"Up in the laundry"

H Schinske wrote:
wrote:

Our house was built in the 1920's, but when we renovated and put an
addition on, one of the first things on my list was second floor
laundry facilities - and I have to say, I love it every bit as much
as I thought I would.

We won't have space for that in our remodel (and anyhow there will
still be bedrooms on two levels), but we *are* planning to put in a
laundry chute! I'm looking forward to that.


I would *love* a laundry chute!

--
Nikki
Mama to Hunter (5) and Luke (3)

Maggie wrote:

We don't have a laundry room in our 1907 house - we have a
washhouse/shed outside. I love it! Even on nights like tonight when
I'm washing nappies and it's hailing.

Our old rent house (ca 1946 or '47 or something post-war) had the washer
and dryer in the shed outside. It was never an inconvenience to me,
except when I *had* to get clean underwear and it was pouring down rain.
But it was quiet and the dryer didn't heat up the house, and I had tons
of space to work in. Now our washer and dryer are in the kitchen, and
it's not so quiet and there is no space. I can't wait to finish the
never-ending remodel and get them behind closed doors! (they will be in
their own little closet in the pantry area.)

Still, it beats saving up quarters to do a wash, like when we had an
apartment. A friend of mine who rented right by us was teaching her
four-year-old different coins. Caitlyn found a quarter in the yard and
said, "Mommy, I know what this is!" When asked to tell what it was, she
replied, "It's for the laundry!!"

Rebecca
In it for laundry come December

Circe wrote in message
news:5e%xc.29104$tI2.2323@fed1read07...
Cathy Weeks wrote:
Unadulterated Me wrote in message
...

We do too, but our laundry is on the middle story which although
isn't ground level it's built along side a small hill(you don't have
basements in NZ houses)

I hate to show my ignorance, but why not?

We don't tend to have them in houses in Southern California, either. And,
like Andrea, I have no idea why not! We just don't!
--
Don't have them in UK either. Usually the washer's in the Kitchen. If people
have a separate room for it it'd be called "utilities room" and probably
have the freezer in too. Often it's the back of the garage. It's pretty rare
to have them anyway.
Debbie

wrote in message om...
"Circe" wrote in message news:5e%xc.29104$tI2.2323@fed1read07...
Cathy Weeks wrote:
Unadulterated Me wrote in message
...

We do too, but our laundry is on the middle story which although
isn't ground level it's built along side a small hill(you don't have
basements in NZ houses)

I hate to show my ignorance, but why not?

We don't tend to have them in houses in Southern California, either. And,
like Andrea, I have no idea why not! We just don't!

Probably too much caliche in the soil; that's why we don't have them
in Phoenix. It's really expensive to dig holes in that stuff!

Two words: frost depth. The colder the climate, the farther down you
have to dig in order to have your footings resting below the frost
line, or your foundation will heave in the winter. So, if you have to
dig down anyhow, you may as well have at least a crawl space, and a
basement isn't that much more expensive. Here in Illinois, the
cheapest way to build is a raised ranch, where the first floor level
is about 4' below grade (to frost depth) and then a full floor above
it.

Irene the architect
who prefers a basement laundry room to keep the noise away, and out of
washer flooding paranoia

(Keeping this marginally on-topic for mkp: When my sister was staying
with us after dd was born, one of the things I wanted her to help with
was laundry. She couldn't understand why I kept getting after her to
get it started, and THEN do some of the other things. Then she
realized - she lives in an apartment building and uses a laundromat,
so can do multiple loads at once. In a house, we have to do one load
at a time, so the process takes a lot longer when you have 4 or 5
loads to do!)

"Nikki" wrote in message ...
Sophie wrote:
"Circe" wrote in message
news:5e%xc.29104$tI2.2323@fed1read07...
Cathy Weeks wrote:
Unadulterated Me wrote in message
...

We do too, but our laundry is on the middle story which although
isn't ground level it's built along side a small hill(you don't
have basements in NZ houses)

I hate to show my ignorance, but why not?

We don't tend to have them in houses in Southern California, either.
And, like Andrea, I have no idea why not! We just don't!
--
Be well, Barbara
Mom to Sin (Vernon, 2), Misery (Aurora, 4), and the Rising Son
(Julian, 6)


Or in NC - flooding from hurricanes.

I get to go to NC next week :-) I was surprised at no basements there.
Most houses have them in SD. They will get water in them if they don't have
a pump but it isn't a huge deal. I think your ground is softer too, or I
was told that anyway. Radon can be a problem here.

See my other response..

Another odd thing - even modest houses have garages in SD. Not everyone has
them, but most do. Garages seemed to be sort of a rarity in Greensboro,
even the upscale neighborhood.

Another climate issue - I think people appreciate garages a lot more
when it makes the car easier to start in cold weather, you don't have
to clear off the snow (tho you have to clear the driveway), and you
don't have to freeze while walking to the car if it's attached. Oh,
and it protects the car from salt when the roads get salted. My house
now is the first place I've ever lived with a garage, and I have to
admit, I love the convenience! Except when we have to shovel 3' of
snow, of course - we're the only people on the block who don't have a
snowblower, I think! ;-)

Irene

Irene wrote:

(Keeping this marginally on-topic for mkp: When my sister was staying
with us after dd was born, one of the things I wanted her to help with
was laundry. She couldn't understand why I kept getting after her to
get it started, and THEN do some of the other things. Then she
realized - she lives in an apartment building and uses a laundromat,
so can do multiple loads at once. In a house, we have to do one load
at a time, so the process takes a lot longer when you have 4 or 5
loads to do!)

