Kids? Bah! you need more space! Agree to keep the laundry separate from the mudroom. There will be days when there are piles of clean and/or dirty in front of the w/d--you don't want to walk through it. Putting the dryer on an outside wall is best for venting. Other than that, I don't have specific suggestions for your configuration, just personal experience for your consideration when planning: Kids...ok, one month ago in our mudhall for a family of five (2 parents, an older teen and 2 grade schoolers), we had: 2 wool pea coats, 2 lady down jackets, 1 mens leather, 1 mens snow jacket, 1 mens workjacket, various ladies' and kids' fleeces, 2 pair lady snowpants, 3 pair adult snow boots, three sets kids snow pants and jackets (for two girls), another stray pair of snowpants, 2-5 (depending) girls fashion jackets or sweaters, 2 pair snow boots, 2 pair rain boots, 1 pair mens mudboots, 1 pair lady mudboots, 1 set of ice trekkers, several flashlights, 2 wicker laundry baskets of hats/gloves/face warmers, etc., 2 ski helmets (actual skis stayed in car), 2 pair ski boots, 2 ski bags, three sports backpacks, 1 volleyball, 1 basketball, 1 crate bottled water, 2 school backpacks, 1 book bag, 3 umbrellas, and 3 3-tier shoe racks (full of various shoes for sports, work, and everyday). Oh, and a pile of trash ready to take into the garage. In the laundry room, in addition to the w/d, there were 2 totes of cleaning supplies, 2 totes of craft supplies, 2 small "garbage" cans of pet food, ironing board, etc., etc. Some of the paraphernalia changes with the season, but there's always more to take its place. In between weather and sports seasons is always the worst--winter coats plus spring jackets, etc. Thank goodness we don't fish or hunt! Even with good organization and planning, kids are pretty space-intensive, I find. Before sports, it was strollers, traveling toys, etc. Another thing, they are doing well to get something on a hook or a bench; expecting them to use hangars or open/close doors to put things away when rushing in or out may be unrealistic (it is for us). So I am planning on mostly open storage. Also, if you will be starting a family, you might want to think about a tub or half tub downstairs to make bath time easier as well as entry cleanups. There are those that think a bath downstairs is a bad idea, but I always liked ours when my kids were little. Now that I have three girls vying for bathroom time, it helps with "overflow." Also comes in handy when the senior generation visits. In the next house, I'd rather have a little smaller kitchen and go bigger on the mudroom because I know that if I don't, the stuff will end up in the kitchen anyway! Good luck!

I like Rococogurls suggestions. There could be an island in the center for crafts, sewing, etc. too. Though, that may not suit your needs. The kitchen though, have you considered having the kitchen forum look at your plan. There are some real experts over there. The reason, is that I see some things that look like they might need rearranging for more efficiency. I am not a kitchen layout expert, but over on the kitchen forum there are experts, and very kind and helpful experts. For instance the location of the stove, between the sink and the frig, is possibly awkward. Back to the laundry room. You'll need room to store supplies, and more. You will need hanging space to dry items. You'll need a counter for folding. You'll need easy access for the dryer vent to clean periodically. You'll need access to quick shut off of water in case of leaks, or when leaving for vacation. Any cabinetry at the machine area, needs to allow for machine maintenance and pulling out the units for repairs. It looks like your current plan locates the set against an interior wall. How will the dryer be vented? It would be better to locate the dryer against an exterior wall for the shorted ducting you can get. Dryer vent spec installation varies between brands. The manual will spec length of run that is desired. If it is too long of a run, then an inline exhaust dryer fan is recommended, I believe. When there is a 90degree bend, that = 5' of your allowed run. So you can't put in very many elbows before you use up all your length. My machine is 8' away from my exterior wall over the basement, where the duct runs between the joist. Because of all the bends to get it 4' down into the floor, then out the exterior wall 8' away, I used up 33' feet in the equation. The vent on the outside of the wall = 10' of ducting I believe. I could be off on some of these numbers, but it needs to be considered when locating a dryer. Depending on your exterior, you could put them under the window in the upper right 45 degree angled wall. But you don't want the dryer vented onto a gathering area, like a patio, cause lint will blow out. It's best to have the front loaders against a load bearing wall too. When machines are placed on joist flooring system, they need to be near the end of the joist. Otherwise there is tendency to bounce the floor. Unless you are on a slab of concrete, that is ideal, and the machines can go anywhere. The machines need to be able to be absolutely level once installed.

I have never heard of a building code that would allow for removing the half walls on a porch - someone could fall off. I agree that you need someone to create plans that comply with building codes.

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.