5 do-it-yourself projects that will make you rethink your pandemic - Action News
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5 do-it-yourself projects that will make you rethink your pandemic

Many Canadians spent the first months of the pandemic baking sourdough bread and planting vegetables, but not everyone stopped there. Some people used the time to transform their home and hobbies.

Being stuck at home with a lot of spare time led these Canadians down a creative path

Rick Zinger is not a mason by trade, but says he enjoys the work of using stone to cover his castle-style home located near Kamloops in southern B.C. (Jenifer Norwell/CBC)

Many Canadians spent the first months of the pandemic baking sourdough bread and planting vegetables, but not everyone stopped there some people used their time to transform their home and hobbies. Here are some ideas from creative people in theKamloops area of B.C.'s southern Interiorfeatured in the CBC BC radio series, Pandemic Project.

(CBC News Graphics/Brooke Schreiber)

1. Finishing up a turret on your own castle

Rick Zinger decided to build a castle because of his concerns about the risk of wildfires to rural homes. (Jenifer Norwell/CBC)

Rick Zinger has beenfinishingthe outside of his rural home forthe last eight years.

The reason it's been taking him so long is he's building a castle.

The idea came after he was evacuated twice because of wildfires and wanted a home that would be basically fireproof.

Being stuck at home for the last year and a bit finally gave him the time to finish up the turret.

"I don't think at the time I thought, 'Oh this pandemic is great, I'm getting a lot more rock done.' I don't think I'd wish this pandemic on anything."

Zinger still has two more walls to finish before he'll complete his castle.

2. Creating your own instrument and calling it the bass banjo

Cooper Wendland has spent his pandemic creating a new instrument he calls a bass banjo. (Jenifer Norwell/CBC)

Cooper Wendland, 18,is spending his pandemic creating a new instrument.

After getting a free drum set from a local church, he set about designing an instrument he calls a bass banjo basically a mashup of a conventional stand-up bass with a banjo.

The teen wanted an affordable instrument to play with his family during their time at home during the pandemic.

"I thought it would be simple at the beginning. Just glue two drums together and then put a neck on it and you're basically done and really it's been a challenge every step of the way."

He developed new ways to connect the drums and has been using a 3D printer to create tuning pegs.

"It's been a little bit of suffering here and there and then every time I have a small success, there's a big high of 'Wow, look what I did.' "

He's finishing up a few last pieces and hopes to have it playable within the month.

3. Using old drink cans to heat your new home office

Clement Yeh has been cleaning, gluing, and spray-painting cans as part of his solar heater project. (Jenifer Norwell/CBC)

Like many people during the pandemic, Clement Yeh found himself working from home.

Rather than a cozy office, he ended up in an unheated garage.

He decided to tackle the problem with a DIY solution by creating a solar heater out of old beverage cans, recycled wood and an old glass door.

The heater attached to an exteriorwall works when the sun hits the canshe painted black and warms the air around them. Thatwarm air is thenpulled into the garage through a hole in the wall.

"It's very satisfying to fix things yourself or find solutions using recycled materials."

4. Creating your own homemade climbing holds out of recycled plastic

10-year-old Makena Fletcher worked with her mom, Erin, to create climbing hold by melting down No. 2 category plastic. (Jenifer Norwell/CBC)

Ten-year-old Makena Fletcher hasn't been able to pursue her passion for climbing since the start of the pandemic.

However, she's not letting that stop her from getting on the wall.

After researching the environmental costs of how conventional holds are made, Fletcherand her mom, Erin, decided to take on the challenge of making the pieces themselves.

Using No. 2plastic found in containers like milk jugs, they heat up enough plastic in a toaster oven.Once the plastic is warm, Erin shapes the plastic into the shape she wants using leather gloves dipping the hot plastic into sand for grip.

"My favourite part has probably been seeing how much joy it's brought to our kids and they get to climb at home and it's sort of given them a piece of their normal life back," Erin said.

5. Building a geodesic dome greenhouse during nap time

Victoria Kosciuw built a geodesic greenhouse last summer while her children were napping. (Jenifer Norwell/CBC)

Victoria Kosciuw started her pandemic project when her second child was just six months old.

Rather than settling for a standard greenhouse, she decided to design and build a geodesic dome complete with hydraulic heat vents.

"I was doing it during nap time so every day I'd get two hours maybe done on it ... but it was worthwhile doing it."

Outside the dome, she and her husband, John, have created covered garden boxes using bubbles reclaimed from an old ski chair lift.

They hope to grow tomatoes, melons, peppers and a few other warm-weather plants.


CBC is still looking to hear about your pandemic projects wherever you are in Canada. If you have a project you think would work for the series, email Kamloops@cbc.ca