A New Vintage Washroom...

[a440]

Wow you guys worked so hard! 

It looks amazing! 

At first I thought the room looked kind of small...until you started putting in the machines!  What a great size!  It looks so great!  And fun!

Thanks for all of the pictures.  It was so much fun to see the progress.

You guys are such a talented bunch!

 

 

 

[golittlesport]

Wow!!!

What an awesome group project! It turned out great and I love your color choices. Looks like you guys will have a lot of fun there. And the tea time cakes look delicious too! So inviting, wish I was there. Thanks for taking the time to document with photos!

 

[chestermikeuk]

Washin and Washup

Hi Louis, where the Acme spin dryers sold with you or have you had it imported? its certainly a heavy beast, it needed a new cable and now awaiting suitable capacitor as it keeps tripping the circuit - yes the food deffo better than back in Time for Tea!!

Hi Mark, will let you know in good time when meeting up, also let us know when you are visiting, can always arrange a visit!!!

Hi Phil, yes the Hoover Keymatics are the stars of the show, cant resist those Keyplates, and more to change around and see over the next year!!

Evening Paul, great memories from the Holt`s Laundry Room and the 3243 certainly is having its fair share of use, especially as the heater relay has been fitted!!

 

[chestermikeuk]

Washin and Washup

Hi Robert, glad you enjoyed the pics and progress, its great to see stuff again and to actually use it, had a few leaks and need to change a few dried and cracked boots but nothing major - Yet!!

Hi Ian, good to hear and need to catchup, only an hour from you so will arrange a meet, am also @ Penkeridge in a few weeks so lets meet up!!

Hi Todd, Glad you enjoyed it, now I need to get sorted on the videos, its a light airy room for filming..

Cheers Robbie, a few you will remember especially the Hotpoint toploaders, the 1501 is on its way back after a full renovation, would be great if you can get over at some point!!

Hi Steve, when I looked back at the start pics it does look compact but ended up like a little tardis, but still was shocked at how much is still in storage, that was a bigger tardis..

Hi Rich, great to hear from you, yes its all working out to plan, and never short of tea and cake, be great for you to visit when your next over!!

 

[foraloysius]

Acme

Mike,

Those Acme spindryers were sold in the Netherlands too. I have a little brochure in Dutch of the Acme appliances of that time. I came across mine in a second hand appliance shop. They wanted to dump it, so I got it for a few Euros. Mine is very noisy, you can wake the dead with that noise! It's on display in the kitchen, I never use it. If someone is interested they can take it with them.

 

[Unimatic1140]

Wow, wow wow!

Great work you guys! Impressive job, and I love the floor as well. A washroom full of beautiful vintage machines, gotta love it.

 

[ricky5050]

It's amazing

It is amazing in reality too ! It looked so organized. It's good to see all the hard work everyone's done. When I saw it it looked like it had all happened "so easily !!" Ha ha. I was thinking of you guys in the recent hot weather. Washers threshing , towels on the line !! Keymatics in bits lol. See you soon !!

Richard

 

[robliverpool]

Mike

Thanks for the invite. Getting up is no problem but getting me to leave will lol. I'll be clinging onto the door frame as I'm being dragged away lol
I was invited up a couple of years back but physically wasn't in good condition but all better now so would love to come up on the next wash in

 

[vacbear58]

A new Vintage Washroom...

Thank you to all for your kind comments, they are much appreciated.

Its hard to believe that its just over a year ago a telephone call started this all off and such a lot has happened since.

What you are seeing is actually towards the end point of a process which involved selling one house, which amongst various tasks involved moving "the collection" (and be assured the washers and dryers were the smallest part of it) into storage, and buying another some 150 miles away.

With some decoration and other small projects the old house sold very easily and quickly - but there was a month's gap between vacating the old house and moving into the new (to me) house - just before Christmas. This was not helped by a touch or arthritis in both hands and one knee to remind me that I am getting older and hernia surgery a month before the move out - I am convinced that moving a Miele washing machine down a flight of stairs (even with gravity to help!) was what finally brought that on.

But this was always the objective - facilities where machines would not only be stored but where they could all be brought back into working order, displayed, enjoyed and indeed celebrated - the inspiration came from seeing some of the facilities you guys in US and Canada had built.

You can imagine how excited I was when I came across this house on my first trip to view properties with not only a garage but three extra spaces pretty much ready made for appliances.

But the house had to be right too and in fact it suits me very well indeed - I am very happy with it.

It was a bitterly cold 14th December 2014 when Mike (and Paul & Rob) got to see in real life what had been discussed and planned over many phone calls and emails. Although the space seemed huge (the washer room is actually about 20ft x 16ft) it did not take long to get filled up as truck loads of stuff made the journey from London to Nottinghamshire and they had to be unloaded into the first available space.

So the last six months has not only been the preparation of this room, but the vacuum cleaner room and a good deal of work inside the house.

For those who do not visit vacuumland the vacuum cleaner studio is on the link

My New Vacuum Cleaner Studio

Some Facebook members may have already seen some versions of these pictures posted there by ChesterMike (with my permission). Firstly I must express my grateful thanks to Mike, Rob & Paul and Jack & Jon for their assistance in getting the room set up and loading and unloading the cleaners...

www.vacuumland.org

 

[vacbear58]

Special thanks

As confirmation that the sale was going ahead only came on the 6th December and it was by then so close to Christmas that I was obliged once again do the removals myself for there was no chance to get a removal company to do it before Christmas and I was determined that I had to be moved in (and I almost was) by Christmas.

But I am very fortunate to have friends who stepped forward to help out for, during both phases of the move, my capacity for lifting things, or even bending and stretching, was severely limited due to my surgery in october.

So there are a number of people to whom I need to give my sincere thanks.

