Young House Love

Home Decorating, DIY Tutorials, & Shenanigans

  • Shop Our House
  • Our Previous Homes
    • Our Richmond House
    • Our Beach House
    • Our Duplex
  • Before & Afters
    • Our Current House
    • Our Previous House
    • Our Beach House
    • Our Duplex
    • Our First House
    • Our Second House
    • Our Showhouse
  • DIY & Decorating Tips
    • Most Popular
    • Home Improvement
    • Painting
    • Cleaning & Organizing
    • Crafting & Art
    • More . . .
  • Podcast
    • Getting Started
    • Show Notes
  • Shop
    • Our Fav Home Finds
    • Our Lighting Line
    • Our Books
    • Book Club Picks
    • Black-Owned Businesses

Young House Love » Home Improvement » The Mighty Ducts: Running New Laundry Vents

| By John Petersik | July 30, 2014 | 211 Comments

The Mighty Ducts: Running New Laundry Vents

Yes, this is a post about how to run dryer duct work and reroute HVAC vents. Why would I make a horribly punny reference to a 22-year-old Disney hockey movie if it weren’t? But first, some background. By the time Monday’s post was going up, David the framer was here putting the finishing touches on our new laundry room by adding that fourth and final wall (the one that will have the door that leads to the hallway).

Framing Done 1

He also added the wall that will eventually house the frosted door to the current storage / future TV room. I took the picture from this side to get around that lovely plastic sheet, which helps us keep some of the attic heat at bay.

Framing Done 2

Here’s a full shot of the completed framing. I propped up the door just to give everyone an idea of how much it will swing into the room (it’s 8′ deep, so there’s plenty of room for that door to swing without interfering with our washer/dryer/cabinetry).

Framing Done 3 Door

But this post isn’t really about framing, it’s about some of those little annoying tasks that you sometimes forget about in all of the excitement of a big project. Annoying, but no less important. So here are the three items we checked off our list before drywall could begin. They’re not the most exciting, but I hate to skip over them for anyone else facing similar projects… so prepare yourself for lots of photos coming your way.

Framing Other Tasks Done

Let’s start with the new dryer vent. I read that for proper function (i.e. getting clothes dry and not starting lint fires) a dryer vent pipe should be no longer than 25 feet and for every 90-degree turn, you should subtract 5 feet from your length. Here’s what our old set-up looked like, which I think was about 10 feet too long or had about 3 too many turns in it.

Vent 1 Old System

The good news is that by putting our dyer on the back wall of the new room, we were much closer to the exterior wall. But when we initially mapped out where the new vent could go (Plan A) it wasn’t faring much better. To keep the pipes up and out of the way, it took nearly as many turns and almost as much length. Boo. So we found a new path (Plan B) that was MUCH better and shorter by going under the attic steps… only it involved cutting a new hole in the exterior wall. That doesn’t top my list of fun activities, but it had to be done. And I’ll explain later why we chose to still take it up the wall rather than exiting the house under the stairs.

Vent 2 Routing Options

To start, I needed to make a path under the step for the 4″ vent pipe to go. I used my Dremel Sawmax to cut the plywood top along the step joist so that I could easily reattach it later. Then I used a reciprocating saw to cut a 4″ wide section out of the 2×6″ for the vent to rest in.

Vent 3 Cutting Step

I was planning on reusing the existing metal vent pipes since they were in good enough condition and I had a lot of pieces to choose from. All they needed was a good cleaning first, which I did by taking them all apart and using a long bristled brush to scrape them clean along with my Shop Vac.

Vent 4 Cleaning

Then I started piecing them back together. Pipes like these have a crimped end that makes them easier to fit together. I read once that you want your crimped ends facing the same direction of the airflow so that air doesn’t escape around the crimping. Once fitted together, I sealed everything with metal-faced duct tape (note: not duck tape!).

Vent 5 Connecting Airflow

Once I had all of my pipes fitted together, I started to position them to run them under the stairs and up the back/exterior wall. You can see that I made an opening in the side of the step for the duct to pass through there, and I held everything in place with some steel hanger straps.

Vent 6 New Layout

That bottom pipe extended way too far into the room, so I cut it down using my metal snips. I left it a little long so that I can cut it to its final size once the room is more finished. The green painters tape is just so we don’t cut ourselves on the raw edge while working.

Vent 7 Cutting Short

Next up was putting the new hole in the exterior wall. Fun. I started off by drilling a pilot hole from the inside to mark roughly where the new vent hole needed to go. This was mainly to make sure I placed the hole directly above the pipe that I just installed.

Vent 8 Making Hole Inside

Then I headed outside to start making the big hole in the siding. More fun. Especially the ladder part. Yay. Anyways… I did this using a 4 1/8″ hole saw (which you’ll see closer in a moment). I wanted to start from the outside to make sure I was placing it in the middle of a siding board (and not awkwardly spanning two of them). The pilot hole I made from the inside helped me make sure I was drilling in the right spot.

