Homeowner develops DIY site

Some kids dream of toys or pets. Bruno Bornsztein wanted a house.

"My parents came from Argentina in 1982, the year I was born, and they were in school, so we lived in student housing," he said. "I was really envious of friends who had an actual house. It seemed like something to aspire to."

When he was 11, he got his wish; his parents bought a house. "I was so excited to have my own room," he said. And as soon as he could, while he was still a college student, Bornsztein bought a house of his own. It was old and needed a lot of work, but that was fine with him. "I don't like the idea of buying a house in move-in condition and living with somebody else's choices," he said. "The idea was to buy something we could fix up."

Only he didn't know how to fix things up, so he turned to the Internet, seeking tips on how to refinish wood, how to retile a bathroom, how to do basic plumbing.

Gradually, Bornsztein, with his wife, Alicia, transformed their St. Paul house into a stylish, comfortable nest for themselves and their toddler, Ayla. "I had a drive to make this house better," he said. And along the way, he turned that drive into a new career as a Web entrepreneur and publisher.

His DIY home-improvement site Curbly (www.curbly.com) is one of several sites he's created; he's also published two how-to books, "Make It! Mid-Century Chic" and "Make It! Secondhand Chic."

Making it yourself is what Curbly and Bornsztein are all about. "The core idea of Curbly is that your home should be a beautiful expression of your personality," he said. "A lot of design sites are about purchasing things. It's pretty expensive, and it's about one predetermined style. Your home should be an expression of who YOU are."

On Curbly, you won't find many products; instead, you'll find blogs, articles and videos about how to make an ottoman, citronella candles or a midcentury modern birdhouse. "It's an opportunity to interact and contribute ideas," Bornsztein said. "There are a lot of crafty DIY people out there, but now you hear from them -- they post stuff. I think it's really cool, like peeking into people's homes."

Bornsztein, who studied journalism, was working as a Web developer when he and a friend dreamed up Curbly. "We wanted something that was ours," he said. At the time, Bornsztein was immersed in his own home-improvement projects, so he zeroed in on the idea of an online social network for DIY-minded homeowners like himself. "It was the height of the housing boom," he said. "Every time you turned on cable TV, you'd see a design show."

He and his friend brainstormed to come up with a name. "When starting a website, it's important to pick a name that's memorable but not that common," he said. They finally coined "Curbly." "It's a little like an adjective, to embody the spirit of curb appeal," he said. "People use it that way, like 'that's a curbly project.'"

Bornsztein started blogging about his own projects, and invited others to join the conversation. His friend/partner dropped out, but Bornsztein persisted. Now Curbly has a small paid staff of primary contributors, plus 5,000 registered members.

"Our demographic skews a little female, about 60/40," he said, with most members between ages 25 and 45. "It's a lot of people in their first home, plus some college students with apartments. They aren't going to hire an interior decorator. They're interested in what they can do to make [their homes] better."

Bornsztein has since launched other Web communities, including ManMade (www.man madediy.com), a crafting site targeted to men. "Most crafting sites are women-dominated," Bornsztein noted. But ManMade has a definite guy persona, from its wood-grain graphics to its projects (how to make a bike rack) to its quirky tips ("5 Unique Ways to Open a Beer").

Then there's Wee Baby Stuff (www.wee babystuff.com), which was born right before baby Ayla was. Bornsztein's wife, Alicia, does much of its research and posting, such as product information and DIY projects: how to make teething biscuits or magnet flowers like the ones that decorate the wall above Ayla's crib. "We took what was happening in our lives, and turned it into sharing," Bornsztein said.

Now Bornsztein makes his living almost entirely from his websites' advertising and publishing revenues. (He still takes on occasional contract work, and Alicia is a full-time teacher.) "I'm thrilled it's been able to work," he said.

The plus side of working for himself? "I get to work from home and write what I want to write about. I think the stuff I'm doing is a good thing. It helps people interested in their homes with DIY. That's a rewarding thing."

The downside? "You're always responsible," he said. "If the website goes down, you're losing money. We went on our honeymoon two years ago, and I was constantly on the phone. In Italy, I had to find a coffeeshop and get the server back up. It sucked. It's a trade-off. I do juggle a lot of things."

Kim Palmer • 612-673-4784