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The Three Year Home-iversary Tour

Renovations· The Home Tours

27 Feb

February 22 marked three years in the house.

Three years.

It doesn’t seem like that long. But when I look back at all the pictures and projects and before-and-afters, it seems like a lifetime.

To say we’ve been busy is the understatement of the year.

For fun, Brett and I think about the time and money we’ve invested into this place and talk about all the cool things we could have done instead. I dream about tropical vacations and he dreams about hunting trips in the mountains.

But then the conversation eventually circles back around to the house and how amazing it is to have a home right now; a place that is truly ours. Eventually, we agree that we made the right decision. I haven’t figured out if we fully believe that yet or if it’s just to make ourselves feel better. 😛

As is customary around here, we’re celebrating this milestone by looking back at all we’ve accomplished so far and sharing the original ‘befores’ and as-up-to-date-as-possible ‘afters.’ And if you’re relatively new, you can catch yourself up on the original house tour here, the year one tour here and the year two and half tour here.

The Exterior

Besides the obvious addition of the garage, we refinished the front porch and painted the railings.

rustic front porch with christmas decor

In terms of landscaping, the major change came last summer when we added a deck onto the crumbling concrete slab.

It’s the perfect hangout spot to enjoy a nice cold drink and watch the dogs swim in the lake… And speaking of places to hang out, we also hung up a hammock that has quickly become another favorite place. I am challenging myself to sneak out there more often this summer and enjoy the view.

outdoor deck with outdoor furniture

The Interior

When we dive into the entire house, I’m never sure where the best place to start is… So, let’s imagine you were actually coming over. In which case, we’d definitely start in the entryway.

We’d first talk about how the house originally had two entrances. One was on the north side of the house and entered into a mudroom with two doors – one that went to the mother-in-law apartment and the other to the main house. The second entrance was what you see below and entered into the mother-in-law apartment.

This is what the view looked like about a month after moving in. We demo-ed the wall dividing the mother-in-law apartment from the rest of the main house and it made a HUGE difference.

Then, we joined in on our fist One Room Challenge in the fall of 2016 and decided to make over the entryway. From a barn wood wall to the brick floor to the built-ins… we were completely smitten!

entryway view with fall decor

A conversation about fireplaces somehow turned into a discussion about adding a half-wall to the entryway and before I knew it, Brett had whipped something together.

After installing a light switch for the exterior lights this January, we started re-evaluating the entryway and this led to a complete remodel. We ripped out the built-ins, repainted, resanded the barn wood wall, framed in the windows and painted the front door.

Next up, the living room.

As we already mentioned, there was a wall dividing the mother-in-law apartment and the main house. After knocking that down, we then reconfigured the mother-in-law side: we tore out the mudroom, moved the bedroom west, added a laundry room and moved the guest bathroom door to the north.

After the garage permit went through, we started talking about flow and function in coming in from the garage and brining things down to the basement. This led to the discussion and eventual addition of a staircase, linen closet, pantry and office.

Another contributing factor to the linen closet/staircase/office/pantry discussion was the addition of a fireplace upstairs.

This led to a half-wall in the entryway being added and some switching around of furniture.

We pushed the couch and chair back against the wall and got rid of the small chair. There’s now a clear pathway from the entryway to the kitchen – something we didn’t think would have as big of an impact as it does.

in entry towards living room

The last piece that entered into the fireplace conversation was our need for new windows.

We knew we wanted to add a wrap around deck, which meant a sliding glass door.

This left one picture window and one entryway window that needed replacing.

Once we finalized the fireplace location, we decided to add a window on either side and remove one of the big picture windows. I was a little apprehensive since the windows are definitely more narrow than what we had… but they’re so tall that I really don’t notice any less natural light coming in. Plus, they’re now a favorite looking spot for the dogs, so it was a win-win.

And then onto the kitchen.

When we moved in, the kitchen was dark and dreary. I wanted to lighten it up immediately and painted the cabinets a cream color with a brown antique glaze.

kitchen summer home tour

It stayed this way for two years until I wanted to switch it up and finally try out white cabinets. Brett has his heart set on wood cabinets when we do the full remodel so the compromise was to let me do what I really wanted until we gut the entire space.

I LOVE them and wish I would have done it this way the first time around. But, I learned a lot and it was way easier the second time around.

