Appliances…Running the Washer & Dryer

Paul and Nate finished installing the washer and dryer yesterday and we decided to run them today around noon to check for leaks. The video below should bring this experience right into your home as well!

Appliances…The first floor laundry

Paul and Nate finished up the new dryer venting and finally pushed the washer and dryer back against the wall in the first floor laundry room for good. The first photo shows the new appliances plugged in…turned on…and ready to go!

The next photo was taken with my 17-40mm zoom lens that allows for a wide angle view of the room. Here we can see how nice this washer and dryer look tucked in under the cabinets along the wall. The last photo shows off the unique laundry chute above the top loading washer feature I have been planning since the very beginning of this big adventure. I think this is going to be really cool…despite what (almost) everyone else says about it!

Last weekend in August…part 2

Continuing the theme from last night’s posting…the photos here show more of the results of last week’s flurry of activity at the “L” Shaped House. The first photo shows the dryer in the first floor laundry room after Paul finished hooking up the newly routed venting that allows a closer fit to the back wall.

The next photo shows the tall upper cabinet above the washing machine in the first floor laundry room after Paul cut a hole through the ceiling to connect to the laundry chute above. The third photo shows the basement microwave cabinet after Luke (Wire-Rite) finished installing the electrical outlet in the cabinet above and routing the power cord to the microwave.

the fourth photo shows the stacked washer and dryer in the second floor laundry room with nearly every detail completed including paint touch-ups, window hardware, and plumbing hook-ups.

The fifth photo shows the first floor bathroom after Luke (Wire-Rite) finished wiring the light fixture…Pete (Carmichael Decorating) repainted the wall…and Paul mounted the mirror Deb selected. Paul and Nate also removed, re-scribed, and re-mounted the cultured marble vanity top to get a better fit along the back wall.

The sixth photo shows the lockers Paul is building in the mudroom. He has all of the maple trim attached and is just about ready to start sanding and filling. The 18” high upper cubbies and 8” deep hanging wire baskets underneath the lockers should give us plenty of storage for our day-to-day clothing accessories.

The seventh photo shows the French doors and side lights leading to the screen porch from the living room after Paul removed the plastic film protecting the glass. The view through this “wall of glass” at the front of the living room is fantastic and it feels like the amount of light streaming in has increased ten times.

The eighth photo shows the master bathroom after Pete (Carmichael Decorating) finished touching up all of the little “imperfections” he could find (there are still a couple pieces of masking tape on the wall). He has worked the last few days touching up “here and there” throughout the “L” Shaped House.

The ninth photo shows the collection of paint in the basement storage room Pete has to sort through as he works his way around the house touching up walls, trim, and ceilings. It kind of makes you wonder what we are going to do with all these cans of paint after they leave…

The last photo shows the mechanical room in the basement with…I’m pretty sure…all of of our plumbing and mechanical systems in place. Jeremy (Steinkraus Plumbing) finished up all of the “loose ends” on the plumbing system including the drain for the water softener early in the week and Gordie Buhrer showed up Friday to plug it in and set up a program for softening.

Appliances…Upstairs laundry (installation)

John DoBrava came to the “L” Shaped House early this afternoon to (among other things) install the washer and dryer in the upstairs laundry room. The first two photos below show the back corner of the laundry room before and after lifting and sliding the washer/dryer assembly into place.

The next photo shows the hole prepared in the outside wall for the dryer vent before the installation began. The last photo shows John as he “calls” instructions out to Paul who is carefully maneuvering the stacked appliances into place.

After witnessing this installation its easy to see why Paul steadfastly insists washers belong in the basement!

Appliances…The upstairs laundry

This posting could (should?) be titled “So…you want to be a builder”

I’m wandering around the “L” Shaped House after work last night catching up on what’s going on and see the washer and dryer stacked together nearly ready to be pushed back into the cabinetry. It strikes me that the 12” of clearance above the dryer might be better used lifting the washer higher off the floor. I know Paul will be back later so I “ambushed” him at about 7:30 pm with my new request. We talked about the possibilities and came up with a plan to build a platform 10” off the floor for the washer/dryer assembly.

Because the crew from American Air Supply is coming first thing in the morning to install the dryer venting in the outside wall Paul has to get busy building the platform right away. The photo below shows the scene at about 8:30 pm just before I drove off to get Sam at karate and head home.

It seems an appropriate photo for Paul’s first appearance in this blog!

Appliances…For mature audiences only!

Paul, Nate, and Dave are all working to solve a dryer venting problem in the first floor laundry room. We plumbed the laundry room with a dryer vent in the wall behind the dryer that exits the East wall of the house. Everyone expected the venting to line up reasonably well with the outlet on the back of the dryer. Unfortunately it didn’t…and we ended up with a dryer sitting almost 7” away from the wall.

After studying the situation carefully Paul and Nate discovered that there is an option that routes the vent pipe out the side of the Whirlpool dryer allowing the machine to be right up against the wall. The side vent combined with the open area under the countertop on this side of the laundry room provides a fairly easy fix. The new plan has a vent pipe running across the open area under the counter that exits into the crawl space and connects to the existing venting.

