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!

Spring decor

I nearly forgot to share some photos of how I decorated for spring and Easter this year. Keeping it pretty simple, I added some flowers and small spring accents.




















Dining room table. - White flowers in lead crystal vase from Herberger's. - Mexican glass votive holders are thrifted.



















Main floor living room side table. - Glassware, vintage. - Blue marble eggs, from local discount store - Green bird votive, Michael's.















Entryway table. - Green and blue glassware, both vintage - Ceramic robin's eggs, local discount store - White wax candle holder, Garden Ridge. - Statue, tag sale.

Main Squeeze

Great post title, huh? But if you think I'll be blogging about my main squeeze--my husband--you're wrong.

The main I refer to is our main plumbing line and squeeze? That's what repairing it is doing to our budget.

A few months ago we noticed that when doing laundry, draining the bathtub or doing anything else that pushed a good amount of water down the drain, water would back up through the basement floor drain in our furnace room. We thought, "Great, what do we do now?"

We called our usual plumber and he said it sounded like a clog in our main line and that he didn't have the equipment to handle it. He gave us a recommendation for plumbing company A. We then called company A and they promptly came to our home. An hour later we were told we had some roots in the line and that they took care of them and our problem was fixed. It sounded simple enough and we were happy it only cost $300 to fix the problem.

Fast forward a week later and the problem is back in full force, if not worse than before. We couldn't reach company A to come look at the problem and needed help fast, so we called a new plumbing company--company B. Company B informed us that there was no way company A did what they told us they did. Company B was at our house for three hours, cleaned the line of roots, told us the problem was fixed and went on their way (with a check in their pockets for $300).

[Insert here two weeks of the phone-run-around game with company A and finally receiving a check back for half the payment, as they admitted that the work wasn't completed properly.]

Much to our dismay, about a week or two after company B had "fixed" the problem, our friend the drain was once again overflowing. At this point, a moment back in May 2010 in which I said "I can't wait to own a home so I can paint the walls any color I like" was playing in slow motion in my head. And the thought of uttering those naive words was making me sick.

We had to figure out this problem. We needed to find someone we could trust and who could get this fixed once and for all. As chance would have it, we attended a large home and garden expo in our city and stumbled upon company C. They had a nice booth set up (read: they had a nice booth and a custom pink toilet in front of it which piqued my interest) and before we knew it, we were discussing our plumbing saga. Company C offered to come to our home and use their camera--which typically costs about $300--to identify what the real problem was. They also gave us a free one-year plan that takes a percentage off any service.

As promised, company C showed up the next week with their camera and found our problem. Our main line. Part of it was a gonner. Let me explain: gonner is the word I use when I don't understand something super technical or involving repair and maintenance. Yep, basically it was a gonner and needed replaced. The man who came to our home said he'd be back that evening to bring a proposal and sit down with both of us. I couldn't help but think that couldn't mean good news. And it wasn't.

The first figure I saw on his sheet of paper was $15,000.

I. Nearly. Passed. Out.

After he took out his smelling salts and rubbed them under my nose (kidding), he showed us two additional options. Remember the line from Father of the Bride when Franck, the wedding planner says in his accent, "They'll take the chipper chicken?" (Cheaper chicken) Well, we ordered the chipper chicken of main line repair. If you're curious, it's a $4,000 dish.

Basically, they'll only be replacing the part of the main line that was bad. It will leave a bit of a dent in our front yard, which is fine by me. After all, spring is a great time to seed grass in our neck of the woods (trying to think positive, here!).















So this is what our front yard looks like right now. They'll be back in the morning with an inspector and once it's given the thumbs-up, the dirt will be placed back into the ground and we'll be good-to-go.

The saga of our plumbing issues is long, yes, but hopefully (fingers crossed) is over for the time being. Any time something doesn't go as planned for me, I try to think, "Okay, what did I learn from this?" Allow me to tell you: The joy and pride you feel when you own a home and you're able to paint your walls any color you like? Priceless. Actually owning the home you have the ability to paint your walls any color you like? Hmm...my calculator is smoking.

I'm elated to be able to share before and after photos of our main-floor guest bathroom. When purchasing our home, we were blessed with the fact that there really wasn't anything wrong with the home or any of its rooms. They just need a bit of sparkle.

This bathroom is my bathroom. We have a master, but it doesn't have a bathtub--just a shower. I'm a huge fan of the long, hot bath. This is also the biggest of our bathrooms and thus can hold more beauty products (not that I have an unnecessary amount or anything--wink).

Bathroom before. (Taken during walk-through before home was purchased)

What did we do to this bathroom?

• Added a new mirror with beveled edges
• Painted (striped) the walls
• Added a new, ruffled shower curtain
• Replaced the old light fixture with a pendant fixture
• Added new towel bars and drawer pulls
• Painted the existing vanity and added trim
• Purchased new rugs and accessories

Basically, we gave the bathroom a face lift. There are, however, some way-down-the-road projects we'd love to do which include a jetted tub, new vanity and tile. We also plan to purchase a new solid-core door.

All-in-all, I am thrilled with how this makeover turned out. Now, if you'll excuse me, there's a long, hot bath waiting for me.