Por Catherine Spearnak

Bankers Hill couple starts DIY remodeling business

Christy and Drew Heiskala are in the business of saving homeowners’ sanity.

The La Mesa couple just opened their new remodeling business, DIY with Pro Help, in Bankers Hill for those who want to take on remodeling projects themselves (Do It Yourself) but need professional help (Pro Help).

The couple helped Erin Clark when she wanted to demolish and reconstruct her bathroom.

“I knew I could do a lot of the work myself, but I couldn’t do everything,” she said.

She had painted her Santee home, done some minor electrical work, painted all her kitchen cabinets, and even installed plantation blinds.

“They are pretty heavy and unwieldy, but I got it done,” she said.

But when it came to demoing her bathroom, Clark knew she needed help. That’s when she heard about the Heiskalas and DIY with Pro Help. She said Drew, a licensed general contractor, helped her create an accurate timeline, and helped with the bathroom demolition, including plumbing and tiling.

“It’s a great hybrid experience between doing it yourself and having someone come in,” she said. “I am now confident that if I want to put in ceramic flooring in the future, I would be able to do that. I didn’t have that confidence before.”

There were a few common encounters that drove the Heiskalas to start DIY with Pro Help. First, Drew would spend an exorbitant amount of time giving quotes — as much as five hours at a time — to ultimately not get the job. Then they found that many of their clients often wanted to do the work themselves to save money, but they didn’t know how.

“Homeowners can do more harm than good if they try to DIY on their own,” Drew said.

He found himself competing with home remodeling shows like HGTV and videos found on YouTube. By teaching homeowners to do projects firsthand, the Heiskalas found a niche.

“This is the way the general contracting business is going,” Christy said. “Now all the shows make people [believe] they can do their remodeling on their own.”

So the couple decided to go against the general wisdom of general contracting and only doing projects they bid for and won, and help homeowners with their own remodeling projects.

Lauren Gaggioli and her husband were among their first clients.

“My husband and I really enjoy DIY projects, but we didn’t know what to do if we got in a pinch,” she said.

They had purchased a 1,100-square-foot, two-bath condo in Carlsbad and knew it needed some work. They managed to paint the whole 1983 condo, but came up short when it came to tiling the bathroom and replacing the windows.

“I felt like the house wasn’t complete,” she said. “We didn’t have finished features.”

Drew taught them to tile their master bathroom in a few hours, and they were able to complete the job.

“Honestly, Drew was so helpful and so patient. We had some really long days and the proof of his quality work is that we asked him for a quote for the rest of the house,” she said.

DIY with Pro Help charges $75 an hour for teaching homeowners to do their own work. The couple’s new storefront, where in addition to remodeling work, they offer décor, salvage and architecture services, is located at 1851 Fifth Ave. between Elm and Fir streets in Bankers Hill.

Gaggioli said she and her husband initially never planned to DIY, but when they saw the savings it would produce, they decided to have a hand in their remodeling.

“We figured it was time to stress-test our marriage,” said Gaggioli of her 30-year-old relationship. The two have been married two years. “I think our communication improved. And it was a fun and learning experience as well.”

—Contact Catherine Spearnak at Catherine.spearnak1@gmail.com.