What an ingenious solution. My laundry room will be huge - but that is because it's multipurpose with dog bath and reading area, spare fridge, etc.

I like using the coat closet and the 2nd option. I think that if you are moving laundry from washer to dryer, then you simply are in and out quickly. If you are folding - you can easily take out of the dryer and fold on the counter above them and then out them in the cart for distribution back into closets / drawers or overall delivery.

I think that your more thoughtful approach to the laundry, and the availability or front loaders these days, makes the laundry closet more doable that in the past. It also forces you to get in, get out and get the job done - and since no one I know really likes laundry - you can use the space in your house for more enjoyable endeavors.

Really, while not ideal for a growing family (and the additional laundry that entails) it should work well for empty nesters. In our current 1937 house we have a laundry closet in the office. It's fine. One thing I would want (and currently have) is a bar to hang up hanging items straight out of the dryer. Frankly, DH keeps his scrubs on the bar all the time. The cart is a good idea. Even with a full sized laundry in the new house and the master closet just a few steps away, we're planning on a cart as a hamper.

Tomorrow mrspete, I'll take a few pictures of our setup we have here in our condo. I have a separate closet that is attached to the laundry closet that has bins for sorting and storing dirty clothes, etc. So on laundry day, I'll sort the clothes and throw them in the bins. Like you, I forgot what an iron is and have no desire to remember.

If you are not tall and are getting a full size W/D, I would not stack them as it's almost impossible to reach the upper controls. I would sooner lose the coat closet than stack my W/D. Plus think of how low the door to the washer will be and think about aging. I know mine now are on those thingy's to raise them up and I'm putting those thingy's in our new build. It makes it so much easier to move from laundry from washer to dryer.

I'm planning on each to have their own door that "folds back" into the closet. Over the washing machine, I'm planning on a cabinet that is almost flush with the front of the machine and I'm intending to have my detergent, spray stuff, etc in the cabinet. On top of the dryer, I'm planning on having a rod for hanging clothes I want to drip dry. (All two of them a year.)

The center will be cabinet height so I can spray stains, and fold if I want to do it there. (Not likely. Like you, the bed works fine for me.) The large closet next to the dryer that was originally DH's closet will now probably be split in two with 1/2 becoming the linen closet, and the other half the utility closet.

Here's my updated layout in case you haven't seen it. I'm even considering a small hidden door into my closet from the hallway for the laundry.

Since we're empty-nesters, we put our laundry in our master closet. We have a swinging door to block the noise from our dining room. Noise in the bedroom isn't an issue, as we don't do laundry at night.

That looks like a Don Gardner plan, which is often pretty easy to modify. You could post the whole thing for ideas, if you like.

I'm putting our w/d set in the master bath, which will have a glassed door to the back terrace. The idea is, you come in filthy from gardening, drop your clothes into the laundry basket, and step into the shower. Easy peasy.

I like your idea to incorporate the closet on the end. If you still need foyer storage, perhaps you could place a small armoire at the end of the wall. But of course, there is the door problem. Could they be custom made? But they'd be really heavy.

or, for more laundry storage, what about stealing part of the guest bedroom closet opposite the laundry closet? Does it need a full closet?

We are also trying to incorporate a w/d similar to Mushcreek's into our closet area or into a closet near the master bedroom. The "real" laundry room for the rest of the family will be upstairs. So, this is a great discussion.

I like using the coat closet and the 2nd option.

I think so too. I'm thinking that the best option is to have the washer/dryer both on the floor ... and use the single closet for waiting loads /cart on bottom and Elfa drawers with waiting loads above. Then we'd still have a bit of difficult-to-reach shelving on the smaller side.

If you are folding - you can easily take out of the dryer and
fold on the counter above them and then out them in the cart for
distribution back into closets / drawers or overall delivery.

With the bedrooms all so close, I'm fine with the idea of taking freshly washed laundry to be folded on the beds. That's no problem now, and in the future the carts'll make it possible. I'm remembering my grandmother, who at 98 had significant trouble carrying even her small loads of wash.

Tomorrow mrspete, I'll take a few pictures of our setup we have here in our condo

Yes, please.

And, yes, I'm not quite 5', but perhaps I have long arms because I've tested the stack-ups at Lowes, and I can reach them easily enough.

I do like the idea of a drip-dry rack above the washer; I wear lots of thin, gauzy tops that don't do well in the dryer.

I'm ambivalent about placing my washer/dryer on riser platforms. On the one hand, I like the idea of them being raised to a comfortable level, but then I lose the "table" on top of the washer/dryer. What do you put up top? Cabinets? They'd be difficult to reach -- perhaps I need to leave a spot for a stool.

Since we're empty-nesters, we put our laundry in our master closet. We
have a swinging door to block the noise from our dining room. Noise in
the bedroom isn't an issue, as we don't do laundry at night.

