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Another Garage Update + a Lesson in Celebrating the Small Wins

Renovations· The Garage

25 Oct

When I first started brainstorming ideas for this post, the first thought that popped into my mind was, “Well, we haven’t come too far since the last update and our to-do list is still a million miles long.”

And then I walked outside and started photographing the garage; really seeing every little project and update.

Before I started editing the photos, I went back into the blog archives to see the last update we shared – it was on August 17 and we talked all about the weekend of putting up walls and sheathing. Below is where we left off and you can catch up on that post here.

When I then started editing the photos for today’s update, I was even more surprised at how much we actually have done. And a little frustrated at myself for automatically thinking about the negative.

We’re nearing the three year ‘house hunting’ anniversary (mid-December is when we first saw this place way back in 2015) and every time I look at the pictures from when we moved in, I am brought back down to earth and motivated in a whole new way. This little house of ours has changed so. much.

As we cross another project off the list, whether it’s putting up the roof or hanging the rest of the sheathing, our automatic response is to immediately move on to the next thing. Most of the time, Brett and I will be talking through next projects while we’re currently working on something.

In fact, we’ve been so caught up in the next steps that I couldn’t even remember what this garage looked like the last time we shared it with you – AND my immediate thought was, “It’s going to look the same; there’s not enough of a change to share with everyone.”

But the reality is, we have done a lot and it’s a reminder to myself that the small wins need to be celebrated and remembered.

So, let’s dive into the updates!

We finished hanging the sheathing and put up the house wrap.

We took a weekend and installed the roof (it may or may not have been our one-year anniversary weekend… keepin’ the romance alive around here :-P).

Once we got the roof up, Brett went around and did a few touch-ups before calling the inspector. He stopped by early-September and thankfully, we passed! Up next is the electrical permit and inspection.

garage service door and window cutout

Towards the end of September we picked up two service doors and got those installed fairly quickly.

two garage service doors

The garage doors were delivered the last week in September and we were able to get the single car door put up. It’s not fully functioning quite yet (there’s the whole lack of electricity thing) but it’s up and looks ah-mazing.

single care garage door

Brett installed the soffits on one side of the house and put up a little decorative fascia on the roof sides facing the road. We’re debating about whether or not to add a wood gable to each garage peak – stay tuned on that one.

white soffit and fascia decoration

This next weekend, we’re hoping to get the double garage door installed.

double garage door opening

Similar to the single car, it’ll be up and secured but not fully functioning. As you can see below, we have the bottom half of the tracks installed, which is what the door is secured to. If all goes well, we might be able to get the upper tracks installed this weekend/early next week. Fingers crossed on that one!

inside of garage door

I did mention this in last Sunday’s newsletter (if you aren’t signed up, click here to subscribe to our weekly updates!) we picked out the siding and trim color. We decided on the stone but when we went to order last night, it said ‘sold out in stores’ and ‘not available online’ so we’ll see if that’ll still work out. Here’s an inspiration picture of the siding and trim color:

Diamond Kote in Smoky Ash with White Trim

source: http://www.diamondkoteprefinishing.com/Pages/Discover_ReasonstoChoose.aspx

Hopefully the next time we share pictures, you’ll be able to see the siding and stone installed, the garage doors installed and the window in. That way the space is enclosed and we’ll be able to park inside before the snow comes!

If you’re wanting more real-life updates, follow us on Instagram. We share in-progress, real-time videos of all the garage updates!

All our best,

 

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Related posts:

The Garage Saga Part One: The Permit, The Variance and a Trip to Town Hall The Garage Update: Putting Up the Walls The Kitchen Update for March + The Appliance Debacle The Lawsuit

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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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what we’re loving right now

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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 😍

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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.

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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!

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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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