Wasn't a thought that crossed my mind when we did the addition which included a laundry room. Prior to that the W/D were in the garage and access was through the screened porch, then the kitchen. I was just thrilled to have the machines IN the house!

Take a look at Brutuses' laundry room and floor plan.

She likes it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Laundry

Yep my kitchen reno took the space where the washer/dryer were located and I used it for the Frigidaire Twins and then moved the w/d to the next area around the corner which became the sunroom. I love having the w/d there as it is bright and lovely and I can have the french doors open and enjoy sitting at the table and reading my cookbooks etc while I do laundry. Never even occured to me to worry that I had to walk through the kitchen to get to the w/d. You have to walk through something to get to them no matter where you put them...LOL...what difference does it make what room it is >?? Here is a pic or two to show you...Good Luck on your home !! c

here is the area that used to have the w/d( sunroom to Left and kitchen to Right)

w/d area in sunroom:

sunroom ( french doors to left of pic)

{{!gwi}}

We have a combination laundry and mud room. It is the first room you come into when in come into the house through the garage. It has our washer/dryer, sink with upper and lower cabinetry and a closet. Then there is a second door through this room which leads into a small hallway with the powder room on the left and at the end of the hallway is the kitchen. So yes I have to go through the kitchen to get to the laundry room but it has never been a problem. I know some like to have the laundry room by the bedrooms. We have built and sold 8 homes, all have had the combination laundry/mud room near the kitchen (great for when bring home groceries) and no one has ever mentioned this design as being a negative.

As someone who has laundry in my unfinished basement, I can't imagine any possible objection to walking through the kitchen to get to the laundry! To me, it makes the most sense -- it is where you spend most of your day, so it's easy to throw a load in or transfer it to the dryer while you're working in the kitchen.

My LR is built off the kitchen, and it has a pocket door which I never use. I find it to be practical where it's located. I keep all my cleaning supplies & freezer in there too, so having it next to the kitchen makes it easy for me.

I'm standing at the entry to the room in this picture.

{{gwi:359739}}

I guess I don't understand the problem of walking through the kit to the laundry either. I'm thrilled to finally have my W/D out of the powder room. We just moved it to the former pantry which is a combo mudroom/LR/pantry now where I can close the door.

As mentioned, you usually have to walk through "some room" to get to the LR. If you're bringing clothes down the stairs from the bedrooms you're probably walkin' right through the foyer lol.

Were people actually recommending that laundry shouldn't be walked THROUGH the kitchen or ??? I get not wanting a laundry IN the kitchen though.

Mine is off the kitchen which I don't mind at all. I think it's very handy to have it there. I do mind that you have to walk through it to get to the garage and that it's so small that a person doing laundry would have to move out of the way if another person wanted to walk thru.

Whew....my despair is lessening in THAT regard anyway. I just went back through the other plans that I'd saved with downstairs master, and most did have it where you had to go through the kitchen from one direction or another. We could have the laundry as a pass-through from the garage, but I didn't want that--don't need hubby's stuff ending up in MY space :-) And, I don't want anyone seeing my messy laundry room when it gets that way.

I could also make it where you access the laundry room from a hallway, but that hallway would eat up more than half my pantry and a whole closet.

Thanks!

My laundry "room" is off the kitchen. The "room" is actually a small blind hallway with pantry walls on one side and washer and dryer on the other. A small window at the end gives it light, and a closet with a wall on the other side hide the washer and dryer from someone walking by the hallway. I would love it to be a bit larger, but I love the location.

I don't do laundry during dinner parties, :), so I don't worry about walking through the kitchen with the laundry baskets. It would be really great tho, to have a laundry shoot from the bedrooms that would eliminate at least one trip with the laundry (still have to bring the clean stuff to the bedrooms).

As one poster noted, the location off the kitchen is handy because I spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Some builders make a big deal about putting laundry rooms by the bedrooms, but I don't hang out in my bedroom during the day, and I don't do laundry in my sleep.

