Need advice on the cabinet in utility room.

Narendra Chava

6 years ago

(in pictures) Here's how the cabinet in the utility room is depicted in design document (contract) and how it is actually done in my new house. Do you think this is acceptable ? I personally feel that it looks very awkward. And that both the shelf and cabinet should be aligned on the bottom and top for a better aesthetic appeal. Also I don't think the clearance to floor left by the cabinet is enough to install a washer or dryer with pedestal. I'm planning to ask my builder to change this, not sure if they would even agree to do it. Am I being too fussy here ? Please advise.

Thanks.

Featured Answer

My House

6 years ago

last modified: 6 years ago

The drawing shows the bottoms of both to be on the same horizontal plane. Clearly, the are not. I'd skip the shelves and add a closet rod instead. , I agree that the cabinet looks to low.

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Comments (9)

ci_lantro
6 years ago
On the drawing, it looks as though a cabinet is superimposed over the original drawing and that the shelving and a hanging rod was the original plan.

On the drawing, the overall height of the shelving is 2'6". The cabinet height is supposed to be 2'6" also but I doubt that the crown moulding was factored in. A 2'6" wide cabinet replaced a 3'2" hang rod.

So, I would suggest that you measure the shelving, the finished shelving with the top restored, to ascertain whether or not you got what was specified. It looks as though that either the cabinet is larger than specified or the shelving is shorter than specified. But photos can be deceiving.

That said, two very dissimilar elements were specified so the result was doomed from the get-go. Would have looked better to stick w/ original plan.
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User
6 years ago
Is the cabinet 30x30? The whole design could be much better.
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
IMO open shelves in a utility room are just a PITA so go with another matching cabinet and as for height if you are putting W/D with pedestals how will you reach the cabinets if they are any higher , that is something you will have to decide with a measuring tape and some boxes to mimic the W/D and their height.In the contract drawing you do not show WD on a pedestal and IMO the cabinet and the open shelves beside it just look goofy anyway.
lyfia
6 years ago
The height alignment is an issue, however the gap between the shelves and the cabinet is due to picking a 30" cabinet (2'6") for a space that is 3'2" (38") wide. The shelves should have been adjusted as needed to fill this space.
rrah
6 years ago
Just a guess, but I suspect whoever installed the shelves was thinking about the space needed to open a top-loading washer. In our first house I installed a shelf over the washer and dryer. Being young and a new homeowner I didn't consider the space to open the washer. I had to pull it all out and reinstall it.
Narendra Chava
Original Author
6 years ago
Original plan was hanging rod.. but the cabinet didn’t look bad either on paper and I thought of using it for storing cleaning supplies. Paid over $400 I regret it now.
My House
6 years ago
On second thought.... I looked at my plumbing hook-up box and upper cabinets. The distance from the plumbing box and the bottom of the cabinet looks similar. Switch the cabinet for a taller one with three adjustable shelves to give you more storage and add a closet rod on the other side, where the shelves are now. Skip the open shelf idea.
erinsean
6 years ago
I have a front loader washer on a pedestal and my dryer is on a pedestal. That said, I have a cabinet over both of them and I can only reach the bottom shelf....need a step stool to reach the two shelves above. It is what it is and don't plan on changing anything but wanted to tell you my problem. Also I would put a hanging rod where your shelves are....keep washing supplies in the enclosed cabinet....all will look neater. As far as the height of your cabinet, you will have to measure the machine and the pedestal to see if you have room.