And here is the option where the stackable w/d are in smaller closet with the door opening to the hall....

Honestly, I would not want the W/D in that closet at all. (and a house being sold as a 3 bedroom should have a space large enough for standard size appliances, not the smaller stackables).

If you market the house as a 2 bedroom with a large craft/office/laundry using that area for the W/D may work.

If you want it to be a 3rd bedroom, no major appliances in the closet.

Is is possible to put the W/D in the garage, mudroom or a corner of the basement?

ML

You say " The benefit in resale really needs to be there"

I would NOT like the washer and dryer INSIDE one of the bedrooms. For resale purposes, I would not put it there.

Hi, Staceyneil. Hope your daughter's coming along nicely now and stays well. As for the debt, with some help from our equity, it passes. :) Our post-insurance debt was almost exactly $50K, and, like you no doubt, we considered ourselves poorer but fortunate.

As for the laundry, I sure see why you'd hate to have it at the end of the hall. Very undesirable. IF you take on this project (and you might well delay the decision until closer to sale date), how about moving the closet in that bedroom to its other end and, in the process, taking room for that stacked laundry that would open into private hall area?

In a separate closet. Otherwise it would be considered a weird layout and people will subtract a lot from the price. I would try to make it more pulled forward though with some storage space on the side vs. a step in area as it seems a bit tight to do that vs. Having all the space of a hallway.

I don't think it is a big deal to see a door there as that is common to see in hallways, but there is another option, but more expensive to avoid that and would also be a plus to buyers for another reason.

Move the closet to the right side of the office against the wall shared with the master. More privacy for the master and the laundry area when in use would be out of visible areas such as a pile of laundry waiting in the hallway. You could then also put a pocket door, or sliding barn door in to allow full access to the opening vs. the need for a fully framed doorway which minimizes the usable access.

Edit: Could you make a laundry area in the basement? Or is that undesirable in your area?

This post was edited by lyfia on Sat, Jun 8, 13 at 10:42

If at all possible, could they go in the mudroom? I have heard it is always best when selling that all bedrooms be staged as bedrooms (even if you aren't using them that way).

I'd put them in the mudroom too. Only having a stacked washer/dryer would be a negative to a lot of people.

I'd move it to the closet, too, if possible.
I love having the W/D upstairs in the hall rather than in the basement, even though it's not nearly as easy as having a laundry room.

Think carefully about the positioning of the appliances and the closet door when you plan it. For it to work, you have to have enough room to fully open the appliance doors, which means that you need enough space in front of the W/D but behind the closet door to swing them open, and for you to stand and turn to load and unload the clothes.

If you don't have the space for that, you'll have to position the W/D right at the front of the new closet so you can open the doors into the hall. And that means that the closet door has to open far enough to give you clearance, which in your plan may be tricky. If the W/D and the closet doors open in opposite directions, that might do it.

But do take all those things into account before you go ahead. Laundry is one of those things that will drive you bonkers if it's uncomfortable and awkward to do.

No w/d in the bedroom....this will totally turn people off. Hall idea isn't bad, provided it is a full size front load stacked. Of course, there wouldn't be anyplace to store detergent, etc or room for waiting loads. The door should match all other hall doors or you could find a decorative door as a nice focal point at the end of the hall. If it is an apartment size stackable, that could also turn people off, unless the buyer is single. If this is your least expensive option, it could work, but it's not the best and some buyers will not like it. The optimal place on that level is the mud room for a full size set..and it looks big enough to have storage as well. Next best option is to create a nice space for the laundry when you finish the basement with shelves/cupboards for supplies, maybe a table for folding, etc.

The main sight line is for the family entrance. That's not as important as the main sight line for the front entrance.

That said, I would definitely put the washer and dryer in the mudroom area. Nix that built-in desk and make that whole space more of a laundry/mudroom combo. That would be much more desirable to a family than laundry in the bedrooms. It's just down the hall, not on a different floor.

Then the three bedrooms can be just bedrooms with proper-sized closets.

I'd keep the potential for water damage in the basement. Second choice would be the mudroom.

Mud room also. They have a thing sort of like a mat with a drain through the floor to sit your washer on if you thought you needed it. We have our full size washer/dryer just off the kitchen (first floor so over the basement) and have never had any damage from leaks.

Another vote for the area near the "main sightline" caption.

To be extra safe you can install a device that shuts the water off if the washer is not turned on and put what is basically a shower pan with a drain underneath the washer. This is what I had to do to install the washer in my apartment which is on the 4th floor of the building.