Though I feel that it doesn't make any different if the laundry is off the kitchen I drew up a plan that if you can still make changes might make things work more smoothly in your home.
{{!gwi}}
Starting from the original laundry room which I turned into a breakfast booth. This also will work for a great homework area so Mom can keep an eye on the kids while making dinner.
Next you'll notice I changed the garage entry area. This works to make a small mud room with a place to wash up before coming into the home but still leaves the relocated half bath easily accessable from the living areas.
Now to the master suite. You'll see I made quite a few changes there. Two small linen type closets were removed leaving one in the bathroom. In removing the wall between the new laundry room area and the walk in closet it kept the steps to a minimum in putting away the adults clothing. It also allows room for a movable island folding table which I didn't draw. The laundry room in this area is also more accessable from the upstairs where I'm assuming there's childrens room. Not knowing the layout of the upstairs I wasn't sure if there'd be an area where a laundry shoot could be installed giving the children and you and easier way to get the dirty clothes and linens into the laundry room without hauling clothes baskets down the stairs.
Just my thoughts. I'm a bit obsessive about space organization and limiting wasted space.
~Becky

Oh, I meant to post the original floorplans for you too.

One more idea....If this were our home I'd go with double pocket doors for into the dining room too. Never in the way.

{{!gwi}}

My LDY is off my kitchen too. It's also my mudroom. It has 2 doors -- one leads directly to the garage, the other door directly across from that leads to my backyard. It was great when my kids were young; wet snow pants and mittens, etc., went right into the dryer.

Ours is in between the kitchen and family room, directly across from the entrance to the garage. PO's made the space even smaller when they widened the entrance area between the kitchen and the Family Room. Overall that's nice, but there is only enough room for the W/D and the utility sink. Very tight space.

Its not glamorous, its a laundry room. I've always had them in the basement or garage, so having them in the house is an upgrade for me.

I've always thought I wanted my LR near the bedrooms where the laundry comes from and goes. We recently almost purchased a home where the laundry was upstairs with 2 bdrms, but the master was downstairs (which we must have when we move). Since we are empty nesters now we would have had to haul our laundry basket up and down stairs for no reason. Didn't buy the house because of it among other things.

Wow, justgotabme. How'd you do that? :-) Thanks--something to think about! The only problem I see with that revision is no coat closet anywhere. I do like the powder room near the garage door, though. You've given me something to think about, thanks! Oh, and yes--pocket doors to DR and study (thanks to the pics posted for me in another thread, hubby has now agreed to them).

The kitchen people were just showing me the traffic patterns and how far the laundry room was from bedrooms and how the kitchen caught a lot of traffic. They suggested I locate it closer to bedrooms, BUT for me at least with no kids, there's no way I'd put it upstairs near those bedrooms.

LOL....nope, I'm not doing laundry during dinner parties either, Barb. And I do also spend a lot of time in the kitchen

Okay, I've kind of stopped worrying about that aspect (except for thinking on the new idea presented to me) and go on to the next "dilemma"--making a pass-through (or not) from GR to kitchen, but it'd preferably need to be over the cooktop since I'd rather not swap it with the sink that looks out a window (and moving cooktop further from refrigerator with island separating it). None of this was a big deal until the hearth room got taken away from the plan. Aaarrgh.

Tracey

Oh I am so dumb! I was visualizing the door at the right end of the stairs as being a coat closet. I agree that's something you'll need. I'm heading out now, but if I think of something that will work I'll draw it up for you.
I wondered if you were the one that mentioned double pocket doors. I didn't pay attention to the names. Sorry.
Are you empty nesters or young and not yet had children?
~Becky Okay, I couldn't resist adding the coat closet. I didn't have to leave right then. Well I should have, but it's just me so who cares, I can meet hubby later.
{{!gwi}}

In a previous house, I had the washer and dryer in the kitchen. I loved it. I was able to do the laundry while doing kitchen tasks. I folded the laundry and ironed (not often) in the adjacent family room while watching TV.

Tracey, are you planning on a table and chairs in front of those windows in the kitchen...to the right of the island? I am assuming so since it's being left open.

Becky...if that's the case, that would then eliminate the need for the breakfast booth. Although I do like the idea of a bath closer to the garage (being the MUDDY, messy gardener I am, closer to the back door/garage is better. Good for kids too not having to track through the house)I think that booth area should be dedicated to a laundry room which would have ample space to hang, fold and just throw stuff in general...and close the door.

Also the mini mudroom would certainly be mini. I wouldn't sacrifice closet space...in fact, I think this floor could use more.

