When we built our timber frame home, we made every effort to work with reclaimed, recycled, reused, repurposed, and re-just about anything materials. It was important that our home felt old while living new.
One of the choices we made was to buy a washer-dryer combination that was energy efficient and let us put clothes in to wash and take them out (of the same machine) dry and ready to fold or hang. There were several models on the market and we decided that the LG unit would serve us best. Except…there wasn’t one new unit to be found. The older model was off the market and the new one wasn’t yet available.
So we searched for a gently used unit that would not only let us know if we really could live with a washer/dryer combination that took 3 hours to wash a dry a load of clothes, but would also save us money. Craig’s List came to the rescue and a short trip to Atlanta landed us just the right piece of laundry equipment. Since our timber frame featured lots of gently used items, this wasn’t a problem for us.
Now, we thought we were onto something unique and new. We couldn’t find anyone who had used one that wasn’t a smaller apartment or RV sized unit (which didn’t rate very well). We loved the concept of no washer to dryer switch (and no moldy smelling clothes if we forgot to switch them).
And today, we still love our washer-dryer. It serves us well and fits well into the laundry closet we designed into our home. Timber frames allow for lots of flexibility in room placement, so our laundry space is tucked off of a hallway, accessible to the bedroom and bath.
And now, the surprise for us. We think we have the latest technology and love showing off our “easy” washer/dryer.
I’m looking through some old magazines (really old …1956) and find an ad for a Philco Duomatic. Surprise…it’s a washer/dryer combination and sold for a whopping $369.95. Who knew? So while we aren’t dismayed, we were a little shocked that it never took the market by storm. Maybe it was before it’s time. Most people didn’t have dryers in 1956 (at least in my neighborhood).
So old is new again in our timber frame home. And we are loving it. Washing, drying, now if someone will just invent a machine that folds clothes. We would be “cooking with gas”….but that’s another story.
So, plan your home, build it, and fill it with things you love and that you’ll use and enjoy.
And that’s enough for now.
See you soon, Bonnie Pickartz.