Very good point! I have an old house, laundry in the basement.
Unfortunately I have no main floor bathroom either. You have to go up or
down which is sort of a pain for changing diapers and potty training. It is
also a huge problem when my MIL comes to visit. A full flight of stairs is
a lot for her at her age. I do have a closet upstairs that I could move the
laundry into some day if I wanted.
--
Nikki
Mama to Hunter (5) and Luke (3)

Irene wrote:

Another climate issue - I think people appreciate garages a lot more
when it makes the car easier to start in cold weather, you don't have
to clear off the snow (tho you have to clear the driveway), and you
don't have to freeze while walking to the car if it's attached.

Oh goodness yes. If I never had to scrape ice off another window in the
dark cold morning again I'd be fine with that, lol.

Except when we have to shovel 3' of
snow, of course - we're the only people on the block who don't have a
snowblower, I think! ;-)

We need to get one too! Our unattached garage is situated behind the house
so we have a very long driveway with a portion that is between our house and
the one next door. You actually have to carry the snow to move it out of
the narrow driveway. Definitely need a snow blower. Half the time dh just
doesn't do that patch but I'm worried I'll slide into the house when he
doesn't!

--
Nikki
Mama to Hunter (5) and Luke (3)

Unadulterated Me wrote in message ...
Cathy Weeks wrote:
Unadulterated Me wrote in message ...


We do too, but our laundry is on the middle story which although isn't
ground level it's built along side a small hill(you don't have basements
in NZ houses)


I hate to show my ignorance, but why not?



I don't know...lol
I don't know of any new building that have them so I would hazard a
guess it is maybe a modern Building code regulation that has something
to do with being an Earthquake zone, NZ houses must by on a floating
concrete slab and have to be wooden framed,ie no fixed brick houses etc,
so they can withstand earthquakes better. Perhaps the type of slab and
way the houses must be constructed don't make for good stability if the
house contains a basement. It may be that that type of construction
isn't safe for load bearing here and would collapse in an earthquake. It
could also have something to do with the land geography and geology, the
type of land we have and it's predisposition to avulsion, slip and
erosion. Some houses just wash away into rivers when the floods hit.
I know industrial places have them, some malls and such, and I'm sure
I've heard of older homes maybe having one, although never seen one,
and I've never heard of a newer residential home having one.

A

Hmmm...not living in an earthquake zone, I'm not sure if that's the
reason or not. We studied earthquake stuff in school, but I don't
remember discussing basements, and I've never designed houses in an
earthquake zone! (I've done some commercial buildings in earthquake
zones, but they were all slab on grade for other reasons, anyhow.) I
also know nothing about NZ building codes or soils... Circe - ask your
hubby - he at least should know more about foundations in earthquake
zones, if not NZ stuff! ;-)

Irene (who is following the thread backwards a bit...)

"Nikki" wrote in message ...
Irene wrote:

Another climate issue - I think people appreciate garages a lot more
when it makes the car easier to start in cold weather, you don't have
to clear off the snow (tho you have to clear the driveway), and you
don't have to freeze while walking to the car if it's attached.

Oh goodness yes. If I never had to scrape ice off another window in the
dark cold morning again I'd be fine with that, lol.

I know - I forget how much I hate it until for some reason I park on
the street and we get a frost...

Except when we have to shovel 3' of
snow, of course - we're the only people on the block who don't have a
snowblower, I think! ;-)

We need to get one too! Our unattached garage is situated behind the house
so we have a very long driveway with a portion that is between our house and
the one next door. You actually have to carry the snow to move it out of
the narrow driveway. Definitely need a snow blower. Half the time dh just
doesn't do that patch but I'm worried I'll slide into the house when he
doesn't!

Aack! Sounds like a major project! At least our driveway is
relatively short, or we'd have given in ages ago. (I can't believe
we've been here almost 6 years!)

Irene

(Irene) wrote in message . com...
wrote in message om...
"Circe" wrote in message news:5e%xc.29104$tI2.2323@fed1read07...

We don't tend to have them in houses in Southern California, either. And,
like Andrea, I have no idea why not! We just don't!

Probably too much caliche in the soil; that's why we don't have them
in Phoenix. It's really expensive to dig holes in that stuff!

Two words: frost depth. The colder the climate, the farther down you
have to dig in order to have your footings resting below the frost
line, or your foundation will heave in the winter. So, if you have to
dig down anyhow, you may as well have at least a crawl space, and a
basement isn't that much more expensive.

I *always* forget, never having lived somewhere with frost, that you
have to dig down for footings anyway most places. We only go down
about 2'-8", unless a client wants a wine cellar. :-)

(Keeping this marginally on-topic for mkp: When my sister was staying
with us after dd was born, one of the things I wanted her to help with
was laundry. She couldn't understand why I kept getting after her to
get it started, and THEN do some of the other things. Then she
realized - she lives in an apartment building and uses a laundromat,
so can do multiple loads at once. In a house, we have to do one load
at a time, so the process takes a lot longer when you have 4 or 5
loads to do!)

DS has the stomach flu. I am never going to catch up.

--
C, mama to nineteen monh old nursling