St. Andrews woman goes Hollywood with home reno

St. Andrews woman goes Hollywood with home reno
Christine Giroux gets fitted with a microphone from a crew member of All For Nothing.

Christine Giroux has got herself in a real pickle.

The St. Andrews resident has agreed to appear on All For Nothing – a national TV show that appears on the Women’s Network and Oprah Network.

The premise is simple enough: renovate a part of your home in an effort to increase its value. The catch is that you are competing against another homeowner who’s trying to best your efforts.

And it gets even worse. Competitors have to keep the costs of the project to a minimum because they are judged on how frugal they can be.

Giroux is looking for free labour and donations to help with things like new cabinet installation, appliance upgrades and painting.

When was the last time you ripped out your kitchen and replaced everything with little to no cost involved? Like we said – it’s a pretty big pickle.

“Am I crazy or what?” the bubbly 34-year-old said in an interview from her home. “The whole purpose of this is to increase the value of your home without using a lot of money.”

Demolition of her kitchen begins Sunday, and a two-week construction will ensue. She’ll be taped by a film crew thoroughout the project.

New episodes are set to air in January, said producers of the show, who are shooting segments in and around Cornwall.

“We’ve had much success with renovations in the Ottawa area,” said series producer, Lisa Nault. “Participating homeowners have raised their homes’ values by an average of $27,000 in just two weeks with average expenses of only $2,600. We can’t wait to see what the homeowners of Cornwall can accomplish in the All For Nothing competition.”

Armed with advice from the show’s real estate agent, Paul Rushforth, and design plans from designer Penny Southam, homeowners will perform their home make-over.

The winner receives a commission-free listing with Rushforth.

Giroux will head to Ottawa Nov. 25 to find out how she stacked up against her competition.

Giroux is having a fundraising event Nov. 3 at la Maison in Cornwall which includes a performance by Switchgear. She is also hoping that local businesses can help sponsor her with dontaions she will include for a raffle that evening. She can also be found on Facebook at “Join Team Christine” and by e-mail at jointeamchristine@hotmail.com.

-With Seaway News files.

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