Moving washer/dryer to master bathroom?

[acmom]

We have struggled since we moved in to deal with our laundry room/mudroom. It is just too small a space to house both efficiently and we have been looking for possible solutions since we moved in. It is a long narrow space with 5 doors, 3 of which open into each other on one end, 2 that open into each other on the other end. Now that we have a 3rd on the way, I really want to find a solution as I know both the amount of mudroom stuff (coats/shoes etc.!) AND the amount of laundry will increase! Right now, there is no spot to fold anything or to put down a laundry basket- I drag all laundry through the kitchen to the living room to fold on the couch. There is also no place to put up an iron or hand anything to dry if needed. And there is not enough floor space to be able to put down an infant carseat either with it being in the path of walking in and out.

So given all that, we have been looking at options for moving the laundry or expanding the space. We could expand the space into our garage, but it would be costly and we would lose a lot of garage space, making our cars a tight fit. We could also expand out, but that would mean messing with both exterior walls, roof line, and losing 2 windows in the kitchen as well as outdoor bricked paved paths in the backyard, which would be super costly.

So we have been contemplating moving them upstairs. We have a very large master bedroom, good size walk-in closet and big master bath (which is directly above the current mudroom/laundry room). Our bath has a huge corner soaker tub (next to a nice size shower) which has been used once in the 5 years we have lived here. Our guest bath has a regular tub. Our least expensive, least amount of work option looks like it is to take out the soaker tub and put our washer/dryer with some cabinets there (possibly make our shower a little nicer at the same time too).

Is this a terrible idea??? For us, I think it might work...it would make both the mudroom/entry to the house better and laundry easier. We have no plans of moving anytime in the near future and the water hookups would still be in the mudroom if someone wanted to move the washer/dryer back there. Are there cons we aren't thinking of? Would you consider this plan if you were in our situation?

[candaceb]

Can you get to that bathroom without going through your bedroom? Do you plan on staying in the house long-term? Just wondering about logistics when the kids are old enough to do their own laundry.

[acmom]

No, you have to go through our bedroom to get to the bathroom. We have no current plans to move and our jobs aren't ones that could move us without warning. I could see a slight chance of us moving locally when the kids were older (high school age) if we felt like we needed more space with the 3 then or the perfect house came along.

[pastrygirl]

One thing that was a top priority when we were house hunting was laundry NOT in the master suite!! I nixed any house that had that setup. I had it in my old house and hated it. Guests sometimes had to do laundry, and I eventually expect my kids to do their own. I do not want anyone walking into my bedroom whenever they please. I don't like anyone going into my room; it's my sanctuary. My kids can go in with permission.

It was convenient, though! I could just turn around and hang/put away most of the stuff because it was in our closet area.

My laundry is in the narrow mudroom entry. We have coats and shoes bulging along one wall, with only enough room to stand and turn around before hitting the laundry machines. I removed the bifold doors that enclosed the laundry, to open up the space a bit. I keep baskets nested between the washer and the wall (standing on edge; they get wedged in there). I fold clothes as I pull it out of the dryer -- that's the only way I can stay sane with this setup. I installed a retractable clothes line above the machines. I thought about installing a fold-down table/surface for when I want to really fold, but I realized I can just use the washer and dryer tops.

We have another coat closet, so we only keep "active" coats/jackets in the mudroom. It's still a bunch, though, especially with this weather. We each have 2-3 jackets/coats hanging, and several pairs of shoes. I bought a bench/shoe rack combo from Ikea and it works GREAT.

[gymnbomb]

It sounds like it would be a great option for you. If I had that same setup, that is what I would do. The tub would be a waste of space for me, and it would be very convenient. And for anyone wanting to buy the house in the future, there would still be mud room hookups.

But it depends on how you do things. In our family, I prefer to do the laundry. Of course I will teach DS how to do it when he is older, but I won't expect him to do it on a regular basis. There are other things I would rather have him do since I don't mind doing laundry :) Occasionally guests do laundry at our house, but not frequently, and I don't let people spend the night at my house if them walking through my bedroom occasionally during the day when I knew they were coming over and had time to clean the house ahead of time would bother me.

[acmom]

I can't see the guest thing (or even the kid thing) being an issue for us...we have only used our guest room a handful of times since we have lived here as our family is almost all in town. And once the baby arrives, we won't even have a guest room. I am really the only one in the house that does laundry and I didn't do mine own until I went to college. I guess maybe the kids would eventually do theirs in high school or college, but that seems like a long way off! I don't know if we will be in the house at that point and even if we were, I could move it back to the mudroom if needed then.

