Every place I've ever lived has been designed for that "average American family," with lots of bedrooms, living room, dining room, family room, etc. The problem was that I was a single person, not an average family. I needed space, but for hobbies, not people. And because I'm over 6'2", bending over to use sinks designed for children was a constant frustration. Over the years, I collected a list of things I would change if I could have my dream house. As I approached retirement, I realized time was running out for that house; it was now or never.


Dreams are not always perfect, however. I could never afford my dream house, a spacious Southern California home overlooking the Pacific Ocean. But I could afford a modest ranch house, with a 20-mile drive to the beach. It was a very long way from perfect, but it had potential.


This blog documents the process of turning that small average house into something that matches my lifestyle. It will be as close to my dream house as I can make it. I'm doing all the work myself to stretch my resources. By not hiring contractors, I can afford high quality materials, and I'll know the job is always done right. The remodeling will be my primary avocation for a few years, even as I try to fit in my writing and other hobbies.


It promises to be an interesting journey, and a challenging one!

Friday, January 2, 2015

New Laundry/Mechanicals Room - Part 9

The washer/dryer platform is in.  First I did the design, then cut out the pieces of 3/4" cabinet-grade plywood, then started assembly in the garage.


Once basic assembly was complete (glued and screwed), I temporarily screwed the top on and moved the platform into position on its base in the laundry/mechanicals room.  I took off the top so that I could screw the platform to the base and to the studs in the walls.  You can see that the platform is extensively cross-braced to resist out-of-balance loads during the washing machine's spin cycle (although when the machine detects unbalanced spinning, it stops and slowly rotates the drum in an attempt to redistribute the load).


With the platform securely fastened, I screwed the top on, added reinforcing pieces of 2x4 lumber to the front edge, and put on trim pieces.  A coat of sanding sealer followed that.


After that, two coats of semi-gloss paint.  No fancy wood trim; this is a laundry room, and future home to the water heater and air handler.  I also finished applying joint compound and paint to the walls (everywhere except where the washing machine hot and cold water lines will be installed inside the wall).


There are four openings in the front of the base.  The two narrower ones (painted on the inside) are cubbies for laundry detergent and bleach (on the left), and for a small wastebasket for lint (middle right).  The two wider openings will each (eventually) get two drawers.

I'm going to let the paint harden for a week before I loft the clothes dryer up onto the platform (easier said than done, but still much easier to do than lifting the much heavier washing machine).  When the dryer is in place, I'll start putting down the floor tile.  In the photo below, I've put the pieces of tile I have (still need to order much more) on the floor for a first look.  Notice the floor is flat in the foreground, but in back, there is a rise that is bad enough to need more remedial work than adding some extra mortar.  Can't escape that awful dusty grinding . . .  Ugh!



1 comment:

  1. I like the space. The tile will look great in this room with the platform.

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