Where to put the laundry room?

[CurrerBell]

We are just about to go through building regs for our extension, and I'm having last minute doubts about the layout...

I always envisaged a lovely futility room (have never had one before) when we started the plans. However, we've ended up with basically a cupboard off the hallway, which just fits the washing machine and tumble dryer side by side. Not much space in front, so to access it I'd have to stand in the doorway, blocking the corridor. It might be fine... but it's a compromise as we also want to fit in a decent sized playroom-cum-study downstairs. The only alternative really is having the white goods in the new kitchen diner.

After seeing it mentioned on a few threads, I am wondering about having an upstairs laundry room... It would mean sacrificing our small fifth bedroom (currently our study), but we would have the space for washing machine, tumble dryer, ironing board, clothes airers, extra wardrobe space... and it would save all the trips up and downstairs with dirty washing. Has anyone done this and got it to work for them?

We have no plumbing on this side of the house though, so I'm not sure how difficult it would be to sort that out? Please, help me make a decision before the plans are set in stone!

i found the most gorgeous 200yr old parquet under our carpet. unfortunately the idiots who lived their before had cut chunks out of it in random places for some unknown reason!

Sarah Beeny suggested recently that the couple renovating their house should put the laundry room upstairs. She said it made sense as why would you carry it downstairs and then carry it all back up.

Sorry should have said laundry not it!

SixtiesQueen - I have seen you on another thread here and followed your blog! Love what you've done, and great to see the finished house!

I have read interviews with Kevin McCloud where he advises to put the laundry room upstairs - and if Sarah Beeny is saying it too, it's probably the way to go .

I have posted some more Floorplanner links - sorry to those without Facebook! I'm not sure how else to link to them. I think all the links have ended up being the same, but you can see the different ground floor designs on there. I have combined the WC and utility for now, as that room already has plumbing, but will definitely look into creating a laundry area upstairs.

That is tragic about the 200 year old parquet with bits missing! Sadly, we had had a trench dug through our lounge following a leaking central heating pipe (why did they build them into the concrete floors?!), but at least I have all the parquet fingers so I hope it can be restored.

Currer can you post a new link to your floorplans?

I did try and convince DH that strategically placed rugs could work but he wasn't having any of it

unfortunately I can't see your links but I hope you find a good solution!

Sorry - here is the link to the FB page - and I may have found a way to link directly to Floorplanner, here (look under 'Ground' for the other redesigns).

Currer, I like your link on floorplanner, I think that is a much better layout! You could even have the dining room as a little snug if you wanted.

I like what you have done with the playroom / downstairs toilet, I hate seeing wasted space in halls! Is you downstairs toilet big enough now to allow you to have shoe and coat storage in it? (although beware, this is almost as controversial an issue on MN as breast / Bottle or SAHM / WOHM! )

Yorky - yes, we have 2 bathrooms upstairs, and both are Jack n Jill. One is an en-suite shower room, which is between DC bedrooms (so no access from landing), the other is the main bathroom, with a door in from the landing, and a door into our bedroom. Because the DC have their own bathroom, we are the only ones who use the main bathroom except when we have guests. I might try to post photos on my profile later.

Beryl - which floorplan did you like? Was it the one where I'd put the kitchen in what is now our lounge? I'd never thought of swapping things around like that, but it does seem to flow really well.

Our WC does have space for coat and shoe storage (although I'm a bit averse to storing things in a bathroom!). If we put the laundry white goods in there too, it will be extremely tight. We can get some clever hallway storage perhaps.

Definitely prefer the kitchen where the living room is! Although I would be tempted to do more units/ an island in there, and open up the dining room into it. You could do the island near the dining room end, meaning that as you were preparing food, etc, on it, kids could be doing homework, etc, and would mean you are more part of the action for when friends come over for dinner, etc. I hate to see dining areas get wasted as they aren't part of the living space.

Am starting to feel quite excited about the new layout (kitchen in the lounge). It's a radical change and I will have to persuade DH... I've put a photo of the floorplan on my Profile (just worked out how to do this!) for those who can't view the other links.

I have never been happy with the Lounge as it is. Although it's a huge room, the 3 doors and placement of the fireplace means that we can't make the best use of the space.

Also, the parquet in the lounge is damaged and needs a lot of work, so I wouldn't feel so bad about losing that. We could keep it in the hall and dining room. I think I would prefer a washable floor in the kitchen, even though the parquet would look beautiful!

Do the double doors in your new kitchen open onto the garden, CB? If so, which direction does the garden face and are you likely to get the morning sun in the kitchen? This would be quite important to me, but perhaps not to everyone! Also, do you need a dining table in both the kitchen and the dining area leading off it? If it were me, I'd keep one in the dining area and use the area by the double doors in the kitchen for a comfy sofa. Looking good though - your playroom off the lounge would make a great study/homework room/music room when your dc are older.