In the 18 years I have lived in the complex there has been a lot of water damage from peoples plumbing, from dishwashers, icemakers, from the air conditioning, from people somehow nailing into water supply lines. (50K damage and a lawsuit from that one) --but never from a washer--so far.

I'd say closet, accessible from the hallway, like this:

or mud room.

Who are potential buyers? Young couple, children, empty nesters?

Here is a link that might be useful: ideas for laundry rooms

You could also do a jib door and hang the painting on it. You can see the outline of the door above. The door starts above the baseboard. You could put the W/D on a small platform with the drainage tray underneath.

Wow, guys, thanks for all the replies! I'm about halfway through but will comment on what I've read so far.

To be clear, the w/d are full-size front-loaders, nice ones, but they can be stacked one on top of the other. They're NOT those small, cheap apartment kind :)

The w/d cannot fit anywhere else on the main floor except in this room/area we're talking about. There is definitely not room in the mudroom. it's a small house and every inch has been pretty much optimized so far.

it might be possible to put them in the basement but they would have to drain into a sink with a pump, and be in the unfinished utility part of the basement (due to drains/plumbing issues. Cannot be changed without MAJOR investment so that's not happening...)

I will read some more replies and add more!

bronwynsmom and joanieponie:
Yes it actually fits nicely if I do the hall closet. It's basically a 180 degree flip from the set-up I have now and I know it works well. The closet will be deep enough to allow about 30" in front of the machines, plus 12" on one side for shelving for detergent, etc and a laundry hamper on the floor against the wall. For a stacked closet type laundry it would be pretty good.

Nosoccermom, that's pretty much what my plan is, except the closet is a bit narrower with only about 12" space on the side for shelves, and the door would be a regular swing door (I considered "flipper" hideaway doors but they eat up all the side space for storage/shelves...)

Mudroom- unfortunately it's totally NOT an option. The actual mudroom is way too small. The area some of you are talking about is open to the kitchen, is our pantry and coffee area, and was just recently finished as part of the big kitchen reno. At one point we considered making it a closed-off laundry/utility room but we did not go that route. ALL of the food storage, microwave, etc are there, it is truly a part of the kitchen. I definitely do not want the w/d in my kitchen, and I cannot close that are off.... (pic below).

I am not sure who our target market is! We have all types around us, empty-nesters, families, couples... it really could be anyone. The coastal road we are on is mainly half-million to several-million dollar homes, both old mansions/estates and new build, and the neighborhood directly behind us is more modest 250-400k split levels and colonials. It's a very desirable school system and general area to live., and we've renovated the house to fall into the nicer category with high-end finishes, etc.

So, given that the mudroom area is out, the basement is FAR less than ideal since we couldn't do it right, and there's no other space on the first floor: is the general consensus that we should do the end-of-hall closet rather than leave it as-is?

Thanks!!!

P.S. The mudroom is only about 4 1/2 feet wide and has a weird chunk out of the far end, so it's truly impossible for them to go there :)

rosie, I wasn't sure what you meant in your post. Did you mean moving the whole closet area (small one for BR, and laundry closet opening to hall) to the other end of the office/BR? That might be do-able but would involve a lot more structural work (the inner existing closet wall is a bearing wall!) and I am not sure it would be worth it just to solve the sight-line issue...

I like the option with the laundry opening in the hall. I would never want it in the basement. I would search a way in any house to have a main floor laundry. I would imagine the only time the door would be open is when you are doing the laundry.

Agreed. Just take it out of the bedroom and move to the hallway closet. I personally don't think it's that big a deal if there's a door in the sightline. I mean, it's a hallway.

Definitely hallway then....especially ok if you can fit in a full size front load pair....anyone with kids would want/need full size, not apt size. It's great you would have room in front--30"---for waiting loads, etc. And shelves on the side for supplies. Maybe not an ideal setup but workable and much better than a bedroom closet.

I really appreciate all your thoughts on this, you guys are great! Thank you SO much....

I've had a lot of trouble with my washer causing water damage, as do several others I know who have the washer in the living area. So I never ever want that type of equipment in the living area again. Whatever you can do to minimize damage, drain capacity and clogging issues (newer washers pump out high volumes of water very fast causing problems with older smaller sized drains), or overflow from washer malfunctions (happens too, fill level can go haywire, for example) , be prepared!! I think the metal flex hoses solve the bursting problem. Not sure what else can happen, except make sure any valves or other leaking points are visible for routine inspection.

This post was edited by snookums2 on Sat, Jun 8, 13 at 21:45

Yes, definitely in the hallway then. You'll have a good amount of space. Make sure you get a light fixture that's nice and bright and I can see it looking like this.

