First, difference between gas and electric dryer are nil in the grand scheme of life. Plus you're not limited to an electric dryer since you have gas there you could run a gas line and electric outlet and have gas. You could put a stackable unit in there and have both. Do some upstairs and some downstairs. That way not lose as much room. You say you don't like doing laundry. Why? If it doesn't include going downstairs or the related, this probably won't force you to enjoy laundry. Maybe you need to do other things? Have kids sorting their stuff? Have kids help with laundry? I would love to have a first floor laundry. It would help me so much. But it doesn't sound like that's the case with you. My thoughts, FWIW: 1-we would lose the shoe and dog feeding area Wouldn't lose it all with the stacked unit. Not sure you'd totally lose it anyway with some modification though. 2-not really any room to separate dirty clothes This could be a bit of an issue but a small wall hanging sorter might take care of it too. Or using hampers. 3-no rod to hang clean clothes as they come out of dryer Fold down rod or rod hung from ceiling? 4-the area would seem cramped "Seem" or "be"? That's two different questions 5-not sure about electric dryer- do they work as good as gas? Yes, as addressed before. We've lived with the current configuration for as long as we've lived here (13 years) Sounds like it works for you, but... BUT--I don't like doing laundry sometimes and I wonder if moving it up from unfinished basement would make it more enjoyable? Again, is it the darkness? The steps? What is it that bothers you? Darkness can be addressed with simple lights. Maybe a fresh coat of paint? A chair and a TV? Also, the clean clothes in the basement often don't make it up to the bedrooms so the kids run downstairs every morning to grab something. Well, if you don't finish laundry down there, it's not likely you'll finish it upstairs unless something else changes. Maybe you need to put shelves/drawers in the basement to store the clothes? Then just go there for your clothes. Or have the kids bring all of it up and put it away rather than one at a time? There's a number of issues here. I don't think a new location will resolve the underlying issues. If it's working, stay with it and work on improving it. Although again a stacked unit might be a possibility. Would you put clothes away if they were on the main floor? Can the dog eat somewhere else? Do you have that many shoes that you need a special room filled with them? Maybe check out some design magazines or something at the library and some organizing ideas. Might be helpful. I know this is an old thread but might still apply. I'm curious what happened.

Ohh fun I'll check out the new island :) I love to see people's kitchens evolve. Thank you for the compliment on mine. I miss that darned kitchen LOL (We don't have one at the victorian). The old sewing room never got further than putting my fabric in it. DS suprised us (how did that happen) when he made himself known (thought I had food poisoning LOL) and my room became his :) I designed the room but because I broke my arm quite badly during the remodel doing venetian plaster, I had to hire it out to be done. I was really lucky because the artists I hired completely took to the vision I had and then embelished it and made it their own. They had become attached to my little guy durin the time they worked for us (did all of our textured walls in the townhouse) and added a lot of fun suprises while we were on a long hospital stay. He still misses that room....I have GOT to get one going here (it's going to be an alaska train room theme). I do have some freaking windows don't I LOL Definately a good opportunity to use collected fabrics heh heh It sounds like your sewing room looks like mine now. There is a reason I couldn't post pics of the window side LOL Boxes and couches...three of them stuffed in there to go to charity as well as several tables and antique sewing machines. It will be fun to see yours come together as I work on mine...want to race LOL I love the ironing board idea! I'll add one because I'd agree I like that too when I'm quilting. When I crazy quilt I absolutely need to iron each piece down before adding another. Otherwise you get odd puckers...much more so than with a normal quilt. I do have a 9' dining table and figure for the drapes I'll cut on there...but in the sewing room I want to do about a six by six foot table (two from ikea butted together like in the link on the other thread). I love the idea of it being for ironing and cutting but still...I don't want to get up for every piece. I have a cordless iron to help with that, so the location near the machines would be easy. DS getting up from nap...shall return!

Thank you dd50. The cubbies come in very handy for storing cleaning supplies, rags and those socks that loose their mates. Jamie, you are so right that it feels good to have it clean. I hate when I let things go in there. There's absolutely no reason to since our bedroom is just across the hall. I'm just about ready to head into the city to Home Depot to get the wood I need to make one long shelf for over the back of the W&D, a shelf to use to make a closet type shelf and rod for over the table that I use to fold clothes on and a shelf that really fits over the cubbies. That one was left over from when we did the master closet. I will stain them and get them ready for Sunday afternoon when hubby can help me install them. I'll be so happy to have a premanant rod insted of the closet extending rod I have been using. Thanks again! ~Becky

Shelayne....thanks! Not quite sure how I feel about the LG yet....I think the cycles are too long....DH and I work in offices...do our clothes really need to wash for an hour? I think the shortest cycle is speedw wash and I think its 35 min....which was about how long my 15 year old Maytag did any cycle. And water temperature is pre selected,maybe you can override it buti haven't figured out how yet. Drying seems to take longer than my Maytag as well. But boy, can you fit a lot without an agitator! I've only had it a month and I probably need to read the manual some more, but the jury's still out...