Before & After: A Laundry Room is Born

Timothy and Laura are busy folks – they have a blog (make that two) to run and a new baby. A secret to their “do it all” success? They know that one key to handling new challenges is to plan ahead and do what you can when you have the time to make life easier when you no longer have the luxury of that time. Case in point: prior to their son being born, they totally renovated and upgraded their outdated ultility room, so they’d be ready for the extra laundry loads that were sure to follow…

Here is a visual overview of their journey from a not-so-pleasant, not-so-useful dark paneled space to a light, bright laundry area that functions well and looks great:

According to Timothy’s post on the project, while many of the changes and improvements were tackled to up the aesthetics of the space, they did it all with an eye on increased efficiency as well, both for the family and for the environment. The old room featured units that were older and not optimized to save water and energy as new models are.

The original plan for the room included the addition of an extra half-bathroom to the home, but that would have added quite a bit of complexity and cost to the project. They scaled back, and are, in the end, totally fine with that compromise. After the completion of the room (and several months of using it – the ultimate “real life” test) Timothy had these wise words to share regarding tackling renovations, especially those that turn out to be smaller in scope than you first hope for. He writes, “We are extremely pleased with our new laundry room space and we feel that the time and effort was worth it. As with any home improvement project its all about balancing your budget and expectations and although we really wish we could add a 1/2 bath to this space we know that sometimes its best to wait and just focus on what is really important to our day to day living.”

Smart, true and worth keeping in mind, no matter what type of home project, big or small, you’re contemplating!

Read up on the full project, including details on materials, brands: Preparing for Baby With a Laundry Room Makeover | Charles & Hudson

Thanks to Timothy and Laura for sharing the project with us.

(Images: Charles & Hudson)