Preferred Laundry Room Location: Main Floor or Basement?

[daveamkrayoguy]

Which is most practical? Do you have a large slab of real-estate that you can save yourself climbing stairs, or is your basement the best place for your washer & dryer, regardless? (And, plus you get the exercise!)

 

 

-- Dave

 

[chachp]

Close to the Bedrooms

<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva;">My preference is as close to the bedrooms as you can get given those rooms generate the majority of the laundry.  This house has a utility room off of the kitchen so that's where I do the laundry these days.  I'm not opposed to the basement if I had one but it just seems more logical to me closer to the bedrooms.</span>

 

<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva;">My house is built on a slab so it would be a big deal to move them.  I could get close to one of the bathrooms for plumbing but the quote I got was about $5K to dig into the concrete and add the plumbing so I can live with it where they are.</span>

 

[wayupnorth]

I have a rather large bathroom and for me, having the laundry where you generate the most items needing to be washed is more convenient for my needs.

 

[gusherb]

The laundry is in a closet off of the kitchen here and that's pretty convenient. I would prefer a full laundry room with a utility sink and all and to do that in this house would involve taking over one of the downstairs bedrooms that's off of the family room (a junk room now) which would be perfect as a laundry room. Doing it wouldn't be the hardest either as all the necessary utilities run right beneath the room (gas, water, sewer).

Having the laundry in the basement would be a giant PITA for me.

 

[petek]

The houses I grew up in were either one floor with basement laundry (and a chute) or the typical 4 level split with the laundry room on the ground floor next to the garage and family room.  Our current house is a 4 level split like that..  I'm getting tired of the stairs.. 20/20 hindsight I should have known better

 

Our first house in Calgary was a two story with the laundry in the basement.  A long trek  because the first flight of stairs landed at the front foyer and then you had to circle around down the hall to the basement stairway, then trek across the rek room to the laundry at the back of the house.  Would have been much better with the laundry on the top floor, which most new houses have or at least off the kitchen.

 

[kb0nes]

My preference would be to have the laundry on a concrete floor with a floor drain. The solidity of concrete and the protection from disaster is my reasoning. If that happened to be next to the bedrooms that would be very handy. If not stairs are required.

Perhaps in 15-20 years I may sing a different tune. But for now I personally wouldn't place laundry on a framed floor if I could avoid it.

 

[warmsecondrinse]

I prefer the basement in case of disaster as well. However, as I'll likely be working (at least part-time) well past retirement age I'd prefer to save my energy for work & play, not household chores So given a choice I'd like my laundry room/closet somewhere between the kitchen and bedrooms.

Jim

 

[passatdoc]

In mild-winter climates, there is another option: the garage. It may get cold (40F/5C) in the garage, but it doesn't freeze inside. Garage offers several advantages: no height/depth constraints, unless overhead cabinets have been installed; noise not an issue; heat stays out of house in summer; if flooding occurs, it is confined to garage which normally is 6 inches/15 cm below house floor level {newer garage slabs are sloped toward street so water flows to outside}. About the only negative is that it's likely a longer trip to the bedrooms and bathrooms. Tolerable in a single story design but possibly not in a two story home. True basements are rare in California. A basement elsewhere offers most of the benefits of a garage location, though Californians don't have to deal with basement steps with a garage laundry.

 

[imperial70]

as I get older and the knees are not working as good as they should, I prefer everything on one floor.  I have a ranch home with a finished basement and basement laundry room. However, my plan is to move the laundry into one of the spare bedrooms or into the kitchen.  I was looking at the compact electrolux laundry if I do that.

 

[countryguy]

I have a raised bungalow and the laundry is in the basement on one end while the bedrooms are on the main floor at the opposite end. I would prefer to have a laundry room on the main floor next to the bedrooms.

Gary

 

[logixx]

We have a shared laundry room in the basement. It's ugly, dirty and cold. But... at least the well water is free so I can use as much as I want (although it's cold as f__) and the condenser dryer benefits from the cold ambient air and won't overheat our living space in the summer. There's also no noise.

