Life is all about perspective. Nine weeks ago we were doing this, to replace our 20-year-old washing machine, schlepping the old and new washers home and to the dump, and reveling in the new-fangled-ness of technology.
Last week the dryer pooped out. It was much less traumatic than when the washer went out. And we waited the three days and let it be delivered, so I have zero cool trailer-hauling pictures to show how tough and pioneer-like I am. It turned out to be pure heaven. We got the matching dryer put in, and the old one carted away. I thought only super-rich people got that kind of service. Turns out they do it for average joes, too.
.JPG)
Then I stepped back and took a good look. Whoa.
I remembered a quote I read in "The Happiness Project":
" No money is better spent than what is laid out for domestic satisfaction." -Samuel Johnson
We all realize that things need to be done, and spend a lot of our time and energy gearing ourselves up to the task. Laundry, bathroom cleaning, exercising, mending projects, and organization and just a few of those tasks. And when the mood is right, you just know you have to dig in and go for it.
But sometimes (most of the time) reluctance to spend money is the reason for not improving something. Somehow we feel we shouldn't spend money on improving our home's cosmetic atmosphere, or as Mr. Johnson put it, our domestic satisfaction. When by sheer hours of use, home projects have by far the highest R.O.I. (return on investment). If you were a company, a high R.O.I. makes spending money on a project a no-brainer. Dealing with the frustrations that come from disorganization can be far more taxing on our attitude, feelings, and happiness than we realize, and this space was pressing on my last nerve.
For 12 years I've been washing in the basement, looking at the gray-painted cement wall, and the early 1970's sheetrock-and-tape in i'm-not-saying-what-color-of-yellow wall. I knew the new washer and dryer had to have a better home and that I needed a brighter, cleaner, more organized space in which to spend the third of my life-time which is doing laundry.
The "hanging" situation: the water and natural gas pipes serve as my drying racks. They also serve as our overflow closet, sports gear storage, seasonal use storage, and etc. The hanging clothes block the natural light from the window. Had to change.
The storage situation: laundry soap and sundry are on the floor. Along with everything else. The laundry room is the gateway to the storage section of our basement, thus everything gets dumped just inside the door without ever making it to its appropriate space. I'm sure this never happens to you.
The square footage: technically the laundry portion is 15 ft long x 11 ft wide, quite a large space in reality. Perspective made me realize this and be grateful for it.
The Plan: repair the wall on the left and add a bit of sheet rock where there was just a stud wall; paint the cement wall behind the washer and dryer on the right; sort, box, and re-position the hanging items so the daylight could come in; add shelving above the washer/dryer and the folding counted to clear the appliance-tops and make folding at the counter an actual possibility.
I began by adding a shelf above the washer and dryer on a set of sturdy U-brackets (typically used for garage storage), securely bolted into the floor joists above. Then I added a wire shelf. Once I got all the stuff on it, it sagged terribly in the middle. My fix? Two daisy chains of zip-ties nailed to the floor joists. And a promise to revisit that solution at a later date.
You can see the old gray wall behind.
This is a portion of the wall I wanted to sheet rock. It bears the doodlings of my kids at the time we finished the front half of the basement, and my meticulous notes about when we snaked the clogged floor drain and other major plumbing incidents. I'm weird like this. When I got the sheet rock up, the gals were in a tizzy for covering it up. Solution: I took pics and I will frame them and hang them on the wall. They really missed it that much.
The back wall was first to be painted. I did one coat of primer and two coats of white paint. I chose the first white I saw in the cheapest paint product Home Depot carried. I taped off the stripes using Frog Tape, and used the leftover paint from the gals' room from oh, about 4 years ago. Does paint expire? I have no idea. But it worked great and it was free. I've always wanted to stripe something, it was really easy, super fun, and I love how it turned out.
Next was the sheet rock. I used a large bucket of sheet rock mud all up fixing that icky wall. I added the pieces of sheet rock to the wall that is to my left in the picture below. I taped it and added a corner all by myself! Just don't look too close...I will be hanging some strategically-placed decorations in awkwardly-low positions to hide the flaws.
This wall I did two coats of primer and two coats of paint, all speed-dried by a rotating fan. At this point I begin running low on steam and the family upstairs is running rampant so this project needs to be done, stat.
I really do love plain white walls.
This is the taping for the stripes. There's one more strip of tape that is completely covered by paint. The trick with tape is to paint and then peel it off while the paint is still wet. This prevents peeling. It also promotes drips and runs if you have blobs in corners where you just, well, blobbed the paint on in a super-hurry. Good thing I'm the master of cosmetic-repairs.
This is the Rubber Maid Closet Maid wire shelf: 20"x 4'. The supports are a cinch, adjustablity is limitless, and I have the option of adding additional shelving elements if I find I need something different.
Some colorful (cheapo-clearance) baskets add cheer and organization, as do the wire shelving ad-ons. My favorite is the basket to the left. It is the new home of single socks, clearing some valuable space on my folding counter.
The table is the counter top from the original kitchen upstairs. My wonderful and talented dad made it into a laundry folding table for me when we moved in. It has saved my life. Baskets fit under it neatly and I have a place to fold clean clothes, assuming it is not covered in clutter. The best thing I added to the laundry room was this little, black, collapsible stool. Now I can reach everything!
With a little work, everything is back nice and tidy. At the end of my laundry space is my "craft nook". I have wrapping, sewing, & crafting supplies here, along with my ridiculously out of control fabric stash, which is high on the list of purging projects. The fire extinguisher is a must in a room with appliances and the electrical panel.
This shelf above the appliances gets everything off the ground and in a reachable place, utilizing valuable overhead space that would otherwise be empty. Wire shelving lets light from the window through and prevents dust from gathering. Paper towels are safe and dry from the occasional plumbing mishap.
The floor is still cement, and the floor joists are still exposed, but the white paint and fun stripe change the atmosphere drastically. The continuity of the white and stripe help to define and unify the laundry space. Visually this is so much more pleasing to my mind and heart. Everything has a place and a function. There is ample light, and even daylight, too.
Perspective is everything. I am so blessed to have a place to do laundry inside my home, and I'm even spoiled enough to have a craft center/table in my laundry room. I never thought about it like that before. I find myself doing tiny loads of laundry for an excuse to spend time down here. All I need now is some chocolate candies in that candy jar as a sweet little reward for all my hard work.
Remember it doesn't have to cost a bundle. Check the classifieds for used shelving, counter tops to turn into tables, all at a screaming deal. Be brave and do it yourself! You're far more clever than you realize!
Let the laundry battle commence! Or is it laundry therapy, now...?
No comments:
Post a Comment