Hi I need help with a redesign of my bathroom

9 years ago

I have a 1950's beach cottage that I rent out when I am not using it. Currently the stacking washer/dryer is located too close to the fuse panel in the kitchen. I would like to put it in the bathroom. The room next to the bathroom is my "owner's room" where I store my personal stuff and I could steal some room from this space. My thoughts so far are to eliminate the bath and just have a shower but I'm still not sure how to line things up. I'll try to send photos and a drawing.

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User

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

While electrical panels are often switched to the outside during service upgrades, it is not a general requirement anywhere in the US. Panels are usually switched to the outside due to clearance requirements, such as a kitchen remodel where someone has cabinets built in below the panel, or the only room for the W/D is in front of the panel. NEC/NFPA70 code numbers are in [(brackets)]. This is a reference to the NEC in the IRC.

Other than clearance requirements and working space, there are only a few places where panels are not allowed inside the house.

You are also confusing distribution panels (breaker boxes) with service disconnects. The panel with a lot of breakers in it can go almost anywhere in the house, as long as the " main breaker" is not in that panel. You can even have a panel on every floor. The service disconnect is usually a single, double pole breaker. It can be inside the distribution panel, or by itself. If the service disconnect means is in a separate enclosure, it is usually on the outside of the house. If the service disconnect is within the distribution panel, it more often faces to the inside of the house, but on an exterior wall, right behind the meter. The rules for where a service disconnect can go have been the same for as long as I can remember, except that not being in a bathroom was added in 1993 due to humidity (shower steam).

A long, long time ago, the fire department would just pull the meter. The actual code for a main disconnect started out just as much to provide the service conductors inside the house with overcurrent protection. Since the overcurrent protection is also a breaker, and all wiring inside the house needs a disconnect for servicing, the idea that it was also required for the fire department was just accepted. Since it was required for other actual reasons already, it was a moot point. The reality is, that unless the power is disconnected at the transformer, a hot fire can melt the insulation on the service cable and blow up the transformer even if the power is turned off at the house, which is also dangerous. So, the power should really be disconnected at the transformer in the event of a fire.

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Comments (10)

PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
9 years ago
All in all it's likely that moving the box is less expensive than remodeling the bath. Also are you aware that there are combo washer/dryers which are one machine?

http://www.homedepot.com/b/Appliances-Washers-Dryers-All-In-One-Washer-Dryer/N-5yc1vZc3ot
Heather Brookes
Original Author
9 years ago
Hi thanks for your quick response. I have looked into the all in one washer dryer but the downside is the length of time that they take to run a load. When I have guests checking in and out of my cottage a lot of laundry needs to be done in short order. I could move the laundry into my room but then it wouldn't be available to my guests and since some are here for a month..they need laundry facilities.

The other problem I didn't mention but that needs to be addressed is some water pipes that run through the attic and last winter were subject to freezing. The bathroom plumbing needs to be opened up to address this so I'm stuck with redoing the bathroom anyway.
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Heather Brookes
Original Author
9 years ago
Another question: I have used Restoration hardware for plumbing fixtures in the past. The quality was excellent but the price is pretty steep. Can anyone recommend something similar at a lower cost?
acm
9 years ago
there are many many sources of good fixtures. hard to know what "something similar" would be in a vacuum -- identify the features (style, finish) and then do some searches. here on Houzz, and on many store sites, you can specify such factors, and even a price range, and then see what comes up.
PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
9 years ago
Are you on a slab or crawl space?

Is there any way to create access to the W/D from the hall instead? No one wants to do laundry in the bathroom.
chiflipper
9 years ago
Heather, many fire departments now require the electrical panel be on the exterior of the building. It's far safer for the responders to be able to "cut the power" before entering the structure. When "flipping" I almost always relocate the main panel.
Heather Brookes
Original Author
9 years ago
Hi Bev

The house does have a crawl space but it is pretty much inaccessible. The one "door" to it has a big plumbing pipe running across it. I think only a little kid could shimmy thru the gap. Not sure why it was built that way

The cottage started out at 600 square feet with only one bedroom and then over the years has had two more bedrooms added so it is now 1100 square feet. Not a lot of extra space anywhere which is probably how the laundry ended up in the kitchen
PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
9 years ago
Heather, the reason I ask is because if you can't access the plumbing from below, then flooring has to be removed to address any piping change. So can you leave the bath as is and simply create a W/D closet by taking space from the owner's room and accessing it from the hallway? That way you can tie into plumbing from the vanity and run the dryer vent through the roof.
Heather Brookes
Original Author
9 years ago
That is a thought. The next time I am there I will take more accurate measurements and photos. Thanks for your help.