Still, I'd love to have one of these American laundry rooms that you see in the magazines. Since our houses here are made of concrete and washers have anti-flood devices built-in, it doesn't matter on which floor you put the LR.

I like this idea as well: w/d as part of the closet.

 

[washman]

My abode

is slab-on-grade thus the utility room is right off the kitchen, on my way to the garage. About as far away from the bedrooms as one can get, but at least I am not climbing stairs as I did at the condo.

 

[abcomatic]

Basement here. I don't have room for the washer and dryer in the kitchen.

 

[delaneymeegan]

sure the most practical thing would be to have one's front loaders in their walk in closet...... but where's the fun in that?

And I've built a house with two laundry areas: one in the upstairs master closet and another laundry room on the main floor. Blahh.

The most fun was adding faucets to the basement utility sink and setting up a third laundry area in the unfinished portion of the basement.

The most desirable: a traditional Midwestern, 1960s basement laundry room complete with painted cinder block (preferably a 60s pastel.) slightly sloped cement floor that may be painted or tiled, some paneling (either painted over or bare), exposed utility lines, a nice laundry sink for use with a very necessary sud-saver, porcelain socket lighting, surface mounted 1960s electrical, a floor drain for the inevitable leak, cotton print curtain custom fitted to the small windows, possibly a couple lines of rope clothes lines hanging precariously.

And the furnishings: an old dishwasher, refrig, and stove, all connected and working, a kitchen table, an air drying rack for my delicate items, a metal kitchen cabinet or two to sit next to the machines and hold detergents and scrub brushes, a couple of wall shelves that are nothing more than a 1 by 12 piece of actual wood with metal brackets, some old wood accent tables in rough shape, old fuzzy bathroom rugs on the floor, a wood framed laundry chute hanging from the ceiling....
Oh, and a pink rotary dial wall phone, in case the radio station calls to let me know I'm a winner of the daily prize.

 

[launderess]

Depends on what sort of basement we are talking about.

A fully finished job that is dry and well ventilated in summer/heated in winter is fine for doing laundry. My parents along with countless other family and friends homes all had finished basements complete with second kitchens and "living rooms". Used to stay down there all afternoon with the TV on doing wash and ironing.

Where this isn't possible am happy with laundry appliances on the main floor. Only place one truly objects to is bathrooms. Having spent much time in Europe it still puts one off to see a washer and or dryer in the loo.

 

[yogitunes]

Preferred......Master Bedroom Closet or Bath.....

although would love for it to be in the kitchen....this is where I spend the most time, and can monitor all things at once.....

right now its located in the hall bath at one end of the house, not much of an issue for living alone, or with a partner......toss in guests or kids, and that bathroom sees so much traffic while trying to get to the laundry.....thankful for full laundry room in the basement as well, at this point, its an escape, especially on holidays....

the only bad thing for a dryer in the living quarters, is its blowing out all that conditioned air.....like leaving a window wide open when it is in use...unless its in a location that can be closed off, and a small window opened to exchange air...

 

[frigilux]

delaneymeegan-- God, that basement photo is SO Minnesota. Absolutely spot-on. Also: My nephew and his wife have an LG set in the walk-in closet of their master bedroom in Bloomington.

I appreciate a washer and dryer on concrete, as does Phil L. However, my knees would vote main floor, damage and vibrations be damned.

 

[murando531]

Our house is one level with a concrete foundation, and the laundry room is in the hallway leading to the guest bedroom and office. It's away from the living room and kitchen area enough that with the door pulled-to there's no noise disturbance, but it's also smack in the middle of the house for the most part, so I can still enjoy hearing my machines when I want to. I've loved not having any vibration at all from the washer because of the solid tile-on-foundation floor.