[acmom]

One thing that was a top priority when we were house hunting was laundry NOT in the master suite!! I nixed any house that had that setup. I had it in my old house and hated it. Guests sometimes had to do laundry, and I eventually expect my kids to do their own. I do not want anyone walking into my bedroom whenever they please. I don't like anyone going into my room; it's my sanctuary. My kids can go in with permission.

It was convenient, though! I could just turn around and hang/put away most of the stuff because it was in our closet area.



Was people going into your room the only reason you hated it?

[jren]

I have no mudroom, so I feel your pain there. Everything is just dumped in the kitchen and I trip over backpacks and shoes, even though we have a storage system for it. I would do whatever you need to do to make the space work for you now. Then, if needed, you can convert everything back when you want to sell.


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[Hippoharbor]

Could you turn part of the garage space into mud room?

[SnuggleBuggles]

I hated having it on the sleeping level. I want to do laundry at bedtime but I hated the noise.
My laundry area is just a place to use the machines. I don't have a folding table, iron...in there. I've never had anything else so I don't miss it.


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[acmom]

Could you turn part of the garage space into mud room?

We looked into expanding into the garage, but it was both going to be very costly and we would lose garage space. We have a 3 car garage, but don't want to lose both for resale and for storage, as we live in a winter climate on a decent size lot so need to house a snow blower, riding mower, plus kids toys/bikes, ski gear, etc. Plus the way the entry to the mudroom/house is now, we would lose depth on 2 spots in the garage to expand (unless we totally changed doorways, etc. which would be more $). And bc of the cold winters here, just doing a makeshift mudroom on the wall that leads to the house wouldn't work well for us - our coats, boots, etc. would always be freezing in the winter!

[acmom]

I hated having it on the sleeping level. I want to do laundry at bedtime but I hated the noise.

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I thought about the noise, but don't think it will be a big issue for us, as I almost always do laundry during the day (I worry about a fire w/ the dryer at night since i know someone who had that happen!). Plus we are both great sleepers :) and the kids rooms would be at the other end of the house from it.

[khm]

As long as everything could be moved back if you decide to sell, I'd certainly consider it. When you have a new baby, it will seem like a luxury to have it right there.

Our laundry room sounds fairly similar, do you have to go through yours to get into the garage? Our old house's wasn't any bigger, but it wasn't the pathway to the garage. It was a self-contained room opposite the pathway, but you didn't have to GO THROUGH it. Gah, I hate ours. I wouldn't hate it nearly so much if it was just a room vs. a path. Would it be possible to move the door into your garage so it's just a room? Eliminate some of the doors? Why are there so many doors?

I caution you though that we installed a mini-mudroom area in our front entry - a built-in open locker type set up, a zillion hooks, cute baskets all the twee pottery barn vision. And, two years later the kids still kind of throw stuff AT it rather than actually use any of it. :) I had such high hopes, but our snow gear is still overwhelming. Maybe install the "mudroom" hooks / baskets / bins actually in the garage vs in the laundry room? I have seen neighbors that have that and it seems fairly organized that way.

[acmom]

As long as everything could be moved back if you decide to sell, I'd certainly consider it. When you have a new baby, it will seem like a luxury to have it right there.

Our laundry room sounds fairly similar, do you have to go through yours to get into the garage? Our old house's wasn't any bigger, but it wasn't the pathway to the garage. It was a self-contained room opposite the pathway, but you didn't have to GO THROUGH it. Gah, I hate ours. I wouldn't hate it nearly so much if it was just a room vs. a path. Would it be possible to move the door into your garage so it's just a room? Eliminate some of the doors? Why are there so many doors?

I caution you though that we installed a mini-mudroom area in our front entry - a built-in open locker type set up, a zillion hooks, cute baskets all the twee pottery barn vision. And, two years later the kids still kind of throw stuff AT it rather than actually use any of it. :) I had such high hopes, but our snow gear is still overwhelming. Maybe install the "mudroom" hooks / baskets / bins actually in the garage vs in the laundry room? I have seen neighbors that have that and it seems fairly organized that way.

Ours is a room that can be closed off (with doors to the kitchen, the garage and outside, plus 2 closets which are rather useless bc they are blocked by the other doors!!), but yes, you do have to walk through it to get to the garage or the outside from the kitchen. I think I hate it bc of that too...I am constantly in that room and stuff is everywhere! And it seems silly to have the same room that has all the "muddy" stuff from the kids outside play also house the laundry which I want to keep clean!

