From Water Heater Woes to Laundry Room Wow!

Our water heater had started showing signs of failure about 2 weeks ago.  We found some water on the floor around the tank and began preparing ourselves to replace the water heater.  On a trip to Lowe's to check out water prices we came across the model we needed that had been marked down to $300 from $600.  It had a dent in the back but we were assured that it was cosmetic damage only and it did not affect the function or 12-year warranty.  Matt talked the salesperson down to $250 and it was ours.  The new water heater sat in the garage for a few days until the inevitable happened, the water heater finally died.  Actually, it leaked.  A lot.

We have always talked about redoing that room and this was the best time to do it.  Below is a picture of the laundry room before the remodel.  The offending water heater on the right and notice the shelves that can barely support their own weight but somehow have stayed on the wall.  (I bought this house 3 years ago in a short sale.  These shelves were everywhere!  I don't know how many we took down in the garage and I think the last offending shelf is in Daulton's closet which may be "our" next project.  I say "our" but I really mean Matt will do all the heavy lifting and any kind of work that might cause me to sweat.)

You can also see the old linoleum floors and lovely concrete slab underneath.  The water heater leaking definitely helped with the linoleum removal.  Or so I am told.  I should let it be known that Matt did all the work for this remodel and I provided moral support.

I did wash the walls and trim to prep them for paint.  However, this ended up with me being very crabby, hot, and tired.  Being hot and tired at the same time is a dangerous situation for me, actually its more dangerous for those around me.  Me being hot, tired, and hungry is known as The Trifecta and it never ends well.  I can usually handle having one of these symptoms.  Having two symptoms is cause for alarm.  Having three symptoms is a major problem and I strongly recommend a snack, air conditioning, and a nap in that order.

Out came the water heater, washer, dryer, crappy shelves, and linoleum floor.

Living without hot water can be done, but its not easy.  The guys showered outside (sorry neighbors! hope you enjoyed the show) and I went to my parents house to shower.  I know I could have toughened up and showered outside like the guys, but I just couldn't do it.  We also used a lot more disposable plates than we normally do.  But other than that, we survived.

In went new paint, new tile floor, and a new water heater.  Matt found the tile on clearance at Lowe's and the tile for the room cost less than $25.  Saving a ton of money on the new water heater and floor, yes please!

Below is a picture of our newly painted walls and new tile floor.  Major improvement from the gross linoleum and dingy white walls.

We don't have the new shelf yet but you can see the almost-final product is a major improvement over what it used to look like.  And the room feels and looks bigger.  And its nice to mark this off the long list of "things to do around the house".

Matt did a great job and deserves all the credit for this renovation.  It looks great and it is wonderful to have hot water again!