The Worst Gets Better...

Without a doubt, the laundry room was the worst in the entire house. If I recall correctly, and I do, it was that room that sent me into a crying fit wondering what in the world I'd done.

(To be fair, the crying fit came after I pulled out an entire skeleton of what must have been a squirrel or a baby raccoon, and yes, I've had that confirmed by someone other than me. Thankfully my older brother put me back on the right track when he offered to buy it off my hands right then and there. He did just the right thing by challenging my ability to do something. I can safely say that stubborn is one of my strongest characteristics. Anyway, I've digressed enough.)

Just in case you've been lucky enough to forget, here is the way the laundry room looked when I did my walk-through.

You can't see the corner that resulted in my questioning my logic, but here it is in all it's glory. The corner of the house had taken a direct hit from a tree limb falling on it last May. By August the water and rodent damage was rampant and had consumed the entire support for the corner. The 2x4 was rotted through and was knocked completely out by a gentle touch. Notice the brick in the picture? Yup, that's external brick. Oops!


I am very happy to say that what was once the worst room in the building is now a bright airy space that I'm not terrified to be in! My middle/baby brother and his wife very graciously gave me their old dryer, so for the first time since I've moved in, I can wash and dry clothes in my own house! No more blow drying pants before car duty in the morning! (been there, done that...) Notice my "new" washer and dryer.


Originally there was a dark nasty cabinet hanging up in the corner above the washer/dryer. While I appreciated the storage, the mold between the cabinet and the ceiling and the general filth of the cabinet meant it was coming out! So, what kind of storage did I want???

**Disclaimer: I'm about to get on a personal soapbox. Watch out.

My family's go to storage option is UGLY metal brackets on the wall with adjustable braces that you place a shelf on. I HATE this type of shelving for a purely aesthetic reason. I appreciate the ability to adjust it and its myriad of combinations, but the metal braces and exposed supports are just not pleasing to my eye, so don't even/ever try to talk me into it. Remember the stubbornness we talked about earlier?. Okay, okay, off the soapbox, you're safe now.

Instead of the aforementioned shelves, I wanted strong shelves that had no visible means of support. Easy-peasy right? Ha! Apparently, Marc/Dad channeled the wood workers of old in a couple of dreams before he came up with the shelf design. I'd be lying if I even tried to describe it.

I just have to say that I love the look and am very pleased with how clean and uncluttered the shelves themselves look. (Ignore the items on the shelves, I know that stuff is cluttered, but one step at a time, people! I'm only human!)


Check out my scary laundry room now! Hours of scrubbing, sweat, a little blood and a couple of tears and I have a room to be proud of. Now if I can just keep all the walls intact, but more on that later...