Help reconfiguring laundry/closet/master bath
We are rebuilding our home after a fire. We’re using the existing foundation but rearranging the floor plan a little bit by moving the master bedroom to the back of the house.
I would like to have a laundry tub in my laundry room again. Is there a way to fit one? (I thought about a stackable washer/dryer to free up space but I really, really prefer top load machines.)
I would like that hallway closet to be about twice the size shown. Can the master bath be reconfigured to take the back part of the shower for the closet? The builder thought we should leave it as it is and suggested putting hooks or cubbies on the long wall in the hallway but that seemed a little tight to me. I think the hallway is 41 inches. I can’t really read my architect’s writing!
I’m sure I can be happy with this, as-is. But if I can figure out a way, I’d like to change it. My old laundry room was about 13 x 7-8 and had a wall with 14 hooks on it for all of our jackets/coats. We are a family of 7.
Comments (10)
emilyam819
3 years agoRelated Discussions
1st Draft Floor plan help - Walk through Laundry to Master Closet
Comments (24)Sorry for the hiatus. Moving and working and kids - well it's a bit inconvenient. Hahaha! Appraisal today. Now the only thing left is the health department to check the drain field and water. I hope we have a closing date soon. momtoblondie-*LOVE* my doodle. :) She by the way is having the hardest time out of everyone with all of the house showing/packing/routine changing upheaval. ;) We are not fans of that funny little angle by the front door either. We will be addressing that and the windows when we meet again on Monday. I am still trying to figure out the front laundry closet area with the windows pushed together-it is a struggle. I am also pondering the kitchen layout. The mudroom however, we like. I asked for a place for lockers, a separate closet, a small 'pocket' office and to be able to close the dog in. This is what we got and I do like it: The doorway off to the right by the closet goes outside where we will have a covered porch for grilling and also where we will let the dog in and out. The doorway by the 1/2 bath leads into the kitchen area. The square footage - hmmm. It is about 300 sq foot over what we were hoping for. So we need to look at that. Likely the mudroom is a little big because I don't feel like the actual rooms are too large. But we don't have any 'extra' rooms that I feel we could ditch. We are not including the screened porch (to be finished later) and the basement (also to be finished way later) in our sq. footage 'wants'. It's about 1700 on the main floor and 550 in the upstairs. I also need to having things figured out - this has been driving me nuts. I wouldn't say you are starting to soon but yes I concur it is overwhelming and sanity breaks are needed (chocolate also helps). We didn't think our house would sell so early. Happy it did so we can start this fall BUT the plans aren't ready and so now I feel rushed which is not what I wanted at this stage. :/ I too like watching every size build. It sometimes causes my eyes (dreams) to be larger than our budget but it is exciting to watch nonetheless! I can't wait to watch your build progress as well. When are you hoping to list your home? It kind of sneaks up on you so hang on to your hat! Thank you for your kind words and blessings - right back at you. There are a few kindred police/fire spirits on here. :)...See MoreTrying to reconfigure master bath to include washer dryer
Comments (6)Is this a second floor? If it were the main floor, I wouldn't want it directly off the living area for all guests to see. But, if this is your second floor and really only your family and closest friends will be up there, then I wouldn't mess up a good system. You will like the size of a laundry room that can function as a laundry room. You will like being able to have your kids do their laundry without being in your space; esp when they realize at midnight they have no clean underwear for the next days activities. I was thinking more, if you wanted it for your own convenience (though, it is quite convenient to your room as is), you could put a pass thru (not a door for a person, but think a cabinet that opens on both sides) for you to easily push a hamper through from your closet/bathroom to the laundry....See MoreLaundry, Master bath, and Master closet renovation - Input requested
Comments (4)I'm with Enduring in that I would prefer the space given to the closet instead of the toilet. In the last house, the toilet in the master was crammed into a tiny space shared with a tub/shower combo. Really, really disliked the space. Would traipse down the hall and use the other toilet. (I used the shower in the master only one time in all of the seven years that we lived in that house.) Also, I would not put a tub in but that may be just me. (The house already has one tub.) I would much rather clean a shower once every six weeks or so (we squeegee after a shower) than have to clean the tub (bent over and on your knees) every single time it is used. Tubs use a lot of water vs the lo-flo shower heads. But, if you love tub baths and routinely use a tub to bathe, that's another story and you'll want to include it in the remodel. (If you're thinking a cast iron tub, the floor framing will probably need to be beefed up.) Not a huge deal since the ceiling below will likely be torn out anyway for the plbg. changes. The other thing I see as a problem is the door opening directly in front of the vanity. That is going to be a pain if this is a shared bath and someone else is standing in front of the vanity....See MoreMaster bath and closet remodel/reconfiguration - where to start?
Comments (4)Thank you Sophie. Here is a drawing of the area in question with measurements, as well as the floorplan for the entire floor and a (terrible) photo of the existing bathroom. FYI, the ceilings are 100". My wish list includes enlarging the master bath by a couple of feet (enough to get at least a 42" shower in there), reduce the master closet to a single door and deck it out with some built-in organization, then do whatever needs to be done to repair/reconfigure the linen and guest room closets. We are open to bumping the bathroom out into the guest bedroom a bit, but I know my husband would prefer to keep the existing footprint if possible. The house/neighborhood don't support super high-end finishes - I would be happy with IKEA quality in the closet and mid-range materials in the bath. I would love to get this done for $20-25K, but I certainly understand that might not be possible - the budget can be expanded. The other variable is the chimney - it is currently not in use and we are open to removing it, but I'm not sure the cost is worth the small gain in square footage (we have had estimates ranging from $5K to $20K to remove it)....See More
cd7733
3 years ago
PROMark Bischak, Architect
3 years ago
Lindsey_CA
3 years agoannamastro
3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago@cd7733 This is the old layout. We added a 30x30 addition to a Cape Cod.
@Lindsey_CA Yes, it is pretty big. We are a family of seven. We have a 9 foot table that opens to 12 feet. We didn’t want to have to scoot around it on holidays/parties when more people were in there. When we took down the wall between the old kitchen and the old dining room, we just ended up with a really big room but it works for us. We put two accent chairs and a table on the end near the window and the other end had built-ins.
@Mark Bischak, Architect Besides the dining room, which spaces do you think are too big? Our architect was going off of sizes that we told him we’d like to maintain in the rebuilt house. I definitely think the two bedrooms are too small and I don’t love the angled wall. Any ideas on how to get two bedrooms and a bath in there?- PRO
Mark Bischak, Architect
3 years ago 
Lisa T
3 years agopartim
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoannamastro
3 years ago
emilyam819