Turn my kitchen into a laundry room/mud room.

last month

Our kitchen is just not functional. It’s very small and we live in the north east. Therefore, we have shoes for all seasons, which means that in the month of October November, even March April we could wear anything from flip-flops to boots . I imagine a glass door situation going into it so that we still get the sunlight coming through. Lmk where you’d place the washer dryer sink. We’d preferably keep windows to reduce the cost.

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Jes M
Original Author
last month
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tfitz1006
last month
I think we need more info. Where is the new kitchen going? Where the DR is?
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Laundry room or mud room?
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Comments (10)
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.
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Laundry room/mud room layout advice
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Comments (4)
I like Rococogurls suggestions. There could be an island in the center for crafts, sewing, etc. too. Though, that may not suit your needs. The kitchen though, have you considered having the kitchen forum look at your plan. There are some real experts over there. The reason, is that I see some things that look like they might need rearranging for more efficiency. I am not a kitchen layout expert, but over on the kitchen forum there are experts, and very kind and helpful experts. For instance the location of the stove, between the sink and the frig, is possibly awkward. Back to the laundry room. You'll need room to store supplies, and more. You will need hanging space to dry items. You'll need a counter for folding. You'll need easy access for the dryer vent to clean periodically. You'll need access to quick shut off of water in case of leaks, or when leaving for vacation. Any cabinetry at the machine area, needs to allow for machine maintenance and pulling out the units for repairs. It looks like your current plan locates the set against an interior wall. How will the dryer be vented? It would be better to locate the dryer against an exterior wall for the shorted ducting you can get. Dryer vent spec installation varies between brands. The manual will spec length of run that is desired. If it is too long of a run, then an inline exhaust dryer fan is recommended, I believe. When there is a 90degree bend, that = 5' of your allowed run. So you can't put in very many elbows before you use up all your length. My machine is 8' away from my exterior wall over the basement, where the duct runs between the joist. Because of all the bends to get it 4' down into the floor, then out the exterior wall 8' away, I used up 33' feet in the equation. The vent on the outside of the wall = 10' of ducting I believe. I could be off on some of these numbers, but it needs to be considered when locating a dryer. Depending on your exterior, you could put them under the window in the upper right 45 degree angled wall. But you don't want the dryer vented onto a gathering area, like a patio, cause lint will blow out. It's best to have the front loaders against a load bearing wall too. When machines are placed on joist flooring system, they need to be near the end of the joist. Otherwise there is tendency to bounce the floor. Unless you are on a slab of concrete, that is ideal, and the machines can go anywhere. The machines need to be able to be absolutely level once installed.
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laundry room/mud room wall layout
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Comments (14)
We put brown paper where the washer and dryer are going. My husband is going to build pedestals for them to sit on which will make the tops of them be about 50” up from floor. Any ideas on the pedestal and can shelves go above the units and beside them? The empty space shown on left will be 18” wide. Does it matter if units are white or gray?
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Comments (7)
We have a washer and dryer nook similar to yours, but ours is in the powder room. When we bought the house, there were bifold closet doors hiding the washer/dryer, which looked great. However, the doors were solid, not louvered, which was against code for our gas dryer, so we removed the doors. We could have put in louvered doors, but a subsequent remodeling project added ductwork so that the bifold doors no longer would have clearance to open enough. Long story short, I am considering using metal miniblinds or some sort of shade or curtains made of fire-resistant fabric instead. Something like this:
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Jes M
Original Author
last month
I created a new post for that 😄
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Jes M
Original Author
last month
https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/6475249/turn-my-living-room-into-a-kitchen
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Jes M
Original Author
last month
Dining room will stay as is. So the kitchen will be across from it.
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Jes M
Original Author
last month
See pics in the link
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Jes M
Original Author
last month
In this room- we literally don’t use this room. I moved the tv out of it into the den.
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Patricia Colwell Consulting
last month
This is what many of us consider a duplicate post . You are already asking how to do this and you have no idea how to even begin to switch spaces . I will say after seeing the RD that is how you enlarge the kitchen and get a mud room then use the den for a DR and the LR swapped with the den.
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cat_ky
last month
I just read your other post, and I totally agree with others, moving the kitchen to the front of the house is not a good idea. If you need a bigger kitchen, then I would add the dining room space to the kitchen you already have. However, that said, your kitchen looks like it has plenty of space already. I would leave things like they are and just give the kitchen a minor refresh.
la_la Girl
last month
last modified: last month
I would be tempted to move the garage entrance to the end of the dining room - create a mudroom space on that side - (you could create a short wall to help hide the mess) then move the dining table closer to the kitchen. I don’t think the space is that small, it’s just poorly configured (an entrance door right in the middle is a killer)
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Jes M
Original Author
last month
It’s really poorly configured! Unfortunately the dining room expands past the garage by 3 feet so the door would be slack in the middle of the table. And we put a beam in where the wall separating the dining and kitchen was. It’s a tight space.
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BPMBA
last month
Sorry, but it's an ambitious project and I think you need a local architect, not a crowd source, for this. We'll all be happy to dissect the architectural plans once they've been drawn. :-)
Jes M
Original Author
last month
Thanks
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cat_ky
last month
I might add, that this is going to cost quite a lot of money, even if your husband can diy a lot of it. Some things, need a licensed plumber and a licensed electrician, and permits and inspections, to make sure it is all done to current codes. Everything you move, has to comply with current codes. Unmoved things, are grandfathered in, unless, they are really a dangerous hazard. You will need all new cabinets, whether you renovate or move it, but, you wont have the expense of new windows, if you leave it like it is, and you will also avoid, having the front of your house look wrong, when you change windows for a kitchen. I agree, it isnt a functional kitchen like it is, but, with some thought, it could be. I also think, a mud room in the garage would be a good idea, if you must have one. You could have your laundry there too.
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jehanne hansen
last month
If yuou blend the kitchen area into that dining area and maintain a casual tone that will also allow for some space for the off load of shoes. you will have a nice area. As is there seem to be many lost and lose ends, such a the counterotp that extends awkwardly across part of the window. Maybe think more about if just rearranging the kitchen and blending it a bit but not moving it.

The door is not very attractive and maybe some nicer carpentry and new door would be a asset. Allow for the door to be opened all the way and why have a screen door there?

You dont need to move your entire kitchen, but it sure could use some rearranging and probalby more of the kinds of things that your hubs could handle as DIY.

That is not a small kitchen. It is an awkward arrangemet. Blend in that large space into one is my advice.

I can only imagine the time and disruption and huge expense that would be involved in moving the kitchen. It might be easier to sell and buy than to do all that.
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la_la Girl
last month
I mentioned this on the other thread but I’d be tempted to move the garage entrance to the back sink wall and create a mudroom entry there, the add laundry on the back side of the powder room - use the rest of the space for kitchen and dining, with a table at the front of the house in front of the large window (could the table be rotated the other way to allow for kitchen space?)

Turn my kitchen into a laundry room/mud room.

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Jes M
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Turn my kitchen into a laundry room/mud room.

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