I love this idea, and it'd keep the plumbing consolidated (because it's next to the bathroom). However, our closet is not big enough to absorb even a stack-up unit.

That looks like a Don Gardner plan, which is often pretty easy to modify. You could post the whole thing for ideas, if you like.

Yes, it's a Don Gardner plan, but I'm feeling good about our broad strokes. We're down to these detailed areas, mainly the functional items that need to be planned carefully since they're make-or-breaks.

I like your idea to incorporate the
closet on the end. If you still need foyer storage ... or, for more laundry storage, what about stealing part of the guest
bedroom closet opposite the laundry closet? Does it need a full closet?

Foyer storage isn't a big deal for us.

I'm somewhat tempted by the idea of stealing from the bedroom across the hall, and it's true that my husband and I won't need this closet space. Still, at some point we may need to use these bedrooms as real bedrooms, and I hate to undermine the smallest bedroom's usefulness as a bedroom.

I mean, for example, our oldest daughter is about to move back home for the nine months between college graduation and her upcoming wedding. At some point any other family member may need a short term place to stay. I may one day need a live-in caregiver. My current intention is that these'll be guest rooms, but I want them to be available for "real use" at any point.

We are also trying to incorporate a w/d similar to Mushcreek's into our
closet area or into a closet near the master bedroom. The "real" laundry
room for the rest of the family will be upstairs. So, this is a great
discussion.

Yes, it's a great idea. Something else that occurs to me: IF we could put a small washer/dryer into our master closet (which we can't, so I'm just thinking hypothetically), we could put a rough-in for a washer/dryer into the hall closet ... but use it for regular storage. Then if we ever needed a washer/dryer available for the whole household, we could just buy a set and -- voila! -- a hall laundry.

Thanks for your thoughts, all!

As requested here is my current laundry setup.

First the doors closed. The double doors are the W/D and the door to the right is for storage of laundry and laundry stuff. It's also has our tankless hot water and our water cop:

This is the w/d area open. In my new build, I'll have a cabinet between the two and each of these will be in a separate "closet" as mentioned above:

Here's the small closet. I have room for two more baskets on the bottom if needed but found out for the two of us, I can get away with the two baskets. The top basket is the dog's clothes. (She's hairless so needs clothes):

Cpartist, it is basically one long closet, but with a couple of doors accessing it, right? Is it easy to reach the items on the shelves between the doors?

Cpartist, it is basically one long closet, but with a couple of doors accessing it, right? Is it easy to reach the items on the shelves between the doors?

No because the dryer is in the way. I think if I had made the closet for the W/D just a bit wider, it would have been easy to reach around to the smaller closet.

So it is really one big closet, but the dryer creates "a wall" between the two? I'm thinking this is the way to go. One long closet accessible by two doors (one double, one single) provides a bit more flexibility than two separate closets.

Yes it's basically one large closet with the dryer creating the "wall between them.

I like this arrangement but am probably going with the new layout for my new build.

I'm doing that because I'm basically a slob. If I eat something, or use something, it almost always winds up on me, so I have to spray every single shirt I own. Right now, I open the washer door and lay my shirt over the door and spray. I'm hoping by having a cabinet between the two, I can use the counter to lay my shirts on to spray, and to also fold some things.

With my new build, I'm planning on having bins in my closet or in the bathroom for sorting the laundry, so when it's time to do delicates, I just pull the small bin off my closet shelf and dump it in the machine. Etc, etc. And I love your idea of the cart, so will probably copy you on that.

Just a couple thoughts...I am planning a laundry closet because I like minimal SF for a room that is not a special room. I'm going to use a barn door to make it more decorative and also a laundry chute. I never fold in the laundry room, so no need to make it a big room.

And I love your idea of the cart, so will probably copy you on that.

I came up with the idea of the cart because I saw that my 100-year old grandmother could walk all day long holding onto her walker or a shopping cart, but she had trouble at home transporting a load of wash from the bedroom to the washer, which was in the kitchen. I'm thinking that the cart will be something like a shopping cart and will provide stability for walking. Of course, I'm not yet 50, so I'm a looong way from having such trouble, but I see no downside future-proofing the house.

Completely different thought process -- I always run through more possibilities than can fit into one house. I saw this set of pictures and thought, "This could work for my laundry" ...

The proportion is off, and it isn't a laundry room at all ... but imagine if we had the washer/dryer in the middle and a set of shelves (with baskets) on both sides. It'd be more decorative in the hallway than a set of regular doors, and we could keep (small) waiting loads in the baskets. The shelves/baskets would need to be sized in such a way that you couldn't really look into the baskets easily as you walk by.

