kitchen renovation take?
Christina: The whole renovation was about $50,000, and it would have been at least double that if we hadn’t been able to do the labour ourselves. The kitchen renovation cost was about $7,000, but we did get some items like the cabinets, trim and flooring sponsored as we featured them on my YouTube channel, blog & social channels. We also installed used appliances to save even more money.
R+D: What advice can you give to people wanting to do a similar undertaking?
Christina: Do your research and plan ahead! Renovations almost always take more time and money than planned. Check out your community’s short term rental bylaws to see what’s allowed. Source all of your items well in advance because everything is taking a lot longer to find right now.
R+D: By the way, did the lakeside location play a role in how you plan your design?
Christina: The lake did help me choose the colour scheme (white, blue & gold) and the feel (relaxing modern coastal) of the cabin. I wanted it to compliment the location & make our guests feel cozy and peaceful.
You can learn more about the Little Lake House and all the other DIY tips from Christina at thediymommy.com.