Oh, good!
Thanks for letting me obsess about the practical points.

I think you'll be very happy with it in the hall, and I agree about matching the doorway to the bedroom doors.

Stacey, I love your house, where do you plan to go? I am so sorry to hear about your daughter, hope she is doing well now. ...I know you have posted a lot of DIY projects in the past, hope this all works out for you.

In our neck of the woods having three bedrooms trumps all so I guess moving it to the hall is the only option. You might think about putting a nice door on it so that it's fun to look at still : ) Maybe a walnut one with louvers for the plantation tropic look that would probably be nice in your house since you are a young couple.

This post was edited by SaraKat on Mon, Jun 10, 13 at 9:04

Thanks, SaraKat! We hope to find something more affordable nearby. We absolutely love living here (which we did not expect when we moved here), but our mortgage and taxes are just too high to be sustainable. A more modest, more rural house, or some land and build new, is the plan.

I will probably match the new door to the surrounding ones, which are all also new and are white 5-panel shaker style. There's already a lot going on in the big room (a big brick wall, cherry, etc)!

Swapping the closet and laundry to the other side of the room would have several benefits, BUT if that is a bearing wall, then it's not worth it. Creating a laundry closet opening into the hall is your best bet for resale, then.

Seems to me, though, that it needs ventilation, especially for a front-load washer and for air-drying dainties; so either a bathroom fan or louvered doors, or perhaps there is a way to replace one or more panels in the doors with ventilated or louvered panels? Oh, and be sure you leave room in front of the machines for the doors to open, and maybe to have a lean-out drying rack on the wall below a shelf for detergent.

Sounds like a good plan, Stacey. Maybe you could do the split half doors that close in the middle so if they are open a lot you can still get into the adjacent rooms. Some pretty door handles on each would look nice? Sounds like you have pretty doors already!

I'm a little late back and very disappointed to hear the inside closet wall is bearing. It was just too easy and too perfect a solution. Should have expected. :)

So, agree in the hall on view. But why not take ideas like SaraKat's just a bit further? Frame in a particularly attractive door that has nothing to do with anything so mundane as laundry.

These are great. Wish they were closed.

[Contemporary Hall[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-hallway-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_743~s_2103) by Cambridge Architects & Designers LDa Architecture & Interiors

I think these bedroom glass doors have curtains on the bedroom side.

[Traditional Hall[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-hallway-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_743~s_2107) by Menlo Park Interior Designers & Decorators Grace Dumalac Design

Or, :)

[Modern Hall[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/modern-hallway-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_743~s_2105) by Seattle Architects & Designers Stillwater Dwellings

I would definitely not have laundry accessible only inside of the office/bedroom space. For me, it would be a major turnoff to find a house listed as a 3 bedroom where the laundry was in one of the "bedrooms". I would much rather lose the nice line of sight. I'm not certain how you're planning to bring water to that area or how flexible you are on moving the walls, but what if you move the washer/dryer closet and the bedroom closet to the other side of the center bedroom. So the door to the laundry would be just outside the master bedroom.

Hi pricklypearcactus,
Thanks and yes, that would be a great solution and some other people suggested it as well. However it involves a bearing wall and a much bigger project than simply adding the door in the hall.
The W/D are currently in the exact space they would be if we added the hall door, they will simply flip 180 degrees. The water, ventilation, everything is already in place. All we would have to do is add the hall door, add a small interior wall in the existing big closet, and close off the existing large closet door adding a smaller door to create a small closet in the office/BR. All plumbing/electrical was done 2 years ago.

Please keep it on the main floor. All it takes is a sudden sprained ankle, bum knee etc to make a basement laundry completely inaccessible. The hall entry is fine, it is not a main sight line from your front entry. By the time guests are in your beautiful living room, the hall will barely get a second glance. Their eyes will be drawn to the welcoming open floor plan of the main rooms, and that laundry door will be closed when you have guests.
Good luck on all the changes coming your way.

You might talk to a realtor about whether leaving it in the bedroom would fly or not. I think here in CA, you would not be able to call it a bedroom with the W/D in it. It would have to be called an office or den, and the number of "official" bedrooms would affect your sale price and appraisals.

I couldn't quite tell from your drawing if there is direct entry from your garage into the mudroom or other part of the house. Would there be a way to carve out a little space in the garage for a small laundry there?

Anna, there is no direct entry from the garage, which is also a TINY 2-car and unheated. The house was built in 1954 and is not up to modern standards ;)

I appreciate everyone's brainstorming, this is how we came up with our "new" floorplan when we renovated a few years ago! But, there's honestly no other spot for the w/d than where I've drawn it, or the basement, and I completely agree with everyone else that the main floor is far preferable to the basement.

