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andydad123

Help designing a narrow laundry room

andydad123
12 years ago

We are renovating our rather narrow laundry room. I have looked at lots of laundry room pics on Houzz etc and would love to have something functional. The current thinking is to have a layout like this:

Layout

I am thinking base cabinets under the counter, wall cabinets over the washer/ dryer and part of the counter, overhead drying rack over the sink and a little bit of counter between the washer and the sink (not shown in the pic). Really appreciate suggestions/advice. TIA!

Comments (6)

  • mara_2008
    12 years ago

    I too have a long narrow laundry room. Personally, I would not want the w/d where they are on your diagram because of the door's location. I would want the sink to the left of the washer, the w/d to its right, then the counter, cabinets under it, and a hanging rod/shelf above it. Unless the door is a pocket door, I would not want the w/d anywhere near it. JMHO

  • andydad123
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Mara_2008, that's an option too. Just that it leaves me with even less counter space (w/d stick out more than sink).

    I like how a corner sink looks, but not sure how much of my counter space I will have to compromise on.

  • silvercanadian
    12 years ago

    My laundry room is pretty much the same dimensions as yours, but a couple inches shallower. Mine is 5'6" x 9'6" (dimensions with finished walls). My door is in the exact same spot as yours.

    A couple things come to my attention with the layout you have drawn up:
    1. as mara said, the washer and/or dryer next to the wall by the door. You won't be able to open the door of the appliance on the left all the way open. It will have to be at a 90ish degree angle all the time, and you'll have to make sure close it each time you want to get out. I've currently got some plastic bins in my way (still organizing the house so these are temporarily holding laundry) and I can only open my door that far else they hit the bins. Opening and closing the door of the washer all the time to get by is getting old and I can't wait to get the bins out of my way.
    2. will the countertop in the far right corner even be accessible? You've got the sink to the left of that which will block your access. You might be able to store some things on the counter, but you'll always be reaching awkwardly for them and you won't be able to use that space for folding because you can't stand in front of it.

    I've got a pic of my layout that I'll post for you. I'll also take some pics of it in real now that it's done. And not saying that my layout is the one you should go with, but I know I was super hesitant about it prior to it being implemented and now that I've been using it for several months, I love it and can't believe I wasted time worrying about it. I've still got a couple organizational tweaks to do, some things inside my cabinet and some hanging laundry bags, but other than that, it's working out nicely for me. Off to take some pics and I'll be back with them in the next post.

  • silvercanadian
    12 years ago

    Here are some pics. Let me know if you want any more. Hard to get a good overview of the room due to how narrow it is. :) The room has 9' ceilings.

    Layout from cabinet maker:
    {{!gwi}}

    From door:
    {{!gwi}}

    From inside room to get a better view of lower cabinet:
    {{!gwi}}

    The organizational changes I am making are to add 3 pull out wire baskets inside the lower left cabinet. The cabinet is deep so it's hard to reach the back with just shelves. And then on the wall opposite the washer/dryer will be multiple hanging laundry bags for dirty laundry. There just isn't enough width for bins on the floor IMO and I like all the dirty laundry in one room rather than in everyone's rooms. Still looking for decent hanging bags though; it's been my biggest challenge!

    I'll also be adding a towel bar for a hand towel behind the sink and another towel bar to hang wet rags/dish cloths, etc. for when they are ready for the wash but aren't yet dry (and I hate wet things in my laundry baskets/bags).

    At the beginning I was thinking I wanted pedestals so would have to move my hanging space. I opted not to and I love having the hangings space above the machines. We have lots of things that come of the washer and get hung or only get dried until damp and hanging them up right above me has been super easy. Much easier than hanging racks/bars that I used at our last place. I may get one small pull out hanging rack for lingerie, although hanging them over the pant part of the hanger hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be.

    And one of the best things we did is to add a motion sensor light to that room. Love that I can collect all the towels from the bathrooms and come in with a huge load in my hand and not have to fiddle with a light switch!

  • kcmomof3
    12 years ago

    My laundry room is very similar...however, the door comes in from the long wall. The one thing I thought of is where will your dryer vent?

  • PlumbingGuru
    12 years ago

    There will be a number of plumbing issues to be taken into account when designing your narrow laundry.
    Some things to think about can be found at http://plumbingblogger.com/plumbing-fixtures/washing-machine/washing-machine-plumbing

    Here is a link that might be useful: Plumbing Blogger