storage room cleaned out

12 January 2011

It is all cleared out and it may not be pretty to you, but we love walking in here now, because we can actually walk in here now!
Before:


Now:
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You can actually turn around, bend over, or take a flying leap in here without crashing into anything! It has been one year since we’ve moved in, so here were my steps in clearing out:
1. If I didn’t use it this past year, into the Goodwill pile it went.
2. If I didn’t LOVE it, into the Goodwill pile it went.
3. If I was for sure, for positive, for certain I was going to use it in one of the rooms I’m planning to tackle this year, I took it to that room and stashed it in a closet, a drawer, or in the corner of that room so everything was where it was going to end up. Clear as mud?
Behold, a washer and dryer where a washer and dryer should be! They are not hooked up yet, because we need to switch out the cord. And yes, they are backwards, but with the plumbing, it had to be this way. Think we’re crazy for having a washer/dryer upstairs and downstairs? It was something that was suggested last year when I asked for basement tips, and I thought it was brilliant. I don’t think my daughters will miss lugging their laundry up and down either…
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I replenished my gift bins at the Amazon toy sales before Christmas:
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I had so much paint stashed down here, you would have thought Ben and Sherwin themselves lived here. These are for projects coming up, january 2011 013
and for projects that are finished, I put the leftover paint in these locking plastic containers and threw out the cans. So much easier to stack, store, and grab for touch-ups.
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It may be the perfect place to set up our kitchen cabinet paint center….when I figure out what in the hey we’re doing with that. All of your suggestions are so appreciated~my list is HUGE of things/paint to check out.
I am going to paint them myself…
I may regret it later, but
1. how can I tell you all that “you can do it!” if I don’t even do it??
2. We did it in our last home. C’mon, Melissa!! It was so much fun!
3. we’re saving $2,000.
Happy Wednesday~
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37 comments

  1. Love the gift bins and left over paint storage. I painted my cabs myself and am getting ready to paint them again! I always dread painting but when I finish it always seems that it went more quickly and painlessly than I expected, kinda like having kids. You forget the hard part once it's over haha.

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  2. Pam~that is exactly what I was telling a friend! It is a bit like childbirth...think of what you'll get in the end, think of what you'll get in the end...

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  3. Ugh, we just painted our kitchen cabinets and it was a huge pain. On the plus side, they look so much better that I don't mind what a hassle they were, and I'm thrilled we saved money by doing them ourselves. That is not a fun project, though!

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  4. You can do it! Can't wait to see the finished results! I am purging our house right now, with 3 girls in one bedroom, just having had Christmas and then 2 kid's birthdays last week, it's time for stuff to go. I love love love to get rid of stuff, it is kind of a high for me. My husband gets scared and clings to his baseball card collection. ;)

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  5. Store room or not, it looks great, Melissa! I know I feel better when I clear out all our "stuff" and get rid of it. Good luck with the cabinets. If we weren't planning on downsizing, I had wanted to do mine a cream color with a glaze.

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  6. Of course you would do it! None of us want to spend "that" kind of money! ~and....it will be beautiful!

    I'm contemplating painting the brick on the front of my house white. (It is a 1980's two story colonial)~especially after I heard what painters would most likely charge me! However, I'm not sure my husband would be too confident having me up on a ladder! I seriously considered painting the bottom half, and hiring someone to do the top half!!!lol

    Melissa, the storage room looks great!~I'm sure it feels so good to have it all cleaned out! I'm working on mine also.

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  7. Painting the kitchen cabinets is on my list too! Mostly because we live in a rental and it looks like they haven't been cleaned in 20 years! As I clean them, the paint comes off :-( Fortunately, the landlord is fine with pretty much anything, so it is just a matter of getting motivated! Good luck girl! :-) Barbara (www.livelaughloverecycle.blogspot.com)

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  8. Love the way you've done your paint storage. My "black hole" of a garage may have had your storage room beat for a disaster zone...hopefully it will warm up soon, and I'll be able to put some of your storage ideas to use getting it cleaned out.

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  9. My washer and dryer are the same way (backwards). It's because my "laundry room" (and I use that term VERY loosely) is in my garage. One side is blocked, so we couldn't put the dryer on the right hide side. LOL!

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  10. I can't believe it's been a year since you moved! I love reading your blog AND love your new space :)

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  11. The gift bin is a great idea!! I normally buy gifts and then shove them into a closet. Not a great system. ;) I had T take the world's ugliest chair out of the girls' room today, and it already feels so much roomier in there. :) Much better!

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  12. Melissa - I'm not sure if you know this or not, but Virginia offers a rebate if you buy a new energy efficient appliance. I got a new w&d set in November, just submitted for the rebate and got a check about two weeks later for $75 for the washer (dryer not included)! Here's the link -

    http://www.dmme.virginia.gov/arra

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  13. Shari~thank you for that link! We used it for our new dishwasher (I didn't know I was getting a new washer and dryer!), but Virginia gals, it is so worth the few minutes it takes to fill it out. I think it's only one rebate per household per year??