As far as the laundry in the MB closet? Think of what happens when the kids get older and want to do their OWN laundry or when they are asked to put things in the dirty laundry, wet stuff in the dryer "etc". I really wouldn't want kids in my MB closet all the time. My DD started doing her own laundry at 11/12 yrs. She was very, very picky.:) Also nice to have a space for ironing etc...that's one thing DD did that *I* didn't! She also stayed up later than us in her teens and did laundry late at night. Nice to have it "away" from the bedrooms.

As far as carrying laundry from bedrooms....this is a long trip? Geez...can we get much lazier in this country? How many times a day are we going to lug baskets to and fro?? Not many...I only do laundry once or twice a week. I think a lil' exercise is a "good thang" anyway. Having the LR close to bedrooms on a second floor is awful IMHO. I don't spend time upstairs after I'm up and think of the number of times you might have to take out clothes at different times to damp dry, the dryer goes out of balance...whoa...not for me. I'd rather the one or two trips with the basket then constantly running up and down for the other stuff. It also seems very noisy on a second level...our neighbor did this.

I DID have the lovely exp though of inheriting a shoot in my last home that dumped into an upper cabinet...heaven. It was in the floor of the upper hallway closet. If you can squeeze that in somewhere go for it.

Also, switching the location of the garage door into the house...dunno. That could intrude on the vehicle space...depends how wide the garage is.

Tracey...that long space between the back door into the garage and the garage door into the house....is anything going there such as shelving? Seems like a long distance that could be utilized in a different way unless it is going to be storage. Also, I'll throw this out; THAT could be re-configured, maybe walled off and possibly used for a real mudroom lol. That was done in my last house by the PO's and it was a dream. A narrow space/entry into the back hall but fantastic for wet boots, wet coats on pegs etc....it was great NOT being within the house but between the house and garage. Also held sports equipment, balls etc. We had horses so things got a bit grimy/smelly. Good to have it not within the house itself.

Just my .02 after looking at the original plans - you might want to think about a pocket door going into the laundry room. It looks like you're going to have to open the door, then close it to actually load the washer or dryer. I wish we had done that when we built. For the most part, we keep the laundry room door open (dog water bowl is in there) and it's kind of a PITA to close the door to work behind it.

When you come in thru our garage, you are in our mudroom/laundry room. There is a door in this room to the kitchen. I find this arrangement just fine. company comes in the front door, so no biggie there. Very convenient for me bring in groceries & such.

Yes, the open space is meant for the table and chair so I don't need a nook, but the nook could become a home "command center" (or whatever they're calling it), closed off like the current laundry room.

And yes, I was going to use a pocket door there. It somehow got lost in the last revision.

However, I've been "living" with the idea of the w/d in the closet all day now and decided I don't think I'd like that much after all...but I did like seeing that closet get bigger! :-)

I DO like the powder room moved to the garage side, but don't like the "style" of it. I'll think on that and see if it can get configured any other way (maybe making the mudroom space bigger--taking it towards that service door?). I have to be very careful not to grow this house too much anymore, footage-wise.

OH...in glancing at the plan again just now, if I moved the powder room, the current space could be added to the master closet space--now that really excites me. Even if I used half of it for a proper coat closet, it'd still add some space.

That long space in the garage was added so we could put a service door in the garage. We were going to put a utility sink on that wall (had one in the last garage which was very handy); I also figured my deep freeze could go there.

I added the dinky mudroom because originally it didn't have anything. I guess I could see about enlarging it if it doesn't go adding too much floor space. The original 'Ashton' floorplan had the garage door entering directly into the basement door area by the DR. Right onto hardwood. I also knew I'd be seeing my husband's shoes there all the time. NO WAY. A small, cramped mudroom entrance with tile and sort of hidden from direct sight is better than nothing. I'm also going to use that space to create a pass-through for my cats to an enclosed litter box area in the garage.

Thanks for the ideas! This alternately excites me and overwhelms me. We have to get this house started soon, but how can we when we're not 100% sure with the plans? But, I guess some of these things can still be changed up until framing, right?

Tracey

Wanted to add that you also have to walk through my kitchen to get to the LR.

