Maybe I about do a floor to ceiling glass partition for the toilet, like in the picture below, Tat would save 4 inches. Though I would want the glass frosted from floor to ceiling

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Mrs Pete I don't think the layout you are showing really fits our 1700sqft house. Plus, my husband has made it clear he does not want any space taken out of the master.

1700 sf is on the low end of average in size; you're trying to fit in things that are typically found in larger houses.

We also don't use a ton of closet space ourselves.

I suggest you "mock it up" (maybe with cardboard?) and look at how big this will be -- and not empty; include some clothes so you'll see how much space you'll have.

I don't think you understood what I meant with the 12" shoe/purse shelves.

I understand. Consider that the washer/dryer won't sit flat against the wall. Consider the space required for the washer/dryer doors to swing open, then consider how much space you'll have left in which to stand/work.

I talked to an HVAC guy and he said a 5ft or less vent should be more than sufficient. But I'm still playing around with it.

Venting your dryer directly to the outside is the most efficient method -- also cheapest and most fire safe.

Maybe I about do a floor to ceiling glass partition for the toilet,

That gives you all the negatives of a toilet-in-closet and none of the benefits.

Since your powder room is right outside the master bedroom, could you just put a single sink in the master and not separate the toilet, and then one of you use the powder room in the morning when you need to use the sink? That would free up some space for a washer and dryer. Also, could you use a stacked washer and dryer combo instead of side by side ones?

I have the Bosch compact stacked washer/dryer in my master closet. It's ventless and the plumbing ties into my master bath.

The Bosch are great for an upstairs unit - my dryer drains to the same drain as the washer (or vice versa) as they are tied together. It's also exceptionally safe for being upstairs - mine has a water alarm that stops the unit if it senses water escaping as well as double hoses that are extra strength.

I also agree that you are far better off with one sink and a larger counter and storage. Most of what one does in a bathroom doesn't need to be done directly over the sink. I actually got rid of the second sink in my master so that I could have a vanity area plus increased storage.

Yeah, I'm thinking I'm going to go with a single sink. it just makes the most sense.

Definitely going to put in the washer/dryer stacked

I really want to keep the wall to the toilet. It's less about using the sink when someone is using the toilet, and more about contain the smells and the noises.

If you want a second washer/dryer, put that in the laundry with the other one -- perhaps two stacked sets.

Go for the second small bathroom sink instead but choose a deep style so you're not splashing each other. You might even consider a narrow but deep "bar" sink to fit two in your bath/vanity?

https://www.build.com/kohler-k-6015-2/s562766?uid=172271&source=gg-gba-pla_172271!c1677830628!a70797162648!dc!ng&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIyOaT042Z6AIVVtyGCh0PSwVeEAkYCCABEgIsb_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

@Helen What is the size of your master closet? Do you think it would fit comfortably in 6'x6' ?

@suezbell The issue is that our laundry is in the garage, and we live in texas. It is so hot in there, and I hate doing my laundry in that dusty space. Plus, it is on the opposite side of the house, far away from the bedrooms. I think it would be much easier to just clean the clothes where they are stored.

In terms of width, that’s uo to you in terms of how much closet you need. You can check the exact specs on the website for the Bosch models. My issue was the depth as I had to make KH closet slightly deeper so the doors would close but that again would be in the specs and you need to make room in back for the actual connection.

Regarding toilets,, I bought a Toto toilet with one of the higher end washlets which has some kind of charcoal filtration system that deodorizes and I don’t have issues. Again mileage may vary as I have never lived with an enclosed toilet because I live in metropolitan areas where we feel lucky to have a master bathroom. 😀

You could vent the dryer in the ceiling and out the bathroom wall, although the unit that Helen describes may be more what you want.

I don't know of any euro compact w/d that is vented. I thought they were all condensing or heat pumps now. So venting is a non issue for you.

Could you put the w/d in the hall half bath? There’s another bath right next to it?

@Helen I didn't know that some toilets have that feature. Do you have a link to the model? I'll have to look into that more.

@richfield95 I considered it there, but I don't think it is wide enough to be comfortable. I also don't think it would be good facing the hallway. If someone was doing laundry and someone else needed to go to the bathroom, it would be chaos. I thought about adding it to the guest bathroom, but having the laundry near a toilet grosses me out. We also considered the guest bedroom closet, but I thought it might be more convenient in the master closet. Hubs and I are still split about the half bath, but I think it will be a lifesaver during parties and when family comes to visit.

