{Note: this entry is mostly for Kim and Marcie, two friends who appreciate projects and laundry rooms.]
I feel like I did all the work myself on my new laundry room, but nothing could be further from the truth. Dwayne, with Keith, Keith, and Jim, cut out and installed the new door in the hallway, rewired the area, put in studs and framed the new wall (where the old double doors were). We hired a plumber/contractor to move all the water and gas pipes to where I wanted them and to build a false half-wall to conceal them. We also hired someone to drywall the new wall, another to take out the old flooring, and one more to tile the floor. What did I do that made it seem like I had actually done all the grunt labor myself? Drywalled, textured, and painted all the original cut-outs and new wall (that Dwayne and crew constructed); got 4 bids (at least) for each contracted job and made final hiring and rejecting choices; found new cabinets and utility sink on Craigslist and got rid of old stuff on same online service; chose the new tile and countertop; stained, varnished, and trimmed new wood shelf; painted the room (3 times plus ceiling) and did all the trim and finishing work. My dad was the brains—and the brawn—behind installing the cabinets and cutting out the counter. He and Dwayne plumbed the sink.
And thanks to all the people we hired to do various parts, I was without my wash machine and dryer for less than three weeks. (Unfortunately, Kyla, Piper, and I all had a stomach bug briefly during that time.)
The details:
I had the plumbing moved so that I could put the washer/dryer in a more roomy area. Mostly, I can now open the doors and still have room for a basket.
Some of the finishing details I really like are the use of the white knobs that came with the cabinetry. I replaced them with burnished nickel and bought special screws to put the old knobs on the wall. The ones on the right are near my sewing machine and hold quilting gear.
I love my new countertop. There is storage on both ends of it and the utility sink is right under the window. Under the window is a wall-length shelf about a foot deep. I bought the counter at Home Depot and my dad brought up his jigsaw and cut out the space for the sink. Against the back wall, you can see poles to hang clothes on both sides of the cabinet.
I saw the inspiration for this drying rack on a website for specialty products for laundry room design. I used the dowels on my old drying rack and left over 1x2s to make this. It is held to the wall with magnets. If you count the two new drill bits I had to buy to finish this, I spent less than $20 on it. This was going for closer to $150 at the site.
This is the design that inspired me.
Now only if I could figure out how an easy way to get the clean and dry clothes folded and put away…..
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