I want to tell you about our laundry room renovation but first let us begin with the journey of the Windmill Motel. We bought the motel and attached dwelling unit, as it is called, back in 2012. With great plans and a little cash we began the renovations. Lots got done in the first few years but I want us to fast forward to 2015 when we had 5 kids 5 and under. We are foster parents and I had just given birth, well actually it started a little before I gave birth, to my daughter in March of 2015.
I was a little tired, and nine months pregnant, when I decided that our main floor laundry room was also big enough to be a family closet, or at least a children’s closet. I was tired of dragging clothes upstairs to put in the boys’ rooms. Our laundry room had become the dumping ground for all things out of season or not quite needed, just yet, and was in need of a clean up at the very least. We had bought a rubbermaid configurations closet system for our bedroom but we hadn’t installed it. So I went out a bought a few extra pieces and we went to town on our laundry room renovation.
Here are some before pictures!
The drywall in this room had heaping gobs of drywall compound slathered all over it in some crazy pattern and they didn’t even tape the joints. I knew it would be going some day but 3 weeks before my baby was due, wasn’t that day. There is a blue bag of donated baby clothes on the floor and the ironing board was full of motel bedding and pillows.
The temporary fix
So we had to work with what we had and make sure we could get it done quickly.
Each boy had four bins, underwear, PJs, tops and bottoms. And they each had about 2 feet of hanging space. My daughter had some clothes hanging up but lots of her stuff was on the changing table also that we kept in the bathroom.
So this set up had to do until we had the time and money to gut it. I also wanted to move the washer and dryer to one end, instead of against the long wall, as they stuck out nearly 3 feet and it made it narrow to pass by. So in the Spring of 2018 we began the very long journey of gutting the laundry room. Many videos of the experience are on our YouTube Channel.
Mostly finished with the laundry room renovation
After a few months, that included three weeks with only a portable spin washer and 5 children, we got it finished. We even moved the door to the dining room side. I also got a brand new front load washer and dryer.
We still have some more work to do, some trim and I want to rearrange the shelves around again as the kids clothes are getting bigger and I want to try to raise the rods a bit more, but so far it has been awesome. I still don’t have the drawers under the washer and dryer done yet either. The shelf above the washer and dryer hold all of the off season clothes, extra booster seats and summer beach stuff. Under the washer and dryer are laundry baskets and my 5 gallon bucket of laundry detergent. Once we do the trim for the kitchen we’ll do the same trim all over the main floor of the house, so the laundry room renovation will get done then.
The journey is never over but it has a very good beginning! Now on to the kitchen! Be sure to check out the rest of the blog.