Laundry Room: Before and After

When we purchased our home, we knew there would be a few things we would eventually change. Easy things, of course, like wall colors. (No, I was not one of those House Hunters folk who refuse to consider a house because a wall is painted bright pink.) 

And then there are some not-so-easy changes. The kitchen, master bath and the laundry room. The laundry room was the only thing in the home that wasn't finished. It ran the entire width of the basement and housed some old cabinets and a piece of carpet that smelled like a mix between an old basement and the year 1976. 

Don't get me wrong. I was thrilled just to have a laundry room. In our townhouse, the laundry was in the unfinished basement that was also home to a den of snakes. And I had to "crank start" my dryer for a while. I'm not exaggerating. Really. Just ask me sometime--preferably over a glass of wine.

We decided the laundry room would be a DIY project. The plan was to split it in half because of its large size and make one part a walk-in closet. Our master closet isn't huge, so I graciously agreed to give it to Scott and take the big, new closet in the basement.

Did we run into any snags? Yes. When gutting the laundry room we discovered an enormous crack. To make a long and very expensive story short, we had to have hydraulic pillars installed under our house because essentially, it was sinking. I'm sure there were a few other set-backs, but when you deal with one really big one, the rest don't seem so bad.

So, here you have it. Our laundry room "before and after." Huge props to my husband. I didn't marry him for his carpentry skills but they are certainly the icing on the cake.

BEFORE

AFTER

This painting was done by my husband. On the wall to the right, there is a wall-mounted stainless steel drying rack from Ikea. I didn't get it in the shot.

This is a built-in desk/work space. To the right, there is a custom nook for our cat's litter box. I'm still searching for an attractive rug to put down underneath it. Right now, there is a piece of scrap carpet.

I love knick-knacks. The shelves are great for displaying little items.

I'll plan to share a closet before and after post in the near future. We were really happy at how it turned out, too. Let me know if you have any questions about our laundry room process. I'm happy to share. You can reach me via e-mail or by leaving a comment below. Have a wonderful Wednesday evening, friends!