Vent 9 John Ladder Making Hole

Outside I only made it through the hardboard siding (not the plywood beneath it). I didn’t want to spend any more time up on that ladder than I had to, so I came back inside to do the rest. The 4 1/8″ hole saw bit made a fresh pilot hole for me to follow so I could be sure everything lined up.

Vent 10 Hole Saw Inside

With the hole cut all the way through, I could install the new dryer vent on the outside. I bought one that resembled the original one, since they’ll both be living up there until we go through the trouble of removing the old one and patching the siding (we’ve just capped and sealed it from the inside for now). Oh and Sherry painted the new one to match the siding before I installed it so there’d be less work to do up on the ladder.

Vent 11 New Vent Painted

Before climbing up I put a ring of silicone caulk around the back of it, that way it’d have a nice weather tight seal from the get -go.

Vent 12 Caulked Back

It took a bit of finagling to get it in (the 4 1/8″ hole took some sanding down to get the 4″ pipe through) but eventually it was in and I could screw it to the siding for a nice firm hold. And this photo shows why we chose to put the new vent as high as we did, rather than exiting the house under the attic stairs. That would’ve put the vent barely above that bit of roof below, meaning lint would’ve built up on the shingles. So because we had to take it higher no matter what, we figured we’d put it in line with the old vent, just so things would line up (and not look all diagonally janky until we patch that one down the line).

Vent 13 John Ladder Screwing In

Back inside I trimmed off a bit of the vent pipe that stuck into the room and connected a semi-rigid vent pipe to it, complete with more metal faced duct tape and another ring of silicone caulk.

Vent 14 Attaching Inside Caulking

Then I just had to reattach the section of the stair that I had cut off and we were back in business. Well, I guess we need the dryer installed to truly be back in business – but you know what I mean.

Vent 15 Done

We’ll take a brief interlude from duct talk to address the floor for a second, which you’ll notice is quite a bit lower in the new laundry room at the moment. We want the tile that’s going in there to be as flush with the hardwoods as possible, so we needed to build up the subfloor a bit.

Vent 16 Flooring Before

I did some math and figured I’d need a 3/4″ layer of subfloor, a 1/2″ concrete backer board (for tiling on), plus the height of the tile & thinset to get myself flush with the hardwood floor. Since I wasn’t going to fit two 4 x 8′ pieces of subfloor in our car, I took this as my cue to rent the $19 Home Depot truck and get lots of my big materials – including all the drywall and insulation.

Vent 17 Truck Supplies

The 4 x 8′ pieces of 1/2″ OSB subfloor took a bit of trimming with my circular saw before bringing them up to the room, but all things considered it wasn’t too hard to get the two sheets to fit  nicely, and then I glued and screwed them down (gluing can help cut down on any creakiness down the line). Here’s the first one going down.

Vent 18 Floor Down

Now let’s get back to ducts. This time we’re talking about the HVAC variety, since this new laundry room has zero heating or cooling coming its way… despite the main trunk line being so close (and the old laundry nook having its own dedicated vent).

Vent 19 Existing HVAC

I’m certainly not a pro in this department and I had a bit of trouble finding help online in this arena – but eventually this series had enough explanation and photos to give me the confidence to tackle it. Also, I noticed that Home Depot sold this “Add A Vent” kit – complete with materials, a tool list, and instructions. Perhaps this would be less scary than I expected?

Vent 20 Add A Vent Box

Buuuuut… I didn’t actually use the Add-A-Vent box. After purchasing it (it was $67) I realized I already owned some of the items that were included, and that I could buy the others for about $54 instead. One of those items being this “Speedi-Boot” that makes nailing in the new ceiling vent between two joists really easy. So I just returned the boxed set and used my a-la-cart purchases (but wanted to call out that kit here in case it helps someone else who might not have some of the supplies I already did).

Vent 21 Adding Speediboot

The part where I got nervous was cutting into my main HVAC trunk duct. But with some guidance from this post, I traced out where I wanted my new collar to attach…

Vent 22 Collar Circle Drawn

…and used a utility knife to cut out the insulation, exposing the metal vent beneath.

Vent 23 Circle Cut

The tutorial I was following didn’t really help me when it came to cutting the hole in the metal, but this video did. Basically I hammered a flathead screwdriver in to puncture it, then used my metal cutters to go around the circle. There are probably better snips for cutting holes than mine, but they did the trick well enough.

Vent 24 Cutting Hole

The collar has a ring of tabs on it, half of which I bent outward (to rest on the outside of the vent) while bending the others inward (to go into the hole). Once I placed it in the hole, I reached through the top of the collar and bent the inward tabs the other way so they held snugly against the inside of the vent.

Vent 25 Collar Going In

Then I pressed some foil duct tape firmly around the whole thing to create a tight seal.

Vent 25 Taping Collar

Next up was attaching the insulated flexible duct that would connect the collar to the ceiling vent. It’s pretty easy to cut to length using a utility knife, but you will need wire cutters to get through the inner wire coil. I held it in place with a zip tie, followed by more duct tape.