All this gives me a headache lol.

Not sure what you mean by “not wide enough”? You could take out the existing door and install double bi-fold doors and have side-by-side instead of stacking. My mom has her washer in her small closet like yours and it’s so cramped.

Washlets are a form of bidet and are the ones made by Toto.

Most of them are essentially just attached to the toilet but Toto does make a few models that are extremely expensive (Neorest) which are combined.

Mine is the separate model in the modern lower seat profile. I opted for a toilet which is Connect + which means that the water line for the washlet and the tank are combined so there is less stuff at the back of the toilet as it eliminates the separate hose for the washlet tank.

I love my washlet and is among my favorite remodeling features. Mine is the washlet S550e and I ordered it through my designer so my net price even with her markup was less than the retail list price on the Toto website.

Beyond the bidet functionality which is great, it also waters down the sides of the toilet so that cleaning is easier - nothing sticks to the side if you get the drift :-).

I also appreciate that the toilet lid opens and shuts automatically when it senses someone approaching. You can program it so that the actual SEAT opens and shuts automatically when it senses someone standing in front of it so that eliminates the unpleasant surprise of sitting on a toilet that someone has forgotten to put the seat back down :-).

My Toto model has an automatic air freshener with a charcoal filter - I don't know exactly how it works but it does seem to eliminate odors but it doesn't have a perfumed odor. Sometimes I can smell a slightly ozone type of odor when I am seated on the toilet.

so, that closet is 36"x69". yes, we could have bi fold doors and have it face out into the hallway, but then is someone is doing laundry you are either blocking traffic out of the house or into the living room. Planing in the narrow way I don't think you would have enough space for yourself & a laundry basket.

Though, we COULD move that wall 1-2 feet into the bedroom, and that could work. But that would be up to my husband if he wants to lose space there.

Totally agree with above comment to convert Powder room to washer dryer area. Do a stacked set. Don’t understand the chaos issue

The theory is you will only want to do laundry there when you are not in the room...i would guess...not at night when you are sleeping...and if this bedroom is too far from the rest of the house ...a trip back to the dryer will have to fit into the time frame...as well as any malfunctions may be missed...most laundry rooms are located in convenient spots for attending to the process...while doing other things...not that you have any of these situations but a little thought is needed on these issues...

Consider adding a window air conditioner unit for the laundry room.

So ya'll got me thinking, and I brought up some of the points we discussed here with the hubs. I think the best solution is actually to put it in the guest bathroom. It is an awkward size and broken up.

This is the current layout

This was original reno idea, adding a large linen closet in the hallway

And then, having a wall dividing the laundry area from the toilet and shower. I think this would work with them under the counter or stacked. It keeps the laundry away from the toilet area and we can hook up the water to the existing sink, and we don't have to move any walls with plumbing!

And that removes the laundry equation from my master suite.

I would definitely not like a laundry area in the bathroom. All the things that go along with a laundry area plus someone wanting to use the bathroom privately while someone is trying to do laundry. it would be a total negative to me visually also.

Why not get rid of the half bath and put your laundry in there? It looks like you have a full bath around the corner anyway. That will ease up space for the layouts suggested above. It’s awkward having laundry in your bedroom closet.

A few questions

Do you prefer the stackable w/d or are you using it to save space

how many people and who use the hall baths

Can you post dimensions

i have my laundry in the hall bath. I have a side by side. In the layout of your full bath, my w/d are where you have the sink, then my sink is across from the toilet. It’s fine, if the kids need To use the bathroom while I’m doing laundry, they can either wait 5 minutes or use the other bathroom. Id prefer having it ther than in the basement.

Is the powder room used often? Having the stack W/D in the guest bathroom is a fine solution but if the powder room is rarely used given that there are 2 bathrooms close by, I would be tempted to transform this room into a laundry room. You have a bit more storage and can have a counter and would not need to be completely tidy 100% time since you can just close the doors. If you put it in the guest bathroom, they won't have as much counter top to put their travel bag and move things out from it etc. and you might not be as much at liberty to put or get a load of the W/D.

As I said, the guest room is fine but it worth to think about this too.

I don't have time for diagrams ATM but the guest bath is 69"x142" and the half bath is 36"x69". I'll create some diagrams soon.

OP needs to think about how she and her family use the spaces.

