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jordan_d

Putting a washer and dryer in the master bath?

Jordan
10 years ago
I'm under contract on a gorgeous 1920s craftsman-style bungalow. One of the big problems, however, is that the laundry is in the basement. As the mother of small children, it makes laundry a lot more difficult to have to trudge down the stairs and either carry a toddler on my hip or leave children upstairs unsupervised - so I'm dreaming of main floor laundry.

The master bathroom is very, very spacious and has both a tub and a shower stall. I'm thinking of ripping out the shower stall and installing a washer and dryer (once a hookup has been created and it's all been approved by the smart people who know plumbing, etc) there. They'd be stacked and be behind a fake cabinet door or something.

Sadly, this means I would need to rip out the original, charming little built-ins to create an L-shaped vanity (double sinks and counter space on one arm and room to fold laundry on the other).

Would I be making a huge mistake in terms of resale value? I don't plan to leave for the next 5-6 years at least so resale value isn't everything, but you never know what might happen.

Comments (10)

  • 0825sam
    10 years ago
    Ultimately though (I am not a realtor) I doubt it would hurt resale to remove builtins from a bathroom as much as it would be great to salvage original details. I would think as between basement laundry/builtins and newly renovated bath with laundry/no builtins most would prefer the latter.
  • Jordan
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago
    Sam - thanks for your thoughts. I considered a shower stall but the only other bathroom in the house has a shower stall only - and it's got a pretty steeply angled roof so I think a bath is out of the question in that particular room. I wonder if there's some other alternative altogether that I just haven't thought of yet. I realize a shower/tub combo is not the most glamorous option, but it may be my only one, sadly.

    I'm glad you reassured me about upstairs laundry being a bonus, though. I think most families, especially in my position, are looking for that nowadays.
  • 0825sam
    10 years ago
    Have you looked into the wet room concept? I'll post a pic.
  • Jordan
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    I'm officially intrigued! Thanks for the inspiration...this is something to think about. :) The place where the tub currently sits is rather large and could probably accommodate something like this.
  • Jordan
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    And as an added bonus, it looks cool.
  • Marci
    10 years ago
    Have you considered a laundry chute? It cuts out one trip, at least. An old rental we used to live in had one cut through the closet floor. Perhaps a dumbwaiter? Although I could see that later on it may fuel some mischief by the kids.
  • 0825sam
    10 years ago
    You're welcome! I wish I could find it but someone on here who was having a dilemma with a small bathroom did the wet room and it came out great. I have this hope I can do it myself in my kids bathroom which has a tub only.
  • vansinterndick
    10 years ago
    We have a laundry chute and it works great. I will miss it in our new house. We will have laundry on the main floor. Mainly because I didn't want to have the whole house flooded in case the washer ever breaks.

    Not sure about the wet room idea. You said you have small children. I have two small children and I would not find the time to clean a wet room. They do look very cool. A nicely set in tub with a beautiful tile surround and maybe a rain shower head would also work great. You can have half of your shower/tub combination covered with custom glass so nothing sprays all over the place. It is not as luxurious as a wet room, but more practical.
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