“FALL HOME. IA

EN NE,

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Documenting a major

Deana Lancaster

News Reporter
deana@nsnews.com

SPEND an hour with
Natasha English and
you'll be convinced she’s
got what it takes to

Rock This House.

Thae’s the name of the tele-
vision pilot the North Van resi-
dent is filming around the
home she and her husband arc
living in with their baby.

It seemed like fate: they dis-
covered the dated Montroyal-
area home with the “Pepto-
Bismol pink” paint job for rent

_ onthe same day limited financ-

- ing came through for the show

English dreamed of producing.

*]_ wanted to do a funky

r/exterior home reno

show,” said the independent
producer. -

It’s designed to appeal to
viewers aged 25 to 45 buying
and redoing a home on a bud-
get. “Music is an integral part

¢ show,” she added. “It’s
‘going to be funk, funk, funk.
It’s home. reno entertainment.”

She also intended the show
to’ bea: vehicle for designers

id manufacturers to stiowcase
“their word or their products.

“But: it’s what. Phe didn*t
ptend ‘or: expéct that she’s
st excited about now.

it has all pulled rogetticr so
t. And I have these great vol-
unteers; and: sponsors.. “I just
ieve’ the community
‘and the connections that

‘have been made with this.”
'While® shopping ‘at"a local
“hardware “store she found Di
is, A North Vancouver
esident experienced in. faux

nishes and painting. Di intro-

‘duced -English ‘to’ her ‘talented .

‘daughter. artist Jaime Gervais;

nd the pair agreed to help her
project.

She found areno crew, pub-

NATASHA English relaxes in the

NEWS photo Pail McGrain

“toddler's room” of the home undergoing a

facelift for the pilot of her new show Flock This House. The room was painted by
North Van artist Jaime Gervais.

licist and production crew all
willing to donate their time to
turn her dream into a reality.

Nor to mention the design-
ers: Heather Nicol, Sally Mills
and Lori Billson, George
Murphy, Omer Selcuk, Yves
Boutin and Shelley. Sorensen
who worked to come up with a
plan for this old house.

The dark cedar walls were
stripped and pickled, the pink
paint gave way to creams and

. fawns, a. beautiful, textured

cream carpet was laid through-
out most of the home and par-
quet flooring was stripped and
refinished in the living room.
The bathroom was updated
with a2 new mirtor and paint,

and the kitchen also got.a new .

paint job and tiles, New door
ardware, lighting fixtures and

blinds completed the. transfor-
mation inside,’ while outside

“athe yard was landscaped and

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the front door repainted.

And local companies, clearly
catching on to English’s enthu-
siasm have provided materials
and advice every step of the
way.

“We had some suppliers
who wanted to rip our the old
stuff and replace it with brand-
new. “I would have loved it, 1
know, but this show, it’s about
what you can do on a budget
and chat didn’t fit.” /

Which is why English stayed
up all night stripping the lavers
of pink paint from the bannis-
ter, rather than replacing it, and
why she ended up dizzy on the
fumes from taking the finish off
the cedar walls in the basement.

Ir has clearly been a [nbour
of love for everyone involved in
the project and English believes
it’s only going to get better.

Episodes after the pilot are
going to feature homes sclect-

ed through a nation-wide con-
test. Entrants will pay $25, said
English, the proceeds from
which will go to charity.
Homes will be chosen for the
show, not only based on the
suitability of the property, but
also on the financial need of the
owners.

“I’m proud of the fact that
Rock This Howse is going to
help people,” said Engtish.

In fact, it already has. Litde
did the owners of the home

currently getting the facclift: -

know what they'd be English
when they agreed to let Englis
use it for her show.

She takes obvious delight in :

what she'll have left them with”
when she moves on.

But the real gift from ail of
this, she says, is to herself.

“I love what I’m doing.
Every day I wake up it’s like a
gift.”

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in the Home & Garden section of
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