Today very few of our clients want to have a laundry in the basement. As such we place them on either the first floor or the second floor in most of the homes we design. Some codes do not allow for laundries in the basement.
LAUNDRY ROOM DOOR
Be sure that any entry door into your laundry area is at least a 2’-8” door. If there is enough room make it a 3’-0” door. This will make it a lot easier to get not only a washer and dryer into the room, but will also make it easier carrying laundry in and out.
LAUNDRY EXTERIOR DOOR
If you do have a laundry on the first floor, you may want to consider putting in a door to the outside which make it great for that old fashioned way of drying your cloths outside, if you wish.
LAUNDRY ROOM SHELVING
If you a have standard size side-by-side washer and dryer you can easily have a couple of shelves installed above them, without hindering their operation.
LAUNDRY ROOM LEAK PROTECTION
Putting the laundry on the first or second floor poses a simple problem. If the washer leaks, it can make a serious mess. First of all, make sure you purchase “stainless steel water hoses. The rubber hoses will fail. Our son built a new home and 6 months after moving in, a rubber hose on his washer burst and completely ruined his garage ceilings and walls, and caused over 6,000 dollars in damage.
Second, have a plastic leak pan installed under the washing machine. These should have have a drain tube installed. These two items cost pennies when compared to the alternative. The drain from the pan can be run during construction to the basement where it can empty into a large enough bucket or medium size trash container.
LAUNDRY ROOM DRYER VENTS
Dryer vent ducting should be aluminum or galvanized metal, not the plastic expandable type. The plastic type can burn if overheated. Dryer vents should also be checked at least once a year for lint.
LAUNDRY ROOM IRONING BOARD
If your new home has a comfortably sized laundry room, consider having a wall hung retractable ironing board installed.
