Sunday, July 8, 2012

Making The Most of Your Space - - Laundry Room!

One of the only things I would like a little bigger in the house is the laundry room! I spend a lot of time in there, daily, haha. Since making it BIGGER isn't going to happen, I needed to make the most of what I do have! Thankfully, I have an amazing husband who loves doing projects with me ( for me! ), but he agreed that the laundry baskets piled up in the corner wasn't the best..

The space for our laundry is small and narrow, and we have the Whirpool frontload washers, which are huge. Probably wouldn't buy those again if I could take it back! But anyways, I told my hubby what I wanted, and he headed to the drawing board. He came up with a wood pedestal for the washer and dryer to rest on, with spaces for three laundry baskets underneath!

Here's what you'll need :
  • 4 - 2 in. by 8in. by 10 ft. planks
  • 2 - 2 in. by 3in. by 10 ft. planks
  • 1 - 4 ft. by 8 ft. by half inch plywood
  • Wood screws
  • Stain and polyurethane
  • Sander ( for preference )
  • Chop saw for planks
  • Table saw
First you want to measure your space. We made the pedestal long enough for our trash can to rest on, as well as, washer and dryer. Next, measure the length of the three laundry baskets, side by side and be sure to include space for planks in between. This is going to be the basis of your length, longer if you prefer. Cut your larger planks to size, for length and legs. Screw each set together using wood screws. Secure your work by adding the planks on the inside walls for support. Next, screw your plywood into place. For a soft, smooth feel we sanded the entire piece. For staining, my husband placed the pedestal on a small cart, which made it simple to stain the whole thing at once! Once your stain is dry, brush on a polyurethane nice and thick. Let dry overnight. When it comes to installing, keep in consideration that you will need to make a hole for your dryer vent (at least that was our case). Place washer and dryer on top and enjoy your new space!!

We spent $32 on wood. We already had all other supplies used.






American Walnut




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51 comments:

  1. Fotini, this is such smart idea. And soooo much nicer than the pedestals they sell at the hardware stores with the W/Ds. Love the custom look it gives you. My laundry room suffers from smallness as well! Would be super delighted if you could link up with us over at Mop It Up Mondays: http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com/2012/07/mop-it-up-mondays-24.html.
    Thanks so much!

    {HUGS},
    kristi

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kristi, thank you for the invite, I linked up, and look forward to weekly!

      I'm so happy to have space for my dirty and clean clothes now!! It makes a huge difference!

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  2. This is a great idea Fotini, it looks really organized now, well done.

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    1. Thank you Erika! It feels great to have some walking space ;)

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  3. What a great idea for this room and thanks for sharing it at my NTT party.

    Blessings,
    Linda

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    Replies
    1. Linda, my pleasure! Thanks so much for visiting :)

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  4. Awesome idea! (Just when I thought there really wasn't any way to add space to my laundry room)!

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  5. Great idea, reclaimed space and places for the baskets. Visiting from Coastal Charm.

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  6. Smarty Pants! Fantastic idea! Thank you for sharing. Visiting from The DIY Dreamer. Would love it if you would share this at my Make it Pretty Monday party at The Dedicated House. http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.com/2012/07/make-it-pretty-monday-week-5.html Wishing you a grand week. Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

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    1. Thank you for visiting Kathryn! I linked up :)

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  7. That is really creative and smart! Thanks for linking up, it must be so nice to have it set up like that now!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, having the storage space is awesome!!

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  8. What a great idea!!!! It looks great too!

    Thanks so much for sharing this at The DIY Dreamer.. From Dream To Reality! :)

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  9. That is a fantastic idea! I bet you're loving the extra storage.:)

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    Replies
    1. Shiloh, it's wonderful!! Hope you visit again soon ;)

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  10. I love this! We've been talking about redoing our laundry room and I definitely wanted to do something similar to add some extra storage space.

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    1. Lisa, it's a great addition to any laundry room! I'm thinking about adding a cute velcro drape in the front to disguise the baskets and add some style! Check back for updates ;)

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  11. Oh, wow! There are so many places I can use extra storage space! Thank you for the tip! -Marci

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    1. Marci, it was a pleasure to have you stop by ;)

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  12. You are a genius.. Great idea! Thanks for linking up at Friday Fun Party

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  13. Thanks for this idea. Not sure it'll work in my space starved bathroom (yes washers are often in French bathrooms), but I'm determined to make it work...

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    1. Diane, I hope you are able to critique the "idea" to make it work for you! Let me know how it works out!!

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  14. hi...!!! wow... a great idea...super cool...n highly creative... :)

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  15. I pinned this...don't have front loaders but my daughter does! Love the idea of getting them up higher for easier access and not so much bending down! Your hubby did an awesome engineering job on this!

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    1. Mary, we had the GE washer and dryer drawers for the bottom, and they just weren't functional for much of anything and took up space, this is just what we needed! Hope it works your daughter ;)

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  16. What a great idea! We are building a laundry room in a few months, and I'll be keeping this idea in mind!

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    Replies
    1. Jaclyn, thank you for visiting! Please let me know how it works for you!!

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  17. Hi Fotini, I'm Anne from Life on the Funny Farm (http://annesfunnyfarm.blogspot.com). I'm a first-time visitor, here from the Country Momma blog hop. Great idea on the laundry storage! I pinned it. I'll be back!

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    1. Anne that's great! Thank you for stopping by, I look forward to seeing you again :)

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  18. love this idea so awesomely cool going to pin it so I remember it come see us at http://shopannies.blogspot.com

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  19. Thank you for sharing this at my Make it Pretty Monday party at The Dedicated House. Hope to see your prettiness again on Monday. Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

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  20. This is so awesome. My back kills me leaning over to get out the laundry, and the stands are so expensive. You just added to my husbands honey-do list.

    New follower from: Musings of an Imperfect Mom

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    1. Awesome!! I'm so glad you visited :) We had the stands for the washer and dryer but they aren't very functional ( not tall enough for detergent, etc). These are GREAT to have!

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  21. This is such a great idea! I love how you can just put the baskets right underneath. Thanks for sharing at Showcase Your Talent Thursday!

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    1. It makes a world of difference!! THanks :)

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  22. The project looks great, I'll be the practicality is wonderful. Thanks sharing on Saturday Show and Tell. I hope you'll be back this week with more great stuff!
    -Mackenzie
    http://www.cheeriosandlattes.com

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  23. What a great idea, most of us would go on top not underneath but that is so much better, your hubby is very good at woodwork
    Angela x

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  24. I love this idea! We are refurbishing a house we plan to retire to in December and this just fits what I want to do and have more room since it is going to double as a pantry. Thank you for a great idea! Norma

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  25. I have a question. Have you had any problems with the washer shaking to much?

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    1. Thank you for your question! Both my washer and dryer shake while in use, but I've had no problems!!

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  26. How did you secure the 2"x8" planks on top of each other to give you the 16" tall pedestals?

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  27. How did you secure the 2"x8" planks on top of each other to give you the 16" tall pedestals?

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    1. Crystal, everything was secured with wood screws. My husband braced and framed everything so the entire piece is very solid. Thanks for stopping by :)

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Thank you so much for visiting! I love to hear from you and look forward to seeing you back soon!