Sinking, the bifolding doors off the new kitchen are due south facing (as is the garden). We tend to get a bit of sun through the front window in the morning, I think - but then a lot of sunlight from the south for the rest of the day.

Also, the bifolds open onto the bit of the garden where we are thinking of building a patio... so that would be perfect.

The one I like best is the one called "Redesign" (not Redesign 2) on your floorplanner link.

I think it makes sense to keep your lounge where it is if you have original features there like fireplace and parquet. (Although, I do see the issue you have with all the doors... will have a think about that!)

It makes a lot more sense to me to have the kitchen in the new extension, and the playroom off the kitchen.

If you did want to move the kitchen to where the lounge currently is, then I'd put the playroom off the kitchen, and have the formal dining room off the lounge instead.

Miniie - that is the one I liked the best - though I'd be tempted to maybe shrink the double doors from loung to playroom and even from kitchen to playroom. The sticky out room at the front needs to be the dining room imo - it will be the room you use the least (especially if you are having a full table in the kitchen). The playroom linking the kitchen and sitting room - though shutoffable is perfect.

Fish I agree about shrinking the double doors from lounge to playroom, and that gives more sofa/furniture space in the lounge. I'd leave the double doors to the kitchen though as would make supervising easier (young DC). Easy to close it up more when the DC are older.

A couple more thoughts on the plan called "Redesign":

1. If the room in between kitchen and sitting room is going to be the playroom, then I would consider having a door from that room to the garden, so kids can be in and out easily without having to tramp through the kitchen.

2. Having seen the floorplan I'd probably stick with having the utility room downstairs as you have plenty of space downstairs. BUT I'd try to have the loo and utility room separate rather than all one room.

3. I'd be inclined to make the dining room smaller and the kitchen bigger, by moving the separating wall downwards a bit. Unless it's a supporting wall.

4. I think you need a door from the hall into the lounge. Even though that means less space for seating near the TV . Can't think of a solution, except for moving the TV to the garden end, which isn't ideal for other reasons.

Currer, yes, I like the one with the kitchen moved to what is now the lounge.

Good luck in convincing DH - hopefully he will see this is much better.

Thanks all. I'm going to work on both plans (Kitchen and Redesign) to think how to improve them.

Minipie, I think you're right about keeping the door from hall to the lounge, although it makes the seating arrangement difficult...

DS (6) has just said we should keep the doorway, as it makes it easier to go to the toilet when he is in the middle of watching Tree Fu Tom!! Apparently it is too difficult to walk through the dining room, and he tends to hold on too long But there might be something in that... the WC does probably need to stay off the hall where it is easily accessible!

I think the idea about doors to the garden to the playroom is lovely but it would make that room all doors and in essence turn it into a "lobby". No where to stack toys. Nowhere to lie on the floor on your tummy brmmming cars around. Would also make the look of the house from the garden just a series of doors.
And yes to door from hall to lounge. If you have shut off the mess in the playroom you don't want to have to go through it.

You may find leaving lounge where it is is less £££ as turning into kitchen involves adding all the utilities..which if I am right are more on the other side of the house?

Ohhh this is exciting. You must (please) update us with what you decide.

Thanks Fish, I will update you! This help is so brilliant.

We have already done the windows and doors on the existing house (they desperately needed doing...). So we wouldn't be able to add doors to the playroom now! It has a big window though.

Yes, the plumbing is all at the other end of the house from the lounge. We considered turning the smallest bedroom (directly above the lounge) into a family bathroom, but didn't fancy having soil pipes etc coming down through the lounge. Perhaps not such a problem if that room is a kitchen. We do have a drain nearby that we could connect into (we think).

Although your soil pipes would be going down the outside wall anyway?

I think our architect said the pipes would be better going internally through the room. For aesthetic reasons we wouldn't really want them going down the outside wall if we can avoid it? That wall is in full view to most of the street as we are on a corner plot. Also I thought there might be issues with external pipes freezing. Not sure though on the pros and cons!

Outside better surely...so if a problem you do not have to dig them out/up?

Our current downpipe is internal, boxed in the corner of the bathroom and current kitchen.
There isn't enough room between upstairs floors and downstairs ceilings to have a pipe going from the new shower room, and laundry room to the existing downpipe - there isn't enough 'fall', so we have to have one going down the wall of the new kitchen diner. It will be boxed in and I'm going to try and make sure it butts up against the end of the work surface rather than having to cut around it.

I've just had a long talk with DH about the floor plans. He likes the 'Redesign' one best (leaving the lounge where it is). He also strongly feels that he wants to keep the archway off the current dining room (not the door off the hall), as it's all working well. Right now, I'm on the laptop in the lounge, and he's playing piano in the dining room. It's sociable.

We've had a go at some tweaks to the design (making a larger, open plan dining area, with the kitchen in the extension bit). Ideally I would like a big table (8 seater), which is difficult in our current dining room. Also, we've thought of enlarging the WC to include a better utility area. Here it is (the design called 'Open Plan'). Please let me know what you think!