Laundry Room Remodel: Layout, Plumbing, Venting and the Details That Make It Work

Most laundry rooms are a floor with two appliances on it and a wire shelf above. They were designed to hold the machines and nothing else. A laundry remodel is a small project with an outsized daily payoff, and it is one where the unglamorous decisions about plumbing, venting and electrical are what make the difference between a room that works and one that just looks better.

Layout

• Side by side gives you a counter across both machines for folding, which is the single most useful feature a laundry can have. It needs about 60 inches of width for two full-size machines with a little clearance.
• Stacked frees floor space for a sink, a hamper bay or a drying rack. Front-load only, and the top machine controls end up high; check reach.
• Pedestals raise front-loaders to a comfortable height and add a drawer. They also eliminate the folding counter, so it is one or the other.
• Door swing and machine doors. Both machine doors, the room door and any cabinet doors need to open without hitting each other. Draw it.

Plumbing

The washer needs a hot and cold supply with good shutoffs, and a standpipe or a utility sink to drain into. If the room is being opened up, this is the time to:

• Replace old gate valves with a recessed washer box with a single-lever shutoff, and new braided hoses. Our post on washing machine hoses and valves explains why.
• Confirm the standpipe is the right height and properly trapped and vented so it does not overflow or siphon.
• Add a utility sink if there is room. A deep sink for soaking, rinsing paint brushes and washing the dog is worth the space every time.
• Add a floor drain or a drained pan under the washer, especially on a second floor.

Dryer venting

This is the item most laundry rooms get wrong and the one that matters for safety. A dryer vent should be rigid or semi-rigid metal duct, as short and straight as possible, ending outside with a damper. Flexible foil or plastic duct traps lint, sags, and is the reason dryer fires start. If your dryer is on an interior wall and the vent runs a long way through the attic or crawlspace, the run should be checked for lint and for a crushed or disconnected section. Our post on dryer vent cleaning covers the maintenance side.

Electrical and gas

An electric dryer needs a dedicated 240-volt circuit and the right receptacle for the cord on the dryer. A gas dryer needs a gas line with a shutoff and a standard outlet. The washer needs its own outlet. If a counter and cabinets are going in, plan outlets above the counter for an iron or a steamer. Any new circuit is electrical work that belongs on a permit.

Storage and finishes

• Upper cabinets above the machines for detergent and supplies. Mount them high enough that the washer lid or the door clears.
• A counter across side-by-side machines. A laminate or butcher-block top on a simple frame is enough.
• A hanging rod for shirts straight out of the dryer.
• A hamper bay or pull-out sorting bins.
• Flooring that tolerates water: tile or LVP, not laminate or hardwood. Our flooring post covers what holds up.
• Paint in a scrubbable satin or semi-gloss.

Questions we get

Can the laundry move upstairs?

Yes, and many families prefer it. It needs supply, drain, dryer vent and electrical run to the new location, a pan with a drain, and a floor that can carry the load. It is a bigger job than a same-room remodel but often worth it.

What about a ventless dryer?

Heat-pump and condensing dryers do not need a vent and are a good answer where a vent run is impractical. They are slower per load and cost more up front.

How long does a laundry remodel take?

A few days for cabinets, counter, paint and plumbing updates in the same footprint. A week or more if walls, venting or electrical are changing. It is a typical small remodeling project for us.

Make the laundry room work

Wright Way Services remodels laundry rooms across Newnan, Peachtree City, Sharpsburg, Senoia, Tyrone and Fayetteville. Call (770) 301-4638 or request service.