Side door, LR to the right, closet on the left. Walk up and around the corner a little and you're in my kitchen. I even fold clothes on the island. Gasp, the horror! :)

Hi Tracey, I'm back from dinner and shopping with hubby and thought I'd play around a bit more with your plans usign the info you gave me. It seems you might be warming to the laundry room off the kitchen so that area including the pantry is back as it was. Which, though I didn't say before, isn't a bad place at all to have a laundry room. It certainly makes multi-tasking much easier.
I'm not sure what you'll think of the changes I made in the mudroom area by incorporating the mudroom and the half bath together it gives you enough space to keep the closet and instead of a utility sink in the garage you could either put it in the mud room or add a vanity for more storage.
I was wondering if you wouldn't want to think about another service door to the garage from the front porch though. I didnt' draw it in, but if you garden it might make it easier to have an entrance from the front. I know Jan will give me "H" "E" double hockey sticks because you won't get your exercise, but sometimes it's nice to have a little convenience too. Sorry Jan! (ducking here)
Well here it is. If you'd like to see any other changes just let me know. We're just having a small family dinner. Most everythings ready and I have two willing men that help me out in the kitchen on holidays. So I'll check back in the morning while they are at the turkey shoot and again after our naps.
{{!gwi}}

OH! If you make the pantry and laundry room all one room you might be able to put your freezer in there. I've seen laundry pantry combos before. My only concern was whether the moisture was good for the dry goods in not in tupperware type containers. Maybe Jan knows. And I mean that in the best of ways Jan. I have to look things like that up online if I can find them.

My washer and dryer is in a closet in the downstairs half bath right off the kitchen. Don't like it because there is no room to throw stuff and shut the door. Wish I had a room that was large enough to accomodate W & D, ironing board that could be left up and an area for my sewing machine to be left out. I wouldn't want W & D on second floor because of the potential for leaks. I know they make those pans to sit under but still...if it could happen, it WILL happen to me!

Not sure if I'm looking at your current floorplan, but I would reconsider the plan that would have you walk thru 2-3 doorways when entering from the garage to the kitchen.
I enter my house thru my garage and I'm alway hauling in something. The straighter shot you have to the kitchen, the better!
My laundry is off my kitchen and all my bedrooms are at the opposite end of the house. I've had NO problems with the floorplan and I would have the same if I were ever to build.
Since I'm in the kitchen most of the time it easy to access the laundry room and throw dirty/wet rags in the bin, grab a vacuum or extra cleaning supplies.

One other suggestion: have your builder insulate the walls of your laundry. I don't think my builder insulated the inside wall and I can sometimes hear my top loader washer.

It's not to scale but here's the layout of my kitchen/pantry/laundry. {{!gwi}}

Thanks, justgotabme! I ran it by hubby and while he finally sees the merits of having the powder room close to the garage, he doesn't like that configuration. I'm wondering if we could take part of the pantry away (and half the closet--making it more of a broom storage) and put the powder room door where the current garage door is. The garage door would move to the side between the "mudroom" bench and bathroom door. Is that enough space to put in a more traditionally-styled powder room?

While I'm drooling over the master closet space in your renovation, I think I'd still want an "entrance" of some sorts to the master--mostly to keep from coming down the stairs, straight into a wall. If we moved the powder room, I guess half the old one would go to master closet, half to hall closet. The other little coat closet could remain as the central place where the electronics stuff would go, OR, as a tiny nook of shelves in the closet between hanging clothes.

You know, I never did think of a service door to the garage that came off the front porch! Thanks for the idea. I'll run it by the person who'd be using it most :-) But, I wonder how attractive that would look. And, if it has a window in it, visitors would see how messy it was....and going by our last garage, that's something to hide!

I don't know what measurements are necessary in the laundry room--I just need it wide enough for the washer/dryer on one side, the door in the middle, and a regular-depth counter on the other side. Is there any "extra" room that you see in what the current one is? My copy isn't to a scale that's easily measured. A beginning copy from my builder was easy to read since 1/4" on the plan equaled 2' of floor space, but the one my printer prints out isn't.

Thanks for all you've done, but please don't spend too much of your time on this....after all, we supposedly have someone hired (the builder's guy) to do this :-) It's just that he's been a little slow, and he hasn't been helpful with suggestions. And when the laundry room was oriented differently (rotated 90 degrees), it jutted into the breakfast room space significantly but he didn't seem to think it mattered. But, I guess he doesn't know how big a table we have.