Not sure I ever want laundry in the basement or garage. I like having it on the main floor so long as the floor is plenty reinforced. In the house I grew up in, our washer was in the corner of the kitchen, and the dryer was on the "back porch" as we called it, but it was an enclosed sun room of sorts. No insulation at all, so wearing shoes and a sweat shirt or jacket was required when taking the clothes from the washer or folding. That kind of ruined any non-indoor installation for me. The floor under the washer was also not in good shape with the age of the house, so the washer had to be set just so that it would shake when spinning but not enough to walk.

 

[sudsmaster]

Like most California homes, this one has no basement. But having been built in 1941, it does have a crawl space that I've become quite familiar with.

 

Current laundry closet is in a hall area between the kitchen and family room. Since the home is single story, that's fairly centrally located. The laundry hampers are kept in a large master bath, and it's really not an issue shlepping them the 35 feet or so to the laundry area. The laundry closet hosts the Neptune 7500 pair.

 

I also have a washer collection on a slab in a detached workshop on the property. Currently only two Miele washers are hooked up out there, and generally I only use one of them, for whites once a week.

 

Water from the washer in the house hasn't been an issue, other than a slow drip from leaky hoses and/or wall faucets. Plus the flooring underneath the washer is sheet vinyl so it tends to limit the water penetration, if any, into the framing.

 

I actually would like to have a home with a basement. And I'd probably put some washer/dryers down there.

 

[petek]

Geeze that basement picture could have been my moms house.. her walls were a pastel yellow and the floor was painted a light blue. The cement laundry tubs were under the window though.  Her gas stove was in the room next, an original summer kitchen.. the previous owner builder was Polish and around here most Polish people had a basement kitchen. 

 

[dartman]

I'd like basement if I had one like said in case of disaster. Old rental when we moved went to move the washer and the floor was dry rotted and there was a big hole the mice had been working on. They would come in when the seasons changed and we'd battle them. It had laundry in the bathroom which was pretty good except for the damage from leaks and mice.
New place has a laundry nook in the kitchen by the kitchen outside door we use as the main door. Would prefer it in its own room or the bathroom but that's how they do most manufactured homes.
Moms has a separate laundry area kinda separated from the kitchen with a half wall and no door. Old washer was so loud it was hard to watch TV or listen to music, new HE top loader is very quiet so that helps.
I don't think there is room to make a dedicated laundry room or put it in the master bath but may look at it someday if we decide to change things around.
I think every house should have a dedicated laundry room or closet you can close off at least for noise and clutter but many builders don't care and just put the plumbing where ever works for them.

 

[stan]

I'm

In a old house...so it basement laundry. There's a couple of windows down there, so it's not too dark. Also a laundry sink ect.
I'm so use to NOT having what most would consider "modern conveniences" that I don't miss anything.
I'll keep hauling laundry down there..I really don't mind.

 

[alr2903]

Many 60's and 70's houses built here have the washer in the kitchen and dryer in a storage area at the back of the carport. The most awful installation ever. Makes me wonder if the last of the w/d combo's were in the kitchen when new. Mine are in a "basement". slightly below grade in back and walk out in front. If we are still here in 15- 20 years it will be a problem. There is heat down there but no a/c so it works well in summertime.

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

Super Duper Laundry Room vs. Cavern of Drudgery

I'm satisfied w/ my basement laundry room although it's under the bedrooms of the house & the staircase to get to the basement & then travel to it is way over on the other side of the house by the kitchen... (Then a long hike to get from there to my washer & dryer and then, way back!)

 

One thing I rarely see in basements is the Finished Laundry Room--other than that I've got a bunch of Kitchen/Bathroom/Laundry Room/Utility Room--just in short, Home Remodeling Books, that I see a number of them in, and much of them very breathtaking...

 

Surely main-floor laundries I've seen in real life are at least finished, although compared to in the remodeling books I have, (maybe owing a lot to the eras they were published) lack a bit of creativity...

