My Old New House: Laundry

Showing posts with label Laundry. Show all posts

Main floor plans

I realized, with all this talk about moving doors and windows and new walls, I haven't provided any floor plans! These should help!

As always, click to embiggen, all measurements are estimates (each square is 12"), and I have the right to change my mind at any time :)

Current layout

Note the incredible amount of wasted space in the kitchen, "laundry" room and bathroom, and the insane lack of usable space in the kitchen!

Planned Layout

The wall is coming down in between the dining room and kitchen, and the doorway in the kitchen to the living room is getting removed. This allows for a more efficient use of space, IMO. The "buffet" cabinets in the dining room are actually kitchen cabinets, but a bit lower than regular cabinets, and will act as both a buffet and more storage space. I could have gone with regular height cabinets there, but didn't want that wide of an expanse of counter top - this way, it's broken up into two distinct sections.

The back door has been moved already, and the window that is now in the kitchen will go beside the door, to be replaced by the window that used to be beside the door.

Confused yet?

The current kitchen window is tall and narrow - too tall for any cabinets to go under it, while the other window is shorter and longer. Hence the trade. The small window about the dryer was removed (to make a spot for the electrical panel), and will find a new home in the new laundry area.

One thing I forgot in both plans - the hot water heater! It is currently located across the room from the furnace, near the back door. It will be removed, and replaced by an on-demand system to be located in the new laundry area.

Now, of course, this plan will change a dozen times before I actually get my new kitchen :)

Actually, it may change sooner rather than later, since I'm not sure moving the electrical panel is doable (for many reasons, my go-to electrical guy is just now telling me... sigh), and I'm actually re-thinking getting a dishwasher - GASP! But the major renovations (windows, walls and doors) will remain the same - only the details will change!!

Bacon makes everything better.... even drywall.

Take a couple or four slices of bacon, and cook them in your cast iron skillet until they are done to your taste. Remove them, and add a chopped up onion or two. Cook until soft, then add cut-up left over roasted potatoes (from the roasted potatoes, carrots and sausage you made early in the week - yum!) and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes get nice crispy bits on them. While they are cooking, chop up the bacon into large bits. Add the bits to the potatoes, stir, then remove from the skillet. Beat some eggs, and scramble (since you don't think a new skillet and your sucky fried egg skills make a good combination). Dish out, serve with Mom's home-made chili sauce, and ENJOY!

A quick, easy supper, since I've been doing the drywall seams in the bathroom... and even after the third coat, I can't tell whether I like it or hate it (doing the seams, not the bathroom!)

First coat (done by Dad - thanks!!)

Third coat - second and third and all sanding done by me :)

(Please note - the bottom half of the wall will be covered by bead-board, so there is only one coat on the seams.)

It is frustrating, but only because it's a new skill for me. And it's time consuming, and messy! So, I think I'll get a quote from a guy that does this on the side, and if it's reasonable, then I'll let him deal with it. But it's good to know it is something I can do if I needed to!

And hey - we have a new wall!! This will close in around the furnace, and create a laundry area across from the furnace, and in between is the new hall that will lead to the main bathroom.

It's getting there....

Door, window, window, door.

One of the major projects left to do is moving the door and three windows in the kitchen and back addition.

Why are we doing this? Well...

Basically, it comes down to "if we are putting this much work into the house, we may as well do that as well".

The small (really small) kitchen has both the electric panel and a window that is located too low on the wall for a counter top to go under it. So, let's swap out that window for the other window in the back wall of the addition, which is longer and shorter. And while we're at it, let's move the panel... right where that other small window is. And then let's make that wall an entire wall of storage space, and move the door over next to that, to make the rest of the space more usable, and give enough room for the new laundry area...

Poor Dad :)

This was the small window in the north wall of the addition. It really was in an odd spot - near the kitchen wall, half way up the wall - just sort of there. Dad tore it out a while ago, and insulated and drywalled that wall. That will be the wall that will be storage eventually, and will have the new electric panel.

The old laundry area, with the oddly-located window. Please ignore the pile of laundry ;)

The window on the back (east) wall of the addition is too close to the wall for the storage area I want, and so, it needed to be moved. The door, right beside it, also needed to be be moved, to allow me to re-configure the bathroom and furnace area into a bathroom, furnace area and laundry area.

Window (which will eventually be relocated in the kitchen)

Door, and poorly-installed hot water heater.

The hot water heater will be replaced by a smaller, wall-mounted, on-demand system, and that area will become the new laundry "closet", complete with a ~~dog bathtub~~ laundry tub.

Today, being a "warm", sunny, calm day, was the perfect day to do some cutting and pasting, so to speak! We started by removing the window, then cutting the new space for the door.