Hey guys! I am so glad you’re here!
My name is Kristy! I am a self-taught DIYer, designer, and organizer.
Here at Designing Parkside I show you how to remodel your home on your own. Whether you just want new ideas, or you have never picked up a power tool before, I can show you how easy it is to get the home you want all on your own without spending thousands to hire a professional.
I am 30 years old and live in Arizona. I don’t have any kids yet, but I have inherited four cats who love to “help” me with my projects.
I purchased my first home at 21 years old, which is where I found my passion for remodeling and design. I completely remodeled that house and learned that I am capable of a lot more than I knew. I sold that house at the beginning of 2020 and I am currently remodeling my second home.
Previous jobs I have had include: Marketing, Event Planner, Content Writer, Social Media Manager, and Bartender.
My Dream would be to continue to remodel homes and turn spaces into something special. I hope to own multiple properties some day, which will include rental properties and Airbnbs, as well as maybe flip homes.
I hope I can teach and inspire people to pick up a power tool and try something new, DIY isn’t always easy, you will hit plenty of roadblocks and obstacles along the way, but I hope I can show you my successes as well as my failures to inspire you not to give up, because I promise you the end result will be worth it. Are my projects perfect? Absolutely not. But I am proud of every project I complete.
The best feeling is getting to say “WOW I made that!”
Still don’t think you can do it? Here’s my very first project. A blanket ladder. Is it perfect? Not even close. Are there 100 things I would do different if I did it now? Absolutely! But we all start somewhere. I built it with 2x4s, a hand saw and a hammer and nails.
My DIY Story:
How did I get started with DIY and design?
It actually starts with growing up. As a child my dad was always working on some sort of project, whether it was around the house, in the yard or on a car. He always had multiple project going on at any given time.
Growing up we were the kind of house that didn’t hire a professional when something needed to be fixed. My dad always figured out how to do it.
After I purchased my first home, anytime I needed something fixed or help replacing something, I called my dad. Like the time my water heater broke a year in, two weeks… yes, two weeks after my home warranty expired.. And he and my brother came over to replace it for me. I was always used to having them around when I needed something.
A few years later my dad passed away unexpectedly from sepsis. He wasn’t feeling well and was taken to the hospital and rushed into emergency surgery and never came back out. On New Year’s Eve he passed away.
The same year my brother got a job out of state and moved away, which left my mom and I here. I quickly realized I no longer had someone to call when I needed something fixed and I slowly began learning how to use a few basic tools to fix things and purchased my first drill.
The next year I began wanting to change some things around my home but knew I couldn’t afford to hire someone to remodel my whole home. I started doing some small things such as painting cabinets and my kitchen counter. Although I had done small things like this in the past, it now seemed harder because there was no one to call to fix it if I did it wrong.
I started realizing that I could do a lot more than I thought, and if I did something wrong I could always go back and fix it. I found that if there’s something I didn’t know how to do, the internet is littered with videos and blogs on how to do it.
I started with small projects and started working my way up to bigger projects, learning a new skill with every build. I began collecting tools slowly to add to my collection.
Now every project I do I think of my dad. I think of how he inspired me to make my home my own, and how I wish he was here to see every project I do come alive.