At least if we moved the laundry out, it would eliminate that portion of stuff. And I can close that door to hide that winter gear mess. The garage just won't work to hold that stuff bc our stuff would be freezing!

[khm]

Ours is a room that can be closed off (with doors to the kitchen, the garage and outside, plus 2 closets which are rather useless bc they are blocked by the other doors!!), but yes, you do have to walk through it to get to the garage or the outside from the kitchen. I think I hate it bc of that too...I am constantly in that room and stuff is everywhere! And it seems silly to have the same room that has all the "muddy" stuff from the kids outside play also house the laundry which I want to keep clean!

At least if we moved the laundry out, it would eliminate that portion of stuff. And I can close that door to hide that winter gear mess. The garage just won't work to hold that stuff bc our stuff would be freezing!

Yeah, I x-posted re: the keeping stuff in the garage. I'm in the midwest, though, so it can be done..... At least the overflow can be out there.

Can you take the closets out and open the space up, making those areas the "mudroom"?

I'm all about moving the machines upstairs if it makes your life easier, but it will be a lot of work too with the negative of possible moving it all back for resale, just shooting other options. :)

[pastrygirl]

Was people going into your room the only reason you hated it?Yes. I don't mind if guests want to do laundry, as long they don't have to go into my room to do it.

I was raised with the notion that bedrooms are private, and you don't go into one unless invited (except for parents entering kids' rooms). I don't go into the guest room when we have guests -- it's their space at that point. I expect that no one will enter my room when I'm a guest at someone else's house, too.

ETA: My husband didn't like that the second floor laundry made the whole house shake and vibrate, but it didn't bother me. I'd hear the clock jingle/jangle, and one time a framed tile fell from the wall, but it wasn't nearly as bad as growing up in NYC with public buses rumbling by every few minutes! Make sure you plan to install a tray with a drain under the washer.

[BunnyBee]

Moving them and renovating the bath would be a $15k min job here (MCOL area) to do it right and make sure an overflow doesn't flood the house. Without doing high end tile or fixtures. The replumbing is significant.

Can you stack them in your mudroom? I took out the folding area in our laundry room to add an extra fridge and freezer because we never used it. My little ones do crazy things when they're unsupervised, and my bigger kids fold their own now. I'm amazed by what the little ones can do when I'm only in there flipping from washer to dryer! ;)

[pastrygirl]

Can you stack them in your mudroom?Oh yeah, I forgot about that option. When it's time for us to replace our washer, I plan to get something stackable, just in case we want to stack someday. The washer and dryer don't have to be the same brand. You can also build a shelf on top of the washer and put the dryer on it.

[mom_hanna]

I would move the washer/dryer to the master bath in a heartbeat. If this is a house you are staying in, you need to make it functional for you. The hook ups in the mud room are staying so you aren't getting rid of anything important to make the change. We got rid of our master bath tub too and made a bigger shower instead. We never used the tub and have two more in other bathrooms in the house.

[khalloc]

We did something similar. Our laundry used to be located in a small mudroom between our garage and kitchen. When we remodeled our kitchen I talked DH into moving it to the small room we have over our garage that is attached to our master bedroom (it also shares a wall with the master bath. It was so easy. We did have to hire someone to put a gas hookup up there since we have a gas dryer. But its been wonderful. No more carrying laundry up and down stairs and no more messy mudroom. It didnt eat up alot of valuable space because this room has all slanted ceilings so it was sort of wasted space anyways.

[DualvansMommy]

I kind of have same dilemma, as our laundry room is also the mudroom.

I agree with pp comment to take out your big tub and converting the space more usable to put W/D machines there is easily 10-15K job in my area. We looked into that option when we started renovating our master bathroom first year of moving into our current home. I would look into the costs carefully and how easily it is to convert back for resale value down the road, but I know around here it'll be more of a con to have that set up within master bathroom. Newer homes have W/D on second floor but the set up is far away from the bedrooms.

I think your costs of using little bit of garage to convert either laundry or mudroom is cheaper. Our neighborhood have a mix of 2 or 3 garage homes and most around here have converted 1st bay into their main house as mud/laundry room. Or an office, which is what the previous owners did as an option when building this house. 3 garage bays or 2 garage with 3rd one as 5th bedroom/office. We'll be converting that office into a big laundry/mud room down the road.


