And then there was light!

In our split level home, the lower level is sparse in the natural light category. I didn’t think about it too much for a few years then wondered why there wasn’t a window in the laundry room.

When it comes to tackling small remodeling projects at home, my comfort level has grown over the years. Cutting holes in the side of my house, though, far exceeds that comfort level….so…..

We called our Contractor, John. After a few discussions, we chose the maximum window size that could be installed without having to add a header. The window would be 22″ x 26″ and would need to be ordered. The wait time was a couple of weeks. Since I’m a visual learner, I created a template out of some poster board and paper so I could see how the size of the new window would look once it arrived and John could install it.

For this project, much of the work was done by John. I was just in charge of decisions and finishing touches. Installation of the window took two days. When I got home from work the first day, he had the size of the window drawn on the siding outside and pilot holes drilled to mark the inside wall for the window placement. The drywall removed on the inside wall and window framed in. I thought it looked a little small but resigned myself to the fact that it needed to be that size to prevent major construction work which would have been more costly and time consuming.

My visual of window placement
Drywall cut and frame installed
Siding marked for window size
Outside progress
Window installed

When I got home on day two, the window installation was finished and the size of the window was perfect! Funny how hard it is to get a feel for the final result during the construction process.

Window installation finished
Trim complete
Shutters installed
Trim primed
Two coat of paint

What a dramatic change! Now we don’t have to turn the light on every time we walk into the room and light floods into the downstairs hallway too. I tried to take a ‘before’ shot but all you could see was pitch black.

The initial layout of the laundry room had the washer and dryer on the right wall. After moving the appliances out of the room, I wondered why the hadn’t been placed along the back wall. When the window was complete, I decided to put them there. The layout of the room is much more functional now, we love it! I added a shelf above them basically to prevent stuff falling behind and having to move the machines to retrieve.

There were no cabinets in the laundry room when we moved in so also added a new cabinet above the dryer – needed hubby’s strength to get the screws into the studs – and found two 2nd hand cabinets at Habitat, one for the right wall and another to stand between the washer and dryer. I was also able to install a rod between the new cabinet and wall for hanging clothes to dry.