Instagram DIY star Kyle Ortiz does every home project and fix-it with his family in mind.
Leaving a Legacy: An Inside Look at DIY Influencer Kyle Ortiz’s Home
Kye Ortiz grew up with a “toolbox dad”—meaning, “If it couldn’t be done with a screwdriver, a wrench, a hammer and some nails, then he wouldn’t do it. He’d call somebody,” says Ortiz.
The San Bernardino, California, father of three admits that, while his dad was amazing, he wasn’t a role model who would show him how to pull up his bootstraps and take on projects around the house. But something Ortiz did have was the ambition to learn things on his own—and the passion to provide for his family.
So he did just that, starting with upcycling an old table when he bought his first home in 2002. Today, the 32-year-old can do that and so much more, including gutting entire rooms, building walls and installing flooring. Meanwhile, fans are coming in droves: Ortiz has grown an Instagram (@kyledidit) following of 162,000, thanks to his engaging how-to reels and cool-guy-next-door nature. (Fittingly, his trademarked tagline is “aggressively relatable.”)
Starting with a blank slate
Ortiz currently lives in what he refers to as “an average builder-grade home,” his third family residence in 10 years. This particular abode is different from the others; it marks a true coming-of-age for him, his wife, Amanda Ortiz; and children (Jonah, 10, Emma, 7, and Samson, 4). He’s done more than ever before in this home. And from day one of moving in—in 2020—he’s captured it on video.
“My first-ever post on Instagram was a video of me standing in front of a storage pod in the driveway and I was like, “Hey
I’m Kyle … let’s do this.”
From there, he tackled the first project that needed attention: repainting the joint. At the same time, Ortiz made the gutsy decision to leave his longtime corporate job as an analyst for a utility company and make a living from brand content partnerships. “It was a big leap for me to leave the job,” Ortiz admits.
Seizing life by the paintbrush, he began work based on one of his main DIY philosophies: “If you hate the room, you probably hate the color of it.” So he took what was nearly every wall covered in an “Olive Garden brown,” and turned them into clean slates. To brighten up the space, he went with a pretty warm white, Sherman Williams’ Greek Villa.
He also did another easy lift by changing all the light bulbs from cool to warm. “It’s a simple switch anyone can do—and it makes a whole lot of difference,” he says.
The kitchen was a sea of espresso-hued cabinets, which was bringing down the vibrancy of the space, so he painted those a green Jack Pine color from Benjamin Moore. Even the granite countertop got the paintbrush treatment: Ortiz gave it a fresh sheen using neutral-colored paint in an effort to keep it an appealing contrast with the green cabinets.
Sustainability first
Ortiz grew up in a budget-conscious family and admits that when he married Amanda and they had Jonah, they were trying to be as scrappy as possible. In fact, that’s largely what led him to begin building his DIY skills in the first place.
Little has changed since. His approach to any job is still to do it inexpensively and, most importantly, sustainably. “I try to show people that if you can save it, you can reuse it,” he says.
To wit: For a recent brand partnership, he was tasked with redoing his laundry room and installing a utility sink. He tore out most of the room, but saved what he could, including the cabinetry, which he repainted instead of tossing, even though he had enough in the budget.
“We live in a 10-year-old home. In that kind of situation, no matter who you are, you don’t need a sledgehammer—you need a screwdriver,” Ortiz muses with a laugh. He adds, “If you don’t want something that’s in your house, another person will. And in the small chance no one wants it, you can donate it to a local Habitat for Humanity ReStore. I always want to remind people to be mindful of how much they’re consuming, and how as a society we tend to destroy something just to make a space look different. I try to teach my children those values.”
All for the family
In the spirit of work-with-what-you-got, Ortiz got creative when assessing how to redesign his children’s bedrooms.
“Jonah has a closet, but he’s not a hanger-of-clothes,” Ortiz admits. “So we transformed it into something more usable for him to match the way he puts things away.”
Ortiz kept the hanging space, adding a second-level rod, but installed a built-in dresser with six drawers—which is actually two Ikea dressers, one stacked atop the other. And with reusing in mind, he took off the sliding doors and did a hack by hanging hinges, turning them into more user-friendly swinging doors.
In Emma’s room, he really played into her personality. The elementary schooler wanted a place to put pictures of her friends, party invitations and even the school lunch calendar. So he installed a corkboard where she can pin whatever she likes. “She just wants to look up and know when pajama day at school is,” Ortiz says with a chuckle. A budding artist, Emma was happy when Dad also put up a chalkboard wall. And while Emma is now “over” the pink she once requested, Ortiz says he has no problem slapping on some fresh paint.
In 4-year-old Samson’s room, Ortiz painted a whimsical mural of mountains on the wall. “There are only so many years when that works,” he says. “I am open to changing it.” Now, as baby goes through toddlerhood, Ortiz is considering painting the walls yellow, Samson’s favorite color.
Together, the family spends a lot of free time in the kitchen. There are four big island seats that give bird’s-eye views of the range and stovetop. “I love to cook so it’s fun to gather around there in the evenings,” says Ortiz. He also mentions the upstairs living room as a hangout space for movie and game nights.
Other spaces in the home have required a lot more planning, ingenuity and, above all, gut instinct. A front closet-turned-drop zone is one example, as is a completely rebuilt home office that the couple shares.
Looking ahead
Ortiz has built both his home and business on the simple premise of being himself and working with what he has. “I encourage everyone to pick projects that will have a high impact on their quality of life,” he asserts.
Having established a foundation, Ortiz plans to keep growing his DIY business and to continue inspiring and educating homeowners on what endeavors they can take into their own hands—and think outside the toolbox.
Above all, Ortiz is a father and husband first, and knows what joy it brings his family to see his videos. He considers each and every clip as leaving a legacy—something for the kids to look back on and say, “Can you believe my dad once did this?”
Having a home that’s reflective of who they are as a family will always be the most important thing for Ortiz. “I don’t design my house for future people. I don’t know those people … it’s not my concern,” he says. “At the present moment, this very day I want to live in a house that I like. A space to work in and relax in, and something that really feels like home. This does it for me. I’m so happy to be here.”
