I can't believe the cost of my laundry project. (3 mo update)

[Mark42]

I was looking at the receipts for the project of moving the washer and dryer from basement to upstairs. I modified a hall closet to fit the washer and dryer. It entailed installing hot & cold water lines, drains, 30ft of 15amp and 240v lines for washer and dryer (electric), 25 ft of aluminum dryer vent with hood and draft blocker, 25 sq ft of sheet flooring, 1/2 piece of sheetrock, two 30" bi-fold doors ($150!), 40 ft of copper pipe and fiberglass insulation, simple ceiling light, and various bits of hardware came to almost $600. That does not include things like stain, urethane, screws/nails/wire nuts and other stuff that I already had.<br /><br />I can't imagine what I would have paid to have this done for me. And it is amazing how quickly the parts alone add up to big bucks. <br /><br />At any rate, my wife is really happy to have the laundry upstairs, and she knows this project was done for her (and I don't have to carry laundry baskets up/down the stairs anymore!).

 

[mattttt25]

Re: I can't believe the cost of my laundry project. (3 mo update)

mark- home improvement is never fun or cheap.<br /><br />btw, i see you are from the good part of jersey. where exactly?

 

[Mark42]

Re: I can't believe the cost of my laundry project. (3 mo update)

Hi Matt,<br /><br />From Warren County. Now its back to finishing off the basement. That project is actually fun, as I much prefer doing "new" construction than modifying old stuff. <br /><br />The basement will run a few grand, but it's being spread out over a year, and we are using a new 6 mo interest free credit card to finance it. Every month we pay a few hundred towards the card. After the first card ran its 6 mo period, we transferred the balance to a new 6 mo free card and cancelled the old one. When this interest free card runs its course, the balance will be paid off by the home equity loan because I don't think there will be any more interest free offers now that the economy is coming back. <br /><br />Wonder how many people have done that with the interest free cards?

 

[CalicoKid]

Re: I can't believe the cost of my laundry project. (3 mo update)

I financed a car and some schooling that way. Never paid a penny of interest. I don't carry debt other than a mortgage anymore. Home improvement is cash or home equity now. Non deductable interest is a hole in the wallet.

 

[Bart Sr.]

Re: I can't believe the cost of my laundry project. (3 mo update)

AH YES---Home improvement.<br /><br />Whenever I tackle those projects we look at how much we save by doing it ourselves.That dollar amount appeals to the resident cashier.<br /><br />I like the satisfaction of a job done well.

 

[Mark42]

Re: I can't believe the cost of my laundry project. (3 mo update)

Bart,<br /><br />More than half of the project I do would not get done if I didn't do them myself. That's because I just can't afford to pay contractors and have a family. <br /><br />I need to have the septic tank pumped. That's one "project" that I will pay for!

 

[Trent]

Re: I can't believe the cost of my laundry project. (3 mo update)

Replaced a sending unit the other day.... (auto would have been 30 bucks max!) It was two thousand dollars with a 100,000. core charge. Yep one hundred thousand dollars... You bet we insured the core!

 

[Bart Sr.]

Re: I can't believe the cost of my laundry project. (3 mo update)

Mark42--Those three years I worked part time with my self employed friend has paid large dividends in the DIY department.<br />In the summer of 2000 I had 5 helpers and did a tear-off and re-roof in two days.Then the wife and I replaced two windows,both entry doors in the garage,facia,soffit and vinyl siding on the house.It took two months of after work and weekends that didn't rain but it was to code and looks great.The best estimate we had was $20K.We wound up with a total just under $6K.<br />This summer we have replaced 5 of our 10 interior doors with 6 panel solid wood doors and put in a bow window replacing the picture window and replaced both windows in the master bedroom.<br />That was just for our home.Over the last two summers I have also built a deck,replaced three doors,replaced 11 windows and painted my daughter's home in Milaca.They also appreciate the DIY savings.<br /><br />Best of luck on your present and future projects.

 

[Mark42]

Re: I can't believe the cost of my laundry project. (3 mo update)

Bart, <br /><br />Yep, nothing like some hands on experience to teach you how to do stuff. And not only are you saving the money by DIY, but you have invested in your home and upgrades like panel doors will pay off when you sell.<br /><br />Wish you were my neighbor!<br /><br />Trent, <br /><br />What is the sending unit from? 100 grand is a lot of bucks!<br /><br />Mark.

 

[Marc J.]

Re: I can't believe the cost of my laundry project. (3 mo update)

Hey Mark42 and CalicoKid, Your creative financing may have a down side. I tossed some credit card debt around following a divorce a few years back. Every account I ever had, over a fifteen year period, nearly all of them shown to be closed, showed up on a recent credit report. My beacon score took a knock because I had 22 revolving accounts to my name. No late payments, no negative remarks, only one with a balance.

 

[ehenry]

Re: I can't believe the cost of my laundry project. (3 mo update)

Mark42, how you planning on keeping that 25 feet of dryer vent pipe free of lint? Just curious, I have probably less than 5 feet and it a once a year thing, cleaning the lint our of it.

 

[Mark42]

Re: I can't believe the cost of my laundry project. (3 mo update)

E.F,<br /><br />Good question. I did plan for cleanings. The vertical takoff from the dryer (discharge is on the right side for easy access) has a band clamp attaching it to the dryer, and another quick disconnect in the attic where the damper is, and the vent is in the soffit directly above a bathroom window, so it is easly to access too and attached with four stainless steel screws. The whole vent pipe is shaped like a big upside down "L". I plan on checking it out in a few weeks. Especially the damper in the middle of the run to see what sort of buildup there is. Hopefully because it is all rigid piping, it should not collect much in the straight runs, and only things like the damper and soffit vent will need periodic cleaning.<br /><br />I am amazed how quiet it is. With the doors closed I just heard a low hum and wirring sounds while in bed last night. I think a lot of it has to do with the new machines being designed to be quiet. GE boasts these machines are "quiet by design".

 

[Indymike]

Re: I can't believe the cost of my laundry project. (3 mo update)

Mark,<br />Did you put a drain pan under the washer?<br />Code requirement nowadays... I think...but good practice even if not code.<br /><br />Mike

 

[Mark42]

Re: I can't believe the cost of my laundry project. (3 mo update)

Indy,<br /><br />No washer pan, but I did put in a floor drain and vinyl flooring that wrapped up the wall 4 inches, but only 1 3/4" in the front. If it gets more than 1 3/4 inches of water in there, it will over flow into the hall, but the drain should handle it. Both the floor drain and washer drain are 2" as required by code.

 

[Mark42]

Re: I can't believe the cost of my laundry project. (3 mo update)

Efhenry,<br /><br />Its been almost 3 months that the laundry has been in use. Last night I took apart the vent pipe to check for lint buildup (its all rigid vent pipe, no flexable stuff). I was surprised to find that there wasn't any! I thought for sure the cold air damper would collect lint. It's in the attic portion where it's easy to reach. The pipe pulls apart easily from the damper to keep it clean and I can inspect the rest of the attic pipes from there with a flashlight.<br /><br />So far the only problem I had was with the eve vent. The vent had a molded in plastic bird "screen" covering the vent flaps. The screen had 1x1/2" rectangle holes in it. That screen collected a lot of lint. So I cut it off. Now the flaps are exposed. The old vent didn't have a screen on it and there were no problems with critters gettin it. Will see what happens in the spring.