I'm with HTH - I've always preferred a basement laundry room, for all the reasons mentioned, plus - if ever there were to be a leak - and this did happen to me just recently due to an improperly installed new washing machine - the chances for any serious damage are diminished to next to nothing, ESPECIALLY if you have properly installed a floor drain. And I want a laundry tub in the laundry room, and I want my washing machine to drain into that and not into one of those tiny boxes in the wall. There are sooo many uses for a laundry tub. So many times I've wanted one and haven't had one. I'd MUCH rather be able to fill a bucket in the laundry tub, and not have to mess with getting it in and out of the bath or shower. As another poster mentioned - if you can't have your house the way YOU want it, you might as well be stuck in a rental. Leave the hookups where they are and use that space however you want, but go ahead and move the laundry to the basement where you obviously want it to be. If it turns out you don't like it, you can always move it back - or a future buyer can easily do the same. As for getting laundry up and down stairs - get a trash can with giant wheels. Run a closet rod through the top (drill a couple holes with a hole saw). Hang your clothes on that and pull it up the stairs. Too heavy? Hang fewer clothes in it. Or fold them and put them in a suitcase with wheels. There are dozens of ways to get the clothes up and down stairs that don't involve hefting a filled laundry basket around. Laundry chutes are against fire codes nearly everywhere these days because improperly built ones can act like chimneys in a fire. Putting them in with appropriate fire walls and whatnot generally runs in to more money than people really want to spend. They are incredibly handy, however. In fact the old fashioned dumb waiters are great - if not exactly fire-safe.

I don't mind most scents in products, but with clothes nothing beats the smell of clothes dried outside on a clothesline. I guess I remember my mother hanging sheets and other items outside. And they didn't smell like fresh linen or fresh cotton artificial scents. Persil is very expensive around here at the grocery store. I tend to get what is on sale. If Tide is on sale I snatch it up. It cleans most consistently especially whites. I still wear white undershirts under dress shirts and don't like them getting dingy.

Hi suzan - I say yes, since you'll be able to use it for several years. I'm in your area and have a couple resources that might help. I have a 2nd laundry in my basement that I wanted to update. I don't use it often so I didn't want to spend a lot. I bought the lower cabinets below (already had uppers over the machines, not shown) and the pulls from Remodelers Mart in Hillside (link.) I was very happy with the price and service. The sink is a cheap one from Home Depot; I think the faucet came with it. Nothing to get excited about, but fine for my needs. My favorite part is the butcher block counter. It's solid butcher block, not veneer over particle board. We stained it, then finished with a couple protective coats of polyurethane. I got that at Menard's in Hillside - it was only about $160 for an 8' long counter, and it's solid with a pretty grain. (link) (The farthest cabinet is just a door hiding a sump pump - if you're wondering what the black thing on the floor is.) HTH

I sold my house with an unfinished basement this past summer that was located in Northern VA. I would recommend you finish off your laundry space for your own enjoyment, not necessarily because it may add value. Your descriptions of the space and your comments lead me to believe you would like to have that renovation for yourself. You can replace the concrete sink with a sink/cabinet from Lowes/Home Depot for a couple of hundred dollars. As others pointed out, you can brighten up the space for minimal outlay. (Definitely get rid of that floor before you market your house. Buyers do notice dirt and perceived lack of maintenance. Keeping my house clean and maintained was how I was able to get it sold in a soft market last summer, despite the disadvantage of the unfinished basement).