Jody Minns's Stories: ‘No Demo Reno’ Reveals How To Renovate Without Wrecking Your House

Ever wish you could make over your home without bashing down walls or running up huge bills? A new HGTV show, “No Demo Reno,” will teach you all the tricks you need to know.

The show stars Jennifer Todryk, a mom of three who first attracted attention by showing off her own home’s DIY projects on her blog, The Rambling Redhead. From there, she started upgrading other people’s houses—all for modest budgets and in record time—some of which appear on “No Demo Reno.”

In the episode “Hello Yellow,” Todryk helps two sets of clients in Dallas: a family with three kids whose toys have taken over the house, and a woman hoping to revamp her space for entertaining.

With budgets of $70,000 and $40,000, respectively, Todryk will need to spend wisely to make each upgrade count. Here’s how she gives these homes a total overhaul with minimal effort, which might inspire some ideas around your own abode, too.

Use the space under the stairs

This living room looked more like a day care.
HGTV

When Todryk first walks into Nick and Ashley‘s home, she’s surprised to see toys all over. She decides that she could use the space under the stairs to create a special hiding spot for the kids’ items, which could help to create less clutter in the main living area.

“This will become a space where all the toys will live,” Todryk says of the space, “which means Nick and Ashley’s front room will no longer look like a day care.”

play closet — This closet makes for a perfect playhouse.
HGTV

Lots of homes have unused square footage under the stairs, and while not every homeowner needs a cool kid cave, this space could serve many needs, such as a walk-in pantry or a toolshed.

French doors with windows create some privacy for a home office

These days, designers are always breaking down doors and walls, but Todryk surprises her team when she decides to install a wall, and French doors, for Ashley and Nick.

With three kids, it’s difficult for Ashley to work from home. Although she has a designated office space, there’s no privacy, and it’s hard for her to be productive.

“Ashley has no walls around the space she is using as her office,” Todryk says, “which is a big problem working from home with three noisy kids. So by building some walls and installing the French doors, this will allow Ashley to work in peace, while still being able to keep an eye on her kids.”

When the project is finished, the office looks great. The glass doors give Ashley clear sightlines into the playroom, while blocking out noise. Now, it’s a perfect work-from-home space.

Use bright colors in small doses

dining table — Jennifer Todryk knew this dining space could use some color.
HGTV

Nick loves the color yellow, and Todryk wants to include some without having it seem too loud. She chooses to put up a delicate yellow printed wallpaper behind the dining table.

The wallpaper gives the room an unobtrusive tint of yellow—just enough to bring in some of Nick’s favorite color without overpowering the room.

“I was, like, ‘Where can I put yellow in this house in a subtle way versus, like, a big, you know, stripe,’” Todryk explains.

Get rid of that two-level counter

With Ashley and Nick’s house looking great, Todryk meets a new client, Debbie, who wants to make her house feel more stylish and better suited to entertaining.

While Debbie says she likes her two-tiered kitchen peninsula, Todryk knows that a flat surface would be more practical.

“By simply revamping the space with an oversized, single-level countertop with bar seating, I can create a real sense of harmony,” Todryk says.

Lowering this top tier of the counter makes the kitchen feel much more open, and provides lots more space for guests sitting at the bar.

All-white decor can be bland

This fireplace was finished with simple floor tile.
HGTV

Opening up Debbie’s kitchen helps make her space feel more welcoming, but Todryk also wants to make the rest of the home look nicer. Her decision: to update the bland white fireplace with some color.

She explains that putting some color into a space, instead of settling for white on white on white, can open up possibilities for decor, because “then you can switch things in and out, and you’re not tied to just one color scheme.”

When the fireplace is finished, it looks great. The new tile feels fresh, and it gives Debbie an opportunity to change and update her decor in the years to come.