how to move Laundry - 2nd Floor?

13 years ago

D/A,

I am new to this forum, and seek some advise regarding our new/old house. We recently moved into this old 1985 colonian 3 level home. Currently, the Laundry room (washer and dryper) are on the main level, and we would like to move it to the 2nd floor. There is a bathroom (toilet & shower) next to the walk in closet that we want to convert into the laundry room.

So, far my understanding is that we will need:

1) 220v power line, directly running from the box to the dryer

2) hot and cold water suppy - we can get that from the bathroom next door.

3) drainage - Can we use the exising bathroom's drainage?

4) washer tray and its drainage - do we need a separate drainage pipe to run from the tray? and where should we end this pipe at? There is a sump pump all the way down in the basement?

5) dryer vent - from what I have read so far, the vent needs to go up into the attic. But would'nt that make the attic go really hot during the summer? is there any alternative?

6) anything else we may have missed?

Any and all the help is much appreciated !!!!

thnx

Cj

Comments (5)

oregpsnow
13 years ago
The dryer vent needs to vent to the outside - not the attic. You don't want to vent all that moisture into the attic. You can get mold, rot and lots of bugs. I don't know if you are using an existing W/D or buying a new one but be sure it is not a vibration problem. Some houses - old and new - just can't handle a W/D on the second floor. This is commonly a problem with HE front loaders but other machines have also been a problem.
jannbell
13 years ago
We added a 3'x5' laundry closet to an upstairs bath last year, and we kept the downstairs laudry area as well. I really like having two washers and dryers.

We weren't sure if or just how things were going to work plumbing-wise until some of the floor and a wall were torn out to reveal how the existing plumbing was configured. Of course this also meant that we couldn't get a firm price from the plumber until he knew what had to be done. I suspect that your situation may be the same.