My experience is living in homes where space forces one to compromise in some way.

I live in a condo which was originally not built with washer/dryer units. Until my remodel, I used the communal washing machines which were down the hall on each hall. Ironically the machines were probably closer than many people's dedicated washing machines.

When I remodeled, I added a washer/dryer as do many people.

Choices were - in the master closet; in the guest bath or actually in the master bath. No best solution but for me having it in the master closet made the most sense. I had my closets designed during the remodel to maximize space so even with losing the space for the stackable units, I still gain more actual storage.

Having a compact secondary unit for OP seems ideal for her situation since she would still have a full size unit available if she needs to wash something large.

While many people put a washer/dryer IN their powder room/guest bath, I personally would not have wanted to sacrifice my guest bath/powder bath if it meant that people would then be using my bath or the family bath. I like my privacy and I also like that I know that my guest bath is always ready for guests.

I am not sure about chaos and blocking access etc. I have lived in situations where there is temporary blocking and it's not a huge deal. In my galley kitchen, people can't move pass if the DW or oven door is open. Similarly I know people who have washer/dryers in their hallway and so it's temporarily blocked if one is actively loading or unloading - it's not as if any of this stuff causes permanent road blocks.

It's nice to have unlimited space so that one doesn't have to make these kinds of compromises. But if you do, choose those which best fit your lifestyle.

ETA - Most people in my building put stackable units in their guest baths which are relatively large but I didn't want to sacrifice aesthetics of my guest bath by having the units in there since even the nicest solutions are still not as aesthetic as my current design :-)

The half bath is currently just a closet. we are redoing our sewerlines under the slab so we decided to redo our bathrooms at the same time.

The idea behind the half bath is that we entertain a lot and we often have family visiting from out of town. I thought that if i had a divider wall, it would allow use of the bathroom even while someone is using the laundry. Plus, if someone really needs to go they could use the half bath.

I just don't get how putting the laundry in the half bath location wouldn't cause traffic jams. If someone is in the living room and needs to use the bathroom while someone is doing laundry, it would be hard for them to get by right?

We are planning on redoing the kitchen in 2-3 years though, so maybe I could fit a half bath there.

I think you are over thinking how much time one spends actively loading or unloading.

For many years I used the communal laundry which was down the hall. It also contained the garbage chute so occasionally someone needed to access the chute and I would step aside momentarily.

If someone needs to use the bathroom that desperately, you can temporarily step out and not load or unload for that moment. One is not standing continuously in front of machines. Also you don't necessarily fold and sort when you don't have a dedicated laundry room - you do those kinds of time consuming stuff elsewhere.

My Bosch unit has an optional pull out shelf which I got which can be used for folding but I have also just loaded stuff in a basket and folded/sorted elsewhere.

I personally can't think of a situation in which accessing my laundry was such an emergency that it would prevent a guest from using the toilet. If I am accessing my washer/dryer in the current location, my bedroom door needs to be closed because otherwise it blocks access to that portion of my closet. I never even thought of that being an issue because if someone wanted to exit or enter the doorway, I would temporarily step away from the machine.

Helen I think you are right, I am over thinking the hall traffic issue. I'm not sure how doors would work.

I think I could come up with a good kitchen design with a half bath.

There are many kinds of doors that work well. What is the issue.

I recently remodeled and replaced the cheap bifold doors in some areas with heavy wood ones. Those Don’t protrude into the hall as much as a standard door. There are also other alternatives depending on aesthetics and width of the closet.

Depending on your budget and how much you want a double sink, this could be an option. Since you said that you don't need a large closet, you could consider stealing 6" from it to make your toilet area and shower longer. Stealing 6 in. from the bedroom would help too for the toilet area. This may be too much compromises but I thought it was worth showing:

@suzanne_m I feel like that configuration would work best if you switched the shower with the toilet, so you can add transom windows to add natural light to the shower. I'd have to talk to my plumber, I think those plumbing changes would be too drastic to be affordable, especially with us adding plumbing to the hall closet. I had a similar configuration to that for my guest bathroom at one point, until I found out that the wall I wanted to add plumbing too was load-bearing.

I know moving plumbing can be expensive especially if you encounter surprises. If you were to work on the outside wall to add windows, I would consider moving (or removing) the existent window. This way, you would not be limited on the length of the toilet and shower.