Now for the ugly part…Only the last wall cavity allowed enough room to get the vent pipe to the crawl space below. No one will ever have to know it took three tries figure that out!

The “L” Shaped House…Lights & Laundry

As the carpenters, painters, and clean-up crew make their last pass through a space in the “L” Shaped House it is transformed into what Deb and I have been dreaming about for a year and a half. This series of photos show the first rooms that can be considered “done”. The photo below shows the back wall of the master bath with lights, mirrors, and plumbing fixtures all in place and ready to be used!

The second photo shows the same back wall of the master bath from just outside the hallway leading to the walk-in closets off the master bedroom. This view captures the “feel” of our new home nicely. Deb and Katie's decorating choices combined with the great workmanship throughout the building process have produced a really wonderful space. The last photo shows the washer and dryer installed along the back wall of the first floor laundry room. This space has honestly exceeded our expectations considerably. Neither Deb nor I were convinced it would be large enough, and getting the right laundry machines was frustrating…but in the end the room looks like it is going to be perfect!

Appliances…The kitchen

Paul Winters has been busy putting things back in place as the plumbers and electricians finish connecting appliances in the kitchen.  The first photo shows the lower right hand burner on the cooktop fired up and ready to cook!

The next photo shows the kitchen desk with the 26” Toshiba television installed in the cabinet above the countertop. Our friends from SLH home systems are scheduled to install an antenna in the attic shortly and will use this TV to test the signal.  The last photo shows the refrigerator after Paul and I pushed it back into the opening in the wall cabinet.

Appliances…The basement refrigerator

I pushed the Samsung refrigerator back up to the wall and took a few photos showing how it fits into the basement kitchen. While the Samsung refrigerator is only 3” taller, 3” wider, and 2” shallower than the GE; it seems to “fit” in the space much better. The grey sides and stainless front blend into the decorating nicely as well.

A shot of the new Samsung with the refrigerator door and freezer drawer open.

Appliances…Day 4

Today was a day filled with changes to the appliances at the “L” Shaped House. First the new Samsung Refrigerator we bought at Lowes was delivered and set up in the basement kitchen. We decided to return the GE refrigerator we selected earlier just because we like the way this one fits in the space (it’s wider, taller, and, importantly…shallower).

Sorry about the bottom freezer Sam…

Second…Paul took the Faber vent hood down and set about accommodating our desire to have it mounted 3” lower on the wall. This required tearing one course of the tile backsplash off the wall, adding some additional blocking, extensive sheetrock repairs, and (probably) a little grumbling about fussy homeowners. It looks like he has everything ready to re-install the hood tomorrow.

Thanks Paul!

Appliances…Day 3

Paul Winters worked yesterday installing the Faber Synthesis vent hood on the wall above the cooktop in the kitchen. The first photo below shows the newly installed hood, double oven, and cooktop all in place along the end wall of the kitchen. As we stood at the cooktop last night both Deb and I got the feeling that we asked to have the hood mounted a little too high on the wall.

So…

We turned to my old friend Adobe Photoshop to “see” what it might look like with the top course of subway tile removed and the hood mounted 3” lower. Unfortunately for Paul (and Matt Sletten) both Deb and I like the lowered hood better.

Click on the image (below) to see an animated version of the two photos…

Appliances…Day 2

Our friends at Warner’s Stellian delivered a washer and dryer to the first floor laundry room early this afternoon. After considering many machines we decided to buy a Whirlpool Cabrio washer and matching dryer. The first floor laundry room at the “L” Shaped House is specifically designed to accommodate a top loading washer. Articles deposited into the laundry chute on the second floor collect in the tall cabinet on the upper right. With the top load door on the washer open it will be (at least theoretically) possible to empty dirty clothing directly into the washer. The Cabrio line of appliances have a nice old-time look that fits with the farmhouse style nicely.

Appliances…Day 1

Our friends at Warners’ Stellian delivered the appliances to the “L” Shaped House this afternoon. In the photo below the LED lights in the interior of our new GE refrigerator light up the kitchen desk area after Paul plugged it in to cool off his can of diet coke.

The second photo shows the new refrigerator sitting just if front of the cabinet opening still wrapped in the protective plastic film. In the next photo the GE wall oven, Sharp drawer style microwave, and GE dishwasher are lined up on a sheet of masonite ready to be installed. As soon as the painters are finished glazing the kitchen cabinets Paul will start installing appliances.

The next photo shows the compact Whirlpool washer and dryer set that will be installed in the upstairs laundry room. The washer and dryer will be stacked in the cabinet in the cabinet on the outside wall in the laundry.

The last photo shows the new refrigerator and microwave that will be used in the basement kitchen area. Here we have decided to use a free-standing refrigerator and countertop microwave installed in a cabinet. The freshly stained and varnished exterior doors for the basement walk-out are shown drying in this photo as well.