10 Women Renovators Who Empower Us to Pick Up the Sledge Hammer

Nikki Spracklin’s journey from a stay-at-home parent to a tradesperson is nothing short of inspiring. She’s never stood down from the challenge of building jaw-dropping renovations on the rugged terrain of Newfoundland.

Catch her doing what she does best alongside Randy Spracklin on HGTV Canada’s Rock Solid Builds.

Nicole Babb is the co-host of Styled with design BFF Caffery Vanhorne. She is also the founder of R&P Home, a family-owned and operated design firm created in 2015. With a keen eye for detail and a talent for creating beautiful spaces, Nicole has successfully escalated her company and created a name for herself in the industry.

The story behind the name R&P has pretty tasty and inspiring origins. “I have a line of Caribbean-inspired sauces called Rich and Pour Food Co. That business came first. I’ve always known that I wanted to build an empire, around the theme of home,”  she explains. “When we started the staging and design company, I thought it would be good to play off the words Rich and Poor. Our motto is to be rich with your investing and poor with your spending. From these concepts, we went with R + P Home.”

After relocating from Sudbury, ON to Nashville, TN in pursuit of a music career, this songbird found a different calling – flipping houses on Masters of Flip and Making it Home With Kortney and Kenny. A licensed relator and design pro, Kortney knows that if you want a job done, you sometimes have to do it yourself – even if it involves a crowbar and lot of dust.

Mandy Rennehan is the host of Trading Up With Mandy Rennehan, where she leads a team of apprentices through three stellar property overhauls in her beloved hometown of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. Mandy is also the CEO of Freshco (which she founded at age 19!), a retail maintenance and construction company.

With over 20 years of experience in the industry, Mandy is a seasoned expert in all aspects of the construction process and a true inspiration for underrepresented members of the trades.

Lifting up people (and crumbling foundations) is Erin’s mission on Home Town, where she and her woodworking husband, Ben, rehab old homes in small-town Mississippi with the hopes of revitalizing their community. Trained as a graphic designer, it’s her artist’s eye that makes her a whiz at imagining interiors and putting that sledgehammer in just the right place.

Debra Salmoni is the co-host and designer of Scott’s Vacation House Rules, where she helps Scott McGillivray transform run-down vacation properties into hot vacation rentals. With a background in interior design and a passion for travel, Debra brings a unique perspective to the world of renovation and design.

“I get so much design inspiration from travel, just being exposed to different cultures and colour palettes. It really helps me, seeing how different people use different spaces too. I’m like, ‘wow, that’s really interesting.’ Sure you can see it in magazines, but until you’re actually there and experiencing it, you don’t fully understand.”

While Save My Reno and Gut Job designer Samantha Pynn may be a whiz with a glue gun, she is also no stranger to a workshop and isn’t afraid to get in on some demo-action with her co-host Sebastian Clovis.

Sarah Baeumler is the co-host of the hit HGTV Canada series Island of Bryan, which follows her family’s journey as they renovate their Bahamian resort Caerula Mar Club and settle into their temporary home in Florida. With a background in interior design and a signature style, Sarah is an expert in creating beautiful and functional spaces that are both sleek and practical.

Sarah Richardson is the host of Sarah’s Mountain Escape, where she transforms a 5,000-square-foot Bavarian-inspired B&B in Whistler, BC into a luxury vacation retreat. With a career spanning over two decades, Sarah Richardson is one of the most well-known HGTV Canada design experts.

No stranger to house flipping, Christina Hall has filmed several seasons of Flip or Flop buying up rundown properties in LA and turning them into real estate gold. Whether it was cockroach infestations or kitchen demolitions, Christina was down to do what was needed to get top dollar. She’s also the host of Christina on the Coast and her latest HGTV’s series, Christina in the Country.