Vent 26 Adding Flexible Tubing

I used more zip ties to hang the flexible duct from the ceiling a bit so that it didn’t have any kinks or anything, since I didn’t want anything that might restrict airflow.

Vent 27 Done

I’m gonna leave that cardboard “dust shield” (their words, not mine) in the ceiling vent until we’re ready to heat and cool this room, but I did quickly kick on the A/C  just to make sure it worked. And in case you can’t tell by my thumbs up or cartoon air arrows, it did!

Vent 28 It Works

I realize that wasn’t the most fun post in the world, but I’m very glad to have gotten that stuff out of the way so this room can start to come together in more significant ways… like drywalling, which we have already started! It’s actually starting to look like a room in here.

Vent 29 Drywall Started

But I’ll share all the drywall-hanging details when it’s done, which will hopefully be by Monday if all goes well. We’ve got book photoshoots today and tomorrow so we’re forced to switch our brains off Laundry Room Mode until Saturday, but at least we were able to get some laundry done at my parents house yesterday so we won’t be stinky for the photographer.

More posts from Young House Love

Filed Under: Home Improvement, Our Third House

Fab Freebie: Getting Schooled
How To Hang Drywall… All By Yourself!

Comments

  1. Avatar for VanessaVanessa says

    July 31, 2014 at 10:14 am

    I cannot wait to see how great this little spot in your home turns out. It looks to be a lot of work- but will payoff in the end!

    Reply
  2. Avatar for Anele @ Success Along the WeighAnele @ Success Along the Weigh says

    July 31, 2014 at 10:14 am

    What I wouldn’t give to spend a week with you guys just soaking up DIY knowledge. We have good intentions but we have to rely on YouTube videos and hope the contradicting info we can find doesn’t end up confusing us.

    If y’all ever want to do more videos of this stuff, I wouldn’t be mad atcha. ;-)

    Have fun with your photo shoots and give Burger an ear scratch for me. I miss his photo bombs!

    Reply
  3. Avatar for AmyAmy says

    July 31, 2014 at 10:17 am

    I am so impressed by how quickly and well done you are moving through this project! I wish we could get projects crossed off our “home to do” list so efficiently! And I just think your laundry room move makes 100000x more sense then how it was placed! Such a big improvement to your home!

    Reply
    • Avatar for haverwenchhaverwench says

      July 31, 2014 at 11:50 am

      Probably it’s a bit easier to make time for home projects when doing them and then writing about them is your full-time job. (When I grow up, I want to be a Petersik.)

  4. Avatar for Karen L.Karen L. says

    July 31, 2014 at 10:20 am

    Yay! Great progress even though it’s things that aren’t so “fun”! I know you’ll love it all when you get it done. Great vision for the space!

    Reply
  5. Avatar for Laura @ Rather SquareLaura @ Rather Square says

    July 31, 2014 at 10:25 am

    I actually like these kind of posts. Designing a home isn’t always all pillow covers and paint colors. A lot of important stuff happens behind the walls too! We’ve been sharing a mix of fun design posts and “structure/systems” posts as we work on our house… it all goes with the territory of homeownership. :)

    Reply
  6. Avatar for AmyAmy says

    July 31, 2014 at 10:26 am

    wait. might ducks came out 22 years ago. great. now i feel super old.

    Reply
    • Avatar for Monica PhillipsMonica Phillips says

      July 31, 2014 at 11:11 am

      I coach hockey and asked my 10 year old players if they ever saw Mighty Ducks yesterday.. crickets…

    • Avatar for JenniferJennifer says

      July 31, 2014 at 12:10 pm

      Sounds like it’s time for a team building exercise, Monica!
      *Quack quack quack, Mr. Ducksworth!*

    • Avatar for BarbaraBarbara says

      July 31, 2014 at 9:05 pm

      Yup – had the exact same reaction! WHAT? 22 years ago? No way am I that old?!

  7. Avatar for LindaLinda says

    July 31, 2014 at 10:34 am

    Two things came to mind when reading this – (1) did you guys ever in a million years think you’d be doing anything close to this when you were living in NYC?; (2) this was fascinating – seriously – and totally explained to me why I would be hiring a pro to do this.

    John, I’m in awe.

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      July 31, 2014 at 10:38 am

      Not in a million years could we have ever guessed we’d end up here! If you told NYC John that he’d be redirecting ducts someday I think he would think you were crazy ;)

      xo
      s

  8. Avatar for SarahSarah says

    July 31, 2014 at 10:35 am

    One suggestion for your outside dryer vent: put some sort of cage on the outside vent to prevent birds from flying in. I speak from experience: we had a mama bird set up camp by going into our master bathroom vent and building her nest, complete with baby birds that chirped all night long. I tried to find an example on HomeDepot.com but couldn’t. Those birds love the moist heat, so I highly recommend you find a safe cover to prevent critters from going in.

