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 their time to transform their home and hobbies. Here are some ideas from creative people in the Kamloops area of B.C.'s southern Interior featured in the CBC BC radio series, Pandemic Project.

1.  Finishing up a turret on your own castle 

Rick Zinger has been finishing the outside of his rural home for the 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, 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 

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 exterior wall works when the sun hits the cans he painted black and warms the air around them. That warm air is then pulled 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

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, Fletcher and her mom, Erin, decided to take on the challenge of making the pieces themselves. 

Using No. 2 plastic 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 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