 

 

-- Dave

[this post was last edited: 1/19/2016-06:48]

 

[retro-man]

Off the master bedroom we have a hallway going to the master bath. In that hallway we have 2 open walk in closets. One on either side. These are used mainly for winter clothes. We have 2 other closets in the bedroom for all other clothes. Of course my closet is the one that got the WP Duets stacked. It is on the outside wall. My feeling is this is where most clothes and towels end up, so I figured this would be the best place for the laundry. Such saves a lot of steps folding and putting items away. Out of the dryer on the bed folded and put away. Close enough to the kitchen to hear the end of cycle chimes and nothing better to fall asleep to hearing them running.

Jon

 

[turquoisedude]

I guess I've lived with (and still live with!) a mixed bag of locations.    The basement laundry room was what I first was used to in the houses where I grew up.  This was due to plumbing more than anything.  The homes we had in Pointe-Claire were probably intended to accommodate a wringer washer (there was a deep laundry tub in the basement). But, as Pete said, living in a 4 level split mean a lot of mountaineering with those laundry baskets.   I had the bright idea of converting our upstairs bathroom to a dedicated laundry (the bathroom would have been relocated to a smaller bedroom).  I think my father's comment was something 'Vat? You thinking I am making of money? You having any idea vat this costing?'   So that never happened... LOL

 

I guess the location of the laundry equipment in the hallway of the apartment we had in Montreal was probably the most convenient location for actual use.  The machines were in a doored alcove just opposite our dining area; it was short trip from the bedrooms and even shorter from the kitchen or bath. 

 

In Ogden, I'm lucky to have two laundry locations - most of the washers are in the basement but I also do have the GE Combo in the Kitchen Centre.   In St-Lib, the washer and dryer are in the bathroom which can be convenient, but I find the space is a little restricted (and no one gets to see my lovely Lady K's unless they are seated on the throne...)

 

If I had to pick, though, I prefer the basement location.  I'm paranoid about leaks, overflows and floods so a basement floor can be a little more forgiving.   Not that I flood the basement.... much... LOL 

 

[mopar65]

I like having it on the main floor but we have two laundry rooms in our home. I would love to put in a laundry shoot in like we had when I was a kid in the little 50's house we lived in.

 

[polkanut]

<strong style="font-family: Sylfaen; font-size: medium;">When we remodeled our home in 2002 (built in 1925), we decided to bring the washer and dryer upstairs. We had an enclosed front porch that we never used, and turned it into our laundry room. We wanted to continue using our '98 Maytag Dependable Care w/ suds-saver, so we had to bring the suds-tub up as well. On the east end is a walk-in closet with shelves from top to bottom. On the west end we have a window with cupboards on both sides, and a huge roll-out laundry hamper underneath built out of solid red oak with a med. cherry stain. The only drawback is it's in the front of the house, and just off the living room, oh well. 
</strong>

 

[aquacycle]

The norm in the UK for a long time was to have washing machines in the kitchen, which is how I grew up. Many UK homes pre-date washing machines, so were never designed to accomodate such appliances. The kitchen was often the only place to put it, as that's where the plumbing was. And hence under-counter frontloaders are more popular here.

In many mainland European countries, it's widely considered the norm to have the washing machine in the bathroom.

Personally, I do prefer to have a seperate laundry room. In our house, the laundry room is on the ground floor with the garage and the living space is on the first floor. Whilst I love having a seperate room, it is a pain having to go up and down the stairs all the time to do the washing. But having said that, it does keep any intruding noise to a minimum.

 

[DADoES]

 
No basements here.  Many older houses have the machines in the garage, either directly or in a smaller room area to the side or back.  Laundry rooms are also common in the house, usually near the kitchen.  I know one house built in the 1970s that has a "formal" laundry room near the kitchen and another washer & dryer in an alcove in the master bedroom.  A friend with a newer two-story house has a small laundry room near the bedrooms on the 2nd floor.  I was there once when the washer (DD Whirly) was running, directly above the 1st floor room in which I was sitting ... large noises and vibration transmitted through the floor.

Mine is a separate room adjacent to/behind the kitchen.