Sounds like a plan :).

You were talking about a laundry room in your post. Since you are moving the toilet beside the sink in the guest bathroom, I wonder if you like the idea to put a washer and dryer on the opposite wall with storage on top?

I thought about that but I wasn't sure if it was weird. What do you think?

I am not totally sure either. It depends on what you have to sacrifice in other areas of your house in order to get a laundry room.

If you could enclose the W/D in this area, it would work but I think it is too tight. So I suppose a large storage is better than a cramped laundry room.

Yeah, I think if I put the W/D in the half bath it will just feel like I had no where else to put them.

We've had to unexpectedly change some plans. This half bath you've been helping me with was going to be my laundry room when we first started this remodeling venture. My MIL is building a home on our property and city code says we have to connect through a conditioned space. So we're adding a breezeway and it's entering through the 1/2 bath in the image below. There goes my idea of the laundry room. :-(

For now, I'm just going to have our W/D where the hookups are located (labeled mudroom).

I see. Even though the laundry room is a bit far from the bedroom, it is in a good location away from the living space.

I am wondering though about the D/W and the double sink in your kitchen. You won't be able to open the D/W door when you stand at the sink.

I wanted the laundry room there because it was close to the bedrooms (short trip for hauling laundry baskets and putting clothes away) and the bathroom away from the hangout space. It's always weird to me going to the bathroom so close to where people are gathering.

Ah, that was one of the original layouts. Here is the final plan for the kitchen.

Totally off topic but would your MIL consider no door to that second bath from the great room? seems like a guest would be fine just going through that bedroom and I’d hate to loose that full wall in the GR….sorry to divert - you’re getting good advice from Suzanne.

@thinkdesignlive, I just checked my MIL latest updates and she's changed it so the bathroom access is from the guest room.

If it were me though, I'd flip the bathroom layout and have people enter through the hallway.

You can ask for extra insulation in the walls in the guest bathroom to help reduce the noise.

I've been thinking about the half bath and I don't like the idea of cramming the toilet and the sink on the same wall. I prefer to have a sink and linen tower. Thank you again for your ideas!

eta - I think I will go with a 36" sink and a bigger linen tower.

That would be my choice.

Great idea about the extra insulation, I'll mention that. I just picked out the counter tops this morning. Thank you again for your great ideas and your patience! I'll post photos here when it's done.

Yes, please keep us posted. It is always fun to see the progress.

I could not resist but to play with your MIL layout. It is not ideal because of the location of the laundry doors but I would be tempted to do something like below. The guest bedroom door is more private and overnight guests (or not) have access to a bathroom that is quite private.

I am not 100% sure of the measurements. The bathroom and laundry room could be a little less deeper (maybe 6'0").

You might want to consider to steal 4" from your guest bathroom to give more space between the toilet and the shower. This way, the next owner (if there will ever be) would have the opportunity to replace the shower for a 3'6" x 4'9" if they want to.

Again, I could not resist playing with layouts :)

If I were your MIL and could move the entry door by 2'4", I would definitively have this layout. Even if it means to steal 2'4" from the kitchen and great room. It gives:

- a bigger pantry

- a closet for guest when they come in

- a bathroom accessed from the hallway

- a bigger bathroom

- a private entry to the guest bedroom

- a larger closet in the guest bedroom

- a laundry room

@suzanne_m, I like it. Especially the bathroom being accessible from the hallway, that nice sized laundry room, and that pantry! Unfortunately, my mother-in-law has her own plans and hasn't really cared for the ideas others have offered.

We've submitted our final changes to our floor plans earlier this week. Renovating is more stressful than enjoyable for me. I'm so thankful for you and others on this site!

I never had to go though that experience. I also never heard of someone saying it is a breeze of air. Good luck and please post pictures when it is done. I am looking forward to it :).

I could not resist to bring another change even though that would not be done. I added a nook for the computer in the kitchen and a closet by the garage. I think this layout would have been a nice improvement.

I would have also made her bedroom 17'0" (or 16'6") x 12'6" and have a bigger bathroom and closet.

I can see this is fun for you! She would probably really like that computer nook.

BTW later on, if you see that you don't use the living room, you could transform it to a guest bedroom by adding some walls:

EDIT: I would put the guest bedroom door at the other end.

@suzanne_m,

So I have one last chance to make a suggestion to my mother in law about her guest bedroom, bath and laundry area. I'm pitching a modified version of what you last suggested. I'm mirror flipping the bedroom and bath/laundry. So when she comes in through the garage she doesn't have to walk through the living room to get to the kitchen with groceries. Also, by moving the bedroom, she has more living room wall space.

That's sounds like a good plan. You have some pros and I think it would be up to your mother-in-law (if she likes any of these 2 layouts) to decide the pros of each of them.

Pros with your proposed layout:

- A more direct walk to get the grocery in the kitchen

- A nice big wall in the great room

- A larger guest bedroom

Pros with my proposed layout:

- A bigger pantry

- A closet for guests when they come in

- A computer nook

I am glad to you get that chance to suggest changes to your MIL layout. I think either of our layouts would be a nice improvement.

BTW: There is the option that she steals maybe 8" from the great room as opposed to 28". The bathroom space in front of the vanity can be 3'0" (not 3'6") and the laundry room can be 5"0" (not 6'2") . That is if you go with your proposed layout. This should go on the pros list of your layout.

EDIT: I might put the W/D on the other wall since there will already be plumbing on that wall.

Let me know if you would like me to draw your layout with my software before you present it to your MIL.

