Ta-da! Here's our new laundry room!
This might not be very impressive,
but for an impromptu renovation project, I am delighted with the outcome.
I was already loading pantry items into boxes when I thought I should probably take a "before" picture. The main things I want to point out are the bats of exposed insulation and the flooring material which is nasty, stained carpet. Why would anyone ever think carpet is a good idea in a laundry room?
Under the carpet we found linoleum tiles
and a patchwork of underlayment material of varying heights.
Here is the photo of the real problem. The dark patch is waterlogged particle board. This was caused when our washing machine began leaking water out the bottom.
And, by leaking, I really mean flooding.
The repair man said our problem was the most expensive kind. And because of the way the washer was designed, it would be cheaper for us to buy a new one than fix our existing one. It was only 5 years old and we were not happy about being in the market for a new machine.
Because of our very teeny tiny space, we have to use what is called a "laundry center" where the dryer and washer are stacked and actually connected for compactness. So not only were we out a washer, but we were also getting rid of a perfectly functional dryer.
After removing all the underlayment, we dried out the sub floor with our space heater.
Jonah and I did all the demo up to this point...
including spending hours pulling out tacks and nail heads.
It was at this point that I called in the expert.
Jonah and Richard began cutting out our new plywood underlayment.
Our house was built nearly 90 years ago and the porch (now enclosed) was part of the original design; every measurement highlighted the home's age. Richard was very patient dealing with all the cuts as not a single corner was square.
Plywood floor installed.
The handymen. Say, "FUN!"
We decided to finish the project we inherited from the previous homeowners and cover up the exposed insulation using beadboard.
Jonah helped paint the original coved siding....double-handed.
Our new washer/dryer unit was arriving soon, so I would work after kids were in bed between 9pm and 1am. Once the painting was done, I installed the new vinyl flooring.
I chose a black and white
checkered pattern which I bought in Portland at Linoleum City. I think one of the worst blunders that homeowners make is using contemporary design in older homes. It might look fresh and hip in the moment, but inevitably goes out of fashion. I prefer to stick to simple, era-appropriate choices, so even if the style is not fashionable, the house stays true to its classic roots.
Like any project with an old house
one thing leads to another....
This is the laundry room window view from outside.
I didn't know much about old windows, but I do now! If you can look beyond the horrible paint job (another "who on earth..." moment) you can see that the glazing is almost completely gone. The glazing is the putty that holds the panes into the window frame. It seemed silly to me to have insulated and painted everything without also tackling this.
Inside view. I got a quote for having someone else do the work and $160 seemed absurd. So I went to the hardware store and spent $28 on glazing putty, glazing points, and a special glazing knife and did it myself. There is a bit of a learning curve---so I can see how one could get a project done much quicker with someone experienced. The glazing itself probably took me a little over 2 hours. What really took a lot of time was stripping the windows (the lead paint test was negative), sanding and prepping the wood, replacing the bottom rail of the window (thank you Richard!), scraping old paint off the glass, and repainting.
I think it was worth it.
Since this is a picture window and doesn't open, I plan to install a permanent storm window so we get the R value of a double-paned window.
Why not just put in a new window?
Well, for starters, aesthetics. Second, I believe the research (
here,
here, and
here) which suggests that old windows are superior to modern products in many ways. And finally, the greenest choice is using/refurbishing something that already exists.
Ready at last for installing the new laundry center.
The photo sequence makes the it look amazingly simple,
but the reality was less magical...it was raining,
and we had to take the door off the hinges for it to fit,
a special gas line had to be ordered,
duct-work had to be customized,
utility sink reinstalled....
Another big thank you to Jesse and my Dad for this bit.
We learned a lot through this "little" project.
It did not occur to me that checkered flooring would be a nightmare to install in a room with no straight corners...until I was trying to do it.
After being burned by Sears and the Kenmore brand too many times, we broke the bank by splurging on a
SpeedQueen machine.
It is made like a tank---425 pounds! Longest industry warranty; built in the USA.
You see them mostly in commercial applications like laundromats.
Here's to
many years of hassle-free laundry washing and drying!
I'm so happy to be done!
I love my new laundry room!!