With the amount of space I have, it'd only work if I stacked the machines. Imagine this is the closed door look -- roughly 24" shelves on each side and 48" of middle closet with two 24" barn doors. Closed:

Open -- I'd have extra space around the machine. In reality, it'd be better to scoot the machines against one side, and that'd allow for a skinny set of plastic shelves to hold cleaning materials -- or brooms, etc. for use in the bedroom area: And, of course, the cart couldn't fit anywhere, which is very much not cool -- it's integral to my idea. Of course, I could have just one cart, keep it in the bedroom, and move it back and forth when necessary -- but having two and switching them seems more functional.

What do y'all think? Is this crazy?

I still think having side by side W/D is better than stacked. While I love the look of barn doors, I personally see them as trendy.

My mother has a kitchen cart with two shelves on it that she has used since my brother was a baby. She'd put him in his little baby seat on it to move him about the house with her (she'd broken her shoulder while expecting him). That cart was used for everything: toting laundry, entertaining, meals-on-wheels for us when we were sick, cleaning house (all the cleaning stuff goes on it, and it rolls around the house with you) Their house is pretty spread out and I know the cleaning lady appreciates it for keeping her gear at hand.

I don't know if they even make those kitchen carts any more. You might consider a cart that has an optional top to it, and maybe an optional pole attachment for hanging.

I still think having side by side W/D is better than stacked. While I
love the look of barn doors, I personally see them as trendy.

I don't disagree with you on either count, but I'm still attracted to the idea.

I don't disagree with you on either count, but I'm still attracted to the idea.

And that's the beauty of a custom build. It's our house so we can do what we want with it. If you can figure out how to make it work and you still like the idea, I say go for it. :) They are cool looking.

I have 8 feet of bifold door for my laundry closet (yes, really). They do not fold back against the wall though. Is that the limitation of 36" bifolds?

If you need a picture, I can see if I can figure out how to get one on here.

I thought 36" was as wide as bifolds were available. Has the internet lied to me?

Kirkwall yes I'd like to see a picture please.

Here you go. Doors closed.

Door open, so you get a sense of scale. That is a full size washer within the closet. Dryer next to it.

Yes, when my doors are open, the hallway is more difficult to use, but my hallway "becomes" the laundry room when in use. I have a folding area to the right of the washer/dryer (because it is actually a closet longer than the 8 feet of doors (I think it is 10 feet long).

Kirkhall, without doubt, that's the easiest, cheapest option here -- I looked at Lowes online and found nothing bigger than 36" and told myself, "Well, that's what's available". This would eliminate the need for a separate door. Everything could fit together in one room, nothing stacked and room for the cart. Thanks for sharing this!

Yes, blocking the hallway would be a negative. These doors are 24" each, and my hallway's in the neighborhood of 42" ... so that would mean a person could turn sideways and scoot by these opened doors, but it wouldn't be convenient. However, realistically, if the washer door is open, it's blocking the hallway, so does it really matter if the bifold door ALSO blocks the hallway?

Choices!

Thanks, Kirkhall!

Hmm, I'm liking that idea too Kirkhall. Thank you for the pictures.

You're both welcome. My hallway is also about 42". There is nothing at the end of it except my master bedroom though (from which I took the picture). And, the kids' bathroom door is opposite this lineup of doors near the washer end. We can shimmy past the open laundry door with basket in hand, if we step into the bathroom door.

But, like I said, mostly, when the doors are open, it means I'm actively doing laundry (otherwise they are closed, and block a fair bit of sound). And, when they are open, with the hallway, it sort of "becomes" the laundry room.

Also, if I remember right, you both are retired? Or, at least single couples. This laundry closet is actively serving our family of 4...

To minimize the intrusion into the hallway, consider the full access door mechanism from Johnson Hardware. This would allow you to fold the open bifold door back against the wall if you have the wall space.

Good luck!

So now I've learned that an 8' bifold door is a possibility.

AND those doors can be made to fold back against the wall -- these hinges can work with the 8' doors, right?

That's the easiest possibility of all -- this is the answer.

Washer and dryer to one side /open shelves above for cleaning products ... and space for hanging damp blouses.

Space for the waiting-my-turn-to-be-washed cart to the other side (See how cute I made it with the wheels? I'm kinda proud of that.) And space above for storage in baskets -- would be a good place for sewing items, etc.

I am not sure about the hardware. I think I'd ask Johnson how heavy the doors can be for supporting the fold-back bifolds. (esp if the supporting arm has a limitation). Otherwise, I think you have a great option drawn out!

Mrspete,

Who are you ordering the doors from? Most door suppliers are familiar with the hardware that works for their doors. Some manufacturers make doors slightly differently depending on the application. The Johnson hardware should be sufficient for 8' doors but you want to get the weight of the doors being used to confirm. Another manufacturer to look at is Raydoor but their stuff is pretty modern and contemporary.

Good luck!