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In Renovator’s Notebook, homeowners open up about the nitty-gritty of their remodels: How long it really took; how much it actually cost; what went horribly wrong; and what went wonderfully, serendipitously, it’s-all-worth-it-in-the-end right.
Room: Laundry
Square footage: 25 beyond the entryway
Total renovation cost: $4,700 including labor
Total renovation length: several weeks
Top priority: “The goal for this space was to breathe new life into these walls with a warm, buttery yellow palette and charming cottage-inspired details,” says Jenna.
Some people walk into a builder-grade house and feel let down. Jenna LeBlanc, a home DIYer based in Tampa, Florida, starts seeing potential. With a distinctively hands-on approach, she and her husband Lucas transform basic homes into layered, cozy retreats, often to use as vacation rentals, and blog about every step of the process. Their current project, which she calls “Spanish Sanctuary,” is a 4-bedroom, 2,700-square-foot house constructed in a loosely Mediterranean style. A couple years into the renovation, the couple finally overhauled the laundry room, which is just a 5-foot square box that offered nothing in terms of functionality or atmosphere. “The space was tiny. Barely wide enough for a washer and dryer, with just enough space to stand in front of it,” Jenna recalls. “It also has no natural light, which made it feel even more cramped and cave-like.”
Her vision couldn’t have been more different: custom, elevated, and cottage-inspired—all for just $5,000. To make it happen, she focused on high-impact upgrades, thoughtful details, functionality, and exhaustive planning before they added a single detail. “Before purchasing anything, create a clear design plan and gather all of your selections in one place,” she advises. “Seeing everything together ahead of time makes it much easier to create a space that feels cohesive, intentional, and well thought out.”
The first step was to call in a plumber (to lower the hookup for their preferred units) and electrician (to add a wall sconce), and then Jenna and Lucas did the rest of this work themselves to save on labor. Almost all of the materials were sourced from Lowe’s, including wood for the custom peg rail they designed and constructed themselves. Jenna estimates the cost of the project would have been 4 times what they spent if they hired out every element instead of doing it themselves. Ahead, see the major additions that transformed the space on budget.
Reliable Washer & Dryer
“Because this is a high-traffic vacation rental, functionality was the top priority,” Jenna says. She’d had a great experience with LG’s TurboWash 360 Steam Washer & Dryer in a different rental property, so waited until the units went on sale and bought another set for this house.
Custom Enclosure & Counter
Perhaps the most impactful detail of all is the custom enclosure they fashioned for the washer and dryer, which lends the units a built-in quality. “It makes the room feel instantly more custom,” Jenna says. A pre-stained butcher block was selected for the topper, and Lucas cut the diamond details by hand (DIY level: advanced!).
Paintable Wall Paneling
Installing wide-groove bead board on all the walls gave the room its old-timey feel. The paneling runs nearly to the ceiling, stopping short of the beams with a simple rope molding detail. “I wanted the room to feel warm, light, and cheerful. I’d been collecting inspiration from cottage-style spaces with buttery yellow cabinetry and detailed millwork, and this felt like the perfect opportunity to bring that look to life,” Jenna says.
Stain-Ready Wood Beams
Throughout the rest of the house, the couple had added decorative wood beams from Lowe’s and decided to continue them into this room. Three run the length of the ceiling, spaced about 30 inches apart. Jenna stained them in a 50/50 mix of Minwax Mahogany and Coffee gel stain to match the pre-stained countertop.
Wall-Mounted Drying Racks
“The drying racks were my budget-friendly alternative to upper cabinets,” Jenna says. The room already has a linen closet (not visible in these photos) and from experience she knew that more cabinetry would go unused by renters. Ultimately these were painted as part of the color-drench, but not before she could add a patterned wallpaper to the backs of them.
Mood Lighting
Eschewing the bright-white ceiling bulbs that illuminate most laundry rooms, Jenna went for fixtures that added to the ambiance. A woven pendant hangs overhead, while a white tulip sconce was placed between the drying racks.
Buttery Yellow Paint
To test 14 different Sherwin-Williams yellows, Jenna ordered different peel-and-stick paint samples from Samplize. She settled on Blonde, a rich buttery gold, and sprayed it on for an even coating. Every surface in the room—save for the wood beams, countertop, and floors—is drenched in it. And the color has far exceeded her expectations: “The paint is the star of the room and what gives it personality,” she says. “It sets the tone immediately and was the jumping-off point for the entire design.”
