Laundry Room - Part I: The Wall Comes Tumblin' Down

Since we moved into our old home at the end of August we have been living without the use of two modern amenities that seem much more like necessities -- a washer and dryer.  Add an infant in cloth diapers into the mix and now you are asking for a disaster.  Fortunately, we have lots of family that live in the area that have been generous to allow us to pop in and do a few loads when we need to.

The house did originally have hookups for a washer and gas dryer in the basement.  However, this basement isn't exactly the most inviting space, and we own and prefer an electric dryer.  Furthermore, we had the line for the gas dryer removed -- and the other nest of twisted gas pipe -- when our new water heater was installed.

After some research and deliberation, we decided to add a laundry room off the landing between the first and second floors.  Aside from kitchen towels and washcloths, the bulk of our laundry will be generated on the second floor anyway.  Plus we had these two little rooms located off the stairs that were inexplicably useless.

Looking down on the little rooms from the 2nd floor

We learned that these two little rooms were the remains of a second staircase that the maids used decades ago.  With the staircase long gone and no sign of maids anywhere around our house, these odd little rooms were a good fit.

The first step in creating our new laundry room was to remove the little wall between the rooms and create one larger room -- but still rather small.  Not only would this give us a usable space, but it would allow more natural light into the hallway on the second floor.

The drywall removed from the wall revealing the lathe.

Where the wall once was.

Same view as the first picture without the wall

With a bathroom on the opposite wall, we were certain that we could get the hookups and drain line we needed for the washer.  Just to be certain we cut a hole in the wall to peek at the plumbing inside.

Hole to check on the plumbing.

Confident that we could then proceed with our project we called Sinclair Plumbing and Harv's Electric to begin work on getting the hookups we would need for our soon-to-be-laundry room.

Sorry about your tree, Alice!

While cutting the lawn one day, I was stopped by a nice man named Ron who has lived in the neighborhood for decades.  He gave us the warmest of welcomes and said that he knew the couple that most recently lived in this house.  He mentioned that as they grew older, they had not been able to give the house the attention that it needed.  He was excited to see a young family with the energy it would take.

Ron also mentioned that they passed away a few years ago and that the wife, Alice, had gone a bit before her husband.  In her memory, a tree was planted at the house.  Here is a picture of the tree from last week:

Alice's tree

The size of the tree led me to believe that Ron might have a slightly different perception of how long ago Alice passed away.  The tree might have been 25 feet tall when it was planted and I could be completely wrong.

The tree blocking the house

Regardless, the tree needed to go.  It was far too large for our city lot and it blocked the view of much of our house.  Furthermore, it was a pine.  Pines are messy.  Pines leave sap, cones, and needles.

The crew from Economy Tree Service made short work of the tree.  Armed with a chipper and a fearless man with a chainsaw on an extension ladder, all but the stump was gone within 30 minutes.

Sorry Alice, the tree is down.

Hopefully Alice's family has other means of keeping her memory alive.

The grinding of the stump.

The house without the tree.

Kitchen Appliances "Steel" the Show!

Refrigerators, ranges, dishwashers, and microwaves! Who knew that shopping for new appliances would be so overwhelming?

About two months ago now, we walked out of Classic Maytag on Military Avenue with a feeling of accomplishment.  We had finally decided on what we wanted to have for kitchen appliances. We needed to get a fridge, an electric range, a microwave, and a dishwasher. 

Looking at store ads for Fourth-of-July appliance sales was pretty time-consuming, but we narrowed our search down to three stores; we decided to go to Sears, the Home Depot, and Classic Maytag. 

Sears left us with more questions than answers, because after a while, all of the appliances started to look alike.  It wasn't a wasted trip, however, because by that point we had decided that we definitely wanted to get stainless steel finish on all four pieces.

Home Depot wasn't any help.  Not only were we constantly bombarded by sales associates (Do they work on commission? It sure seemed like it!), but they didn't have as many appliances to look at as their ad led us to believe they had. Not the first time this has happened at this store, but that's another story.

Finally, we walk into the Classic Maytag store located on Military Avenue, and we immediately see the range we want. We decided to go electric, as we no longer had a gas line going to the kitchen. Plus, I get nervous about open flame around towels, wash cloths, oil... I have been known to accidentally start things on fire.

In no time, we had our dishwasher, our microwave, and our fridge picked out.  We placed the order, and in just a few weeks, our appliances were all installed.  I am so happy with the service provided by Bill Schumacher at Classic Maytag.

The Maytag truck is here!

Bill rolling the fridge up the steps.

The refrigerator in its (temporary) home.

The microwave and the range.

The new dishwasher!

In-venting a Solution

It wasn't until after we closed on our house that we discovered what was behind a mysterious piece of wood in the kitchen.  Based on the vent outside the house we knew it was for microwave venting, but the condition of what we'd find was the question.

Wood covering the microwave vent hole

Our curiosity was satisfied as we peered in on a jagged hole stuffed with a very old beach towel (which we promptly discarded).  We also had a chance to see what the house had for insulation in the outside walls.  To  our surprise we found absolutely no insulation in the walls.    

The microwave venting in the wall

Since the exterior vent will not be removed until we get the house repainted down the road, I thought it best to stuff at least a little insulation in the hole.

Insulation in the vent hole

Then I cut a piece of drywall from a wall I intend to remove for our soon-to-be laundry room and fit it in the hole as best I could.

Drywall covering the vent hole

Some joint compound, light sanding and a couple of coats of paint made the hole disappear.  

The filled hole painted over

Although my craftsmanship is now covered by the new microwave, at least I know there is insulation in one place in this house!

The microwave in its new home

This Blog Post Will 'Floor' You!

Hardwood floors say a lot about the quality of a house. Original hardwood floors in a 110-year-old house scream it.

Walking into the house for the first time was a moment I'll never forget. As we ascended the six steps that led us from the driveway entrance into the foyer, my heart did a flip-flop... Hardwood floors! And maple... My favorite type!

Sure, there was wear, and in just the right light scratches from decades of moving furniture around was visible. But seriously - I was floored. ;-)

After we went up to the second floor, my heart sank - the hallway had been sanded down to the bare wood. And people had been walking on it. For a long time. Stains from people's shoes were ground into the wood, especially in the high-traffic areas of the bathroom doorway, the top of the stairs, and in the threshold of one of the five bedrooms.

And not only had the floor been sanded - it had been done very poorly. There were circular marks from the sander etched into the floor, and some of them were pretty deep. Thankfully the bedrooms were untouched, though the person who had done it had partially sanded into each of the other rooms. I cringe now just thinking about it!

We knew we had to do something about the floor before we could move in any of our bedroom furniture, as our bedroom would end up being in the turret. (I've always wanted to have my bedroom in a turret!)

We knew which company we wanted to hire, because I have seen their work firsthand and I was impressed. I called Paul from Ralph's Hardwood, of Black Creek, WI. He was able to come out and give us an estimate, after which we scheduled a two-day job for our second floor hallway to be sanded and refinished. They were also going to fix the transitions in the doorways. Our appointment was almost two months away from when we made it.

In the meantime, there was plenty of other work to be done. Cleaning, dusting, and ripping out carpeting! One of the rooms on the second floor had carpeting, and we were able to see that there was hardwood under it. At the time I was puzzled as to why anyone would ever want to cover it up with carpeting... More on that topic in a future blog post.

We had Ralph's Hardwood come up and sand and refinish our hallway, and I couldn't be more pleased with the results. It turned out beautiful, as you can tell by the pictures.

Before: bathroom threshold

After: bathroom threshold

Before: landing at the top of the stairs

After: landing at the top of the stairs