Reader Laundry Room: A Laundry Closet for $11,400 in California
Their washer and dryer were in the garage, which was less than convenient. Then they devised a creative solution
Erin Carlyle
December 18, 2016
Former Houzz Editorial Staff. Writing about the cost of renovation and what it takes to remodel. Former Forbes real estate reporter. Fascinated by cool homes, watching the bottom line.
Former Houzz Editorial Staff. Writing about the cost of renovation and what it takes... More
This series profiles laundry room renovations shared by homeowners on Houzz.
The price tag for laundry room renovations can range from a few hundred dollars to several thousand depending what is done. To see how Houzz readers are improving their laundry rooms, we asked Houzzers to share their renovation stories and costs. Today we visit a 28-square-foot laundry closet in Napa Valley that cost $11,400 to create.
The price tag for laundry room renovations can range from a few hundred dollars to several thousand depending what is done. To see how Houzz readers are improving their laundry rooms, we asked Houzzers to share their renovation stories and costs. Today we visit a 28-square-foot laundry closet in Napa Valley that cost $11,400 to create.
Laundry Room at a Glance
Who lives here: Sara Chrisman Bjerkan and Leif Bjerkan
Location: Napa Valley, California
Size: 28 square feet (2.6 square meters)
Total cost: $11,383
Construction time: One month
Who lives here: Sara Chrisman Bjerkan and Leif Bjerkan
Location: Napa Valley, California
Size: 28 square feet (2.6 square meters)
Total cost: $11,383
Construction time: One month
Before Photo
BEFORE: Before they remodeled, Sara and Leif Bjerkan’s laundry room was located in their unfinished garage, “which is dark, can be dirty and is very cold during winter,” Sara Bjerkan says. “The inconvenient location meant we hated doing laundry, and I knew it was something that needed to change long term.” But there wasn’t space inside the house for a laundry room.
Since the washing machine was just on the other side of the wall shared by the dining room and garage, Bjerkan had the brainstorm to cut that wall out and build a room within the garage that would be accessible from within the house — a laundry closet, so to speak.
Since the washing machine was just on the other side of the wall shared by the dining room and garage, Bjerkan had the brainstorm to cut that wall out and build a room within the garage that would be accessible from within the house — a laundry closet, so to speak.
AFTER: Bjerkan created the design for the laundry closet herself, with her contractor providing a second set of eyes on the concept and Bjerkan’s measurements. Here is the new laundry space, as seen from the inside of the dining room. The louvered doors provide ventilation. Bjerkan also considered working around a cabinet that she had inherited from her great-grandmother, shown in this photo.
Here is the rest of the room. Note the antique cabinet on the right side of the photo.
To create this new laundry closet, the Bjerkans’ contractor upgraded the plumbing for the washing machine and moved the water heater out of the way.
The flooring is a vinyl meant to look like walnut, which is a close match to the bamboo floors throughout the rest of the house. The Bjerkans chose vinyl as a practical matter for a laundry room, in case of any water leaks.
Bjerkan wanted to use wallpaper in her new laundry space and fell in love with Dark Floral by Ellie Cashman. But that paper was beyond her price point. She compromised by finding something more affordable that she could install herself — scoring the paper for half off on Amazon.
Lessons learned: “I underestimated the amount of preparation needed for installing wallpaper and naively thought it would just be an easy DIY job,” Bjerkan says. She says she should have started researching in advance rather than simply watching YouTube videos the night she started the project. “Ultimately, my DIY job isn’t perfect, but it turned out good enough for a laundry closet, and I’m happy I was able to get it done myself while saving money.”
The flooring is a vinyl meant to look like walnut, which is a close match to the bamboo floors throughout the rest of the house. The Bjerkans chose vinyl as a practical matter for a laundry room, in case of any water leaks.
Bjerkan wanted to use wallpaper in her new laundry space and fell in love with Dark Floral by Ellie Cashman. But that paper was beyond her price point. She compromised by finding something more affordable that she could install herself — scoring the paper for half off on Amazon.
