As a young woman reared in a traditional Brooklyn family, Norma Vally often came home from part-time contracting jobs to disapproving looks from her elders. In their minds, Vally had been raised in a nice neighborhood and sent to a good college so she would “never have to get her hands dirty.”
But the freedom and accomplishment this “Toolbelt Diva” experienced after mastering a new construction skill was something the part-time singer and actress found impossible to shake. She now fuses all of those skills as host of the Discovery Home Channel series, “Toolbelt Diva,” and has released the book “Chix Can Fix: 100 Home-Improvement Projects and True Tales from the Diva of Do-It-Yourself” (Viking, $14.95).
Vally spoke to The Denver Post recently about what it’s like to be a fix-it female in a male-dominated industry.
Q: Were you always interested in home improvement?
A: I was always a tomboy, and I liked to do projects around the house with my dad. On the weekends we would change the filter on the boiler or we’d go up and inspect the roof. And then there was a certain point (after I moved out) where I was living in a very old home in Brooklyn. My grandfather had purchased it in the 1950s and it was already 50 years old. There were plenty of projects that needed to get done, so I just decided to take them on.
Q: When did you opt to make home improvement a career?
A: I used to model, and I was a professional singer. I would go (abroad) to sing for a season and then I’d come back. My cousin is a general contractor. He started to give me tips and techniques. Then one day he was short a man on a job and he asked me to come down. We renovated a bathroom. That was great because we gutted the bathroom and took it down to the studs. I learned how to rough new plumping and put walls and fixtures in. I ended up doing that on and off for about 10 years.
Q: Were you taken seriously as a contractor?
A: Initially (people) never thought I was there to do work. They thought I was bringing coffee or I was my cousin’s girlfriend or I was the designer. A lot of people imagined that I would get harassed, but I never did. (The crew) was shocked to see me at first, because I don’t look like the type of person that would be swinging a hammer. Then when they saw me put down my bucket full of tools, they respected that I was there to work.
Q: Do you still feel singled out?
A: Lately, there’s been an extremely fast-moving trend toward women who want to use tools and do projects on their own. They’re buying homes, and they want to be able to take control of their homes. Maybe it’s because of budget or because they’re not comfortable having a stranger come into their homes to work. It’s also very hard to find somebody to come into your home to do small projects. Like, who’s going to hang your ceiling fan? Or who’s going to caulk your tub? When you have a leaky faucet, you call a plumber? You would have to spend between $75 and $120 dollars just to say hello.
Q: What tips do you have for anyone who wants to learn more about home improvement but feels intimidated?
A: I think a person should get as much information as (he or she) can about a project before going shopping. Do your research. If you’re going to replace the knob on your toilet, bring the old handle to the store. Don’t just describe it.
It’s also very important that you start to build your tool arsenal. You need the right tool to get the job done. Unfortunately the tools marketed to women are more novelty than practical, and cheap tools break. There will always be another project to do. That’s just the nature of it. So invest the money you have in the best tools you can, and make sure you have all the materials and tools you need beforehand.
No one was born knowing how to do something. Everyone started with zero knowledge. It’s never too late to get started. With home improvement, like most things, start small and build from there.
Read more about Norma Vally at chixcanfix.com.
Home editor Elana Ashanti Jefferson can be reached at 303-954-1957 or ejefferson@denverpost.com.
