I’ll admit — we still have a little punch out on the electric, some touch up painting, and I do intend to add shelving above the “picture rail” in the powder room. Plus — there are some adjustments I would like to make (if for no one else other than myself) to the tile.
One way to save on a Remodel is by using surplus or salvaged supplies.
Everything Surplus or Salvaged Except
There really was not anything truly inspired about this project (it was not without its share of issues). I am proud, however, to say that most materials (including those used in rough-in) were either salvaged, saved, reused, begged for, or taken from my own surplus, except:
* Some building materials (carpet pad, leveling compound, and probably a few other things), toilet, laundry sink, cabinet hardware, and floor boxes from the Home Depot.
* Surface-mount light fixtures, and post-form laminate countertop from Lowe’s Home Improvement.
* Washer & Dryer for the laundry room from Sears. To read about their selection, please see the article Washer and Dryer Shopping.
Total cost of materials (not including washer and dryer and some miscellaneous supplies) right around $2000. (I could do the math for you from my books if you like.)
Remodeling a Laundry Room, Powder Room & Office on a big time Budget
My apologies, this is one area of the house I had very few before pics. But trust me — it was wreck. (Click any image to see the gallery.)
Salvaged. Low res pic of wainscot detail — 2.
Saved. This pedestal including the faucet + the mirror were going into a dumpster.
Powder Room Before
Dining room into the office. Watch your step, I chose to elevate this floor.
Dining room to rear exterior door.
Evyn’s Art in the Office.
Laundry sink in detail. Decent lighting.
Cab faces — from scrap birch ply and wrapped in a poplar strip. Rebuilt drawers, boxes and all. Original fronts matched wall paneling. Center set needs an adjustment. Slight dip at far end of counter.
Surplus. Save the scallop. Original bulkhead removed. Salvaged crown from ceiling now crowns the cabs. Square recessed — More period?
Multimedia outlets everywhere. Power on adjacent wall. Post form counter replaced custom built laminate. Cabs are 24 + inches deep.
Salvaged. Again the original screens. Missing 3 gang switch plate on order. All windows thoroughly weatherstripped (I swear).
We removed paneled doors from all upper cabs. W&D will slide down to expose switch when exterior work is complete. Opening for old range hood will get another squared recessed.
Washer & Dryer color matches my wife’s eyes.
Evyn’s art. Cut down basement door & salvaged lighting in hallway. Smoke detector out of frame.
Surplus. Cat food. Old location for frig makes a great place for a file cab and litte box. Look at the original outlet location, missed it by that much.
View from the laundry — Eva’s pic unmatted.
Laundry closet floor. Filling in for shortage in field tile.
Salvaged. Shelving in closet. I hope I don’t kick myself for only going with two. Hooks maybe below. Touch sanding and paint needed, I know.
More from the laundry threshold. Saved handle set — and recessed hinges.
Floor boxes. New. Carlton box though pricy — did a great job at accepting the Decora shaped multimedia insert.
Floor in detail. Laundry to powder room.
Salvaged. Trim detail above the toilet. Can’t believe I don’t have any pics of the toilet.
Chase & cubbies — (4) 3 1/2 inch deep boxes are MDF and finished with screen molding. Chase insulated.
Picture rail will more than likely get hooks, hardware and a cap of shelving. Trim work to accommodate window. But no pic of the window. Sorry.
Abandoned pockless door track backer. Inexpensive vanity fixture from Lowes works.
Access panel for second floor bathtub. Evyn helped. It cupped a little after installed. No pic for access panel — laundry plumbing incorporated in wainscot. Maybe another day.
Salvaged. Wainscot from uninsulated basement ceiling. Vertical cap from box beams original kitchen/now laundry ceiling.
Stacked switch — operates dual function recessed can and bath fan.
Reinvented. Salvaged door into a bi-fold. You can see some of the trim detail in hallway. All trim recoveraged from under about 12 of snow and profiled on site.
Bi-fold shot. Brushed Nickel surface mount bolts lock.
Door hardware, New and Old. And vertical shot of door — pre-adjustments.
A technologist - one-time construction manager, and always handyman, turned writer and editor. My wife, Jen, and I are on our 10th property (yes, together). She is a real estate agent. We have two beautiful daughters. We traded in our now restored 1889 farmhouse in Baltimore's Lauraville area for our next adventure - a 1920s Dutch Colonial in nearby Towson.
Thanks for reading; please comment ... or email anytime - j.bmoxie at gmail.com.
More at Web Content - JB.
Building a Trash Can Pad or Stand, is much like installing a paver patio - just on a smaller scale. Both why and how I built this stand using scrap 4 x 4 timbers and bluestone. To learn about it all - from leveling the grade to finishing the joints, read on.
