Check out our diy laundry room renovation that includes a mini butler’s pantry and plenty of storage!
Talk about a project!
One of the first full room projects to be prioritized in our 1910 farmhouse was our laundry room. At about six feet by 12 feet, it had enough room for us to put a much needed pantry in alongside our laundry and cleaning supplies. When we moved in, there was not a pantry for food storage in sight, which we have come to find out is awful for organization! This project quickly became much bigger than expected.
Our first mission was tearing out the existing drywall due to the gaps on top and bottom and general chipping and dirtiness. It seemed like someone had put the drywall in and purposefully cut it too short for the wall. Beyond that, it was covered in dents and uneven texture, along with some old wallpaper (stay tuned to see the wallpaper make a surprise appearance!). The good news was that the flooring was in perfect condition-solid hardwood. Here are the befores:
So, we set off to demo on a Saturday afternoon with the help of my brother-in-law. All was well until we discovered that the bottom stud of that wall had completely rotted out. The wall also moved when you pushed on it. We ended up having to rip out the entire wall and reframe it. This included building a new sill for the window since that had also rotted out. This addition of the house was on a concrete slab foundation, and an unprotected lip on the outside was allowing water to seep into the wall for who knows how long. We put some support jacks in while we had the wall out (only about a day) and built out a new wall that fit in the existing space. We anchored it to the concrete and installed flashing on that entire side of the house while we had it exposed in order to prevent the same issue.
After the wall was replaced, we worked on reassembling the outside. We put the siding back on, put the window in, and salvaged what trim we could. All in a weekend!
Once we moved inside, our first order of business was running electrical for our future pantry. We decided to add eight outlets on the back wall for our small appliances in our pantry, and a few other regular outlets in the room. We then insulated the entire room and ceiling, and then got to work hanging drywall. After taping, mudding, and sanding, we picked out a deep sage green color for the walls. One wall received a vintage-inspired floral wallpaper to serve as a focal point.
Moments after this photo was taken, the wallpaper began to peel off. We ended up taking it down and just leaving the wall green.
With the bones complete, we moved on to the fun stuff. We installed two wood shelves over the washer and dryer, a wall mounted drying rack, two light fixtures, and began building out the pantry cabinets.
The cabinets were fully designed and built by us. They feature space for our small appliances, dog food, food storage, and more. We built them using 2x4s ripped to various sizes, 1/8 inch chip board, and 4 ply 1/2 inch plywood sheets. Here’s a photo of the frame of the cabinets:
Once we finished the cabinets, I worked on the finishing touches of cabinet paint, shelf decor, window trim, and hardware. There are still a few things to be done, but the space is totally usable and has made a huge difference in our daily life. Here are some photos of where the room stands now:
Some wishlist items for the space include finishing the baseboard trim (which will be a whole weekend for the entire house at once) and putting up wood beams on the ceiling and lining the doorway.
The total cost for this project so far was around $700, including all of the supplies for the cabinets and the guts work that was done first. Take this as a sign that you can totally diy your own laundry room renovation.
Thanks for following along, and don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions!
