Marrying Labor & Love On 7th Street

In their first five years of marriage, Jordan and Kaeli (Wendt) Bernier accomplished a lot — completing a full remodel and preservation of their 1926 Fargo home, not to mention hosting their own backyard wedding, opening a new cabinetry showroom, and doubling their family. While Jordan is a Fargo firefighter, Kaeli is an interior designer and co-owner of the family-owned Wendt Custom Cabinets in Moorhead. This dynamic duo knows the value of marrying their talents, from an overhaul to a pending sale of their historic 7th Street home long before the listing went live. Before they hand over the keys to a new owner and start drafting the future, the Berniers gave us a glimpse inside their labor of love.

by TRACY NICHOLSON
photos by JILL OCKHARDT BLAUFUSS

Renovation + Preservation
The Berniers got engaged in August 2019, moved into their home in September 2019, and kicked off the remodel and preservation at the start of 2020 during the pandemic. As with her past remodel projects, Kaeli came prepared, alongside her realtor best friend, Mehgan Oye. Before purchasing the charming 2,200-square-foot home in the family-friendly Clara Barton neighborhood, she created drawings of the renovation plans, primarily scaled from realtor photography.

This home would mark the Bernier’s first renovation together and Kaeli’s fourth; she was barely a college graduate when she flipped her first house by MSUM. Jordan, on his days off as a Fargo firefighter, works with Kaeli at Wendt, writing code for the software that controls the new CNC machinery for cutting, shaping, and assembling cabinetry components. He also has a woodworking shop in their home’s unfinished basement, where he makes an array of specialty wood pieces.

While Kaeli drafted the new layout, chose the finishes, and designed the new cabinetry, Jordan executed a phased demolition, preparing for the full preservation and remodel. The two-bed, two-bath home may have been built in the late 20s, but the home had undergone a renovation in the early 80s, leaving the newer kitchen addition detached from the main living space. It also required several modern upgrades, including new insulation, tile, paint, and flooring, as well as new venting and HVAC, ceiling leveling, reinforcement of the attic structure, and new electrical wiring.

Modern-Day Challenges
As the newly engaged couple enjoyed their first remodel together, major challenges and life changes were coming their way. Prior to construction, the primary bedroom’s ceiling fan catalyzed the first hurdle, discovering an attic that didn’t have enough structure to support it. Adding to the challenge was the home’s older knob-and-tube wires, now considered a safety hazard that was quickly red-flagged by the firefighter. “Knob-and-tube wiring is not supposed to be insulated,” explained Jordan. “Back in 1926, when this house was built, they didn’t really insulate houses, they just kind of dumped heat into it. I noticed the wires were warm, so I spent the better part of two weeks rewiring the older portion of the home to get rid of the knob-and-tube. You can’t even insure a home with this kind of wiring anymore.”

While managing the remodel, they also managed to expand their family. “When we did the upstairs bathroom remodel, I was eight months pregnant and cursing his name every step of the way,” laughed Kaeli. During this period, the couple was limited to only one main-floor bathroom, a good distance from their second-floor bedrooms. Amid the demo, the refrigerator migrated to the dining room, and the two relied on a microwave and Instapot for meals.

To address the home’s lack of insulation and inefficient ductwork throughout the addition, Jordan worked with his friend, Matt Dawson, from Dawson Contracting—a local company specializing in older home remodels—to add insulation and make structural changes to the home. He then consulted another friend for electrical work. To resolve issues with the existing flex duct and venting, he had all new venting and HVAC run through the kitchen addition of the home. Jordan also replaned and leveled the ceilings and floors.

BEFORE

Overhauling the Heart of the Home
In the kitchen, Kaeli revamped the layout to open the space and visually connect it to the dining room. “Very few homes in this neighborhood have large kitchens, so this was all part of the newer addition in the early 80s,” explained Kaeli. “It had this weird, little peninsula that came out with a wood-burning fireplace and an area that was just miscellaneous stuff. There was only one small doorway into the kitchen area, so we opened it up, and then Jordan worked with Dawson to cut the new archway, matching the front living room arch.” The flooring also needed to be fixed and rebraced, addressing old joists that were more spongy than structural. Ultimately, the floor had to be reinforced to support the new larger island and the weight of the quartz.

Feathering in the new hardwood flooring from the dining room to the kitchen was one of the project’s more prominent challenges. “This was probably the biggest fight of our marriage and the bane of Jordan’s existence,” laughed Kaeli. “That was a big learning experience, cutting out the old maple boards, color matching, and coordinating with the older gaps versus the new planks, which didn’t require gaps,” added Jordan. To find the right wood colors and widths, the Berniers worked with Kensok’s Hardwood Floors, where their team custom-made the snowy maple planks. To provide a more stable environment for the new cabinetry and floors, the Berniers added a whole-home humidifier to prevent major winter humidity drops, one of the main reasons why the older part of the home required the larger flooring gaps.

Anchoring Kaeli’s kitchen design, the couple chose a nearly 10-foot walnut island with a quartz countertop, an in-island beverage fridge, and three-sided seating. The island is flanked by two coordinated seat options; a shorter vintage-style tripod and black basketweave stools. The taller Sensible Mid-Modern set, from the Wendt Goods collection, is crafted with synthetic rattan and a teak wood base, materials made to withstand daily wear and tear. Illuminating the island are Visual Comfort 24” Alborg stacked pendants, with globe sconces on the adjacent walls.

For the underlit cabinetry, Kaeli opted for Bright White perimeter cabinetry and Honey Bronze hardware from Top Knobs, complementing quartz countertops from Spaulding Stone and a mix of flat and beveled backsplash tile with grey grout from Syverson Tile, installed by Jordan.

