this hawks nest: epic fail : laundry risers

Hey friends, Hawk returns from a few days away on business, so posting is a bit spotty. Thanks for hanging in there!

Source: lisacongdon.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

I like this quote. Makes me feel optimistic about my epic fail(ure).

Here's the scenario: I am motivated to make things happen in our house. I am tired of things being organized or disorganized in a way that inhibits my ability to make a great home. I want proper play spaces for the kids. I want laundry to be less chaotic and more streamlined. I want to declutter the main and second levels by decluttering the basement.

And Hawk hates building projects. It's just not his thing. And I love building, organizing, painting (anything but trim, doors, and ceilings) --- for me, this work is just as creative as the painter, sculptor, and musician I so very much envy. It also means that to get a lot of things done I have to do them myself. And between the Little People's nap schedules and terror of electric drills, saws, etc., this is a challenge.

In our basement, our washer and dryer are, quite unfortunately, set 5 feet apart from each other, and this cannot be undone without professional rewiring/ducts/gas lines. They are set on the floor, and between my oft-pregnant belly, carrying babies/toddlers, and the plain ole why am I bending down so much ridiculousness that is floor-based washers and freezer-top refridgerators. There are no shelves above them after I removed a terrible make-shift attempt by previous owners. But this is a laundry area and with people living under far less desirable conditions I just can't justify much luxury there.

My checklist:

1. Off the ground

2. Shelving space directly above the machines, not attached to the wall that I can't reach over the machines.

3. Clean lines, simple construction, just enough to ease the eye.

My inspiration:

Source: houzz.com via Julia on Pinterest

Before I show you the photos, let me tell you what I learned from this Epic Fail:

1. Just because I don't want to spend a lot of money on something doesn't mean I can go all-out cheap. Quality still matters and I have to trust my instinct above another's advice.
2. I cannot, I repeat that I cannot construct a everything without help. Bummer.

I won't even lead you through the process. Suffice it to say that I had old cabinets from a previous owner that I wanted to recycle as the riser base, and I'd purchased plywood to form the outer casing. I'd planned on added trim and a front face to the riser another time.