Renovating your laundry can be an extremely exciting process, as having a clean, fresh bright and open space to wash and dry your clothes can give your home an incredibly luxurious and modern feel
What’s more, it can also add value to your property.
Here’s a quick guide with a few hints and tips including what you need to know to ensure your new laundry is just the way you want it, and the whole process goes off without a hitch!
As with any extension or renovation, the best place to start is by getting clear on the layout. Yet you can’t do that until you’re clear on your appliances – because when it comes to the laundry:
Appliances are the stars of the show…
Think about the type (and size) of washing machine and dryer you want to bring into your new laundry.
Here’s 3 questions that will help you get clear on your appliances:
- Would you like a front-loader or top-loader washing machine? Or would you prefer a 2 in 1 washer/dryer to maximise space? Or maybe you want a separate dryer altogether? Or no dryer at all?
- If you do decide to go with a dryer, where would you like it? Will it sit on top of the washing machine as some modern machines are designed to (not all can hold the additional weight) or would you like the dryer hung on the wall?
- Do you want a heat pump dryer? These dryers need to be plumbed into the waste water pipe of the sink, so they need to be close to the plumbing.
Choosing your cabinetry and bench-tops…
Now your laundry is starting to take shape, it’s time to think about the bench-tops…
Many people like to keep the surfaces of the bathrooms and kitchens consistent, but these days there are also plenty of modern designs which take a more eclectic approach.
You can opt for laminate, stone or marble depending on your taste, budget and durability preferences, then choose your cabinets to match.
The next element is the splash-backs – consider matching the bathroom and/or kitchen to keep your style consistent or mix it up with a tile, marble or even glass splash-back.
Our advice – go with what excites you the most, you’ll be doing your laundry there for years to come!
Finally, it’s time to choose your floors, interior wall colours and lighting.
Pick up any good interior design magazine for an abundance of exciting modern ideas. Or check out our gallery for some of the recent laundry renovations we’ve done on the Gold Coast.
It’s all about the money honey!
Now you’re clear on what’s going into your new laundry, it’s time to figure out what it’s going to cost. I wrote a detailed post which covers how to get an accurate quote called how to choose a builder in the gold coast .
In essence, make sure your quote is detailed and accurate and doesn’t include PC items – these are general allowances for materials often used by builders to estimate. They can and regularly do blowout costs!
The most common laundry reno mistake:
beware of the step-free laundry
t’s become quite popular to remove the step up to the laundry, and many people are opting for this without realising it causes huge issues.
You see, the “step up” gives the floor some height around the edges, and allows it to slope towards the drain. We call it fall.
In other words, it allows the floor to fall away from the high point creating a direction for the water to go.
This means if a washing machine pipe were to burst (which is far more common than most think), or the door bursts open or leaks for any reason…
The water won’t flood the whole house causing thousands of dollars in water damage
And make no mistake – this is almost certain to happen at least once throughout the life of your laundry.
The next steps
Now you’re aware of what you’ll need to consider, and the most common issue to avoid when renovating your new laundry, it’s time to map out the layout and find some good tradespeople to carry out the job.
Check out our instagram for more inspiration and happy renovating 🙂
