That’s
not actually what I’m posting about this time, though. The renovations I am getting ready for now
are bathroom / laundry room changes.
As you know, my bathroom is a small dark gray coffin of a room. I replaced the lighting (or rather I had my contractor replace it for me) almost as soon as I moved in – I had to – the old fixture had 15 watt bulbs for heavens’ sake – and no, not the new enviro bulbs that only USE 15 watts, these were REALLY old bulbs in a really old fixture. The vanity is a well-used (many times painted) little thing – kind of low to the ground too, come to think of it. The bath tub, also well loved, is pretty long (thankfully) but also in need of replacement.
All
in all, the looks of the bathroom aren’t so hot. Looks can be worked around,
things can be painted.
From
a structural perspective, though the bathroom had to be one of the first major
renovations planned. The old toilet had
had a wax ring seal with had probably disintegrated due to age many years
ago. The resultant leak rotted away most
of the floor around the toilet, and when the new toilet was installed when I
took possession of the house, my contractor pointed out to me that the bathroom
floor was in serious need of attention.
The
laundry room is not as desperately in need of attention – the floor (all three
levels of it) is solid and though the walls are not insulated, the room serves
its purpose and doesn’t complain too much.
The one thing in the laundry room that did and does need attention
(sooner rather than later) is the sash-less window. A sash-less window is basically two panes of
glass that slide across each other to open and close. Not sealed in any way, so not air tight (or
wind tight in winter) and a great waste of heating as it pretty much just leaks
out through that window. There’s one in
the front bedroom as well – it is also being replaced, but this post is about
the new bathroom / laundry room I have planned.
SO… my plan is to have the wall between the
two rooms removed and the current doorway into the laundry room closed up. The door that serves the bathroom now will
continue to be the door into The New Space.
The
washer and drier (old ones just replaced last month with a stackable Whirlpool
set – front loading and WAY more energy efficient) and the additional floor
space saved by going stackable will be used to build a small counter (storage
underneath) and up top I will affix a drying rack on a cleat and pulley
system. Grandpa had one built for
Grandma in their laundry room and I think it’s a brilliant use of space!
A
small linen cupboard will be built either into a pony wall or against the far
wall – against the living room - and then on the other side of the small pony
wall will be the bath tub. Far corner will remain home to the hot water tank
(which will be in its own little cupboard which I hope to eventually put
shelves into so I can use it as an airing cupboard) then the toilet and vanity
on the wall that is being filled in.
All
in all, I think, it will be a better laid out, lighter and much more useful
space. I hope to incorporate smarter
space use so that I can have a little more and better storage than is currently
there. A proper linen cupboard instead
of the currently in use Rubber-Made storage I am using. A bigger vanity that will store more than
just the TP and extra shampoo under the sink (the one I have ordered has actual
drawers!!) and perhaps some open style shelves (eventually) over top of the
toilet where things like a hair drier could be stored.
The
renovation is planned for this coming week while I am on vacation – I essentially
go away and leave behind two small rooms that aren’t well laid out or storage
friendly and I get to come back in a week to a lighter, brighter and smarter
space!
When
I get back next weekend I will post my before and after shots!
With
love across the waters,
