Where I spend hours and hours

When we moved into our house (which we planned and built in 2004) it was a semi-custom home and our first house (we had a townhouse before this). I would have done so much differently if I built again today. Since we have no plans to leave our home we are re-arranging/re-building the house to make it the house we wish we could have had the foresight to think about back in 2004. But now we have 4 kids and not 1 on the way like we did then so life was so very different. 

Our original laundry room was directly off the garage and into a "mudroom." We barely had enough room for a washer and dryer much less room to wash the actual clothes. I didn't understand why the builder would put the laundry room directly into the entry way from the garage to the house. Talk about not practical. Oh and throw a car seat and a diaper bag and there really is not enough room for anything. And then came another kid, and another and another and finally there 4. I had ENOUGH! I spend some much time in the laundry room (workout room comes a close second). And after I had kids there would be laundry in piles sorted and ready to go in the laundry. Not a very pretty entry.

So my hubby and I came up with a brilliant idea to install a laundry room on our second floor. The second floor is so much more practical because that is where the clothes are put when they are clean. No more climbing all the stairs for my countless loads of laundry. We had a large hallway linen closet that backed up to my son's walk in closet. We decided to take his walk in closet and take it away from him. Yes, that's right...a boy doesn't need a walk in closet. So my handy hubby added a closet to his room with framing, drywall and everything else he does that I don't know and bam Tyler has a closet that looks like it was made for his room. So now that he has a closet, we could focus on this wonderful new space for the laundry room.

For years I had envisioned a beautiful image of my 4 kids walking their dirty clothes from their bedrooms or off their bodies and putting them directly in a bin that it belonged in. And let me tell you...it works!! I have a bin for undergarments, whites, blacks, demins, colors (pinks/red/orange) and separate ones for my hubby. Since the kids put their items directly in bins it saves me time since I don't have to sort and then I can just throw a load in! Viola!!

**I originally had lamented tags on the bins but my kids don't need them anymore so I took them off. 

***We had a wonderful local guy build us the custom sorters and cabinets and he stained them. He did an AMAZING JOB and helped my vision come to life. Thank you Tony!

****PS there will be a part 2 of this as I am still working on this room 2 years later. Stay tuned!!