Want to save money on your renovation project?

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When Yvan Dutrisac decided to build a new kitchen, he knew that he would be undertaking a DIY project. What he didn’t imagine is that he would save an estimated $18,000 by purchasing materials at Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore.

Dedicated to building homes for low-income families, Habitat for Humanity creates opportunity for home ownership for those who may not otherwise be approved.

With 95 Canadian locations, two of which are in Ottawa, the ReStore offers a unique retail experience for those looking to renovate or redecorate their homes.

Items are donated to the store by individuals and businesses and include everything from tools, appliances and fixtures to lighting, furniture and paint. High quality, end of the line items are saved from the landfill and customers receive amazing products at low prices. The ReStore helps support the running of Habitat Greater Ottawa, so that the large portion of donations and fundraising efforts can go straight to help building new homes.

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Before and after: Yvan picked up everything from drywall to light fixtures at the ReStore, even finding the sheeting for his outside wall.


While his construction journey began in 2012, it wasn’t until June of 2014 that Yvan started to build his new dream kitchen. He spent those two years collecting materials, many of which came from the ReStore. “I would always hop over to have a look and check everything out. I have a big garage so I used it to store materials until I needed them.”

For him, shopping at the ReStore was the perfect situation. “With its connections to big box stores, there’s sometimes floor models or discontinued items from big brands, as well as left over paint and tiles. I bought all my drywall, sheeting for the outside wall, sliding doors and windows, an exterior lamp, venting, interior doors, ceramic backsplash and a brand new dishwasher. I even managed to get a brand new Ikea kitchen for less than half price!”

No stranger to pitching in and getting his hands dirty, Yvan, born and raised on a farm, did almost everything himself for the 20′ x 11′ extension to his St. Laurent area home. Aside from digging the foundations and some plumbing and electrical work, Yvan single-handedly tackled every other part of this ambitious project. Semi-retired, his varied career has included going to art school, teaching high school and college, doing carpentry and driving a forklift, so undertaking this kitchen project was just another challenge.

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Yvan Dutrisac picked up everything from drywall to light fixtures at the ReStore, even finding the sheeting for his outside wall.


By being patient and visiting both of the two Ottawa locations often, Yvan was able to find a granite countertop that fit his space perfectly. “The style of my kitchen was slightly dictated by what was available at the ReStore, but I had a plan and had to measure everything exactly to make sure it would fit. Every inch and every centimetre counts. I did the architecture drawings myself so I knew how important it was that I made sure what I was buying would fit the space.”

Shopping at the ReStore meant that his granite countertop cost 20 per cent of what it would have normally cost.

For Yvan, the benefits at shopping at ReStore were huge. “It’s a non-profit organization, so on top of discounted pricing you don’t pay tax.” He also appreciated the loyalty card. “If you spend more than $25 on five occasions and get your card stamped, the next time you go in you get 25 per cent off your purchase,” a perk he made sure to take advantage of, timing large purchases to save even more on his project.



Yvan is using his new-found knowledge to complete small projects for clients and is still a loyal ReStore customer. “Recently I found an incredible designer sink for a client for $275 and it retails for $700!”

Now that his own kitchen is finished, he plans to focus on his backyard, which has been neglected during the construction. Ambitious plans for the space include a new patio at the back and a pizza oven – all built by him and using items purchased at the ReStore where possible.

“ReStore is the perfect situation for saving, and aside from that, you can really find some original stuff you wouldn’t be able to find elsewhere. I recommend dropping by to see before you go to a big box store. Everyone there is very nice and friendly, and you never know what you might find. To achieve the same quality I have achieved if I’d been using regular stores and an outside construction company, my kitchen project would have cost $110,000-$120,000. Mine cost $42,000. I saved a lot on labour by working on it myself, but I also managed to save $18,000 on materials, thanks to the ReStore.”

Habitat Greater Ottawa has two ReStore locations, 768 Belfast Rd. and 7 Enterprise Ave. For more information please visit http://www.habitatgo.com. You can also search hfhrestore on Kijiji.ca to see some of the stock online.

This story was produced by Content Works on behalf of Habitat Greater Ottawa for commercial purposes. Postmedia’s editorial departments had no involvement in the creation of this content.

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