finish basement laundry room?

8 years ago

I live in a townhouse (constructed in 1960) in a Chicago neighborhood. It is probably worth about 600,000. When I bought it 8 years ago, I finished half the basement to create a family/exercise room and a craft room. The other half is open storage and the washer and dryer, plus furnace are there. It has the same tile that is in the rest of basement, but I've done nothing else. I am wondering now whether it would make sense in terms of add on value to go ahead and put up some dry wall and a ceiling. I'll probably be here another 10 years until retirement. Thanks in advance for advice!

Featured Answer

eld6161

8 years ago

Since you will have ten years to enjoy this renovation, absolutely do it. When you are ready to sell, there will be nothing structure wise that the next owners have to do.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

pamghatten
8 years ago
I'm not sure it would add any value ... do it if you want to do it, not for any future value.
Related Professionals
Evansville General Contractors · Richmond General Contractors · Muskogee General Contractors · Austin General Contractors · Clarksburg General Contractors · Moline General Contractors · Syracuse General Contractors · Huron General Contractors · Bridgeport General Contractors · Tucson Architects & Building Designers · Chico Architects & Building Designers · Pensacola Kitchen Remodelers · Amherst Kitchen Remodelers · Brattleboro Kitchen Remodelers · Fresno Kitchen Remodelers
geoffrey_b
8 years ago
I remodeled the laundry room - installed inexpensive base and hanging cabinets. Stainless steel sink, and I finished the counter tops with tile. My wife loves it - lots of space for cleaning supplies / sponges / etc.
Denita
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
In our area (South Florida) laundry rooms bring additional value, but the amount depends on the neighborhood. It is a definite negative issue if you do not have a laundry room in a neighborhood where the majority of the homes do have a laundry room. I agree with eld6161, put it in and enjoy the next 10 years having a nice laundry room :)

You might want to contact your local Realtor in your area just to see the added value for a laundry room in your neighborhood. It won't be accurate for ten years from now, but the Realtor can tell you how the market responds to a laundry room in your area now.
chicagoans
8 years ago
Hi suzan - I say yes, since you'll be able to use it for several years. I'm in your area and have a couple resources that might help. I have a 2nd laundry in my basement that I wanted to update. I don't use it often so I didn't want to spend a lot. I bought the lower cabinets below (already had uppers over the machines, not shown) and the pulls from Remodelers Mart in Hillside (link.) I was very happy with the price and service. The sink is a cheap one from Home Depot; I think the faucet came with it. Nothing to get excited about, but fine for my needs. My favorite part is the butcher block counter. It's solid butcher block, not veneer over particle board. We stained it, then finished with a couple protective coats of polyurethane. I got that at Menard's in Hillside - it was only about $160 for an 8' long counter, and it's solid with a pretty grain. (link) (The farthest cabinet is just a door hiding a sump pump - if you're wondering what the black thing on the floor is.)

HTH
suzan30
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks, everyone for the advice and to Chicagoans for the links. Very helpful. I think I will go ahead and gets some estimates on the cost. To me the basement is pretty dismal, and if I had a young family and was spending a lot of time down there doing laundry I'd want it to be a bit nicer.