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      July 31, 2014 at 10:35 am

      Great tip!

      xo
      s

    • Avatar for Heather WHeather W says

      July 31, 2014 at 10:42 am

      YES!! I was going to recommend the same thing. My husband had to do that too because I could hear birds in my dryer duct too. Definitely put the cage on and then check to clean every so often.

    • Avatar for kerrykerry says

      July 31, 2014 at 11:27 am

      Yes! Or worse, bats!!

    • Avatar for SarahSarah says

      July 31, 2014 at 5:52 pm

      But if your dryer kicks out a lot of lint you may have to clean that cover periodically, depending on how dense your grid/mesh is. My dryer is awful so I clean mine about once a month. I know it needs cleaning when the clothes take forever to dry and/or are still wet when it’s “done” with the cycle.

    • Avatar for RoseRose says

      July 31, 2014 at 8:30 pm

      You need a dryer vent with a flap on it inside the slanted part, that will keep birds out unless they are really determined I suppose…I’m not sure what you put on (didn’t take the time to go back and look at your photo)

  9. Avatar for Laura BLaura B says

    July 31, 2014 at 10:36 am

    This might be my favorite post title of yours. Pass the cheese, please! :)

    Reply
  10. Avatar for Sarah W.Sarah W. says

    July 31, 2014 at 10:36 am

    This is so cool! (pun intended)
    I’m so interested to see you take on something you’ve never done before and make it seem possible for a regular person to try. I hope you’re enjoying the new challenge (despite the scary ladder work). The new laundry room will mean that much more to you knowing you made a lot of it happen on your own.
    Kudos, J & S!

    Reply
  11. Avatar for jackiejackie says

    July 31, 2014 at 10:40 am

    Excellent detail description and photo’s! You make it look so easy! You guys are so much fun to follow. You are my “Rock Stars” of home improvement blogging!

    Reply
  12. Avatar for RebeccaRebecca says

    July 31, 2014 at 10:41 am

    Hi YHL :D
    This post did not show up on my feebly page (though the fab freebie post did).
    I came directly to your site to see if you had anymore posts and found this one from yesterday. Yay :D but your site is running really slow, and I keep getting a script error. This may be on my end – but thought it was worth mentioning, as I’ve never had a problem.

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      July 31, 2014 at 10:47 am

      Oh no! Anyone else have feedly/loading issues. We are out shooting book stuff today so we aren’t monitoring that stuff as closely as usual.

      xo
      s

    • Avatar for RebeccaRebecca says

      July 31, 2014 at 12:38 pm

      ** update ** it finally came in on feedly. Delayed maybe??
      and your site is working better (still some delay – but not as bad). Sorry for the worry. :)
      still getting several script errors

    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      July 31, 2014 at 12:41 pm

      Thanks so much for the update!

      xo
      s

  13. Avatar for DanielleDanielle says

    July 31, 2014 at 10:42 am

    My husband owns an HVAC business so I can say with confidence that John doing this himself is super impressive…as usual you two continue to inspire

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      July 31, 2014 at 10:44 am

      Thanks Danielle!

      -John

  14. Avatar for erinerin says

    July 31, 2014 at 10:43 am

    This seems like a lot of (expensive) work for a laundry room! But hey, whatever floats your boat!

    Reply
    • Avatar for VickiVicki says

      August 1, 2014 at 7:59 am

      Not just about a “laundry room” since they had that–
      about optimum design and flow now and in future–which is priceless really until you need to achieve it with a design already in place…

      We bought vacation house with mis-matched (to us anyway) floor coverings–3 versions of luxury vinyl tile ($$$-we saw the receipts), original white ceramic and some dated carpeting in bedrooms…
      would love to take it up everywhere but the master area and lay ALL of it in same as master…but that would really be a vanity project…
      since this is all functional and in good shape…Not what John and Sherry faced…
      Kudos for making your project fit your budget…

  15. Avatar for Lindsay JLindsay J says

    July 31, 2014 at 10:44 am

    These are the kinds of posts I love. It helps so much when there is limited information out there. You two do such a great job at eplaining processes and give encouragement to those of us that want to do things ourselves.

    Thank you so much for sharing!

    Reply
  16. Avatar for MarlenaMarlena says

    July 31, 2014 at 10:44 am

    Unreal! Yet again, you two impress me with your willingness to learn skills and then do the work. Wowee!

    Reply
  17. Avatar for Janette@ The 2 Seasons[email protected] The 2 Seasons says

    July 31, 2014 at 10:44 am

    Did you consider pocket doors? Looks like a lot of work that will result in a nice space for you all. I love watching the progress!!!

