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The Waiting Game

Lifestyle

27 Jul

So, we’re playing the waiting game. And neither one of us excels at this particular activity.

I thought my patience was pretty low. Then I met my fiancé. I am the type of person that doesn’t like waiting on other people. Brett is the type of person that gets started on a project and would rather get it done right away himself then wait for someone else to do it or to help.

We (hopefully) have a lot of projects coming up the pipeline, but unfortunately they aren’t ready to go yet.

The Sheetrock

The ceilings are all done and the majority of the walls have sheetrock on them. Our next step is to mud and sand. Currently in Minnesota, our weather is hovering on the cusp of Hell and we don’t have air conditioning. Which means it’s too humid to mud and sand.

So, we wait.

The Roof

As I mentioned last week, we found out our roof was shot and needs to be completely replaced. Well, after exploring the legal route, we’ve decided to see what the insurance claims will be and go from there. The insurance person isn’t coming out until August 2 to take a look at the damage.

So, we wait.

The Garage

About three weeks ago we sent in the paperwork to apply for a permit so we can get started on the garage. Our goal was to get it done by the end of summer. We’re in Minnesota and it’s been known to snow in October – we need to be prepared!

We were originally told the garage needed to be 50 feet from the road and 50 feet from the easement. Well, the zoning office called last Friday and we actually need to be 50 feet from the right-of-way off the road. The right-of-way is usually 33 feet from the center of the road… Have I confused you yet? Basically, this means the garage needs to be approximately 83 feet from the road.

We were flirting with the edge before we found out about the right-of-way requirement, so now we have to apply for a variance. The application is due August 17 and then we have to go to a county meeting on September 8 to see if the committee will approve our request. If they do, then we can get started on the garage. If they don’t…. Well let’s just be optimistic.

Until then, we wait.

The HVAC

I think I’ve mentioned this, but we are adding/redoing the HVAC system in the entire house. When we moved in, it was a cluster of electrical heat and furnace and propane and one big hot mess. So, we tore out the old HVAC duct work and are slowly working on putting in all new stuff.

As I mentioned before, the weather has not been exactly pleasant and we don’t have the luxury of air conditioning. No one wants to work when you sweat just standing still, so we’ve been holding out for the weather to cool off.

We’re hoping to get started on that this evening (knock on wood, this is the third time we’ve rescheduled) so keep your fingers crossed!

The Doors

A few weeks ago, I shared with you the new doors we got for the office, guest bathroom and mudroom. Well, continuing with our stroke of good luck, the doors are a bit defective and need to be replaced. We’ve emailed the manufacturer and are waiting for them to get back to us on whether or not they’ll send new doors. We wanted to get those stained, varnished and usable, but (you guessed it) we have to wait.

We’re keeping the fingers and toes crossed that we can get started on some of these soon, but until then, we’ve managed to binge-watch a series on Netflix (Limitless and it was very good!) and start another one – any Sons of Anarchy fans out there?

 

All our best,

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Related posts:

The Thirty-Five Day Check-In July 2016 Recap The Home Tour: Six Months Two and a Half Year House-iversary Tour

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  1. Trina says

    July 27, 2016 at 10:11 am

    Omg watch sons. It’ll get you through the waiting!

    Reply

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  1. July 2016 Recap - North Country Nest says:
    July 29, 2016 at 6:02 am

    […] >> We put in an application for a building permit for the attached garage and found out we have to apply for a variance. The next meeting we will be eligible to go to is September 8. Which means we wait. […]

    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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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 😍

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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