Amanda Vernaci, DIY content creator spent three months transforming the lower level of her home into a hockey-inspired play area for her two young sons. The project cost around $17,000, but Vernaci says she has no regrets.For her, the value of watching her children enjoy the space was more important than worrying about what it might mean for the home’s resale value.
3 Jul 2026 | 12:38
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Speaking to People, Vernaci said the project was built around what her family enjoys most and the memories they are creating together.Vernaci, who runs the home improvement Instagram account, started after buying her first home. She and her husband had planned to hire professionals for several renovation projects. Those plans changed when the Covid pandemic began.ID@undefined Caption not available.ID@undefined Caption not available.ID@undefined Caption not available.
Building for her son
Today, much of Vernaci’s work is inspired by her two young sons. She said the family enjoys sports, and her boys have active imaginations that often spark new project ideas. “We’re very into sports, and they are just so much fun, and they have such imaginations,” she said.When the family moved into a second home that needed renovations, they knew they wanted to finish the basement. At that point, however, a hockey rink was not part of the plan. The idea developed gradually.During winter, her sons played mini hockey downstairs on the carpet using small sticks and nets. As their interest in the sport grew, they began asking for more. The first request was a penalty box.Vernaci bought a large rug designed to look like a hockey rink along with boards that could be clipped together. The family’s season tickets to the Detroit Red Wings only made the boys more excited about the sport.“We have season tickets to the Red Wings, so they’re immersed in it and they’re just wanting to be like these players,” she said.Soon, the games downstairs became more realistic. “This is so real to them. We sing the national anthem, and they go to the locker room, and they do all these things,” she said. “I’m like, ‘What if I could give them a real arena experience down here?'”
This ambitious DIY project cost approximately seventeen thousand dollars for her family. (Picture credit: Amanda Vernac)
Unlike many DIY projects, the basement hockey rink was not built from a detailed set of drawings. Vernaci said many people have asked her for building plans, but there are none.“People are like, ‘Where are the build plans? I want to build this.’ And I’m like, ‘I literally just survived to this point. I have no idea how to tell you how to do this.'”She had originally planned to build the rink boards herself but later decided to buy a board kit. She then added polycarbonate panels, installing them in a similar way to glass railings used on outdoor decks.Instead of thinking about the finished project all at once, she focused on completing one task at a time.“That’s how I’ve always done projects,” she explained. “It looks really big when you look at it, but if you just go to the very first step, it’s like, ‘Okay, just assemble these boards.'”
Home’s new value
The finished rink measures about 25 feet by 15 feet. According to Vernaci, the synthetic ice alone cost around $2,700, although she said people could reduce costs by using painted concrete, carpet or a rug instead.The most expensive part was the polycarbonate glass, which cost roughly $5,200 because she chose a thicker material that she hopes will last as her sons grow older. She estimates the entire project cost about $17,000.She also regularly shares cost breakdowns and lists of materials with her followers to help others understand where the money goes and where they could save.Some followers have questioned whether such a personalised project could affect the home’s resale value. Vernaci, however, says that is not her focus.“And I don’t know, I just get questions a lot of like, ‘Well, what about resale of your house and whatever?’ And it’s like, I’m looking in right now, and we’re just having so much fun,” she said.For her, the project is about creating memories and showing her children what dedication and hard work can achieve. She said she hopes those lessons stay with them long after the hockey games in the basement are over.Her sons already seem to believe there is little their mother cannot fix. Recalling a recent moment, Vernaci said one of her boys came home with a broken pair of sunglasses belonging to a classmate. “He was like, ‘I told her you’d fix them,'” she said.