Labor Day is No Picnic for a Hive of Busy Bees; A Laundry Room Makeover

I know. Traditionally, Labor Day is supposed to be a day of rest for those in the work force. A last hurrah before the end of summer. Picnics, lazy days, walks in the woods. Not at our house. We generally find a big project to do, and take advantage of the long weekend.

I mentioned previously that I was eagerly anticipating the 8th annual BIG yard sale. People come from miles around. I'm not usually a yard-saler, but I was hunting for something in particular. I love our home. I still remember the first time that we looked at it. I knew that I wanted this house to be ours. We had always lived in a small house. We've never had a large kitchen. As a matter of fact, our kitchens have always been shoe box sized. With four children, that was difficult. Well, this house has a kitchen that I am more than content with. It also has a huge dining room. It even boasts a large laundry room. But, there is no coat closet, and no basement. We've always had a basement. Oh, how I miss that.

Anyway, with no coat closet, and seven people under one roof, we have no place for coats and shoes, but in the laundry room. I store the off season coats in our master bedroom closet. But the shoes, that's another story.

If you are in my laundry/mud room looking out to the porch, this is what you see:


Do you see them? The racks of shoes? They stay there year round. In the summer, they hold flip flops and hiking boots, old tennis shoes that are used for yard work and gardening, and roller blades. In the winter, they hold the same hiking boots, and play shoes.

So, I was in search of an antique cupboard of some sort. Something cute that could stay on the porch, and house the shoes.

I didn't find one, but I'll keep looking. I did find some other goodies that I'll share another time.






When I called Verne and told him that I had a plan, I told him that I would like for the two of us to go to the yard sale, and then to the home improvement store. We've been planning a project for quite sometime, and I had finally saved the money for it. Since we had the long weekend to work, I figured that we could get everything accomplished. I had to work most of the day today as well, but we are done!

Remember we have no basement. Our laundry room is where we enter our home. So does everyone else. If there is a knock on the front door we know that it isn't someone that we know very well.

Upon entering the house, this is what you see:


Not very attractive, is it? Washer, dryer, two hot water heaters, a laundry folding table, laundry baskets, a litter box for the cat, and more shoes. In the winter time you'll also find a rack full of coats.


By the way, this is the only room in the house that we have painted. The color doesn't look right in the pictures. It is a lovely terra cotta color. The floor is ceramic tile. It is bone with the same terra cotta color in it.


At my request, Verne built me this wonderful coat rack shortly after we moved in three years ago.

So, why the trip to the home improvement store? Quite simply because I am tired of looking at two hot water heaters, and everything else. I'm embarrassed when anyone comes in. Grandma has reminded me that it is the laundry room, but she is thrilled with the makeover!





So, why two water heaters, you ask? Well, when Grandma came to live with us, we turned our attached two car garage into two bedrooms and a bathroom. We had a 40 gallon hot water heater, and six people. We had run out of hot water occasionally, and decided to replace the tank with a 100 gallon tank. Our neighbor, who was helping us remodel, suggested that we just buy a 50 gallon tank because our original tank was only two years old. He told Verne how to hook the tanks together so that one does the heating, and one simply holds the hot water! Genius! We are never out of hot water now. While one tank is being used, the other is heating.

Call your husband into the room, as he may find this interesting!




So, as normal, the cold water runs into the first tank. The hot water runs out of the first tank, and into the cold side of the second tank. The hot water then runs from the hot side of the second tank into the house. It's a big loop.

The only drawback? Two hot water heaters sitting in my laundry room. Ugh... the plan? Cover the eyesore up. Make space where there isn't any. Mission accomplished!








First, Verne installed a six foot long counter in place of the laundry table. He built shelves under it. Now, all of my laundry baskets fit under the shelf, and the cat's litter box sits on top of the shelf. This saves space and keeps Daisy the Wonderdog from getting into the litterbox! Another genius idea!











Next, he built the skeleton of a folding screen to hide the hot water tanks. He stained it and polyurethaned it as well. He is so handy. And all mine! (0:







This project called for a trip to the fabric store. Or shall I say, stores? I called around on Monday morning and to my delight none of them were closed for the holiday. The girls and I met the call of duty and dragged ourselves to the stores. Oh, the choices! Surprisingly, I found a good many fabrics that would match my terra cotta walls. The hard part was finding something that I loved.

At last we made a decision, and I rewarded the girls with a Dairy Queen Blizzard for their inspiring opinions. I didn't partake.



Upon arriving home, the girls took the the laundry off the line that I hung earlier in the day.
A lovely sight; clean laundry, and beautiful girls!

















The boys were washing the house from top to bottom. They did a fine job. I think that Collin enjoyed spraying Mac with the hose more than the actual work. Go figure!













I quickly got to work at the sewing machine. I made a skirt for under the counter to hide the laundry baskets, and the litter box.

Next, I made panels for the screen to hide the hot water heaters.












Finally, I made curtains for the window. This room receives a great deal of sunshine, making it hot. Hopefully the curtains will help with that.













the finished curtains
















before the skirt









Above the counter, there is a shelf. It held a plastic ice cream bucket full of plastic bags from the grocery store. We reuse them in the bathroom garbage cans, and when we clean the litter box. The bucket is always overflowing. There is also a small bin for wayward socks, extra throw rugs for the laundry room, and a dish pan that Grandma occasionally soaks her feet in.









Not anymore! I made a smart looking plastic bag dispenser. The dishpan fits under the counter as well.












The room is now beautiful. A lovely screen hides the water heaters, and a skirt hides the laundry.












Closeups of the fabrics. The screen is a perfect match to the wall color, but also has some yellow flecks.







Collin loves the new bag dispenser. He was so impressed that I made this.




If you look in the pictures above, you'll notice this picture hanging above the dryer. Autumn drew this for me when she was five. I've had it hanging in every house since then. These are the things that truly make a house a home!



To view more of my home, you may look under the category, In My Home.



You make click on any of the pictures to enlarge them.