When we cut in the pantry, we had to remove a section of cabinets.

This allowed us to swing the oven cabinet around so it was against the wall and really open up the entire kitchen. It’s also one of those things we wish we would have done right away. (Funny how that list keeps getting longer and longer!)

Let’s bring it around to the hallway.

Originally, the main house had a hallway with a sewing room off to the right, the master bedroom straight and a guest bathroom and linen closet to the left.

When we took out the two-door mudroom and reconfigured the guest bath, guest bed and laundry room, we also added a closet to the sewing room to make it a “real” bedroom.

Then we tore out the guest bathroom and linen closet nook to make room for a home office and pantry. And once we had it all open, we decided to cut the pantry in half and use the other part for a walk-in shower for our master bath… which we’ll get to someday 🙂

And of course, we added in a stairway and linen closet, which is currently the catch-all for anything and everything.

Walking down the hallway to the guest bedroom. 

For our second One Room Challenge during the fall of 2017, we finished up one of the two guest bedrooms.

The highlight of this project was discovering plywood flooring – it’s an inexpensive way to add some charming flooring that will hold us over until we decide on something permanent.

Going down the other side of the hallway is the guest bathroom. 

original bathroom

The mother-in-law guest bathroom was HUGE. So much unused and wasted space.

So, we moved the door to the north side, cut the bathroom in half and completely gutted and reworked the entire space. It is also home to Brett’s first furniture build – that beautiful green vanity!

And lastly, the laundry room.

Originally, the laundry was downstairs. While this was one of those #firstworldproblems, it was a complete pain in the ass to haul everything up and down. So, we decided to move it upstairs.

This was partly due to us wanting everything on one level as well as wanting a mudroom to enter from the garage.

To put a frame of reference on then vs. now: the laundry room area used to be part of the mother-in-law bedroom and the closet was part of the guest bathroom.

And now that we have everything on one level, I can whole-heartedly say it was 100% the right decision.

And that concludes the tour. 🙂


Three years.

1,095 days.

26,280 hours.

On one hand, it seems like a lifetime. On the other, I feel like we just moved in yesterday.

Every time we go through these pictures, we’re humbled yet again by how much we’ve done… because, yes, there are those weeks days when this house feels like an endless, uphill battle and we’ll never get to a point of making it a home.

And then.

And then we remember that having a finished space isn’t what makes this our home. It’s the dogs greeting us as we walk through the door. It’s the feeling of relaxation and comfort that only this place seems to have. It’s the love that goes into each project. It’s the happiness we feel when we work on something together. It’s the nights spent relaxing on the couch, getting lost in a Netflix series. It’s the dinners shared around the kitchen island with family or friends. It’s the drinks enjoyed on the patio. It’s the memories we create and share here…

And that, my friends, is what makes a house a home.

Cheers to year four!

 

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Related posts:

Default ThumbnailThe New House: A Tour Two and a Half Year House-iversary Tour The Four Year Home-iversary Tour

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Comments

  1. Leslie Whitcomb says

    August 3, 2019 at 3:08 pm

    Your home is settled so warmly in its spot, you can feel how much the lake and the land are part of your lives in what you are doing to the house. It all looks great! You are making real beauty. I love, love that you share all the in progress pictures. We live in a fixer upper, have made great progress – and have lived for years with old carpet, half done flooring, untrimmed windows etc. Every small completion is a victory. And at the same time, it’s already done. Our house is a home, the land around us is home, and it is the process that is just as satisfying as the finished project. Enjoy!!

    Reply
  2. Leslie Whitcomb says

    August 3, 2019 at 3:10 pm

    You are making a beautiful home. The lake and surrounding land are present and all a part of it, not shut out in some sterile remodel. I love, love, that you share all progress photos. This is real life and we also have been doing a long time fixer upper that has places of beauty and finished looks, and areas of ‘on the to do list’. It’s so nice to see your real home. Enjoy!!

    Reply
    • North Country Nest says

      August 4, 2019 at 5:56 am

      Leslie,
      We so appreciate your feedback and comment. As I am sure you know – it can get overwhelming when you see all the pretty after photos. That’s one of the reasons we started this blog – to showcase ass the nitty gritty in-between progress!
      Thanks again for the thoughtful comment and good luck with your own fixer-upper!

      Reply

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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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