One more thing I should mention though. It is about the bedroom being in the front of the house as oppose to the back You have less window and the view is different than if it was in the back.

@suzanne_m, great idea about the W/D on the other wall.

I'm not sure I understand what you're saying about stealing 8" from the great room.

@suzanne_m, she is planning for 2 separate windows on the courtyard wall of the bedroom. That side of the house will get morning sun. The view will be of the courtyard as opposed to the side yard and neighbors house. Maybe not so ideal? I will have to make that courtyard a pretty garden. :-)

Tell me: is the court yard the front of the house or it is at the back where the kitchen is? I can draw you your proposed layout stealing 8' (as opposed to 28), if you would like to see it.

Hope this helps clarify things. Oh it looks blurry. Need to me send a sharper image?

FWIW, she doesn't actually want a door to the laundry room. She wants it opened to that hallway and garage entry. We were going to move the window in the laundry room to the side but if we put it where you suggest it could stay facing the front (street). Does it matter?

Now that I see that there is a door between the pantry and the bathroom, you need to keep the bedroom 12'0" wide (same as the bathroom + laundry combined).

Note that my software draws walls 4" thick but it reality a wall is 4.5" thick. This should be considered when your contractor make the final plans.

All doors are 2'6" wide except the bathroom door which is 2'0" wide.

Thank you @suzanne_m for this. It will be so helpful for her to see it like this. I like this so much better than her original idea.

You are welcome. Note that the W/D should be on the East wall. You would not have enough space to move freely if you place them on the wall shared by the bathroom. Also, don't make the laundry less than 4'8" wide, you need a little room to wiggle the appliances when they need service.

Oops, I made a mistake, the hallway is 12'4, not 12'8".

Ok. I realized that I also forgot to change the dimensions of the bathroom. Here is take II. I think the measurements are all ok now.

I will show this to her in the morning. I think this is great. It will be interesting to me to see if she would prefer to take some of the bedroom for a bigger laundry room/storage.

Thank you again!!

I noticed that in your drawing you have the sink, toilet and tub all on the same wall. You don't have space for all of this with a 6'6" deep bathroom. The very minimum you would need is 7'0" (24" vanity + 30" toilet + 30" tub). If your MIL chooses this option, she can make the bathroom 7'0"x 5'6" and have a larger laundry room. But this gives me an idea. I will post something in about 10 minutes or so.

Depending where she wants the space, this is another option:

- The bathroom has less floor space but there is more storage.

- The laundry room is bigger

- The hallway is 6"narrower. She could keep it at 4'0" if she decides to make the bedroom 6" smaller. That would be my choice since 6" in a hallway makes a bigger difference in spaciousness than 6" in the bedroom. Plus she will walk in the hallway every day while guests are just occasional.

@suzanne_m, I think she would probably prefer the bathroom set up like I had in my drawing just because that's what she's familiar with and I'm learning that the things she likes are the things she has in her current home. I'm more than happy to show her your drawing and see if she likes it but I have a feeling she will want more space in the laundry room.

Sounds good. Let me know what is her final decision.

Oh I think she will like that storage in the bathroom. Do you know if the hallway you have in the latest drawing is ADA compliant? Oh wait, are you saying you would keep it at 4'? I feel like that bedroom is ample spacious and if it's a little smaller, would still be a great size for a guest room. I'm going to send her these and see what she thinks. She has to make final decisions tomorrow, ideally.

Thank you again @suzanne_m!

@suzanne_m, she likes the last idea best but wants to shave off the 1'3" from the bathroom ( i thought she'd like that cabinet storage) and add it to the laundry area. If we do that, can she have her washer and dryer on that bathroom wall and have enough room for shelving in there?

If the 1'3" is given to the laundry room, it will make it 6'8" x 7'0". I measured my appliances and with the doors opened, they measure 4'0". That leaves only 2'8" to circulate and shelves. I don't think that works.

@suzanne_m, ok good to know. This is what she's sending to the contractor this morning. She doesn't want a door to the laundry area. Thanks again for your help. I look forward to when I can show you the final results.

Honestly, I look at the layout I drew yesterday. The cabinet is nice for extra storage but I should have kept some of that space for more counter. With a 24" vanity, guests can pretty much just put a tooth brush and toothpaste. Where at the other stuff go: On the toilet seat? On the floor? some little shelves above the toilet would help (but personally I don't like that (I am always afraid that will drop (either in the toilet or on the floor very close to the toilet).

Again this is your MIL house, she certainly can have any size of the bathroom she wants but 7'0" is the minimum required to be to code. She could check with her contractor.

@suzanne_m, when she told me the smaller bathroom was her preference, I asked her about that 24" vanity. She said she has the same size (and setup) in her upstairs (kids) bathroom and it's fine. Yeah, she's planning to have a 5X7 bathroom.

In case you have a question, I just want to tell you that I am leaving for camping with my daughter for the weekend. I have not done that in 25 years. That should be interesting. I am back late afternoon on Sunday.

You are so kind! I hope you're going somewhere with cool temperatures! Have a wonderful time!

There was a forecast of rain on the camping site on Saturday night. We decided to come back earlier so we would not have to pack in the wet the next morning. I had a great time even though we were there only 24 hours.

I guesstimated that the bedroom, walkway, closet and laundry room combined are 12'0" x 27'6". I hope these measurements are close.

Glad you had a nice time, sorry it was cut short.

I shared your two layouts with my mother in law. This is what she ended up sharing with the contractor. She isn't accounting for the wall depths. She is giving herself a lot more space in that laundry area than she really has.