The Ice Man Buildeth

Although hes best known for his 90s musicwho doesnt remember Ice, Ice, Baby?pop-music icon Vanilla Ice is also a successful real-estate entrepreneur and a remodeling expert with more than 15 years of hands-on home-improvement experience. Rob Van Winkle, Ices given name, first began remodeling with his own 15,000-sq.-ft. mansion in Miami Beach. That led to nearly two decades of real estate investments and renovations to flip houses for profit.

Last fall, a DIY Network reality show called The Vanilla Ice Project followed Van Winkle and his crew of contractors as they renovated a 7,000-sq.-ft. Palm Beach mansion. In each episode, Van Winkle pounded nails, tiled shower walls and called the shots in a room-by-room renovation that featured the latest in modern home features and technology. Sister network HGTV recently aired an encore presentation of the first season, and the second season of The Vanilla Ice Project will debut on the DIY Network in October 2011.

Reality shows may be notoriously low on reality, but during a recent chat with

Tell us about your first home remodeling project. My first renovation was my home of 11 years, a 15,000-sq.-ft., 12-bedroom bachelor pad on Star Island in Miami with purple and green rooms and red walls. I was young and inexperienced in home decoration and renovation when I first moved in. It felt like I was living in a huge nightclub. I hated it. Its true that colors can make you feel uncomfortable, so I completely changed it to earth tones, and made it into a home that felt like a home. After finishing the renovation of this first home, I decided to sell it, which resulted in a very profitable return on my investment. It was at that moment I realized I enjoyed the process of buying low, renovating within a budget by doing the work on my own, and then selling high.

How did you learn about interior design? I started by reading design magazines and books and going to seminars. I learned how not to make the design so personal but to appeal to the demographics of the people who would buy the house. I had so much fun doing it that it consumed me. I like the gratification of it, sitting back, crossing my arms and looking at it, thinking, Wow, I did that! Its a proud moment.

Did you learn the nuts and bolts of remodeling? I can get in there and swing the hammer! I got a lot of hands-on experience by hiring a guy and being over his shoulder the whole time, learning from him and asking him questions.

What was the hardest thing to learn how to do? Plumbing, like sweating lines, was very difficult in the beginning.

What has surprised you about the remodeling business and been difficult to deal with? Not much now! Throughout the past 15 years, I ran into the hurdles I had to, but now I know the processes so nothing can surprise me. I dont really buy homes that are older [and have problems], but I have had a few condos where they hired unlicensed electricians. You see it right away when they open the wallsbut Ive got master electricians to come in and fix that. For TV, we create a bit of drama, but theres really no job thats going to shock me.

What aspect did you find you had a natural talent for? I like the decorative side. I hired many [female designers] and learned from them about designearth-tone colors, travertine tiles, toilets. You would never even think that there are so many toilet designs! You have to have some sort of direction to make the overall picture come together, not just a bunch of sweaty guys. They know how to build and construct but you have to give them a direction, which is what I do.

What are your favorite design elements, especially in kitchens and baths? I like to use new materials and modern, high-tech features in homes. I get a thrill by finding a really different Jacuzzi tub, for example, or even figuring out how to design for small spaces. I get excited about hidden fridges and dishwashers, soft-close, pneumatic cabinet drawers and doors, high-tech lazy susans, and undermount sinks in the bath because they are easy to clean. Little stuff like that, I love it.

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The Ice Man Buildeth