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      July 31, 2014 at 10:58 am

      Pocket doors and barn doors came up a ton in reader suggestions so we heavily considered them, but we settled on a regular door (like the other six in that hallway) since there’s a nice amount of clearance in the laundry room, and that way a glass one for the storage room can be the star.

      xo
      s

  18. Avatar for Jennifer OlszowyJennifer Olszowy says

    July 31, 2014 at 10:45 am

    On your last post about this upgrade I mentioned that we put in an attic fan to suck out the hot air. I would highly recommend this since you will be actually using your attic space. We didn’t use it but for storage and we could see a huge difference. It was a bit loud but you get used to the noise

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      July 31, 2014 at 10:48 am

      Thanks Jennifer!

      xo
      s

    • Avatar for DarleneDarlene says

      July 31, 2014 at 11:03 pm

      A warning about attic fans. . . unless you’ve sealed every place that something passes from the living space into the attic (wiring, pipes, attic access, etc.) an attic fan can suck the A/C out of the living space.

    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      August 1, 2014 at 8:49 am

      Good to know!

      xo
      s

    • Avatar for CarolineCaroline says

      August 2, 2014 at 9:13 am

      You typically don’t use an attic fan with the a/c. It’s to such the hot air out of the house when it’s cool outside (and helps draw in the outside air- much like a fan in a window. We are in GA and have a very small time frame to use ours in the spring and fall.

  19. Avatar for KathrynKathryn says

    July 31, 2014 at 10:49 am

    Great informative post! I’m gonna make my husband read it!

    Reply
  20. Avatar for ReenieReenie says

    July 31, 2014 at 10:52 am

    Moving right along…. can’t wait to see it. :)

    Reply
  21. Avatar for VickiVicki says

    July 31, 2014 at 10:55 am

    I have a whole new appreciation for my husband’s efforts with numerous remodeling projects after seeing the step-by-step processes explained in your posts! We have had fourteen addresses in 38 years of marriage, and nine of those homes he remodeled, finished the basements, added decks, etc. I might have to buy him dinner!

    Reply
  22. Avatar for DaisyDaisy says

    July 31, 2014 at 10:56 am

    Great info. Just wondering- will you be installing a drain in case of accidental washer flooding? Or any other moisture mitigation? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      July 31, 2014 at 11:00 am

      Yes, we had the plumbers install one right under the washer and will detail how we attach the drain pan to it when we get to the washer installation step.

      xo
      s

  23. Avatar for IsabelIsabel says

    July 31, 2014 at 10:58 am

    22-years ago, really?!? I don’t know if I would have enough confidence to tackle the HVAC stuff but thank you for such a detailed and informative post. John, you seem to love getting up on a ladder as much as my husband. I totally don’t blame you though! I always offer to take my husband’s place since I know how much he dreads it, but he’s too much of a gentleman to let me and I’m always very secretly glad!

    Reply
    • Avatar for haverwenchhaverwench says

      July 31, 2014 at 11:52 am

      I do the same thing…and he always refuses because he says he’d be more scared to have me way up on a ladder than him. Awwww.

  24. Avatar for DonaDona says

    July 31, 2014 at 11:09 am

    I really like when John explains all his steps and gives links to where he is getting his information. He makes everything look so “do-able”. Both of you really inspire me.

    ~Dona

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      July 31, 2014 at 11:14 am

      Thanks Dona!

      -John

  25. Avatar for AndreaAndrea says

    July 31, 2014 at 11:14 am

    I hope you put some sort of screen inside that external vent to prevent bats from entering the duct work and getting in your attic!

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      July 31, 2014 at 11:29 am

      Thanks Andrea!

      xo
      s

  26. Avatar for DaveDave says

    July 31, 2014 at 11:18 am

    Nice work there John! Just curious why you didn’t just reroute the old vent that’s now in the doorway over to the new laundry room. Too hard to get to?

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      July 31, 2014 at 11:33 am

      Capping that one and adding a new one ended up being easier due to the length of the old one (it wasn’t long enough so I would have had to add to it anyway and snaking it around was harder than starting fresh).

      -John

  27. Avatar for Kristin ZKristin Z says

    July 31, 2014 at 11:21 am

    Another little tip about the Home Depot trucks that I just discovered and it blew my MIND! For the same $20 as renting the truck… They’ll load it, deliver, and unload for you if you’re close enough to the store. Up to 3,000 pounds. Not sure if this is at all stores but its available here in Greenville, SC.

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      July 31, 2014 at 11:27 am

      That’s amazing! Thanks for the tip!

      xo
      s

  28. Avatar for Lisa | Winter HeightsLisa | Winter Heights says

    July 31, 2014 at 11:22 am

    Wow! This is so very inspiring. We may switch our laundry around one day in our house and I’ll be sure to go back to this post. Thank you!

    Now take a nap. ;)

    Reply
  29. Avatar for jaclynjaclyn says

    July 31, 2014 at 11:28 am

    I really appreciate these more technical posts! Also I am SUPER impressed at the speed you guys are moving with this project.

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      July 31, 2014 at 11:37 am

      Thanks Jaclyn!

