It's been a very long time since we last touched anything having to do with our upstairs bathroom.
Sometimes, the bathroom seems like a project that has stalled beyond all hope of recovery, but it's still up there, bare studs, plywood floor, open ceiling and all.

Once in a while, we tear ourselves away from the other, more exciting projects and bang a few nails in.

Today, I measured the washer in the basement, cut a piece of plywood to match, then went upstairs to figure out how we're going to cram the washer and dryer into the hallway outside our new bathroom.

I marked out some measurements on the floor and tried to figure out if the space between the finished walls will be wide enough, or if we'll have to knock down yet another wall... After measuring several times, the proposed minimum width of the hallway came out to around 28 inches, which happens to be the width of the new bathroom doorway! That should be just enough. If it were to get any smaller, I'd start to think about stealing a bit of space from the office.

Anyway, I sketched up the basic structure of 2x4s we'll need for the washer/dryer closet base. The machines will be elevated approximately 5 inches off the floor, in order to clear some ductwork, and I've made the 'joists' under the closet only about 8-10 inches on center to evenly support the load over the duct. Right now, it's pretty early in the construction of the closet so there's not much to look at, but I'd like to have the whole thing built this weekend if possible. (riiiggghhhht)

I just included the washer/dryer in our 'master plan' so we could see how it looks from an architectural standpoint. (see image)
Concerned about the lack of storage options in the area, I decided to add a little bumped out cabinet to the side of the closet - this will be built after the closet is up and will hold clothes washing supplies and maybe some extra bathroom goods.

More to come...

Update January 9th...
Well, I was skeptical that we could get the enclosure built in one weekend, but it turns out I was completely wrong.
IT IS DONE. Not only in a weekend, but in a SINGLE DAY.

It sure does feel good to make real progress on something. Now we just have to run electrical, supply and drain plumbing, and we can move the washing machine upstairs! It's a small step toward moving our bedroom back up there, and then of course completing our new bathroom!