Who says a woman can’t put in recessed lights or install a cooktop? Eden Jarrin had so much fun revamping her 1980s kitchen that she decided to turn her personal home improvement projects into a business that supports Janes-of-all-trades, www.bejane.com.

Although the rest of the house had a nice openness and flow, a half-wall blocked off the kitchen from the family room. Eden and her husband, Eddie, demolished the partition to make way for a kitchen island, which allows for gracious entertaining.

Eden had her doubts when she started smashing the half-wall. “I wondered, Do I know what I’m doing?” she admits. “Then we were done and it was easy!” She also ripped out the unappealing fluorescent light box in the ceiling. Eden installed the recessed halogen lights but let electricians do the more complex electrical wiring.

In any remodeling project, you also have to know when to hold ’em. Eden salvaged the existing cupboards with a multi-step paint and glaze treatment. Read on to see how.