      -John

  30. Avatar for ElleElle says

    July 31, 2014 at 11:37 am

    Love the post title. I’m sure this has already been asked, but can you talk about how you guys managed without a functional laundry room for [however long this takes]? I want to redo our kitchen but your project made me realize that it also means doing without our laundry for a while and … that just sounds awful. Not having kitchen *and* laundry for weeks? Bleh.

    I noticed someone else having an issue with feedly – just FYI, I also use feedly but have not noticed an issue, I got one post from you guys yesterday and one post today.

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      July 31, 2014 at 11:41 am

      Thanks Elle! We brought a bigiad of laundry to John’s mom’s house to help tide us over, but a local laundromat could help in the clutch too! For the kitchen that can be rough (we missed our sink the most) but the microwave and outdoor grill can help!

      xo
      s

    • Avatar for catherinecatherine says

      August 1, 2014 at 3:11 pm

      Elle, we did a kitchen reno a couple of years ago that involved the laundry room too. Our contractors were good about keeping appliances available until the last second. After that some kind neighbors let me camp out in their laundry rooms a couple of times until we were back in business. The hardest thing to do without was the kitchen sink – even though we have a full bath right across the hall from the kitchen, doing dishes in the bathtub is THE. WORST.

    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      August 1, 2014 at 5:25 pm

      Yes! We always miss the sink the most!

      xo
      s

  31. Avatar for MeganMegan says

    July 31, 2014 at 11:38 am

    Wow! I *really* admire your patience and diligence to get a not-so-fun project done right. Very impressive! I am also thrilled you decided to keep things uniform with your doors… good call.

    Oh, and the mention of book photo shoots at the end of your post… does that mean the ‘real families’ have already been selected??? The slim hope of my submission being chosen has now vanished. Womp womp. Back to trim painting it is… :-)

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      July 31, 2014 at 12:06 pm

      Not all of them! We had hundreds of submissions so we are slowly working our way through them. Wish we could feature all of you guys!!

      xo
      s

    • Avatar for FlaglessFlagless says

      July 31, 2014 at 2:01 pm

      Agreed on the doors. Pocket doors and barn doors are trendy now (I hate the look of barn doors, though), but in a few years’ time, they’ll be as dated as that blue trim is today. Classic doors are classic for a reason.

  32. Avatar for DianaDiana says

    July 31, 2014 at 11:38 am

    You make this look so easy! I would never have considered doing something like installing a new vent by myself before this, but thanks for the new confidence! This is why I love YHL so much! :)

    http://www.thewonderfullymade.blogspot.com

    Reply
  33. Avatar for CassieCassie says

    July 31, 2014 at 11:39 am

    I think it’s amazing that you guys are tackling so much of this yourself. So I have one big question, how do you know what type of construction / changes require a permit? Adding ducts, moving walls / stairs, plumbing, electric… this seems like big stuff.
    I’m just curious because I’m looking to buy an older house and am worried about people who DIY’d the house and don’t read your blog. ;)

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      July 31, 2014 at 12:04 pm

      There’s hopefully tons of info on your county’s website (ours has a full list of what needs permits and what doesn’t). We also call them (they have a number with someone there during business hours) if we have any questions. It’s a great resource!

      xo
      s

  34. Avatar for AlexandraAlexandra says

    July 31, 2014 at 11:43 am

    I didn’t even get past the title before I clicked through (from feedly) to comment – BEST. TITLE. EVER. Now, to actually read the post… Thanks for the laugh!

    Reply
  35. Avatar for KatharinaKatharina says

    July 31, 2014 at 11:45 am

    “I didn’t want to spend any more time up on that ladder than I had to…” – I am VERY impressed that you went up there at all! This is quite the project! Good luck!

    Reply
  36. Avatar for kimbkimb says

    July 31, 2014 at 11:48 am

    why didn’t the dryer vent just go straight out? Why did you go up the wall like that?

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      July 31, 2014 at 12:08 pm

      It would have come out right above the little roof you can see in one of the pictures of John on the ladder (meaning lint would collect on those roof shingles) so we wanted to keep it at the same height as the previous vent.

      xo
      s

  37. Avatar for OSUJillyBeanOSUJillyBean says

    July 31, 2014 at 11:51 am

    Love the update but I’m curious – is your A/C / Heat able to add a new room like that to its capacity? Since the laundry room is in previously-un-temp-controlled (too many hyphens!) territory I’m curious how just adding the new air ducting will work out in the long run.

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      July 31, 2014 at 12:00 pm

      Since we capped the vent from the former laundry nook and added this one in its place it’s a trade that we hope won’t affect the capacity at all. We did steal some laundry space from the future bunk-room, but that space already has HVAC vents (we just have those closed for now since it’s not insulated and drywalled yet) so the vents in there will now be cooling slightly less and this vent will cool slightly more (so it feels like an even split).

      xo
      s

  38. Avatar for LindseyLindsey says

    July 31, 2014 at 11:53 am

    You lost me after you pointed out The Mighty Ducks movie is 22 years old… ouch.

