From your pictures, the only thing that prevents moving (or extending) the plumbing appears to be sheetrock. How much work has this plumber done for you? Can you bring in a different plumber?

he's done a lot of work for me. He says it can be done but it will cost a lot more than he originally estimated, and he's not sure how much until he starts looking deeper in the walls.

All those hanging wires look dangerous to me, especially since they'll be in the neighborhood of water.

Yep, that's one heck of an ugly tin sculpture, but why does a laundry room have to look pretty?

Maybe other folks see a sink as vital, but what would you use a sink in the laundry for? Maybe you're more current and sensible?

You could stack the W/D?

forgot to mention i'm selling the house, so it's less about what I need and more about what will be less of an impediment to a sale.

Stacking is a good idea, but the dryer hookup and exhaust vent are on the right (visible in the first photo), so the cord and exhaust tube would be visible.

In most localities in the USA you need a minimum of 30-36 inches in front of the unit to satisfy the building code.

That's an easy mark against you if someone hires a home inspector. Not saying you couldn't sell it like that, but that is how you attract low ball offers. (it also greatly depends on the RE market where this house sits --- some areas nothing matters.)

With that said, never a good idea to place anything in front of a HVAC system. If the system goes down, that sink has to come out to make repairs. More work = more money.

If you are trying to keep the costs low, then eliminate the sink. The sink is nice to have but no a requirement for a laundry room.

Another option is to remove one of the base cabinets and move the dryer to that spot. You can keep the wall cabinet above. You then have a counter top next to the dryer to put place clothes as they come out of the dryer. You may be able to slave the counter top by cutting it to the right size. You then have the route the dryer vent up and over to where it needs to be. That would be easier then moving the water supply and drain line. You can probably hide it inside the utility closet if it is too difficult to put inside the wall.

You can then slide the sink down 30 inches towards the washing machine. That should be a relatively easy plumbing task. Clothes that were soaking in the sink can be easily transferred to the washing machine.

Then build the enclosure so the door swings towards the wall. I would try to hide as much as possible inside the utility closet.

I have never had a laundry sink and honestly now with the new washers i certainly don’t need one. I think if you are selling the cost for actually doing this will not be recouped and from what I see this is not up to code with all those exposed wires .

My laundry room doesn't have a sink. I've had numerous occasions in which one would be useful.

Whats that counter we see to the right of the HVAC unit? Can a sink be installed over there? I really wanted a laundry sink as well, but I sacrificed the room for it for a shower stall in the adjacent bathroom. The sink in that bath is literally 6 feet away from the laundry room, so I use that or the small kitchen prep sink 10 feet away if I need to soak something bigger like tablecloths etc. If it’s a real messy job I use the utility tub in the basement. If you have other small sinks close by, it’s probably not a big deal to lose it, as a buyer. However I would hate to see that HVAC though.

The counter is where I was planning to install the sink, but the plumber originally told me it would be difficult.

I just talked to him again and he now thinks he can still plumb for the sink by demoing the platform on which the water heater in the garage sits. He says since it's an electric heater (not gas), it is fine for it to sit on the garage floor instead of on the platform (it's all on the raised area on the side of the garage, where storage is, so it's not in any danger of being hit by a car). Once the platform is demo'ed, he says he'll have direct access to the drain and supply lines he needs and can complete the job. He wants $650 total to do it all and put everything back the way it was found. My contractor wants another $800 to frame the closet, install the door, and fix the drywall. And the door will be around $100, so I'm looking at around $1,600-$1,700 to build a closet around the HVAC and have a new undermount sink in the counter to the right.

Worth it for the sale?

So you are doing this for resale not for yourself? Have you consulted your realtor?

yes for resale. Have not consulted the realtor yet.

What about the cost of the new counter top and sink? The counter top needs to be replaced if you are going to do an under mount sink. If you want to save some money you might be able to cut out the current counter top and install a drop in sink.

If you are looking for a deep under mount sink I highly recommend the ones made by Kraus. I installed one in my laundry room and I love it.

Only knew one person in my life who had a laundry sink. I would never have one. Get rid of it and take care of the function issues with the HVAC unit first. Then see if you want to mess with the form of the ugly cornier, keeping in mind access issues for service.

Mine is enclosed into a closet with a door. Just make sure the door leaves service access to it, especially to change filters.

Thanks everyone for the replies. As for that countertop - it's cheap formica, and since i'm replacing tops in the kitchen, I will have enough left over to replace that as well. So adding a sink wouldn't be too hard.

However, after reading all of your opinions, I'm leaning towards ditching the sink altogether and saving the money and time. There's another house in my neighborhood that was just renovated, same floorplan as mine, and is listed for 995k (a high price). They don't have a sink in their updated laundry and they framed in the hvac with a door. My door would have to be on the other wall since i have cabinets and a counter in that recessed area (but with no sink there's plenty of room for the door to open).

Here's a pic:

I would buy 4 bifold doors shutter style, paint them white or taupe and hang them from the ceiling on chains to the desired length. they will be easily removed to access the unit and hide it well enough. Looks like they don't need to go all the way to the floor either. I have found old ones on craigs list for pretty cheapo! If there is another area to use a shutter style door in the room as either a wall piece or something to attach some hooks too to hang supplies or coats and hats it will tie in the look! I use my laundry sink alot, lots of projects that require a deep sink it's so nice to have!

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Here is another option. Why not build the closet to enclose the sink and the air handler? The door would then swing toward the cabinets. You then have a sink and some storage area for mops and brooms. The down side is the sink is still blocking the air handler. But it would not be too difficult to remove the sink when the air handler needs to be replaced.

If you are worried about enclosing the sink, then remove it and build the closet as if it were there. Then new owner can add a sink if they want it to the existing plumbing connections.

Is your house built on a slab? If not, then you can certainly route the existing plumbing anywhere you want it. Your plumber just doesn't want to do it!

yes, built on a slab. He will do it if i want, just costs money and if a sink isn't necessary, then why spend it I guess.

Just want to add, that I would take the sink out in a heartbeat! I have never had a sink in my laundry room and really have never wanted or needed one. Just something else to keep clean.
Any spot cleaning or soaking can be done in a dishpan or at the kitchen sink. If your laundry is in the basement....a bucket of water works for soaking and cleaning.

Since you are doing this for resale, I would not spend a lot of time on pondering whether or not to have a sink. Go with what is cost effective and expeditious. I have had a sink in the laundry room of my last three homes, and they are great to have. I would not ever not have one. There are many chores that I do not want to do in the kitchen sink, for example, using a Bissell carpet cleaner after our dog vomits. I would not empty the dirty water in my kitchen or bathroom. I use our LR sink regularly.

Why not keep the sink and ditch the counter? It's not a pretty bit of cabinetry, and you could make the furnace accessible from taht side. Replace with stainless flip-down folding counter and a couple of shelves above the machines...

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the problem is that if I keep the sink then there's a wall on that side of the hvac unit, where the access panel for the coils is. So the sink side of the unit is where the access has to be.

I’m having the same issue. Remodeling my laundry room but having a huge issue on what to do??

I would love a laundry room sink!

Simplest solution for sale would be some kind of folding screen, even if it has to be built using bi-fold louvered doors. I would not want to miss my laundry room sink, no way! (Where do others wash their hand-washable, knits, cashmere etc?? Or, as with our now potty training young grandson, God forbid, some poopy clothes?