Yikes, Jamie, that must have been the original model way back when! It sure does look shabby and old! Mine doesn't have the added feature of the ironing board, which I'm sure, turned out to be something no one used. Being oak, like mine, though, I'm sure it's one VERY heavy dust-catcher ;^D Terriks, I'm glad that you added that pic here, too. I love your idea and I LOVE that it was a DIY project. I'm really hoping to find ideas that DH & I (and anybody else here) can do ourselves. Bumblebeez, what kind of containers do you keep your shoes and purses in? Yesiyesi: sorry, but I'm afraid to click on your link. I have a strong feeling that it's SPAM (which is not allowed here) and that's where a person can pick up all sorts of nasty trojans, etc. Torsade: I'm excited for you, too. Please keep us posted on your closet changes and I'm anxious to see the final outcome. It sounds like a great idea. You might even consider adding a shelf above your new seating area to take advantage of any extra space. Oofasis: I, for one, am not laughing . . . that's a good question. But again, only speaking for myself, I'm so desperate for a good, reasonably priced solution for my many shoes that I'd happily deal with any dust them . . . but that's just me ;^D KSWL: all great ideas, thank you!!! I agree that someplace to sit is so handy. We keep our convertible chair/step stool in the chair position for that reason (and because it's too heavy for anything else!). I've been wondering about those telescoping rods you mentioned and am glad to hear that they are a good investment. I'm now going to try and incorporate a couple into our closet reno. Sasha'sM: You know, ever since I posted that one pic from the ClosetFactory's website, I've been trying to locate that kind of super-susan made for clothes. So far, this is one of the only places that seem to carry something similar: "Ovis Cabinet Organizers" I don't know if one would work in our closet, but it seems to be a good, practical idea for some people. You definitely can get one if Closet Factory does your closet, though. Bharensi: Your closet sounds wonderful! I know that I speak for many of us when I say that we'd LOVE to see pics of it if you ever want to share them with us. Good idea about using a dehumidifier. Here in New Mexico, we don't have a humidity problem, but for areas where it's a problem, that's a good, practical idea! I also like that yours is a DIY project. Using the GW dresser and all of your other ideas are good, reasonably-priced solutions that we all can use. TFS! Lynn

Why would I have to open up the fall if I can fit the appliance through the existing door? IF you can get both appliances into the pantry (and I don't think that it is possible to do with the existing door opening), then you need room in front of the appliances so you can operate them. My laundry 'closet' is 53.5" deep with a 40" door opening and I know how restrictive that is. If I had only 45" of depth, I don't think the dryer door would open. I have conventional old school appliances. 29" wide dryer with fold down door & skinny Speed Queen top loader (<26" wide). ...realized by the time that's done I wouldn't be cutting the vent run down by much... Would venting the dryer through the roof eliminate any elbows? Do you have rigid (smooth) ducting or is it all flex vent? What is the length of the current run vs the thru-the-wall & Up option? Keep in mind that heated air rises so you'll gain some venting help when the vent goes vertical. Thru the wall and up will require just one elbow and possibly another 120 degree fitting (if you need to offset because of a wall extending above the roof of the garage. In calculating vent length equivalents, an elbow is equal to 5' of straight run length. So, if your current set-up has more than one elbow, you may be gaining more efficiency than you realize. If you have a lot of corrugated, flex duct, you'll benefit by replacing with smooth rigid venting. My venting scenario is awful. I had 4 elbows in about 12' of run. We were able to switch out one elbow for a 120 and replaced most of the flex w/ rigid duct. Still far from ideal but those changes made a significant difference in drying time. Even heavy loads like jeans (out of the SQ top loader) dry with one setting of the dryer (about 50 minutes.) Most other loads dry in 40 minutes. Synthetic loads in much less time. Before, I routinely timed out and had to reset the dryer a second time in order to get dry clothes.

I don't really see the advantage of the peninsula in the double L from the original post. I think the traffic flow would be much improved (especially around the refrigerator and range) without it. You could also move the sink closer to the nook, which would help the traffic flow to the DR (especially with the DW open). You'd lose a bit of storage, but corner cabinets are not ideal (were you thinking a lazy susan/super susan, or did you think you would access that cab from the other side of the peninsula?) The ideas put forth by Mama Goose and RL are great, but I wanted to throw out a less ambitious (i.e. cheaper) suggestion.

Eric, If you search Mudroom here on Houzz, you will see all sorts of pictures. The one that I dream about has cubbies with hooks and shelves for each member of the family. A lot of mudrooms incorporate the laundry in this area as well. This is great for when your child plays sports and comes home from a game in their uniform that is muddy. You can have him/her strip down in the mudroom and the uniform can go straight into the wash. With the cubbies, all of the regularly used items, jackets, backpacks, sport equipment can be stored there out of the way and out of view. I am not a pro, but I took the pic of your floor plan and played with it a little. I have no idea if all of this is possible, but hopefully it helps you look at it from a different perspective. I re-arranged the bedroom and laundry area to incorporate a large laundry and mud room and a wider hallway. By removing the laundry from its current location, it expanded that bedroom and makes better use of the space in my opinion. I also re-arranged your kitchen to give you a better casual dining area. With kids, you need a space where the family can sit and eat on weeknights. Sure you could use your formal dining, but the kids just get everything messy, so I think it is better to have an area where it is easy to clean and lessen the chance of them ruining good linens or area rugs. I also opened up that wall to allow quick access to the Master. It doesn't make sense to me to have such a long walk from the kitchen to the Master. I don't know how you feel about that hallway, but by adding that opening in the kitchen wall, you could eliminate it altogether and expand the kitchen and/or that bedroom even more. I also did a few other tweaks that I would want to see if it were my house. One being the powder room, there are several other bathrooms including one right next to it, so I would rather that be the coat closet serving the main entry. I did lose the walk in pantry, but am guessing that a talented kitchen designer could configure cabinets with pull out drawers that would serve that function for you. I also removed the door to the toilet room. If that wall is load bearing, just make it open. I think it is unsanitary to have to open a door before washing your hands. This is not perfect by any means, it is an awkward layout because so much needs to go on one side of the house. If it were possible to move plumbing, it would really expand your possibilities. Hope this was helpful to you!