BEFORE

For daily convenience and entertaining, Kaeli included an appliance garage and plumbedin coffee station, along with double ovens near a prep sink and a deck-mounted pot filler with a dual feature of pot water or purified water. With two young children, this area doubles as a bottle-washing and kid’s station. “We love to entertain, in the summer especially,” said Kaeli. This kitchen space is where everyone gathers while the kids play outside. “We love entertaining so much, we even got married here,” added Jordan. The Bernier’s pantry is intentionally hard to find, disguised as normal cabinetry but opening to a small walkway and hidden pantry with Bright White cabinetry — adding discreet storage for large appliances, wine racks, and serving platters.

Because the Berniers have a detached garage, the kitchen’s back patio is the most commonly-used entrance. To accommodate this patio door as a daily entry point, Kaeli custom-designed a small mudroom that seamlessly coordinates with the nearby fireplace and kitchen cabinetry. The home’s wood-burning fireplace was converted to gas and upgraded with brushed gold sconces and the same custom walnut as the nearby island and 3/4 bath. Kaeli’s fireplace design is almost identical to the one she designed in the new Wendt showroom, crafted in a traditional style to help the home retain its 1920s character.

Craftsman Dining
Originally closed off from the kitchen, the dining room is now visually open, providing sightlines through the kitchen. Initially, there was a doorway that led to the powder bathroom and a small hallway into the kitchen. The new plan closed the tiny hallway and reshifted the doorway, allowing the installation of a new coat closet outside the main floor bath, which leads to a side exterior entrance. On the other side of that wall is now a small butler’s pantry in the kitchen. In the revamped 3/4 bath (not shown), the couple painted, installed new tile, and designed a new walnut vanity alongside Hale Navy linen cabinetry.

In the dining room, Kaeli and Jordan repainted the home’s original built-ins and added high-contrast walls in Hale Navy by Benjamin Moore. They also installed wainscoting to further highlight the home’s original crown-molding craftsmanship. To finish the space, Kaeli chose mid-century West Elm globes — a perfect pairing with the Scan Design dining table handed down by Kaeli’s parents.

Historic Living
In the living room near the front door, a sectional from West Elm coordinates with floating walnut built-ins the couple raised to accommodate the home’s taller baseboards. Just off the living room is a main-floor sunroom the Berniers designated as a children’s playroom.

BEFORE

Elevating the Remodel
At the top of the stairs on the second level is a renovated full bath near a small children’s bedroom, a primary bedroom with a nursery, and a laundry room that doubles as Kaeli’s closet.

As the home’s primary bathroom, the Berniers opted to expand this space to better accommodate the entire family. “This project was a big undertaking,” said Kaeli. “This space was a hallway and originally, the bathroom was just a tiny vanity — about half the size it is now.” Here, the couple installed a larger walnut vanity with a center countertop linen cabinet and additional storage above the toilet. This full bath also features heated floors and a custom-tiled tub surround, with built-in niches for added storage.

One of the benefits of the home’s Clara Barton location is that they did not have to abide by the renovation and preservation rules of the Historic Hawthorne Neighborhood. Just one block away, this neighborhood is part of Fargo’s rich history and original townsite.

In their son’s bedroom, the major challenge was the home’s lack of closet storage, so they primarily rely on artfully displayed clothing racks and dressers. “He’s three now, so we could have upgraded him to a bigger bed, but we didn’t have a lot of space,” added Kaeli. “He’s cozy in here, so he doesn’t seem to mind.”

Posh Primary
In the primary and adjoining nursery, the Berniers kept the original paint and installed a new ceiling fan, new sconces on the bedroom wall, and new lighting features in the nursery. To provide separation between the two spaces, Jordan custom-built a sliding barn door.

The Next Chapter
While the Berniers loved this home, their two children were getting older, and they knew it was time to move on. Even another renovation could not provide the space needed to accommodate another private bedroom. With the pending sale of their home, the couple is well into the process of designing a Traditional Colonial home in Oxbow with Strom Architecture, another labor of love they look forward to sharing with family and friends. "We love this home, so it's the inspiration for our new home; we hope to carry as much of its historic character with us as we can," added Kaeli.

Jordan grew up in Abercrombie, ND, and Kaeli grew up in Moorhead, MN. The two first met on a mutual friend’s backpacking trip. Before crossing paths again, Kaeli completed a stunning downtown Moorhead condo remodel and became a foster mom. Their paths crossed several more times in their travels before their like-minded lives finally aligned.

DESIGN DETAILS
Interior Design/Drafting: Kaeli Wendt Bernier
Remodel: Jordan Bernier
Contractor Consultant: Dawson Contracting
Cabinetry: Wendt Custom Cabinets
Tile: Syverson Tile
Hardwood Flooring: Snowy Maple, Kensok’s Hardwood Floors
Countertops/Island: Calacatta Trevi Quartz, Spaulding Stone
Cabinet Paint: Bright White, Hale Navy by Benjamin Moore
Cabinet Hardware, Honey Bronze, Top Knobs: Wendt Custom Cabinets
Tall Island Bar Stools: Wendt Goods
Kitchen Runner: Ruggable
Appliances: Rigels Appliance Store
Dining Table: Scan Design
Artwork & Accents: Christen Anderson, Christen Joy
Sectional: West Elm
Kitchen Globe Sconces & Pendant Lighting: Visual Comfort Signature Collection

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Wendt Custom Cabinets & Countertops + Wendt Goods
2210 26th St. S., Moorhead
218.227.0440
wendtcustomcabinets.com
FB: Wendt Custom Cabinets
Insta: @wendtcustomcabinets