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  14. Thanks for sharing the pretty and not so pretty parts of your home so that we can all feel "normal" together.

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  15. Is the washer and dryer really backwards? Mine are like that. I don't think it really matters. I hope not.

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  16. woo hoo! you did it! it looks great. that was a huge undertaking and i'm so glad you feel so happy that its done. you did a great job simplifying :)

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  17. snappy~I'm right handed, so I guess I always thought the wet wash should go from the washer to the dryer left to right? I guess it really doesn't matter, does it?

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  18. I tried once to paint our kitchen cabinets white. Ugh, it was horrid. We paid a small price to get them done by a professional (and a friend). The next home we owned HAD white cabinets and I ended up wiping a dark stain over them and loved it. My husband gets good laughs from my 'adventures' ;)

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  19. Great job! I know you feel refreshed and empowered having knocked that out !! Painting the kitchen cabs will be a piece 'o cake!

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  20. If I had a washer/dryer in my basement I would load it up, wash it and completly for.get.about.it! Probably for months! Until someone goes,'Where is my grey sweater?' LOL
    The cabinets will be great and if you have done this before!! Girl, you got this! :) Can't wait to see.

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  21. I painted our cabinets by myself and they could stand to be done again, I plan on tackling that while my husband is deployed. I love the cream color!
    And I saved the money of course.

    Thanks for the bin idea for gifts.

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  22. You will do a fabulous job! And you now have a space to do it, can't wait to see the result! Janell

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  23. What a cool project to start the year! Our storage room is such a mess. DIY idea is not bad specially if you have a great eye for design. I like the gift storage boxes. Why haven't I thought of that. Keep em up Melissa! Looking forward to your finished work.

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  24. We would love a washer/dryer set on our main level as well as the basement! We currently lug ours up and down to the basement and it can be a drag :-) Also in Virginia, and we just bought a slew of appliances when we moved in so thank you for the rebate link and info. We bought appliances where there were none before, so wondering if we would still qualify for the rebate?!

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  25. You can do it! Of course you can do it! And won't you be glad not to be writing that check to the painters? Of course you will!!

    Girl, I'd have a washer and dryer on every floor of my house if I could. I don't think you're silly at all for keeping your old ones--especially with five kids! I think you're brilliant!

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  26. Good for you! Only 12 days into the new year and you can check something off of your list!

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  27. Your kitchen will look fab when you're done but yuck to all that sanding, priming and painting! Love the tip on storing leftover paint in tupperware. I need to do that. Ben & Serwin & Behr & Valspar all live here :).

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  28. It looks so much better - you have inspired me as i need to clean out our shed!
    Rachie xo

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  29. Good for you! My garage is HORRIFYING and is on the list for a nice new look as soon as it warms up a little bit... Way too cold right now!

    Just a suggestion.... but if you want that smidge of saved paint to last awhile I'd put the containers in a zip lock bag after I put painters tape around the edges..... Speaking from experience! It'll be hard as a brick when you want to use it.....I was so darn mad at myself....

    Congratulations on your progress!

    Warm blessings,
    Spencer

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  30. We stained our cabinets and they turned out great. Just plan at least twice the time that you think it will take. I thought it would take a week, but between sanding, staining, and multiple coats of varnish and drying times on both sides it took at least 2 weeks. Drying time (in the winter in WA) killed me! Well worth it though!

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  31. Love your idea of storing the leftover paint in tupperware type containers. Does it really work and keep them from drying out?

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  32. Yes on the containers not drying the paint out... That one in the red container I've had for almost 2 years from Texas and it's not dried out at all. Maybe it's the type of container, but they are all so far so good...

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  33. Wow, you have been one busy girl. The garage clean-up and this too!?!?

    You're putting the rest of us to shame!!!

    Looks great though, and I bet it feels really good to have it done!

    :)

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  34. I so need to get down in our basement now that I've gotten all of the club's uniforms out of there!! I love the paint container idea...so need to do that and get rid of the half empty mega cans. Good for you for painting your own cabinets, I've done ours...it is a chore, but does save a ton of money!!!

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  35. Love the basement!! I'm bribing my family members to clean out their spaces or more importantly, their things out of my spaces. Once we have a large rubbermaid container full for goodwill and another one full for the trash, we get a movie night complete with popcorn and hot chocolate. I hope it goes as well as yours did!! Now for my question ... I noticed your table saw in your nice, clean storage room. I'm looking for one for my board and batten project (inspired by 320 sycamore!). I got a nail gun and compressor for christmas, but I'm looking for recommendations for a table or miter saw. I have a miter block and hand saw that I've used for small projects, but I can't imagine using it for a big one. Any advice??

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  36. In looking at our front-loader washer and dryer, you can tell they are designed for designed for the sort of flow you're talking about; the washer door swings open to the left, the dryer to the right. But we've used these same appliances in two houses, and in both places the water hookups were on the right and the vent to the left. And I'd never even thought about it before. Huh. Odd.
    - - - - - - -
    Jack@PCS
    chess sets and more

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