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North Country Nest

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Renovations

How to DIY a Kitchen Concrete Counter Top

How to DIY a Kitchen Concrete Counter Top

DIY Projects· Renovations· The Kitchen

I had every intention of creating a post all about the kitchen renovation plans, but #life. Spoiler alert: the kitchen…
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2020 Renovation Plans

2020 Renovation Plans

Renovations

We’re closing in on the start of year four of the home renovation. Four. Years. Where in the hell did…
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2019 Renovation Review… What Happened + What Didn’t

2019 Renovation Review… What Happened + What Didn’t

Lifestyle· Renovations

It’s my favorite post of the year and friends, I cannot wait to talk all things house-related with you. We’ve…
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Budget Friendly Modern Rustic Master Bathroom Reveal

Budget Friendly Modern Rustic Master Bathroom Reveal

Home Decor· Master Bathroom· Renovations

Update your bathroom without breaking the bank with these modern rustic master bathroom decor ideas from North Country Nest! [affiliate…
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A Bathroom Update: How to Paint Your Bathroom Tile Floor

A Bathroom Update: How to Paint Your Bathroom Tile Floor

DIY Projects· Master Bathroom· Renovations

Stay within your budget with this easy tutorial from North Country Nest on how to paint your bathroom tile floor…
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Our New Retaining Wall + Front Porch

Our New Retaining Wall + Front Porch

Landscaping· The Exterior

We’re sharing an update on the progress we’ve made on the outside of our home with a new retaining wall…
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A Bathroom Update: The Wonders of Paint

A Bathroom Update: The Wonders of Paint

Master Bathroom· Renovations

We’re sharing an update on our master bathroom budget makeover, and showing how a little paint can completely transform a…
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A Bathroom Remodel – The Before + Design Plans

A Bathroom Remodel – The Before + Design Plans

Master Bathroom· Renovations

We’re sharing the ‘before’ pictures of our master bathroom, along with all the details on this budget refresh! [post contains…
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Colorful Summer Porch Decor

Colorful Summer Porch Decor

Home Decor· Summer· The Exterior· The Seasonal Home

We’re sharing our cozy and colorful summer porch decor with the challenge of shopping the house and not buying anything…
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An Update on the Garage + Insulation and Drywall

An Update on the Garage + Insulation and Drywall

Renovations· The Garage

This post is three weeks in the making. On the one hand, YAY, we have so much to share in…
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One Year Later: Repainted White Kitchen Cabinets

One Year Later: Repainted White Kitchen Cabinets

The Kitchen

One Year Later: Painting Kitchen Cabinets White. We’re sharing all the details on how our white kitchen cabinets have held…
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The Rustic Home Office Final Reveal

The Rustic Home Office Final Reveal

Home Decor· Renovations· The Office

Check out the final reveal of North Country Nest’s rustic home office! Shiplap and greenery make this rustic home office…
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oh, hi!

We’re Brett and Kelly! A husband and wife team tackling our first complete home renovation. We love all things DIY, our two furbabes and lazy summer days out on the lake. Our mission? To share the journey of turning a house into a home.

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the archives

Who doesn't love a good before and after?!? Who doesn't love a good before and after?!?
Last summer, Brett and I didn’t get out on the w Last summer, Brett and I didn’t get out on the water at all – not once did we take the boat out.

Given the fact that we live in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, I felt like the worst Minnesotan. How could we not enjoy the water when there’s three within five miles of our house?

This year? We've been able to get out on some body of water at least once per week - how cool is that?!

What’s been really great about these last few months is that we’ve seemed to have found a nice “balance” between go-go-go and taking time to enjoy whatever it may be.

While this season of relaxed work is probably not the norm, it's been a pleasant surprise that we'll be enjoying for as long as we can!

Enjoy the week, friends!
If you need me, I'll be here gazing lovingly at ou If you need me, I'll be here gazing lovingly at our newly trimmed windows and painted walls 😍

We have to add trim to the slider, install the baseboards and frame up + install the pantry door.

And then...

This kitchen will be DONE! 🙌
Yesterday, #ontheblog we did a mid-year check in o Yesterday, #ontheblog we did a mid-year check in on our renovation list and shared two new projects we're adding (of course!)

The second addition? Giving a little refresh to this laundry room by pushing back the washer, dryer and cabinets.

We finished it wayyyy back in 2017 but there was a small frustration: the washer and dryer cover the window.

Every few months we'd circle back to the space and see how we could make it work. It was one of those little issues that might not seem like a big deal to anyone else, but here's the thing - you deserve to LOVE your home.

After four and a half years of constant projects, I often find myself wondering why in the hell we are doing this and I keep coming back to this idea that a home is meant to be loved, to share a story, to work for you, to be a space that you can relax in and enjoy.

So while the washer and dryer covering a window might be insignificant to a visitor, for us, it's something we see every day. And, after three years of brainstorming, we finally found a solution that felt good.

I guess that's the bonus of being four years into a reno - the idea of knocking down a wall seems like an easy project nowadays 😂😂
Just in case you missed it - new last Thursday #on Just in case you missed it - new last Thursday #ontheblog is a tour of our front porch and a few summer decorating ideas!

Hope you all had a safe and happy Fourth of July! 🧨
Sometimes, it's not all rainbows and butterflies.. Sometimes, it's not all rainbows and butterflies... especially when it comes to neighbors.

New post #ontheblog today all about the lawsuit we've been in with our neighbor for the last year. And it started all because of our garage.

In short: three years ago the county required us to get a survey done on our property in order to build the garage. The results showed that the easement our neighbor was using to access her property was not in the right place - it was inside our property lines instead of outside.

Fast forward to July 2, 2019 when we were served lawsuit paperwork from said neighbor, claiming the rights to the easement location - and it's been a long, stressful process since then.

But, we received the good news last week from our lawyer - everything is finalized and we can finally put this whole mess behind us!

Cheers to starting the week off on a high note!
One more coat of mud on the walls and then it'll b One more coat of mud on the walls and then it'll be time for paint in the kitchen!

In other news, Brett scored big time and found a giant rug for our living room - it was half off and arrived last week. Now we're patiently waiting until we get the new floors down until we roll it out. Check the stories if you want to get a sneak peak!😁😁 Enjoy the day, my friends!
Spent the evening at my parent's with two of my si Spent the evening at my parent's with two of my siblings and their kiddos.

Brett showed up around dinner time and proceeded to spend the next hour in a water + cake fight with six kids under 10.

Yup, I'm married to an adult child. 😂😂 Kidding aside - I had one of those 'I love summer' moments, watching them all run around outside, laughing their heads off.

Hope you're enjoying the start to your week, friends! 🙌
So, here's the deal. The kitchen tile project was So, here's the deal. The kitchen tile project was not all sunshine and roses.

Two words: dried grout.

On the plus side, you can in fact clean dried grout from tile. On the negative, it's a complete pain in the ass... And doesn't get you back too 100%. #ontheblog today, I'm diving into all the details on how we cleaned the tile... And the (now funny?) story on how it even happened in the first place (hint: renovating with your husband on an empty stomach never has a positive outcome) 😂
The last four years have been a constant experimen The last four years have been a constant experiment of finding the balance between function and design.

We started this entryway with white built-ins and light walls. Damn it looked good in pictures but real life? With two black dogs and a lake... Well let's just say the functionality of the design choices were at an all time low.

So, we overhauled the space and darkened the walls and built-ins. While I was a little nervous to go so dark, I have to admit Brett's instincts were right one this one.

So, here's to continuing to find that balance of function and design - and I'd love hear, have you compromised anything because it just didn't fit with how your family lives in your home?!?

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