    Reply
  39. Avatar for AliceAlice says

    July 31, 2014 at 11:58 am

    Why did you run the dryer vent up the wall, instead of having it come out at the level of the dryer? Is it because you didn’t want the vent in the middle of the siding? Maybe you thought it didn’t show as much higher up, near the roof?

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      July 31, 2014 at 12:15 pm

      It would have come out right above the little roof you can see in one of the pictures of John on the ladder (meaning lint would collect on those roof shingles) so we wanted to keep it at the same height as the previous vent.

      xo
      s

    • Avatar for LaurenLauren says

      July 31, 2014 at 1:19 pm

      Why would lint collect on the roof? Doesn’t it rain in Richmond? I don’t think it’s common for much lint to come out of dryer vents outside anyway…? Mine doesn’t do that.

    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      July 31, 2014 at 1:22 pm

      Any surface that is nubby or textured (rough wood fence, asphalt shingles, etc) tends to get furry from lint in our experience, even if it rains. We had a wood fence below the dryer vent in our last house and it always looked like it had cobwebs on it from lint buildup.

      -John

  40. Avatar for LeeshaLeesha says

    July 31, 2014 at 12:00 pm

    Wow, I’m so impressed. It’s going to look so great when its all done! And how satisfying is it when you do things on your own? I’ve never tackled huge projects like that, but I love the sense of accomplishment when I get some of my miniscule things done. :)

    Reply
  41. Avatar for AbbyAbby says

    July 31, 2014 at 12:03 pm

    Great title! Recently watched The Mighty Ducks, both 1 and 2, with my kids. The kids are big hockey fans.

    Reply
  42. Avatar for haverwenchhaverwench says

    July 31, 2014 at 12:03 pm

    Yep, cutting a hole in the actual side of your house is always unnerving. We had to do it to reroute the vent for our bathroom fan (before that it was venting into, literally, the side of a solid concrete step. I don’t know what these people were thinking.) My husband referred to it as “breaching the hull.” Fortunately in our case we didn’t have to get up on a ladder to do it, but we had to drill through the foundation with a masonry bit and a chisel. Tedious, but oddly liberating.

    I just realized from looking at the floor plans you posted when you bought this house that this laundry room addition is the first change you have made to the actual floor plan of the house. Taking down the sides of the sunroom doesn’t count, because the new verandah occupies exactly the same space–but now you have to actually update the layout on the floor plan, not just the labels. Sounds like a milestone that should be celebrated somehow. How would you decorate a cake for a Floor Plan Party? (Oh, duh, you’d draw the new floor plan on top with icing, of course.)

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      July 31, 2014 at 12:13 pm

      We plan to party like crazy when we get our washer and dryer back. Haha!

      xo
      s

  43. Avatar for Danielle Ferretti in MiamiDanielle Ferretti in Miami says

    July 31, 2014 at 12:08 pm

    John and Sherri,

    You two never cease to amaze me !

    1) your attention to details and how you make sure to always go that extra step to have everything as perfect as can be up front is just so inspiring… and although someone said: “seems like expensive work for a laundry room”. But at the end, when you go with less than perfect up front, you always pay back at the end when something inevitably goes wrong or breaks. So, kudos to you !

    2) the fact that you can climb on a ladder that high and still look awesome doing it – wow. #laddersaremynemesis

    3) if I make my husband read this because you are that much awesomer and quicker at fixing stuff (without me begging for months) than him – there might be a divorce in my house. Just saying.

    4) I am jealous of the amount of power tools and suppliers you own and have at home…

    5) hands down – you two are my FAV DIY blog (and cutest too!) by far. I live vicariously through you guys.

    6) “boring” posts like these are also great ! We all want to see the good, the bad and the ugly… not just pretty decorating things. :)

    7) the Mighty Ducks. 22 years ago. Just shoot me now. LOL My 5 yo Zoe just watched it last weekend, and LOVED it.

    xoxo
    D =)

    Reply
  44. Avatar for Elaine - Visual MeringueElaine - Visual Meringue says

    July 31, 2014 at 12:08 pm

    Looks great! Thanks for sharing all the nitty gritty. What a feeling of accomplishment you must have getting all these things checked off the list. Really informative post too – thanks :)

    Reply
  45. Avatar for JulietJuliet says

    July 31, 2014 at 12:15 pm

    Thanks so much for doing such an awesome and informative post. I know that sometimes those things aren’t as “pretty” as the decorative ones, but they are totally necessary to understand the whole process, and that it is always working step by step through the process that tells you what you need to know about a project. As I’m sure that you found when your were researching, a lot of the “how-to’s” just tend to skip past the details and rationales of the nitty and the gritty. Kudos!

    Reply
  46. Avatar for Amy B.Amy B. says

    July 31, 2014 at 12:18 pm

    I have to commend you guys for going for this laundry room re-do! Big props to John – you’re doing a great job! Really enjoying watching this come together – it’s nice to watch a ‘meaty’ DIY (mostly-DIY) in progress!

