Construction

When we first looked at the house that we have now moved into, there was a spot in the kitchen that was “missing” some bottom cabinets. We were told that the landlord’s soon-to-be wife (whose furniture would be furnishing the house when she moved in with said landlord) would be bringing her washer over and it would be housed in that little spot. She didn’t have a dryer, but one of the families leaving Paraguay this year was selling theirs so we bought it.

Easy. Too easy.

Come moving day, I stumbled into the knowledge that the washer would be coming to the house, but it wasn’t going in the kitchen. You see, the washer is a top-loading washer and they laid a countertop over the entire length of the wall, covering the space reserved for the machine (come to find out, too, that the plumbing wasn’t done right, either, so even if the counter wasn’t an issue, the lack of a drain for the water would have been). So now we have a washer and dryer with no hook-ups and family coming in two days. Family that we promised we would be able to do laundry for so that they could pack light.

Trying not to freak out.

One of our friends that helped us move that day also works as a maintenance guy at Brandon’s old/Stacy’s new school. He volunteered for the job of creating a laundry space for me outside and we jumped at the opportunity.

Brandon (left) digging a hole to tap into the existing water supply to run water for the washing machine.

The PVC pipe running back to where the washer/dryer will be housed.

Over the course of two Saturdays, Ruben and Rosalino came to the house to work on our project. Brandon helped when he could while I fed the boys and kept the coffee coming. The first week they ran plumbing for the washer and re-wired a few things so that both the washer and dryer could be plugged in. I’m still not sure that their electrical work would pass a state-side inspection, but it works.

"Before" picture

This last Saturday, they came and built an overhang to protect the washer and dryer from the elements and laid cement for the machines to sit upon.

Rosalino painting the overhang and Ruben preparing to lay cement.

Finished product!

(they even moved the light so that it would be right above the washer/dryer)

I can’t describe how grateful I am to these two men and the time that they spent to make me my laundry “room”. THANK YOU!