(Lavamat)Jon and his partner Jack for helping with the removals from London

(Matchbox)Paul & Rob (Aquarius1984) for helping with the unloading in Nottinghamshire not once but twice, the second occasion being invaluable help on Christmas morning.

Mathew(Keymatic3203) for loaning some of his Keymatics to allow us to (almost) complete the Keymatic timeline from start to finish, and for coming up for a most pleasant weekend to check they were all in full working order along with sorting out a few other machines.

It has also been a great pleasure to welcome an old friend Austin(ozzie998) for practical help and advice and a fund of great stories and a new friend Richard (Ricky5050), also great company with interesting tip and advice gleaned from his collecting. We were also mightily entertained (and impressed!) with the ultra-rare Electrolux Dishmaid he brought with him - there should be another thread on that soon.

But the biggest thanks must go to Mike for all has done to bring this all about. It goes back a long way before the start of this project - many of us have been on the receiving end of his wonderful hospitality at "Shavvy Ave" which, in many ways, was a template for what has done here.

Without his invaluable help in both phases of the move I just could not have done it - on one occasion 24 hours at a stretch, towards the end of which he had to endure my singing (to help me keep awake while driving) which I know is enough to test any friendship to its absolute limits!

But it was in his sheer physical hard work, often in cold, wet miserable weather, that the credit for what has been achieved here must rest. His was the labour to bring this all about for he left me free to a very large extent to concentrate on getting settled into my new home and have things as I wanted them.

And, in all our discussions about these projects were to be developed there has not been a single cross word.

At all times a laugh and interesting conversation no matter how tired or fed up with it all Mike might have felt with it himself, have helped me enormously to deal with the disruption my life has been going through for the last year.

THANK YOU Mike.
[this post was last edited: 7/8/2015-17:54]

 

[vacbear58]

And what of the future?

The layout shown above is certainly not final as there are still more machines to be accommodated and indeed it has long been the intention that from time to time some machines will be swopped out for others so all can be enjoyed.

As Mike has indicated above we, somewhat inevitably, have rather less space than we could have wished for to accommodate everything. Fortunately my garage is secure and dry - little did I realise when I read of John Le F's (Combo52) wall of dishwashers that I might be doing something similar here - well that's my own fault - I will keep buying them LOLOL On the other side it looks like there will be a wall of twinnies, wringers and spin dryers which also will eventually all be restored to full working order too.

Happily I have an attic space which is already home to the overflow of my vacuum collection and which is planned can also house the many small appliances in our collections - I do have some on display in my kitchen diner and that too is likely to be a "revolving" display.

I am fortunate that the plot (USA - Lot) my house sits on is large enough that I can possibly build another display space - at the rate I am going the display spaces will be bigger than the house - but it would be nice to be able to have some small kitchen sets so that the appliances can be seen in their proper context - but that is not for this year.

But we both look forward (for it is not and it never has been just MY space) to seeing many more AW members in the future - the Welcome mat will be at the door.

Al

 

[vacbear58]

@jetcone

Thank you for your kind words, can I respectfully suggest you get your ass down to a travel agent and get your ticket booked before the summer is gone. And that goes for anyone else who would like to cross the pond for a visit.

However Dewers is definitely NOT on the agenda! Being raised in Northern Ireland there can be only one whiskey in my house, and be assured it is like nectar. How will you have it?

 

[vacbear58]

Lamingtons

Gosh there must have been shrieks and clutching of pearls from Australia when my simple, if somewhat luridly iced cakes, where described as Lamingtons.

They are simply a variation of the Victoria Sandwich baked in a square tin and then cut into squares and iced, very simple and indeed the first baking I did in my new kitchen. And they were mixed in a Mixmaster too!

I will post the recipes of both cakes when I am back home at the weekend.

Al

 

[triumphdolomite]

Al
I have to say again the hard work certainly has paid off, you really need a traditional Bedford CF van lettered up for the local electricity board to help with removals.

Mike
It'd be great to catch up, you're welcome to call in any time. Let me know.

Ian

 

[jetcone]

Alistair

LOL !! Well I certainly can "switch rather than fight". My, my Bushmills makes an assortment we don't see over here! Can't wait to be indoctrinated by the master.

I will get my act together soon believe me. The itch to travel is building.

 

 

 

 

 

[mayfan69]

Fantastic!

Hi Al and Mike!

Looking absolutely fantastic! You've both done some great work.

Congrats.

Cheers
Leon

 

[washerlover]

Heck, I think I'd go for the whiskey alone!

Again, beautiful set up and I really appreciate all the work you not only put into the construction and set up of the room, but all the great photos. Thanks and cheers! Todd

 

[whirlpolf]

Beifall! Dieser Waschkeller ist vorbildlich!

hi guys,

This is absolutely stunning. What a dream!
I do not even know where to begin: The colours, the polished floor, all that planning, the arrangement. Even spotlights on the ceiling to give it all an inviting shine.

Who doesn't want to be there? And so many cannot even dream of having such a lovely place, let alone having all that space at all.
I am more than impressed. Bravo!
Your Insitute of Applied Keymatics gives a whole new meaning to "I'm feeling so blue". Simply can't be any better.

Now if I were you, I would start holding classes for future appliance repairmen or some little "stains out" seminars for the local adult education in order to re-finance all that labour. ;-D

 

[thelaundrylab]

Hi Alistair

Aww that was nicely put, hope you enjoy many years from your new home and its future developments. Huge congrats to both you and Mike on the 'amazing' Wash Room. You guys have really have created something special and all the hard work has paid of. Well done to everybody involved.

Wish you guys nothing but the best,
Hass x

 

[Marky_Mark]

Wow...reading how this all came together -- such an inspiration.

Thanks, Mike. I'd be more than happy to make a special trip over from Spain for a wash-in!