So I came up with a layout the removes the WC in the master, and moves the Laundry to the hall closet. We are putting in cheaper fiberglas 3x5 inch shower initially, but we'll upgrade it to a 3.5'x6' steam shower sometime after we redo the kitchen. I also rearranged the guest bath, though I'm not 100% sure about it.

Also, for reference, there is the layout of my home with measurements on the bedroom side. The plan is to extend the kitchen all the way out to the Laundry platform once we redo it. The furnace is being moved up to the attic with the HVAC update that we're wrapping up right now.

@suzanne_m The plan is to remove the current window and add transom windows at a later date. Lol The window, while the light is nice, looks out onto our nieghbors garbage can. ~AWKWARD~.

How do you feel about losing the guest bedroom closet? Maybe you can just find a place for a small armoire to put in the bedroom (or you can have shallow shelves facing the bedroom where cabinet is):

EDIT: I did not see your comment above before I posted this floor plan. According to your plan above, it seems that you like having large guest bedroom so removing the closet like I suggested might not work for you.

Personally, I would not have a double sink vanity smaller than 6'0". You won't have much counter space and the drawers will be tiny because of all the plumbing.

IGNORE the blue square in the floor plan.

I like having the bigger closet in the guest room so I have space to put a computer desk or keep art supplies that I don't have to move when guests come over. I want to make the guest bed a Murphy bed with shelves as well, so I can have plenty of floor space to paint. I feel like it would get too cramped in there if I had figure out another spot for a closet. I also worry about making the room too small compared to the rest of the rooms if we ever needed to sell.

@suzanne_m just saw your above comment lol. I know I didn't include dimensions, but in the plan above, I was able to fit in a 60" vanity. I took 8 inches from the closet, 3 inches from the toilet, and removed the dividing wall. IT worked out to JUST enough space for everything

@suzanne_m lol I've definitely considered adding extra door to the closet. I've even wondered if I could pull off a hidden door behind a mirror.

The main thing is I want to make sure I have good sound isolation so overnight guest don't hear.... fun time noises ;)

oooooooooooh wait, I misread that comment, I thought you meant guest bedroom.

That is a really good idea! it would be perfect for guest sheets and such

There is also this option for the guest bathroom. I could still fit a little linen closet nest to the sink if I wanted. I could also use a pocket door with this configuration

Yes, just make sure the door swings towards the sink. Also if you have room, you could put a pony wall to the left of the toilet, just to hide its side reflection in the vanity mirror.

Because, I prefer more depth in the closet (for linen), I would consider this option too. I kept a cabinet inside the bathroom and elongated the vanity. The hallway closet is maybe 18" wide but you can still store a lot even in a cabinet that small:

Here is another option. I don't know how you feel about reach-in closet but this would probably be the least expensive renovation on the plumbing work. If you can steal some space from the music room's closet, you could have a longer guest bathroom's vanity:

Unfortunately, When I talked to my plumber about moving the plumbing to the other wall get said it would be really expensive.

Though your side closet has me thinking

maybe?

I feel that a small cabinet inside the guest bathroom could be very useful. In the layout below, I would try to make the hallway closet as deep as possible.

When you say that moving the plumbing to the other wall, were you referring to the layout I posted yesterday?

How do you feel about reach-in closet? I posted this one mainly because of the plumbing staying all at the same place as it is now.

I have definitely thought about that option

Here are some considerations

1. Husband HATES pocket doors, especially for bathrooms.

2. I am trying to have all doors 32 inches wide if possible from the end of hallway to trim that is about 38 inches. I'd go down to 28inches at the smallest, for 34 inches total with trim

3. The hallway wall measures 76 inches

4. The walls are 4.5" deep, leaving 71.5 inches in the hallway.

5. We prefer vanity countertop 22 inches deep.

So that leaves us with a closet depth of 11.5-15.5 inches. We could maybe get 18 if we went with a 19.5 vanity

Here are some measurements of the space

Oh also, the Music room closet wall is load-bearing, it is the only load-bearing wall

If you are considering a non-vented dryer (I have the LG DLEC888W compact condenser dryer) do not put it in an enclosed space such as a bedroom closet (as shown in your original drawing) or bathroom (even if it has a window). Such dryers emit a lot of warm, moist air. You only want to place one of these in an open area such as a hallway from which the moist heat is easily dispersed.

-- amateur

A closet depth of 12" is not ideal but it could work. 15" is plenty enough for folded towels and linen.