A Look Back at 2018…What Happened + What Didn’t

Oh 2018, where did you go?

I cannot believe this will be the third annual recap of all the happenings at North Country Nest.

Selfishly, I love these posts and I hope it’s as fun for you as it is for us to go back and look through all the progress. I know I said this last year, but it’s so easy to think and focus on what we didn’t get done. And quite honestly, there are a few projects I completely forgot about and found myself saying, “Oh, that’s right. We did do that this past year.”

So, without further ado, let’s dive in!

 

The Entryway

What we planned: Finish patching, sanding and painting the half-way/bench we added last December. Repaint the walls. Remove the south-facing window and replace with something similar in size to the east window.

What actually happened: The bench portion is patched, sanded and painted but the wall behind is still patchy drywall. And the fact that I wanted to repaint all the main living areas just makes me laugh. Did I actually think that would happen? Ambitious, planner Kelly is so funny sometimes 😛 Also, we installed a new window and it’s pretty much the same size as the other one in the entryway area.

Yay / nay? Overall, the entryway is a win.

To read more about the entryway, click here.

 

The Kitchen

What we planned: Repainting the kitchen cabinets was an off-hand comment that I threw out there, with not much intention of seeing it through. And then winter was in full force, I was sick of being stuck in doors and needed a project to tackle, so I decided no time like the present to redo the cabinets.

What actually happened: The main cabinets are now a fresh white color with black hardware and the island is a perfect shade of green, also with black hardware.

Yay / nay? Full-on YAY!

To read more about the kitchen, click here.

 

The Stairs

What we planned: You know what’s sad?? Or, maybe a little concerning… when I first sat down to write this post, my immediate reaction was something like, “Oh, there isn’t going to be too much to talk about… all we worked on was the garage.”

And then….

And then I started looking back at pictures and realized WE CUT IN NEW STAIRS. Yea, that was this year – seems like an entire lifetime ago.

What actually happened: Although the layout of the stairs changed a touch, we added a freakin’ staircase and it’s fully functioning. And, we LOVE it. And cannot wait for it to be fully finished.

Total aside, I’ve had the design of these stairs planned since we moved in. They’re going to be live-edge with black rails and absolutely beautiful and I cannot wait!

Yay / nay? This was a huge win for us, so yes, big time yay!

To read more about the living room, click here.

 

The Office

What we planned: Without knowing the general dimensions, we planned for an office to go between the stairs and our master bedroom.

What actually happened: The office happened, friends. It’s blue and white and beautiful and nearly completed! Just a few touch-ups along with getting some artwork on the walls and this baby will be complete!

Yay / nay? Big fat Yay!

To read more about the office, click here.

 

The Linen Closet

What we planned: With the original stairs plan, we knew there’d be some extra space for storage. We were going to convert that to a linen closet.

What actually happened: When we moved the stair layout around, that also switched up the linen closet placement. Currently, it’s drywalled and serves as a wonderful catch-all for things that we don’t want out in the open 🙂

Yay / nay? Half yay. It would have been nice to finish because we can definitely use the storage but at least it’s framed in and ready for mudding.

 

The Pantry

What we planned: To frame in a pantry from the additional middle space between the stairs and our master bedroom.

What actually happened: The door was cut in and the space has been framed. This also lead to us moving the stove and taking out a section of cabinets.

Yay / nay? Yay! We only wanted to frame it in and we definitely got that done!

To read more about the kitchen, click here.

 

The Garage

What we planned: Finally put up the walls, doors, roof and siding of the garage. Basically, make it a fully-functioning space. And, of course, useable.

What actually happened: Oh, the garage. It’s been the never-ending project 🙂 In August, with the help of amazing family and friends, we got the walls up, roof on and shingles on. Slowly, but surely, we added little bits here and there, to where we’re at today. What’s left is the electricity (kind of a big thing), siding and stone. It seems like a lot but from where we started, it shouldn’t be too bad.

Yay / nay? Half yay on this one. We REALLY wanted to have the siding up and the garage working by the end of the year.

To read more about the garage, click here.

 

The Windows + Fireplace:

What we planned: This is another one of the moments where, while I appreciate the confidence we had in ourselves, thinking we could get allllll this done is kind of comical! We wanted to replace all the windows on the south side of the house and frame in a fireplace; we just wanted it working and providing heat for the house.

What actually happened: We did get a few items checked off on this list! We replaced the window in the entryway and added the two that will go on either side of the fireplace.

Yay / nay? Half yay…. but really a full one because we did a LOT! 🙂

 

Anything not on the list?

…Of course! We didn’t start the year with the intention of rebuilding the deck; that idea came around March.

We also didn’t plan in restaining and painting the front porch and that one came about after finishing the deck and seeing how beautiful the color was.

To read more about the exterior, click here.

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So, friends. There you have it.

It was a prep year – we got a LOT done in preparation for the more fun things, like finishing a space…

And maybe, just maybe, this time next year we’ll be able to show off all the finished goodness! 🙂

We’re taking next week off from posting so we want to take a quick moment and wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. This blog would not be alive with amazing readers like you and we cannot thank you enough!

All our best,