I Thought A Laundry Hook-Up Would Change My Life—Then This Happened

published Aug 16, 2019

Page URL

We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.

In city life, I think there are a few unspoken markers of “making it”: First, when you get an apartment dishwasher. Then, when you get a place with an ice maker. Finally, when you’re really made something of yourself, when you get an in-unit washer and dryer. (Yes, surburbanites, I know you had all of these in your first house and you’ve paid less than I have the whole time.)

So when it came time for me to buy a house, I was excited that I was finally going to be one of those special people who got to do laundry at home. We settled on a home that didn’t come with a washer/dryer, per se, but it did have a hook up in a cute little closet. “No worries,” I thought to myself, “This way I can pick out the washer and dryer myself and get the exact model I really wanted!”

When we moved in, the W+D was the first big purchase on our list. Before we went to the appliance store, my husband and I made sure to measure the closet—it would be silly to spend all that money and not have it fit, right? While measuring, my husband wondered, aloud, how they were going to install the appliances. While the closet was large enough to fit a stacked unit, it couldn’t fit anything else.

“Not to worry,” I said. “I’m sure the contractor wouldn’t have built a cute little laundry closet without a way to install a washer and dryer. They’re experts!”

A week or so later, our appliances arrived, along with a plumber to install it. “Great!” I thought to myself. “All that was in between me and a load of spring-time rain smelling laundry was an hour, tops!”

But then our plumber took one look at that adorable snug closet and laughed: He couldn’t install it in there! He couldn’t even fit behind the unit to get it installed!

He continued to tell us that he gets about a hundred of these calls a year, especially in the condo market. Apparently, one of L.A.’s biggest trends was contractors building these adorable little laundry closets and leaving the new owners out to dry—some even went as far to build the closet around the washer and dryer, preventing them from ever being serviced!

After one long stress cry, I decided the only way around the closet problem was through it—literally. I realized that if we cut a human-sized hole in the wall behind the laundry (which, on the opposite side, was the wall behind our fridge), the plumber could access the back of, and therefore install, the washer and dryer. It was just so wild that it could work.

Over the next three days, this is what happened: We called a contractor to move our fridge and cut a hole. He did. Then, we called the plumber to come to our home, again, and slip through the hole we cut for him to install our units. He did. And then, we called the contractor again to come and seal up most of the hole. We had him leave a bit at the bottom in case we needed to have our units serviced, too.

We finally had an in-unit washer and dryer! But also, because our contractor couldn’t slip back into the closet to make the inside look nice, we also had an ugly wall that looked like someone came into our place, got mad, and started hacking at the wall!

If this saga wasn’t enough, after everyone left, we decided we had enough laundry trouble for three days. We’d close the closet door and actually wash our clothes later. But imagine our surprise (frustration? anger? existential pain?) when the door couldn’t close! Width matters, but guess what? So does depth. And because washers and dryers have tubes and plugs and stuff in the back, they don’t go flush against the wall. (Gah!)

So I ended up spending the next day sanding down the back of the door—by hand. I will admit, after the previous days’ events, it was pretty cathartic to just go at that door.

Moral of the story? In real estate, there is no taking things at face value—both when buying and renting. If they say there’s a washer and dryer hook-up, ask what it will actually take for it to get hooked up. If they say something’s convertible, ask exactly how it converts. If there’s central air and heat, ask where, how, and whose responsibility. It’s always better to get these matters sorted out before you sign on the dotted line—because if they’re not fixed pre-move in, you’ll have to do them all yourself! (And sometimes that benefit doesn’t even end up being worth it!) (Also, Lowe’s has a very helpful fact-sheet to make sure you’re buying the right appliances for your space!)

I Thought A Laundry Hook-Up Would Change My Life—Then This Happened

More great Real Estate reads: