TikTok Famous Tulsa Couple Transforming Lives With Free Home Remodeling Projects

A Tulsa couple has a huge following on social media for their hacks on do-it-yourself projects and home remodeling. Now, they are using their platform to give back to people and changing lives with acts of kindness along the way. 

It’s hard to miss the bright blue and green home in a Tulsa neighborhood near Apache and MLK. There are giant yellow sunflowers and vibrant fuchsia flowers in the garden. 

Those bright colors match Latrice Iiland’s colorful personality.

“I was getting a haircut,” Nik Stophel said. 

Stophel sat down in Iiland’s salon chair a few months ago. Small talk led to a deeper conversation about her home and her recent misfortune. 

“She said your house is on fire,” Iiland told Stophel. “I mean, you don’t want to hear your house is on fire or somebody died.” 

Iiland arrived home earlier this year to find her house destroyed. 

“It consumed the whole back of this house right up into the second floor,” she said. 

She soon found out insurance wouldn't help much. And then, she said, a roofing company scammed her. So she had no choice but to try to remodel herself. 

Iiland began chipping away at the home and lived in a tiny section in the back while trying to do other projects upstairs. 

“I lived in here,” she said. “I put the floor in, the walls, the ceiling. It took me three weeks, and I lived in this room.” 

“This is a closet I turned into a bathroom, a shower,” she showed News On 6. 

For months, that is how Latrice survived. “Until I met Nik and it changed everything,” she said. 

Nik and Alivia Stophel are the first to say they were no experts on home remodeling. The Tulsans began documenting their own home DIY journey on TikTok during the pandemic. A few videos went viral, and suddenly, a lot more eyes were on their content. 

“And it just took off, no idea why. We were just posting videos of scraping popcorn and demoing walls,” Nik said. 

The two continued posting their progress, and brands began to sponsor their videos. While learning along the way, they were honest about the hard moments, too. 

“We made a lot of mistakes, but we learned a lot too,” Alivia said. 

Now, they have about two million TikTok followers and hundreds of thousands on Facebook and Instagram.

All the success had Nik and Liv eager to give back to their community. Nik began knocking on Tulsa doors to ask people how he could help with small things like yardwork in what became known as “Good Work Wednesday.” 

Those small gestures turned into bigger projects. After hearing her story, Nik and Alivia told Iiland they wanted to take on her entire burnt home, top to bottom, for free. 

“It feels like I won the lottery. That's not something you hear every day,” Iiland said. 

“The whole roof missing, exposed. It rained on her house for weeks before it could be replaced,” Nik said. 

They have been hard at work, installing foam insulation and putting in the drywall. 

“Even before the house caught on fire, you couldn’t stay here because it was too hot,” Iiland said. 

The couple also painted the front of the house a vibrant blue color inspired by the Florida Keys. 

People on social media have helped fund the remodel, raising more than $30,000. And with it nearing completion, Iiland said the generosity is an answered prayer. 

"Thank you for being God's hand,” Iiland told Nik. 

She says this home is her “Phoenix.” “It is a phoenix,” Iiland said. “It rises from the ashes.” 

Once all the hard work is finished, she hopes to give this same level of generosity to others. While Nik and Liv continue pouring into the town they love, and the people they serve. 

“If you feel good helping me, I want to feel good helping someone else,” Nik said.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Nik and Liv.