We're just putting our laundry room together, after buying the cabinets a couple of years ago. It's about 70% done. We're using Ikea cabinets and had to make some modifications to their limited cabinet choice. DH is currently converting doors to 24" wide x 24" pullouts for the 2 opens spaces left of the washer, the upper cabinets need cover panels for the top, sides and bottom and we need a faucet for the sink to the right of the dryer. We will put a counter on top of the cabinet left of w&d and on top of the w&d for now. You can't really tell in the pictures but the w&d and the cabinet to the left of them are pulled out from the wall about 6" while we're still putting things together. We plan to replace the w&d in the next couple of years with models that don't shake the house as much (2nd floor laundry room in an old farmhouse.) They will either be on pedestals or on a shorter home made platform. Either way they will be taller than what we have now (and most likely won't need a counter above them.) North and South Walls: East and West walls: North wall: Center drawer has a fold-away ironing board for quick touch ups (which is about 99% of the ironing I do---and even that's not very often.) An outlet is nearby for the iron. The counter is the folding area. Cabinets underneath will hold separate laundry baskets for clean clothes. 4 baskets for family members, 1 basket for items to go downstairs (kitchen towels, etc.), 1 basket for miscellaneous. East Wall: Open white cabinet: has space for hanging and lots of open shelves that I think will be used for storing out-of-season items (hats, mittens, etc.) One long drawer will be used for wrapping paper and one smaller drawer for ribbon, etc. The north wall folding area will used for wrapping. Drying racks will be stored in front of the window/to right of north wall cabinets. Tall storage: one side will have pull outs (inner drawers)& space can be left at the bottom for a laundry hamper. The other side will house vacuum cleaner and full size ironing board. South wall: wall mounted drying rack. West Wall: cabinet for sorting dirty laundry into categories includes 2 deep drawers and 2 24"x24" pull outs (one may have 2 hanging bags from a frame and other may be left undivided space for bulky items.) Like ebear1271, I have quite a few dirty clothes catergories (lights--cold or warm, darks--cold or warm, dh has his own catergory--extra dirty, towels/sheets/washclothes--hot, socks & underwear--hot.) I can use space in a tall cabinet for another hamper and I could have a hamper on wheels in front of the east window. There is a laundry sink to the right of w&d. We plan store a steam generator in the sink cabinet for a shower we're building on the other side of the wall. We plan to store an air tub turbine in the dead corner space to the right of the sink cabinet (the north wall cabinet next to this space can be pulled out for access). I only use the dryer for towels & washclothes, sheets, socks, and underwear. All clothes and blankets get hung to dry. The space gets tight when we put up the drying racks (in winter) but I can also use the guest room that is through one of the doorways. We will scatter hooks throughout the room for hanging items to dry (I usually hang pants by a belt loop) and items can also dry on hangers. We may put hooks high on the wall at the north end of the room from which lines can be stretched when needed but this may be unnecessary. Concerns: flooding, since this is the second floor above the kitchen we recently renovated. We have the washer hooked up to a sensor that will turn off the water supply if any leaks are detected under the washer. We're thinking of putting the eventual new washer in a pan that will hopefully be deep enough to contain the water used in a fl. This is why we think we may build our own platform instead of using pedestals. Another thought is to put the washer in a shallow pan that drains into a deeper plastic box stored under the pedestal (with the leak sensor still in use for closing off the water supply.) We also plan to get as good a quality of hose as we can find. Right now I only wash when I'm home and I turn off the water supply after each load. We will mount a fire extinguisher near the entrance to the room and will put a smoke detector in the room. I plan to set up the sewing machine in the spare/guest room just through the east doorway. I hope this gives you some ideas. Good luck!

Hailefinn brings up a point I hadn't thought of yet. I knew that DW would have to stretch to use the dryer controls if stacked (at least one stackable unit has the dryer controls on the bottom, but that limits us to a single model or small subset of models). Since setting the controls is pretty quick and easy I thought stretching or a small step stool might work for that. What we haven't yet tried is reaching in to the back of the dryer cavity. That might be difficult and standing on a step stool while pulling out clothes or stepping on and off could be dangerous. It looks like we may have to do the units side by side. About the sink: There's a bathroom about 3 feet from the potential laundry area. Is a sink still worth it?

A floor plan showing the entrances, exits, windows, adjacent rooms, and access to water and possible venting for the dryer would help. As would information as to whether or not you are crawlspace or slab foundation. In general, it sounds as though you have the room for the laundry, but maybe not the laundry and a major passageway. However, you will need to alter plumbing and electrical to do this, plus get the permit for that. Costs to do that will depend on location and the answers to the questions above. BTW, high capacity stacked front loaders will give you better laundry results and more room for maybe adding in a laundry sink.

ajsmama, your Brazilian Cherry floors are beautiful and so is your trim and steps. Thanks for sharing. The trim looks so nice since I am used to half my carpet covering my almost 3.5" trim. Laurie, That price sounds great and the height and width sounds perfect. I will have to look into this since I want my baseboard to be self-primed. My floors are now totally bare. My brother owed me and he finally decided to help me out by removing the carpet, pad, tackless, and trim (he labeled the trim to save but it is not in the best of shape). He left the trim and quarter rounds on the Porcelain tile foyer areas and told me the flooring guy will have to decide what to do with that since my brother sells, repairs and installs carpet for a living. He removed all the bad CVT tile in the utility room so someone can install tile that was not water damaged and cracking. He left the destroyed trim there that is so water damaged. The flooring guy can't come by until Thursday. I have to try to clean the floor again since it was SO dirty. I got all the nails off the floor and one layer of dust, plaster and dirt and the little Styrofoam balls that must have fell from the ceiling and were under the padding under the carpet from 20 years ago! I swept so now tomorrow I will vacuum. I hope a painter can start before the floor is installed. Squirrel, I agree with you that I invested so much money into a new floor that I also feel I would be happier with new taller trim or at least new trim. Thank you everyone! Anymore input and/or pictures would be appreciated. Thanks for being there for me. My little dogs are in my bedroom with me since that is where my computer is now. I can't work and I need to work. I ran out of toner and all my files are downstairs in the hot garage. I really wish someone would start my floor first before the painting since the dogs and me are all stressed out seeing the ugly cement floor everywhere downstairs. I wish I was also removing the torn linoleum kitchen floor but that is a project for next year, along with a new dishwasher since mine is almost 20 years old and leaks and does not match my stainless steel French Door refrigerator.