Trying once more for ideas?

Thanks everyone. I really appreciate all the advice. I am currently getting quotes on a tankless water heater. Mine is a 18 years old gas system. If I can create enough space for a countertop or bench that really adds value to the room and justifies the extra cost, I will upgrade. Otherwise, enclosing a new traditional water heater is also a possibility, since I’ll likely replace this one very soon. I was thinking of stacking the washer and dryer so we could have a bench to sit on to tie our shoes or wait on. However, I believe my dryer duct and electrical cord for the washer could reach it I did side-by-side. I like the look of a side-by-side with a counter over the washer and dryer, and perhaps if I upgrade to a tankless system, do a corner bench where the current traditional water tank is? We also have that big white cabinet next to the stairs to go into the kitchen which we could do something with. That is poorly put together and needs to be fixed.

I was looking to have my laundry room and kitchen downstairs remodeled so I shopped around for contractors and a friend of mine used McMasters and Son LLC so I gave them a call Kevin came over with a ton of ideas I gave him a budget and he ran with it and made it work I'm so so very happy and pleased with the work that these guys do he gives you a timeframe and that's that my downstairs is beautiful

Correct, S is the water softener, but it doesn’t look to be in use (I will have it evaluated when I take possession). The hvac and water heater are open in this room, so walking off is interesting, but not sure I can accomplish that to maintain necessary access (and there are some perimeter pipes that run along the window wall from there to serve the gas line. It is a split level home and this laundry room is in the partial basement, so that vent is positioned appropriately above ground level into backyard. I was there today for a walkthrough and these are the more official dimensions. [ ] 93” wide (laundry wall) from edge of sink to shared wall with office [] 101” length window wall to front wall adjacent to door [ ] 42.5” shared office wall to door trim [ ] Laundry ceiling 80 3/4”, [ ] ceiling extended to 91.5” from entry wall adjacent to door extending 31.5” into laundry room (measured from wall adjacent to entry door along shared office wall. The wall that contains the pipe fittings does jute out from the window wall a bit, so getting a single row of base cabinets + sink wouldn’t exactly work, but can also do a 15” deep cabinet in that spot vs standard 24”. I theoretically can do stacked washer/dryer, but my kids help with laundry and it would be difficult for them to do so if it was stacked…I also don’t personally love the look of doing so. I if redesigning it would be great to use the span of W/D too for countertop space for folding clothes or keeping laundry baskets, as I don’t always have a chance to fold immediately after washing. In the 3D mock-up, it looks like we lose that corner cabinet, not sure I care in this case if the sink is centered on window as it’s not often used (unlike kitchen sink where centering on window is great), so maybe use cabinets and a corner accessible cabinet with a lazy Susan or similar to access. Given above, any thoughts on optimal layout that won’t completely break the bank? Lol