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[Globetrotter]

My tiny laundry area just has the stacked machines, cabinet and a hamper for laundry from downstairs, like kitchen towels. I've never had a real laundry room.
In fact, I enjoy folding it on the couch watching TV so I avoided houses with upstairs laundry LOL It is next to the garage and is the pathway to the garage, so basically there is space for either a person to walk by or a laundry basket, but it doesn't bother me because I'm so used to it by now.
Personally, I wouldn't like having laundry in the master suite. For one thing, I do laundry late at night after everyone else is in bed, and that's also my TV time. Also, the kids sometimes do their own laundry, from upper elementary onwards, and then we also have various guests. There is also the noise/vibration factor. There is just no way it would work for us as it would wake up the kids.

Can you get stackable machines? That would give you more space for organizing the mudroom area and thereby making it more appealing.

If you think the new set up would work better for you, then you could go ahead as long as you're willing to change it later as needed. I know how we are about house projects. It would never happen in our house LOL

[wendibird22]

The only downside I could see, beside what others have mentioned, would be relocating your w/d up stairs and into that space. We JUST replaced our washer this weekend and just getting it in from the garage and into our tiny laundry room directly inside the door from the garage was work enough. I can't imagine someone getting that beast up my stairs and in through my master and master bath without having to take off multiple doors or having my walls get banged up.

Our laundry room is just long enough to fit the w/d side by side with only an inch or two to spare and just wide enough for the door to swing open. We have a tiny cabinet on the wall above the washer to hold detergents and a set of hooks on the opposite wall for wet winter clothes. No room for baskets, ironing board, folding etc. So I can totally see your desire for a bigger space.

[AnnieW625]

Our laundry room is off our kitchen (in what would be an awesome pantry space) and I think even though we have a detached garage I would move my laundry to the garage before I moved it to our bedroom or bathroom. But you need to do what you thinks works best for your house.

[emily]

For many of the reasons others have stated, I would try to make the existing room work. We also have a small laundry/mudroom between our garage entry and kitchen. It's in a long, narrow hallway with entry to guest BR, a hallway closet, and pantry. All the doors drive me bonkers daily. I could not imagine having so many doors in such a small space.

Could you eliminate the closets in the laundry room, at least one (sounds like you have two closets in there) to make the room bigger? Or at the very least get rid of the doors? I am planning on removing the door in the closet in our laundry room. I would install shelves above and beside (if space allows) the washer/dryer. You could also install cabinets above the machines to replace the lost storage from the closets. Maybe stack the washer/dryer too. In our room, we have hooks for everyone on the wall opposite the washer dryer. Three high and three at kid level. We also have two of these right next to our stairs in the garage for overflow shoes http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50248428/. We are also in NE. This set up works well most of the time. We have a wall mounted drying rack similar to this one http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000GBK2WO/ref=s9_zwish_hd_bw_bl4CCZ_g201_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIK X0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-12&pf_rd_r=0AFD9WW8CJCAPKX3TTDC&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=40a23539-ece1-58e7-8a06-32e23780a8db&pf_rd_i=695488011 above the utility sink.

I should add that I don't mind folding laundry on the couch. I actually wouldn't want to do it in the laundry room given the amount of laundry I do. I do miss having laundry upstairs though.

[123LuckyMom]

If you think having laundry in your bathroom would work best for you, do it. But before you do it think about noise, mess, and the work/rest factor.

I ADORE my bedroom floor laundry. My laundry room is by the kids' rooms and playroom. My bedroom is on the other side of the house. The machines are noisy, but I make sure they are running before the kids go to bed so the noise doesn't start. It just stops. It doesn't keep them from sleeping. That noise would bother me, though, if it were right by my bedroom. I'm not sleeping, but I am watching tv or hanging out with DH. I wouldn't want the laundry going in my space during my rest time.

Also, the laundry room is always a bit untidy. I have a fabulous rolling laundry cart like this:
https://www.cleanersupply.com/products/product.cfm/pid/5172/Laundry-Cart-w-Double-Pole-2-1-2-Bushel/
I take things out of the dryer right away and hang and fold into the cart, but then it's up to the kids to put their laundry away. Sometimes it sits for a couple of days. I don't mind, because I can just close the door to the laundry room, but I wouldn't want to have laundry untidiness hanging out in my bathroom!!! My laundry room counter also gathers things like odd socks, the clothes that need mending, the washed off-season clothing that needs to be put away, etc. There's also lint and laundry generated garbage (dryer sheets and the like) and laundry smells (even the good kind like the scent of dryer sheets or detergent) in there that I wouldn't want in my bathroom space.

