Monday, August 17, 2009

Design A Bathroom Laundry Room

Move the laundry part of the space to one end of the bathroom.


Doing laundry near a bathroom space can be exceptionally convenient. Bedding and towels, plus dirty clothes, can be stashed in the laundry storage space, while keeping the bathroom and adjacent bedrooms neater. Design the laundry area to work well for your family's needs. You will want to keep the bathroom neat, so create a system for doing laundry whereby the machines are hidden. A dividing wall or folding door system will work well to separate laundry from the rest of the space.


Instructions


1. Measure the space for the laundry-bathroom area. Include all dimensions for the bathroom fixtures, such as sink vanity, shower-tub combo and toilet. Figure out the exact amount of leftover space for a laundry area. Use measurements of the washer and dryer you place to use to make sure they will fit. Buy stackable full-sized units or smaller stackable units to save floor space.


2. Draw a bird's-eye view of the layout. Place the washer-dryer area at the end of the bathroom, for example. Sketch a section for a folding table with shelves overhead, if you have room. Carve out space for a laundry storage closet to hide dirty laundry and hang laundry taken out of the dryer. Define a wall area, reaching at least 4-feet high, to visually separate the bath area from the laundry area.


3. Create a plan to access plumbing and electricity for both spaces. Sketch a route for bathroom plumbing and water pipes and drains for the laundry room. Look for best places to install electrical outlets. Find the best option to vent the dryer. Run the vent straight through the wall to the house exterior or run vent duct work through the floor and under the home's crawlspace to the outside.








4. Create storage spaces for both areas. Plan a bathroom closet area that will hold supplies and linen. Keep this closet totally separate from storage for the laundry room. Build the storage closets or storage shelving on opposite ends of the room, if possible. Keep the space well-organized so laundry issues do not impact showering and bathing. Design exactly where to place all items stored by using graph paper to sketch a plan.


5. Design doors to hide the washer-dryer space. Plan to run metal tracking on the ceiling and floor to support multiple bi-fold doors. Keep the machines out of sight while clothes are running through. Install double doorsthat can close over the washer-dryer space, if this design fits your bathroom space. Use louvered doors in all instances to help moisture escape. Add an overhead fan with vent to take moisture out of the house.

Tags: laundry area, bathroom space, laundry room, laundry storage, space laundry, washer-dryer space, work well