Hallway Cabinets, Water Lines & Washing Machines...Oh My!

We got our washing machine in.  It was a bit of a chore to get one.  We found one we really liked at Lowes.  It was a special order item so we had to wait about two weeks for it to come in.  When we finally got it home, we opened it right up, excited like children on Christmas morning.  Much to our dismay, it was damaged!  The back was bulged out badly so we took the electrical cover off and found that the drum had broken loose and banged up the inside.  It had been dropped during shipping it seemed.

We took it back to Lowes and went about ordering another one, only to find out it had been discontinued!  Two weeks after we ordered ours??....come on!  Frustrated, we went home and started looking online and found that the model had been updated and was now made by Magic Chef.  We jumped on ordering one but had to wait another two weeks for it to come in!  Who would have thought ordering a tiny washing machine would take so long! 

Finally, the washer arrived.  I was so happy!  We got it home, unboxed it and inspected it for any signs of damage.  Thankfully, it was intact.  No signs of damage anywhere.

It's pretty cute for a tiny washer..isn't it?  It's a 1.6 cu ft HE machine.  It is supposed to be a water saving model, which is a plus to us.

Inside picture.  It doesn't have the old agitator, which is supposed to be better for your clothing.







Now, we have to build the cabinet in the hallway to house said machine.   We designed a cabinet as effectively as we could to get the most out of the space.  I wanted some shelving in the area as well for laundry detergent and other things. But first things first...we had to get the kitchen sink plumbed up and the drain in place.

We used the same vent valve on the drain here as we did in the bathroom.  We also built some custom shut off valves as we couldn't find the ones we wanted.  So, there you are, sinks all plumbed and drain in place. Everything is out of the way so no loss of space under the sink! YAY!

While he was at it, the Hubby also made me some adjustable shelves for inside the pantry cabinets.  He bought a shelf pin Kreg's Jig kit.  We used some heavy duty metal shelf pins with a wide flat base.  The shelves are made from 3/4 inch plywood with a wood edge strip to reinforce the boards and keep them from sagging.  They will eventually be painted the same gloss white as the inside of the cabinet. 

Now, on to the washing machine cabinet.  We taped off the dimensions of the cabinets to help lay them out.  We then built the base of the cabinets. You can see the sink water lines peeking out the side of the cabinet, ready to be hooked up. 

We ran the water lines for the tankless water heater and the washing machine that will go in the hallway. 

Based added and holes drilled for the water lines and the washer's drain.  We offset the smaller cabinet area next to the machine so the bathroom door would open fully.  This is the space where we plan to put Squeeky's cat litter box.

That's my little Squeeky.  We named him Squeekers because his meow when he was a kitten came out like a little squeak.  He's a talkative cat so the name still fits.  He's such a ham! :)

Before I forget to show you, here's the second water heater we put in the hallway.  This one runs the sinks and the washing machine.  It's propane, like the one in the bathroom.  We wouldn't have really needed two, except that the one in the bathroom is strictly for the shower, since it will be a closed loop system to recycle the water. 

The washer cabinet sides are in place.  They were made out of edge glued wood boards.  We used this instead of plywood since we plan to stain it.

Another view from the side.  We angled the sides up once they cleared the height of the washer to make the hallway feel more open.  

The false door that will cover the washer.  We have to turn the washer sideways to leave more room in the hallway.  That leaves the drain and water lines in sight, which I didn't like.  This covers all that up and can be removed if we need to service the machine or water lines.  It matches all the other doors in the house.

Water lines stubbed up and ready to be connected.

Washer in pace, water lines hooked up and drain installed!

The false door in place.  It's a bit hard to tell but we stained the entire cabinet the same green we used on the woodwork in the bathroom.  I think the red in the bedroom flows into the green in the hallway really well.

And there you have it, washer & cabinet done!  :)

We used some of our left over floor pieces to make a solid wood counter top for the cabinet space next to the washer.  We glued the two pieces together with some premium wood glue and clamped it in place to dry.

There is is all sanded and the edge rounded over.  We haven't decided yet if we are going to stain it or just varnish it.

We installed some cordless cellular shades in the windows.  They really make a difference in keeping the sun out and cooling the house.  I love not having cords everywhere!  

A look down the house from near the front door.  Excuse the mess.  Stuff gets scattered everywhere when you're working.  Hubby's taking a much needed break in the area where our stove will eventually go.  We haven't installed it yet to leave us more room to work right now. 











Well, there you have it.  We are one more step closer to finishing.  We finally got our custom water tank in and will be ordering our pumps and filters soon.  We have a lot of little stuff here and there to finish up while waiting on them to come in. You would be amazed at how much time the little things can take to finish!