Hope you had a good Thanksgiving. Ours was okay but different. We've moved even further away from family in this relocation, so we were invited to the home of one of hubby's co-workers, who'd also recently relocated here. They built a house, too, and have only been in a couple of months. It was nice to get a feeling of what it's going to be like (they have a sort-of similar plan and similar decor tastes). Better than sitting in a cramped apartment, eating off TV trays!

Anyway, lots to be thankful for--especially internet forums and helpful people. I can't imagine building a house and choosing stuff without being able to research online.

Tracey

Tracey, I don't mind helping at all. I need a creative outlet and this has been fun fun fun for me. We've built three homes and the one we are in now was the only one we did hands on, doing much of the work ourselves. Well hubby did the most. It's been wonderful, but you are right, these forums and being able to research online is a God send!
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving thank you. I understand how it can be when you are so far away from family that you are used to being close to. We relocated twice far away from family in the early years of our marriage and it's not easy. But we too had great friends that welcomed us in their homes making our Thanksgivings much better than being stuck in an apartment. Only we had a folding table and chair set. LOL.
Here's the latest. I hope I understood what you wanted. If not feel free to ask for changes. Like I said I'm so enjoying this and I'll be home all morning. I don't do Black Friday. It just isn't the Spirit of Christmas for me at all.
{{!gwi}}
Oh that round thing in your walk in closet is an ottoman. LOL. Hey ya need a place to sit when putting on your shoes. :)

If the opening to your bedroom/walk-in closet isn't wide enough I have another idea in my head, but wanted to bed since I'll be getting up early. Our daughter-in-law works overnights as a life flight dispatcher and will be picking up our grandson in the morning.

I decided it couldn't take too long to show you the other idea I had for the master suite area. Well as I finished drawing it I wasn't that thrilled with the inside of the closet so I decided to draw it without the entry into the home. I loved the way the closet looked, but still thought the convenience of a door there could really come in handy when in a hurry. You'll see what I came up to combine the two idea of a door and still looking great on the inside of the closet in my second drawing below.

The first with the walls angled and two normal doors....
{{!gwi}}

And now......... I think this is my favorite of all time. I've always wanted a door like one of these in a home. You know like in the Oval office where it just looks like part of the wall, or in the movies where it looks like a bookcase but is actually be a door? Well this one is both! Looks like a wall on one side and the other looks sort of like a bookcase since it will be a wall of shelves for you shoes.
{{!gwi}}

Wow! I'll have to look more at it tomorrow--just coming to put the computer to bed for the night and couldn't resist a last browse through the forum. Early morning--moving stuff from one expensive storage to a lesser expensive one (since we'll be here longer than we thought). What fun, but better than shopping!

Just a quick note--I like how the powder room turned out, but gotta think about the mudroom area. The idea of an ottoman in the closet--sounds decadent! Hidden doors--how neat, but I think you might end up costing me money! :-)

Tracey

Good Morning Tracey. Boy do I feel for you having to pay to store your things. All the more reason to get your plans finallized so you'll be ready to break ground.

I wasn't sure when I changed the doorway from the mudroom into your home if you'd like it, but wanted to give it a try since it allowed for more open space incase you ever have more than one coming in at one time with boots and coats and stuff.

As for the hidden door it might be even less expensive than a real door if you can do it yourself. The type I'm talking about are built with two by fours and wallboard which you'd add the shelves onto the back side for your closet.

Here's another version of the mud room.
{{!gwi}}

Here's another version of the mudroom. Basically like it was in the beginning before the bathroom was added with a couple minor changes. One the placement of the door to the garage and the other is without an actually door there I took off the corners. In my opinion they are useless and only make it harder to paint whether they are trimmed out or not.

{{!gwi}}

Oh, I'm really liking this last one--where the "mudroom" looks more like it did before (and therefore the kitchen avoids those angled cabinets).

Hubby is too lazy to come to the computer to see the plans, but I was telling him about it, and he said we can't change the bedroom/GR wall much because it's structural. I think I also like the door to the bedroom hidden a bit more, like the original.