Also, just wanted to add that no one ever uses the "front door". EVERYONE uses the side/family entrance. The house is built with the front door facing the main road but it's down a steep hill. The driveway, mailbox, etc are accessed by a side road. It's really dumb but that's the way it is. That front door is pretty much decorative! Soooooo, the siteline IS important. it is the first thing any visitor sees, Nonetheless, I think from this thread I feel like it's still the best idea to flip the w/d 180 degrees and reconfigure those closets.

I just wanted to add my .02 to address the comments about water leaks on the main floor. Our laundry room is on our 2nd floor, and I was concerned about potential leaks. After doing some research, we found a washing machine water sensor/valve shutoff kit. It's been 6 years, and has worked wonderfully. I *highly* recommend it! (There may be other types/brands, but this is the one we're using -- no affiliation!)

I hope you enjoy the improvements you're doing, and I hope your daughters problems are resolved! Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Smarthome Valve Shutoff Kit

"no one ever uses the "front door". EVERYONE uses the side/family entrance. "

I have a (possibly crazy) idea. What if you closed off the front door entirely and used that space for the laundry?

Good thought... and I've often considered how nice it would be to not have that wasted space :)
Unfortunately, since the house is structural brick, it's impossible (cost-wise) to change existing windows and doors. The exterior facade has an indented entryway. It would be impossible to change without major, major expense. Even when we were agonizing over our big kitchen/LR/DR renovation and moving rooms around, and really could have used that space, we knew it was not an option. Lesson to self: only buy wood frame houses in the future!

Most here wouldnt agree with me, but, if I had a basement, and it was half way decent, I would love to have my washer and dryer down there. Years ago, we did have a basement, and I loved having my laundry room down there. Last 2 houses have no basement and have had a main floor laundry room.

I have my laundry room in the basement, and other than that floods don't cause any damage, I don't see any advantage (maybe less noise when washing/drying laundry).
What do you see as advantages to a basement laundry room, cat?

A couple advantages are lots of space for organizing supplies and room to sort, work, fold. You can spread out, set up a clothes line, even have an ironing board set up. Keeps the mess and clutter down there. A laundry shoot would be nice, too, lol. Laundry rooms are great to have.

P.S. Let me add wash basin to that.

And you don't lose premium closet storage on the living level, especially a problem in a small house.

This post was edited by snookums2 on Wed, Jun 12, 13 at 13:48

I should state that I am personally not opposed to laundry in a finished basement. To some extent, I think we are more willing to design a more luxurious/spacious laundry room in a basement where space is not at a premium. My parents have a very large basement laundry room of which I am often envious. In an ideal world, I would have a laundry room with space for dirty laundry sorting and storage, as well as plenty of space for hang drying laundry.

That's one of the reasons I love having the laundry where it is now, in the big closet. I have this nifty swing-out towel rack from Ikea mounted on the wall (it folds flt when not in use) and I use it for drying delicates. There's tons if space for baskets, detergents, etc as well as towels and linens and paper good storage. It works great for us and I will remember how useful it is for my next house! (However, I know for resale we need the bedroom to be a bedroom, as noted at the start...)

Well, you could sell your house with the option open to rotate the w/d to the hallway. You never know who will be buying. They might prefer your setup too. Might want a crafts/sewing/work room where a w/d would fit in fine while having all the perks of a larger space.

nosoccermom, I would love to have my laundry in a basement again, because of peace and quiet, and out of sight. I would love to have it there, so that I could have canvas hampers for different loads of laundry and have them out of sight, and I have several things, that I dont put in the dryer, that I put on a clothes drying rack, and I hate having to set it up in the laundry room. My laundry room is quite large, and is actually a mud room/laundry combination. My back door opens up into it, and there is full bath at the other end of it. Also, in our last house, I had a drain hose pop out and flood the entire laundry room, and part of my hallway, so would love to have the washer and dryer in a basement, next to a floor drain. This house and my last house are the only 2 houses, I have ever lived in, that didnt have a basement laundry, and it is the one thing, I miss the most.

For the sight line issue you're concerned about, how about a pretty glass paned door. You could put fabric or a sheer (made to not be sheer) behind the glass (check fire codes). I have double doors over mine, a style which I've always found to pleasing to look at. They aren't an inconvenience, unless clearance is too tight.

u could place near the mud room

Don't have time to read all above, but I would eliminate the kitchen desk, enlarge mudroom and put laundry in mudroom.