Lessons learned: “I underestimated the amount of preparation needed for installing wallpaper and naively thought it would just be an easy DIY job,” Bjerkan says. She says she should have started researching in advance rather than simply watching YouTube videos the night she started the project. “Ultimately, my DIY job isn’t perfect, but it turned out good enough for a laundry closet, and I’m happy I was able to get it done myself while saving money.”
The wooden shelf is a beech butcher block from Ikea cut to size to fit the space. Visible at the top of the photo are two LED can lights that provide illumination. On the right side of the photo are two hooks for hanging drying clothes. Bjerkan placed a silver tray on the countertop so that her husband can empty everything from his pockets before throwing his clothes into the wash.
“Uh-oh” moment: “We initially thought the laundry closet floor would be the same level as the rest of the dining room, but as the project progressed, our contractor determined that the floors were not the same height and the laundry closet floor would actually be about 4 inches higher than the dining room floor,” Bjerkan says. As a result, they had to adjust the design of their doors and create a trim around the closet and doors to imitate built-in cabinetry. Bjerkan felt strongly that the laundry closet should look as though it had always been there, and adding this detailing helped immensely.
Shelves: Ikea; clothes hanging hooks: Home Depot; storage baskets, silver tray: Home Goods
“Uh-oh” moment: “We initially thought the laundry closet floor would be the same level as the rest of the dining room, but as the project progressed, our contractor determined that the floors were not the same height and the laundry closet floor would actually be about 4 inches higher than the dining room floor,” Bjerkan says. As a result, they had to adjust the design of their doors and create a trim around the closet and doors to imitate built-in cabinetry. Bjerkan felt strongly that the laundry closet should look as though it had always been there, and adding this detailing helped immensely.
Shelves: Ikea; clothes hanging hooks: Home Depot; storage baskets, silver tray: Home Goods
Style muse: “My main inspiration came from blogger Sarah Sherman Samuel’s laundry room remodel,” Bjerkan says. “I loved the Ellie Cashman wallpaper and the light wood countertop.”
Walls moved: Yes
Plumbing moved: Yes
Plumbing replaced: Yes
Professionals hired: Rob Holt, general contractor
Special features: Louvered closet doors
Splurges: The project itself!
Savings: Wallpaper purchased at half price
Cost breakdown
Countertop: $150 for beech butcher block countertop
Lighting: About $220 for plug-in light from PB Teen for the dining room and two LED can lights for the laundry closet
Accessories and decor: About $290, including $90 for two rolls of wallpaper and $200 for three white shelves, two wall hooks, two storage baskets, a trash basket and a silver tray
Flooring: $150 for vinyl flooring
Plumbing: $5,100
Windows and doors: $303 for closet doors and hardware
Labor: $5,170 for general contractor
Total: $11,383
More Reader Laundry Rooms: A Better Way In for $4,100 | Open to the Light for $1,400 | An Updated Look for $800 | More Storage for $900 | Building Her Own Shelves for $115
Houzz Guide: How to Remodel the Laundry Room
Walls moved: Yes
Plumbing moved: Yes
Plumbing replaced: Yes
Professionals hired: Rob Holt, general contractor
Special features: Louvered closet doors
Splurges: The project itself!
Savings: Wallpaper purchased at half price
Cost breakdown
Countertop: $150 for beech butcher block countertop
Lighting: About $220 for plug-in light from PB Teen for the dining room and two LED can lights for the laundry closet
Accessories and decor: About $290, including $90 for two rolls of wallpaper and $200 for three white shelves, two wall hooks, two storage baskets, a trash basket and a silver tray
Flooring: $150 for vinyl flooring
Plumbing: $5,100
Windows and doors: $303 for closet doors and hardware
Labor: $5,170 for general contractor
Total: $11,383
More Reader Laundry Rooms: A Better Way In for $4,100 | Open to the Light for $1,400 | An Updated Look for $800 | More Storage for $900 | Building Her Own Shelves for $115
Houzz Guide: How to Remodel the Laundry Room
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Love the wallpaper. I'll have to show more appreciation for my laundry closet now knowing it could run over $10k to add 1, that is very surprising to me.