Alex “Mr. Build It” Mazhukhin’s home is a stunning reflection of personal labor—and love for family

A small golden retriever races out of the den and into the kitchen, leaving a little girl squealing with delight. We just got a puppy, says her father, padding barefoot after the dog. Its been exciting.

Its moments like these that make this dad, Alex Mazhukhin, stop and appreciate the life he has built, literally and figuratively. Alexs new home in a quiet suburb of Boise, Idaho, is the sixth that he has completely renovated. And hes invited America to watch along the way.

Moving On Up

For those uninitiated with Alexs special brand of relatable DIY savvy, know this: Hes a true self-made success story. Under the name Mr. Build It, Alex creates YouTube videos of him working on projects throughout the home, much to the delight of his nearly 900,000 followers. Its easy to see how he got so big. With a relaxed demeanor and zero ego (Im all about showing my mistakes to give people a realistic expectation, he says), Alex has learned everything he knows about building on his own and isnt afraid to admit it.

Its the kind of tenacity you might expect from this Russian immigrant who came to Idaho in his early 20s for medical school. The path he forged first took him to a career as a respiratory therapist at St. Lukes hospital in Boise. It also led him to his interior-designer wife, Irina, herself a Ukrainian emigre, in 2016. When we bought our first home, we were broke kids living off pennies and had no money for remodeling, says Alex.

His first project was building a simple industrial pipe-and-wood coffee table, a job he executed with sweat equity. From there, the thirst for bigger projects began as Alex binged YouTube how-tos and realized that he too could show others how hard work and shedding fear of failure are the key ingredients to getting any job done.

I had this false sense of confidence … it made me keep trying, he says. My strongest suit isnt building or designing, but having a high comfort level with failure.

Starting Fresh

A decade of skill-building has culminated in his latest achievement: rehabbing his current 3,000-sq.-ft. home where he, Irina and their three children (Jack, 11, Beckham, 10, and Harper, 4) have lived since last spring. Here, the intent was to create calming spaces that are refined and modern, yet still welcome the lively dashes of spontaneity that go hand in
hand with parenting.

Its with family lifeand a love of entertainingin mind that the Mazhukhins worked together to create their space. Alex did the gutting and building. Irina oversaw the interior-design aesthetic, from paint colors to furniture and fixture choices. She pushes the design further with tones, textures and shapes, says Alex. The result of their collaboration isnt just easy on the eyes; its incredibly personal.

This house has my favorite build Ive ever done, says Alex. Hes referring to a wooden structure in Harpers room; its a playhouse-meets-bed thats fit for a princess. Its designed so Harper can walk up a small staircase to reach a tower thats lit from above by LED lights that resemble twinkling stars.

Other projects in his new home that Alex tackled included gutting the kitchen to install a marble island and new counters and cupboards, in addition to shiplapping walls for visual appeal. Add to that a new fireplace, wooden bunk beds for his boys, a striking rafter ceiling in the primary bedroom and a refashioned laundry room, and youll think theres nothing Alex couldnt tackle.

These new builds are harbored in an unassuming yet relaxed sea of neutral tonesthe kitchen alone features three shades of Benjamin Moore whitethat were chosen by Irina for their ability to go with anything yet create subtle impact.

There is an outlier in the wash of neutrals, and thats the den. Its sheltered behind huge doors that were salvaged from a family barn. Saturated in deep green, this hideaway is a man-cave gentlemens hang, complete with a pool table, a TV for the
big games and a bearskin rug.

Unconventional Approach

To create the dozen YouTube videos that Alex publishes each month, he allocates an hour each morning to combing Pinterest. But by and large, when it comes to getting his hands dirty, Alex likes to shoot from the hip.

He doesnt create blueprints and rarely measures, opting to trust his eye. Still, there are certain things you have to know when you start a project, he cautions. Be aware of a homes structure, or which walls can be load-bearing.

Alex will soon apply his singular intuition to their latest labor of love: flipping a home into a stylish Airbnb in the Boise mountains. Theyve purchased the land but have no plans to uproot from their current home any time soon. Says Alex: This is the first home weve lived in where we truly have peace of mind.

Mr. Build Itcan be found on theAt Home With Family Handymanstreaming channel.At Homeis streaming now onSamsung TV Plus,XUMO,The Roku Channel,LG Channels,Plex,fuboTV,Sling Free, and theFamily Handyman app. Its also available oniOS, Apple TV,Android, AndroidTV, FireTV andRoku devices.