Rather than just reaching for the TV remote, many residents stuck at home during the pandemic are instead rolling up their sleeves and grabbing a hammer, paintbrush or wrench.

“My toilet was running — which turned into completely redoing the master bath,” said Melissa Thompson of Cody. “It’s what happens when your life cancels and you get bored.”

The sudden halt to busy schedules allowed some homeowners to tackle projects they wouldn’t have otherwise.

As the owner of Thompson Portrait Studio, Thompson describes herself as “a creative maker at heart.” Everything on her schedule for two solid months involved gatherings of more than 10, events with schools and dance academies — and it was all canceled.

“I needed things to occupy my hands, so I picked up the tool bag and paintbrushes,” Thompson said. “Getting all of the nagging projects finished has been a great use of my time and has made this easier on me.”

She said she’s less stressed about losing so much business when she can look around and see what she’s accomplished in that time.

Other homeowners also see silver linings.

“Being quarantined has been a gift!” said Clari Torres of Powell. “Before the virus, we were so busy and tired.”

Her husband, Joel Torres, worked long hours, “so the house was always pushed to the back burner so we could prioritize our relationship and family time with our 12-year-old daughter Jazlyn,” she said.

Renovations have continued over the past three years, with the help of family and friends. In addition to new siding and a new roof, the house has received 38 new electrical fixtures, 75 new sheets of sheetrock and 14 new windows.

Now, “we might actually finish it, thanks to the quarantine!” Clari Torres said.

She enjoys home improvement projects, as she likes “to see ugly things be transformed into beautiful things.”

“However, I am so anxious to be finished with these kinds of projects and just enjoy the results,” Torres said.

Stacey and Joe Atkinson of Powell had completed most of their kitchen remodel before the new coronavirus hit, but still had bits and pieces to finish. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in September, which set the couple back on completing the project.

“Since the COVID outbreak and me completing chemo and radiation, we are slowly plugging away at the little things,” Stacey Atkinson said.

As they finish up trim work, lighting fixtures and other details, the couple is also getting ready to paint the outside of their home, which they bought in October 2018. They also hope to overhaul the backyard.

“Being stuck at home, at least for my husband, has allowed him to work on these things,” Atkinson said, though Joe is still working at Northwest College.

She does as much as her strength allows. Atkinson has been homebound since December since she’s immunocompromised and was undergoing treatment.

“So let's just say I've been in training for a while now for the quarantine and social distancing,” she quipped.

Other residents weren’t expecting to be homebound this spring, but they’ve made the most of the extra time.

In recent weeks, Levi Asay has worked on projects at both his home and workplace, Big Horn Basin Hearing and Speech in Cody.

“We definitely wanted to get the office repainted,” he said. “I scrambled to get paint and rollers ahead of time in case we were put on lockdown.”

They’ve been posting video updates on the office’s Facebook page so patients can see the changes around the business.

“While it’s been disappointing to have work slow down, we are so grateful for the opportunity to improve our business and home while we have had some forced down time,” Asay said.

He and his wife, Brittany Asay, are now working on refinishing the basement at their Cody home.

When Powell schools’ spring break was extended due to COVID-19, “that was the deciding factor” for Mike and Tina Heny to tile the shower in their master bathroom —- a project they had talked about doing for a while, Mike said.

“It was a really good project to focus on because it is very time consuming and I was able to really take my time to ensure everything turned out the way I wanted it to,” he said.

Similarly, Vin and Lisa Cappiello of Cody had home improvement projects they talked about for a year or two and “would always say we would get to it when we had time,” he said.

“We painted the bathroom during Powell’s spring break and just kept going the first two weeks of the quarantine,” Vin Cappiello said.

He teaches English and journalism at Powell High School, while his wife teaches fifth grade in Cody.

While the couple has stayed busy with online instruction, Cappiello said the house projects “provided a break from those demands.”

“What was going to be one-two simple coats of paint morphed into a multi-room overhaul,” he said. “Now my old ‘man cave’ is an office, and a catch-all spare room serves as a reading/teaching space.”

Their home was built in 1946, and its interior walls are rough in spots, “so spackle, Kilz and re-texturing usually are involved in any paint project,” Cappiello said.

It’s rewarding to see the end result.

“We thoroughly enjoy these projects because when we’re sitting in that improved space sipping coffee or enjoying happy hour, we feel as if we’ve accomplished something to be proud of,” he said.