You’ve been staring at the inside of your home for months now. You are probably aware of all of its shortcomings and outdated features and are ready for a change. Where should you start? We suggest you think of what bothers you the most and get rid of it!
Are you still lugging the laundry up and down from the basement? For many families, the basement laundry room is a major annoyance. You probably find you’re carrying the clean and dirty laundry up and down 2 sets of stairs to 2nd floor bedrooms, and your family is dropping wet or muddy clothes at the back door. That not only leaves a mess, it creates even more piles of clothes to pick up and drag to the basement. And how often does it take extra time to do laundry just because you can’t hear the chime or buzzer that alerts you when the load is finished?
A Laundry Room …and More
Do yourself a favor and add a first-floor laundry room. Not only will it make laundry day more pleasant, it will give you the opportunity to plan a room that will make life easier in many ways. Most families today really need a mudroom – the perfect companion to a first-floor laundry room. It’s a convenient spot to put a drop zone for keys, coats, boots, hats, gloves, and backpacks. The addition of bins and cubbies will help encourage family members to stow their own stuff (instead of dropping it on a chair or the floor). An expanded laundry room is also great for a sewing or craft area, dog washing station, or place to stow the litter box or leashes.
Planning the Ultimate Laundry Room
You should think about the room layout with a specific washer and dryer in mind. The choice of front load or top load, stacked, or raised on pedestals will determine how much floor space to allow and whether you can add upper cabinets. It also determines how wide the doorway needs to be.
A big, deep sink with a pull-down faucet and an easy-to-clean tile floor make it much easier to deal with the wet, muddy gardening clothes or sports gear that find their way into the house. Make sure you factor in plenty of counter space for sorting and folding clothes, a bar to hang delicates to dry, and some closed storage for cleaning supplies. If you still have items that need ironing, you can add a fold-down ironing board or a closet for storing one.
Even when you have a home that you adore, the basement laundry room may be a remnant of features popular when the home was new that doesn’t fit quite so well with the life you live today.
Call us for a consultation and we can help get this and any other annoying features out of your way, once and for all.