Good luck! It was a hassle and it wasn't cheap, but every time I use it, I'm glad we did it.
Related Discussions
2 unrelated q's - 2nd floor laundry and floor vacuum vent
Q
Comments (7)
frozenelves8 - how far apart are your kids? Mine are all close in age. The oldest (son) is 7 1/2, then 4 girls - 3 of whom were born in 25 months), a 2yo, and baby #6 (unknown gender) due in the next few weeks. We are hoping to break ground in March. We fell in love with the Life Magazine 1999 Dream House and Sarah Susanka's Not-so-Big principles and have been planning this project for nearly that entire time. We have adapted the plans to meet the needs for our growing family and like to joke that we are building the bigger "not-so-big" house for our "not-so-small" family! We have planned a dorm style suite for the girls (space above the garage) that includes a big bedroom with 6 built-in bed nooks that can each be closed off with a curtain. There are two nooks side-by side built into dormers, with a large floor space in the middle. They will share a walk-in closet which will also have dressers (which just happens to be located immediately adjacent to the 2nd floor laundry, since I imagine they will be generating the largest amt of dirty clothes! The bath will have 2 toilets, 2 showers, and 2-4 sinks...we are still working out the specifics of that. As the plans stand, my son will have his own room for now with bunk beds, and share a Jack and Jill style bath with the guest room. If baby #6 is a boy, he will probably eventually go in there - once he is not nursing around the clock and moves out of the nursery (our walk-in closet). We are Catholic and both young (mid 30's) so have potential for more kids. We will have a first floor guest space (though not a dedicated room - it will be a Murphy bed in our "away" room (office, computer, library) and the potential to finish off the basement down the road for an in-law suite, or older teen bedroom. Our primary living area on the first floor (DR, LR, kitchen) is all one open space (with lowered ceilings and floor changes to delineate different areas) except for the closed off away room, and the "back hall" to the garage which will house a pantry and sizable mudroom. We designed the house to maximize the family living spaces, but included several "get away" areas, like a window seat nook on the switchback stair landing. It's nice to hear from other big families. There are a few on here. It's a very daunting task to build ANY time, I'm sure, but especially so when you are on a fixed budget, have very unique needs, and may not have champagne and caviar tastes, but want certain higher quality and not builder grade finishes. Anyways...good luck with your project. I look forward to hearing more about it.
...See More
Moving laundry from basement to 2nd floor
Q
Comments (5)
We brought our washer and dryer up from the basement for the same reason. We converted a first floor bedroom into a laundry room. Our house is 100 years old with original wood floors. We were able to run new water lines up through the floor, as well as vent the dryer thru the basement. In your situation, you will have to tie into your bathroom water lines and bathroom drain. The dryer will need to be on an outside wall in order to vent outside. If unable to do the conversion yourself, you can hire a professional. We started with the traditional agitator style washer and dryer and it was fine. We just purchased new HE top loader washer and matching dryer. With our old floors, it was very important to level both. The washer spins at such high speeds, we were concerned about the vibration in the floors. After inquiring on this forum, we did install anti-vibration rubber feet to absorb the spin cycle. They work fine, the floor now has no vibration. Good luck with your new project!
...See More
Flooring for 2nd floor laundry room
Q
Comments (4)
When I was doing my main floor laundry I paid special attention to the requirements of my W/D set. My instructions stated to place the set next to a load bearing wall. I have joist 16" on center and they are relatively short at 8 or 9' long. So there is no spring to the floor system. I have a 1..5" subfloor. Then a 3/8" underlayment, followed by an uncoupling membrane by Latacrit, then finished with my tile. The membrane and tile I don't consider adding strength. The strength comes from the joist and subfloor setup. This is how I understand it but I am not a professional builder or tiler, just a DIY'er. There have been post where individuals report a lot of bounce to their floors with a W/D in use. I believe these floors are the ones that have long joist and the W/D set is set nearer the center of the floor system where there is no support. It becomes a trampoline. This is especially important with a front loader. I don't know about top loaders. If you use tile, you will want a very stiff floor system anyway, so that flexion of the joist don't crack the tile, with or without the W/D setup. There is a formula to use to calculate joist length, thickness, and spacing, to determine appropriateness for installation of tile. Natural stone takes an even stiffer floor.
...See More
Basement laundry room vs 2nd floor laundry closet?
Q
Comments (15)
I have laundry in the basement-- have a laundry chute direct to the laundry. I have never wanted a laundry on the second floor but have wished that I had it on the main floor sometimes. Advantage to basement--usually have a lot of room (I don't). We can get really dirty sometimes, with gardening and landscaping projects. Can shuck the dirties in the garage or back entryway and drop down the laundry chute there (or in a bucket in the garage)...vs having to deal with them upstairs (where we have carpet). I wash clothes once a week. Smelly dirty laundry is in the basement; not stinking up the bedrooms. I have a clothesline strung in the unfinished part of the basement for drying rugs, mattress pads, sheets, jeans, etc. during the winter/ rainy days. As well as drip dry items that don't go in the dryer. The clothes line is also handy for hanging wet or damp dirty items to dry (like bath towels & kitchen towels) before they go into the dirty clothes hamper. I fold & sort items as I unload the dryer. Towel stack to the linen closet, DS's clothes in one stack, etc. Usually cart the basket to the main floor and someone else will haul it on upstairs. Have had three laundries that were in enclosed back porches and one just adjacent to the garage when I lived in the south. That arrangement worked really good and would be my preferred location for a laundry. Would not want W/D in a closet if it can be avoided. I use my laundry sink a lot as well as having the washer drain hose empty into the sink. (With a lint sock to keep lint and dog hair out of the sewer line--septic leach field if that's your situation.) You adapt to wherever the laundry is. Pros & cons to wherever it is. Main thing is that a home laundry beats the heck out of having to go to the laundromat! We've probably all had to do that at some time in our lives.
...See More
steveomc
13 years ago
CJ
You need to vent the dryer to outside. The problem is not heat, it is moisture.

You need a plumber to come and give you an estimate, the drain in the bathroom might be able to be used, but you have to have a certain size for the washer and it has to be vented. If the bathroom sink is on the same wall that the washer will go, it is likely that it can be used.

The drain for the pan is an emergency drain and code in your area may not require that it be connected to the drain. It has the purpose of draining in the rare occasion that your washer leaks or overflows. This prevents damage to the structure. Again, you need the advice of someone who is knowledgeable about the local codes.

If you are rebuilding the room, pay attention to the floor and how supported it is. A springy floor is going to be problems for a washer because they all depend on placement on the floor for part of the damping of the machine. Front Loading machines use a shock absorber type of damping and the could be problematic with old floors and joists. Top loading washers normally use some form of floating damping system that may have quite a bit of vibration. Anything that can be done to reduce vibration and spongy floors during the build will serve you well.
nerdyshopper
13 years ago
One thing to consider is reinforcing the floor. The front loaders don't like floors that shake when they rotate. I reinforced my floor with 3/4 inch plywood before adding tile. That works fine for my Samsung,, but it has built in vibration control.
fahrenheit_451
13 years ago
A great deal of what you wish to accomplish is precedent upon building codes. I would visit your local Building Department and learn what you need to have in the way of building permits.

how to move Laundry - 2nd Floor?

Comments (5)

oregpsnow

jannbell

Related Discussions

steveomc

nerdyshopper

fahrenheit_451

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US