How about this... I know the closet size goes back down, but it'd still be a tad bit bigger than it originally was (let's see if I can describe what I'm thinking): I do want to retain that little "foyer" into the bedroom door, centered with, and as wide as, the stairs. It looks like it might make the hall closet a few inches wider because that area doesn't look centered in the original? The master closet will have a tiny jog in it, it looks like. Oh, but can't do that because of the pocket door (from original plan placement). That little unused space might end up being part of the "chase" the builder said he might need there (already there behind a vanity). It'd be neat to get rid of that tiny hall closet (since there's now a bigger one) and have a niche in that wall as you come down the stairs! I think that might look nice.

Back to the new hall closet. Can you take away those pocket doors and add the smallest double doors (or is there only room for a single?) you can. Then, for the study, make that opening 4' and see if pocket doors would fit there. I'd really like to have the type of doors match the DR, and hubby is very much on-board with pocket doors now. I don't know how the smaller doors would look across from the wider DR doors, BUT, at least they're not exactly opposite each other. AND, I'd save much needed wall space in that room.

Okay, hubby finally moseyed down the hall to see what I was doing, and he saw the plans. He likes the new powder room placement. Is it the same size as the one before (it looks like it to me)? Can a regular door go there?

Oh, he pointed out that the "water closet" in the master will need to go back to its original design because if you're sitting on the toilet, you need to be able to open the door (LOL) in case someone in there gets sick and maybe falls forward (oh, the things--the what-ifs--we prepare for).

I had a few other items I thought I'd ask you about, but don't want to overwhelm this present request--like are the windows in the DR centered, etc. I don't think our current designer has been careful with stuff like this, but hopefully before it goes to the final plans--actual blueprints--then he would make sure.

I hope I made sense to you! Tired and hungry after a morning of moving stuff. We just lucked out with the size of the truck and the little "motorcycle" trailer (he didn't have the size one normally uses for riding mowers--we had inches--2--to spare!).

Thanks!
Tracey

Oh I bet you are glad you have that all moved though. It's almost like moving only you don't have to pack or unpack. But those are the easy parts! Poor dears.
Well here's the latest. I didn't change the dining room windows since it looks to me as thought they are centered with the tray ceiling which would center it with your table and chandelier. If that's not correct, let me know.

I know from building our home that pocket doors cannot be placed where any part of the hidden area is on an exterior wall. We have six in exterior walls and we couldn't even do it then. I was not a happy camper, but didn't get any of the double pocket doors I wanted since one side in each case would have been into an exterior wall. So what I did to was change the study wall into a single pocket door. That can easily be changed back if you still want double doors.

Also instead of changing the watercloset back to the way it was I just changed the way the door opens. Smart hubby. You never know when someone may need help. I know from personal experience (ruptured appendix) that you can have an emergency where you'll need help when in that little room.

Well here's what I have now... Let me know what you think.
{{!gwi}}

Oh and yes, the half bath is the same size. I just copied the original, flipped it and changed the door possition then pasted it by the garage.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I now can have the half bath by the garage! (Doing the big happy dance) Hubby asked me why it was such a big deal. I asked him if he wanted to take his work boots off every time he had to come in and go to the bathroom (from working in our new 1.5 acre lot)....across new hardwood flooring. We had tile in our last house in the short distance from the garage door to the powder room, so it had not been a big deal.

Well, dang it--no pocket doors for the study?!? Bummer. Hubby won't go for the single pocket. Has to have the "french doors". Guess I'll probably take them out of the DR too, to keep the same look. Well, it probably saved a bit of money (I figure pockets are more expensive?).

Is the DR ceiling thrown off by the bump-out (whatever it's called) in the DR? I figured the center of the room would be the center from the 4 corners, irregardless of the bump-out (home to the buffet). The china cabinet will go on the wall shared with the stairs. I wanted better walking space around the table, which is why I liked the idea of a bump-out. Now, to put the table under the center of the room (chandelier), it'll be as close to the buffet as before. If that's the case, I might do away with the bump-out and save the space in the garage. Besides, wouldn't the windows look funny not being centered in the actual wall? Gosh, I wish I could see this house in real life. That's what I worried about, picking a plan sight-unseen. Our last house, we'd seen it built in another city and liked it enough to get the plans and only slightly modify them.

Is there a way I can print this? I right-clicked and didn't see the option.

Thanks again!
Tracey

tracey im not home and am on my cell I will tell you how to save a copy to yor computer when we get home. this takes to long this way.