Lastly, laundry is not unpleasant to me, but it is a chore. I like my bedroom/bathroom to be as dedicated as possible to restful and pleasurable pursuits, not work. I would worry that having laundry in my sanctuary would nag at me.

If you've considered those issues and come to the conclusion that they won't bother you, move the laundry. Just make sure before you do it that you won't be creating a second space that irritates you the way the mud room currently does. Moving the laundry may not solve your mud room problems and may create similar untidiness in what is now a restful space.


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[ray7694]

I would be concerned about resale. I wouldn't want a house with that setup and love my tub

[Simon]

I agree with Pp and was wondering if you can find a way to redesign the current room and incorporate the closet space into the room. Even put the w/d into one of the closets or move a door.
My biggest hesitation is the thought of having no place to set "sick kid" laundry while it waits for its turn. Our current set up is in the basement and we're looking at houses. I want to nix a house with laundry in the kitchen because we just went through a whole mess of GI illnesses in the kids and I had 3 loads of really gross laundry waiting for a turn and I can't imagine if they were sitting in my kitchen or master bathroom.

[acmom]

I agree with Pp and was wondering if you can find a way to redesign the current room and incorporate the closet space into the room. Even put the w/d into one of the closets or move a door.
My biggest hesitation is the thought of having no place to set "sick kid" laundry while it waits for its turn. Our current set up is in the basement and we're looking at houses. I want to nix a house with laundry in the kitchen because we just went through a whole mess of GI illnesses in the kids and I had 3 loads of really gross laundry waiting for a turn and I can't imagine if they were sitting in my kitchen or master bathroom.

That is sort of our situation right now...there is literally no place to put down a load of laundry, clean or dirty, aside from the top of the dryer which is usually covered in coats or school stuff it is also the mudroom. The closets unfortunately won't help in moving the laundry as they are both quite small, one is more of a narrow broom closet than a true closet and holds our cleaning supplies. The other is also small and going be difficult to utilize due to its location behind the doors to the garage and kitchen - they both open into the room, covering that space completely, making it hard to use. Plus, in order to move the laundry to either of those spaces, i would then need to move the water connections as well as neither is on the same wall as the current laundry.

Maybe I need to think about a way to take out the tub and use that space, but somehow create a small closed laundry room up there vs just sticking it in the bathroom...

ETA: As for stackable machines, at this point, we don't really want to buy new machines as ours are less than 3 years old. We literally bought the only option in town that wouldn't be deeper and cut into the mudroom space more (as well as not infringe on the doorway width wise). As it stands currently with our setup, we could never do the new front loaders or higher efficiency units bc they are just to big and deep for the space.

[smilequeen]

We have a washer/dryer in our Master closet, but it's not our only set. I use it for our laundry only and I LOVE having it there. But we have a set upstairs for the kids too. We are building again and chose the same set up except that I put two stacked sets upstairs with the kids and one stacked set in my closet.

I would suggest that if you do move it to the closet you leave hookups in the laundry area for resale. We actually have a laundry room in this house but we installed lockers in front of the hookups. When we move (soon) the lockers will be gone and it will look like a laundry room again.

You could also stack in your mudroom and use the extra space for storage. Instead of expanding into the garage, you could build shelving/lockers in there as well.

[3isEnough]

I haven't read the other replies but was just on pinterest and saw a picture that made me think of this thread. I could see putting this laundry cabinet/configuration into the space where your tub is and I think it would look great (but pricey for the cabinets, etc.) 4350

[Globetrotter]

I feel your pain! I had to stack mine because they wouldn't fit side-by-side in the area, made for 70's style machines. Then I had to also allow space for the doors to swing open and for us to walk by or put a laundry basket in front of the washer (not both). It was really hard to find something to fit! After all that, i ended up with the whirlpool duet sport stackables.

We are the types to hang onto things until they stop working, so I understand what you're saying about not wanting to buy new machines, but it might be cost-effective to buy new machines and just donate these to a nonprofit if it will allow you to use your current space more efficiently, rather than making a major remodel.

At the end of the day, it has to work for you, whatever you choose :-)

[elbenn]

I like the picture above of the ones in a cabinet. Do you have any closets downstairs that you could convert to something like that? I don't think I would take out the tub for resale purposes, but I guess if that's not a concern of yours, it may not matter.

I agree with pp who said to get new stackable machines. I think the cost of converting your bathroom will be quite expensive and if new machines would make your current system work, then it would be easiest to go that route.