    Reply
  47. Avatar for SarahSarah says

    July 31, 2014 at 12:19 pm

    You guys are amazing! I love keeping tabs on your progress. I am creating a new laundry area and remodeling a bathroom and have been at it for about two months and you are already ahead of me, but I haven’t hired anything so far (plumbing is mostly done and I’m in the middle of framing and electrical now). Anyway, one question, did you pull a permit for this? I haven’t heard mention of it and was curious, since you are already on to drywall.

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      July 31, 2014 at 12:27 pm

      Oh yes, permits are necessary for this type of work! Thankfully when you use subs you can negotiate who pulls them, so we had our licensed and insured electricians, framers, and plumbers pull the permits they needed. Some sub-contractors are more likely to make you do all the permit work (which really isn’t too bad, we did them ourselves when John built the deck).

      xo
      s

  48. Avatar for Emily @ Life on FoodEmily @ Life on Food says

    July 31, 2014 at 12:29 pm

    This was so informative. Who knew they had install a vent kits? Is it just me or does it seem like this project has been going on for more than a week now. How are you doing without any laundry?

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      July 31, 2014 at 12:32 pm

      One big laundry trip to Grammy’s has tided us over so far. I think we have at least one more to come before these guys are hooked back up (she says as she crosses all appendages).

      xo
      s

  49. Avatar for JenniferJennifer says

    July 31, 2014 at 12:34 pm

    We have a second floor laundry set up in our house as well. The previous owners had an old model top-loading washer which they took with them when they moved so we purchased a new front loading washer. I’ve always wondered if there was anything to be concerned about in terms of the floor needing reinforcement for the front-loading type of washer. Do you have any insight into this? I don’t remember you mentioning you reinforced your floor under the new space your washer and dryer are going, but then again you have the top loading washer now.

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      July 31, 2014 at 12:39 pm

      We added those plywood pieces john mentioned in this post and also will add cement board and tile, but both contractors we had out to bid the job thought that was more than sufficient for their weight. Does anyone else with front loaders have any insight to add for Jennifer?

      xo
      s

    • Avatar for AshleyAshley says

      July 31, 2014 at 2:01 pm

      One thing to consider when swapping a top loading washer for a front loading is to measure the depth difference. Front loaders tend to be quite a bit deeper and every inch counts in some older laundry rooms!

  50. Avatar for BridgetBridget says

    July 31, 2014 at 12:47 pm

    I have to admit, lately I thought you guys had sort of “jumped the shark” with the blog, but this post was extremely well thought out and informative. This is why I started reading your blog in the first place – to make these types of projects seem not so “scary” to the regular DIY home owner!

    Reply
    • Avatar for jaclynjaclyn says

      July 31, 2014 at 1:45 pm

      @Bridget You must’ve missed the post where they explained that they’d be dialing things back a bit to focus on their FAMILY.

      I, for one, think you guys are doing just great with the posts!

    • Avatar for BridgetBridget says

      July 31, 2014 at 2:14 pm

      @Jaclyn, nope, I’ve been reading for years, so I knew they were going to post less… but that is not the point of my comment. I just (personally) have not been as “wowed” with projects lately – even the “meaty” posts lately are lean and barely informative when you considered other DIY bloggers who aren’t even “employed” solely by their blog (ie, “We painted blue trim… again!” “I spray-painted something… again!”). To each, their own.

    • Avatar for AmyAmy says

      August 4, 2014 at 10:33 am

      The origins of “jumping the shark” c/o the Fonz:
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4ZGKI8vpcg

      (Also, I agree with Bridget. These posts = why I read.)

Newer Comments »

Stuff We Love

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

John and Sherry smiling against pink backgroundHey, we’re John & Sherry. We’ve fixed up 7 homes, written books, designed products, started a podcast, and then downsized & moved to the beach! Here you’ll find over 3,000 DIY projects & home updates. More about us…
*This site contains ads and affiliate links*
See our disclaimer & privacy policy to learn more

Latest Finds

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

SHOP OUR LIGHTING

Young House Love Shades Of Light Capiz Chandelier

GET POSTS BY EMAIL

We’re Digging

Traditional Rug
The “Magic” Rug
Smokeless Solo Stove Firepit
Smokeless Firepit
Woven Storage Ottoman
Storage Ottoman
Subtle Pink Rug
Our Bedroom Rug
Blue Air 211 Air Purifier
Our Air Purifiers
Faux Potted Olive Tree
Faux Olive Tree
Kohler Memoirs Toilet
Our Favorite Toilet
Soft Striped Rug
Soft Striped Rug
SEE MORE OF OUR FAVORITE FINDS > >

  • About
  • FAQs
  • Press
  • Contact
  • :)

© 2023 Young House Love ® · Disclaimer · Privacy Policy · Terms of Use · A Fun Wordpress theme on Genesis Framework · Hosted by Liquid Web