Spin Doctors
Here’s that washer & dryer update that you’ve all been asking for. Yesterday our fab front loading washer & dryer (which ended up being floor models due to Lowe’s SELLING THE ONES WE ALREADY PURCHASED!) arrived in near perfect condition. In fact, the dryer is flawless and the washer has only a tiny scratch on the top that you’d need a magnifying glass to locate. So all in all, we’re actually thrilled that Lowe’s messed up and sold our new models since the floor models are just as nice (and ended up saving us another 150 bucks, bringing our total discount on the washer and dryer to $500- amazing!). In fact, they told us we ended up getting them both below cost- so the store didn’t make a dime off of the sale.
But we didn’t stop there. Don’t you know me at all? We visited our favorite home improvement store last night to talk with a manager about getting a free four year warranty on both items (valued at $250). See, our argument was that we didn’t ask for the floor models but ended up with them due to Lowe’s error, and we didn’t want something to go wrong with them from all the wear and tear they endured while on display. We figured they might meet us in the middle and offer a warranty on just one appliance or offer to pay 50%, but we never thought they’d actually go along with us completely.
I guess we’re just THAT CHARMING. We waltzed out of there with the full 4 year warranty on both items for a mere $13 (the computer wouldn’t let them give it away for free, but the manager somehow got it down to just over ten bucks for us). Now that’s one heck of a deal. Point: Lowe’s.
And – here’s quick before (well, amidst demo) and after shot of our laundry nook. A fresh coat of paint and some bamboo blinds from Wal-Mart and we’re back in business! Next we just need to cover some of those ugly plugs on the back wall.
Coming Apart Put Back Together
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Love the new look, especially the shades. Could we get a peek behind them?
Also, which brand did you end up with for the machines? I’d love to get a front-load washer.
thanks!
Hey Joni,
Trust me, you don’t want to see what’s behind those blinds! It’s the most impossible-to-organize storage space in the entire house. My theory is that because it’s so big and deep, it’s hard to keep everything in its place… and things tend to pile up and get lost up there. For a sneak peek though, I do pull the blinds up for a second in the first house tour video to reveal a huge pile of clutter. You can check it out here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpkH7R2-tEI
As for the type of front loaders we chose, we went for a washer and dryer from the Whirlpool Duet Sport line since they’re a bit more compact and allowed for a rolling storage rack to be tucked into the new laundry nook as well. That’s also featured in the video so be sure to check it out!
xo,
Sherry
Hey guys, love what your doing with the ‘old’ place and after nearly ten years of living in unalterable base housing, not to mention having a neighbour who taught me how to face the clutter scourge, I have a suggestion for your nook o’ oblivion.
Cut the height down with shelves because tall empty spaces like that encourge stacking, which in turn makes it a no-man’s land because to get anything you might want, you have to do a lot of digging.
I’d use a shorter shelf on top; place it on rollar tracks like a computer keyboard. That way you could push it back and have a clear overhead view of the stuff in the front of the bottom shelf, which is most likely the stuff you use the most.
All in all, it shouldn’t be too expensive or time consuming but in the end you don’t have to have clutter shame when you’re showing off all the wonderful things you’ve done to the house to someone for the first time.
Hey Susan,
You’re like a mind reader! We’ve since added more shelves and baskets and other ways to organize everything within the cavernous space and it’s much easier to sift through without feeling like you’re in the baggage compartment of a 757. Thanks so much for the tip! To see the finished product check out this post: http://www.younghouselove.com/2007/11/spin-city/
And there’s an even more updated photo in our house tour! Hope it helps!
xo,
s
So I did the old throw back and decided to choose a random page in the super old posts where you were getting few comments, just to see what I came up with.
To be honest, I’m glad I did. You guys are (clearly) very popular, and even your before photos are often so much nicer than most people’s afters. So though I know your house was not perfect to start with, it was so refreshing to see that at some point, in some time frame, your laundry room was about as non-awesome & inspiring as ours is now (and this hit home because we’re redoing the “for now” space it’s in).
It’s nice to see that at some point this really was just a little blog with people just as excited to get their laundry area redone (and to see that you don’t come off any different now than you did then, like your success hasn’t changed you).
Even though I married a professional, who guarantees me our house will be gorgeous someday, and I believe it – it’s just nice to see it with someone else. Especially because, right now, our laundry area is completely open to the kitchen…next to the pantry…and directly to your right when you come in our main door.
At least I can open the washer, cook dinner and then basket toss any bacony buttery dishtowels directly into the washer without taking more than a step. I guess it does have its perks.
Aw that’s so sweet of you! I bet your laundry room will be amazing someday!
xo,
s
As long as it’s not right when you walk in our door I’ll be thrilled haha.
I have such an awesome huge family I married into, but long story short – if I never have to see my mother in tears from laughing again, when she told me one of the aunts opened our dryer to fold laundry and instead found one of my thongs in it and started pretend dancing around with it doing the “oooh la la!” thing, I will forever be thankful. Thank God my mother (between fits of hysterical laughter) got her to put it back…and it was only like 4 of them (versus 30 that were there) in the house at the time haha.
Maybe the lesson is to take all my laundry out of the dryer before company. I say the lesson is I need to move the darn dryer. HAH. I love those hoodwinks.
Haha- too funny! On one of my first trips home to meet John’s family (where I stayed in a guest room while he stayed in his room) I somehow lost a thong from my bag (a clean one) and just figured I forgot to pack that one but then it arrived in the mail from John’s mom with a sweet note about leaving it behind. I nearly died.
xo,
s
HAHAH. Dyying. Sherry, that’s friggen hilarious. I just cracked up laughing. I would have died inside a little and been so embarrassed. When something like that happens, and his mother includes a sweet note, you know you have a keeper. Utterly hilariously embarrassing.
Have a nice night lady! Now I’m really hoping I don’t dream of thongs tonight.
Still laughing to myself. So good.