Freaking out on LR Layout .. help!

10 years ago

Hello,

I am a long time garden poster, but relatively new to the home posting side of things. We purchased a cape cod home in dire need of renovation. We are doing the reno from afar. My brother is an architect and is the main design person. I am, however, frustrated as it is hard for me to envision all of this on paper and we have many limitations with the age/layout of the house. So, here goes, we have gutted the dining/kitchen/back entry in order to make it more practical for our lifestyle -- turning dining room into a transition from mud to kitchen that includes a small powder and laundry room.

It just seems like there is a lot of dead space here in those corners. I will have a pull out ironing board on the south side, under counter but above spot for hampers. I would love a desk in there too ... but it all doesn't seem to want to fit! Does anyone use the laundry area desk? We don't have the right space for it in the kitchen.

I need a sink, folding space, place to store supplies and hang shirts plus drying rack. Right now, sink is on north wall, w/d under window on east, south wall is a counter and row of upper cabs.

Feedback?

Thanks,
Shadey

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Comments (5)

dave1812
10 years ago
my wife and i fold clothes on either the bed or the couch. why do u feel so much angst for having a "folding space"? this isn't rocket science. throw your stuff into a clothes basket, take it to a convenient spot and FOLD away! :)
laundryvet
10 years ago
Word to the wise, front load washer doors rarely can be reversed, the dryer door can almost always be reversed, so picking the brand of washer, if a front loader, may impact you washer vs dryer placement. It's nice being able to have doors swing away from each other to move wet wash load into dryer.

Just my 2 cents of advice.

Also, washers and dryers have gone deep in recent years to boost capacity ratings, allocating extra depth is a plus.

Laundryvet
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Congratulations on the new home! This is probably not a suggestion you'll like, but... :-) Have you thought about trying to sell your entertainment center on Craigslist? You mention that TV watching is not the primary use of your room. You also are going to have a fireplace and I think you'd want to make that the focal point of the room and have the TV be secondary. With that entertainment center, it will probably be the focal point, fireplace secondary. If you sell the piece, you may be able to recoup some of the money you spent and have a piece custom built to fit the room. Since you said TV is not your primary function, you'd probably appreciate a piece with doors like in your picture from Houzz. We've found that many times a carpenter can build a custom cabinet, to your specs, for a small cost while they're building the house. If you just try to hire someone to do that while you're not building it can def cost more, but usually when they are already on-site those types of built-ins will cost less. Lastly, think about whether or not that piece of furniture is something you imagine being in your family for years and will never want to replace, and also won't break at any point. If it's not, I would be a little hesitant to build a room around it. Just a thought :-)
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We can't advise a single thing without a drawing of the space and the dimensions. The pictures are not helpful, too much clutter. A designer would know you need a scaled floor plan to make major purchases for any client. With no offense to you? You have some learning ahead of you for your home or that of another, and paying $$$ via some Houzz Pro promotion to be listed on this site as such? Does no favor to you, nor to Houzz. De clutter, do a drawing. Use a scale ruler and 1/4 inch to one foot. As you do that? Consider a clean out of dried floral arrangements and general doo dad clutter in the space.
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mydreamhome
10 years ago
What a neat reno! I've got some ideas, but I have a couple questions for you before I start to tinker with it...

- What is going in the space to the left of the mudroom door (across from the mudroom bench)?

- How crucial is it to have access to the kitchen from the mudroom?

- What are the current laundry room dimensions? Mudroom? Hall from mudroom to stairs and living area?

- What are the 2 "closets" across from the stairs?

- What are the two rectangle shapes in the hall between mudroom and kitchen?

- Is the door on your left as you enter the main part of the house from the mudroom the garage access door? If so, do you have a "man door" into the garage from outside (a separate entry door into the garage besides the actual garage doors)?
armjim
10 years ago
I like your plans. I also like your space. I find it a pain in the rump to have to take the clothes from the laundry room to another area to fold-I know, because that is what I have to do curently. It is so much more convenient to fold and stack them as they come out of the dryer. Regarding the desk in that area, would it really get much use? I am thinking a desk there is not ideal just because it is in a laundry area and might not be used enough to justify the work and expense.
rococogurl
10 years ago
I don't care for the cramped laundry room. Ours is a combination laundry/mud and it's very handy. I have a 13-foot long counter for folding, staging, arrivals, wrapping etc. If you could go with front loaders that fit under a counter you can get that.

We have a hanging space that's used for laundry and for some coats. My rotary iron fits in there. This is one of the busiest rooms in our house. I would love it to be three times the size!

I'd speak to him about a combo laundry and mud rooms. And ask why the view from the powder room (which presumably will be used by guests) looks directly at the washer & dryer.

Freaking out on LR Layout .. help!

Comments (5)

dave1812

laundryvet

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