How a Mentor Woman Won a $75,000 Home Makeover

Though Paula Bielfelt sees her family, dogs and house every day, she has them to thank for helping her win  a $75,000 home makeover.

Biefelt is the winner of CertainTeed Corp.'s 2013 Living Spaces Facebook Home Makeover Video Contest. As a result, her Hart Street home is getting a new roof, siding, porch, deck and more from Willoughby-based RJK Construction, a 100 percent credentialed provider of CertainTeed products. 

Biefelt won top honors after getting her friends and CertainTeed's 11,000-plus Facebook fans to vote her Laverne & Shirley-inspired video, "Sclemeel schlemazel," into the top 10. From there, CertainTeed judges voted for Biefelt's video, which features the Mentor resident's two dogs who share the names in the title of the popular '70s television show.

"What we were looking for was creative, upbeat and entertaining videos," said Judi Ann Moore, CertainTeed's manager of marketing and communications. 

Here's how Biefelt created the winning video:

• First, she took the advice of her friend of 30 years, Chris Austin, who told her about the contest. Biefelt admitted, "you can only do so much work," so she had no problem poking fun at her home's exterior on camera.

• To that end, she allowed her 12-year-old son Stroyer to star in the video, who asked if "mom fell off the roof again." He followed that query by noting the chipped paint and pointing out that a dog fell in the porch's hole.

• Laverne and Shirley didn't think highly of the exterior and expressed as much through voiceovers. Biefelt believes the dogs' appearance was key in her victory. "Who doesn't like talking dogs?" she said.

• Biefelt's mother, Marylyn, plays the role of "Nagging Nana," playfully criticizing the porch's condition as she would in real life.

• Paula's social networking skills ensured that Marylyn, who has been a Mentor resident for 48 years, will soon have no complaints about the home's exterior. "The thing was to get as many of your family and friends as you could to vote," Paula said. "I was working it like a politician seeking re-election."