Where are you located?

We're in Melbourne.

I personally would not want for the laundry to be outside. It might not be a deal breaker for buying your house, but it definitely would be a tiebreaker.

Reminds me of a time long ago when people had laundry on the front porch. Of course, that was a point of pride, because then the neighbors could see that they had a washing machine!

I think I would give up hallway storage before I would put the laundry outside.

Unless it is the done thing in a particular region, I would avoid it. Diminished resale value aside, blowing rain, possible freak freezing winter (e.g., Texas in February 2021) dog or cat or small children escaping while going thru the exterior door to check on laundry, insects flying in....

I would not buy a house that has an outdoor laundry setup, without a price adjustment for having to spend a small fortune to remodel and replumb inside to fix that and bring it indoors.. JMO.

Is the WIP the area marked rumpus? I don't see anything marked WIP. I wouldn't put laundry outside. Can you enclose some of the alfresco area to create a 4 seasons room for laundry?

Hi Beesneeds - the WIP (walk in pantry) is the continuation of the kitchen. Yes we could enclose some of the alfresco but we were really trying not to decrease the size of the deck. But it may be unavoidable depending on the impact of having the laundry outside on the deck.

Emily, you're in Melbourne, Australia? There is an Australian Houzz forum if you want to post there as well. (This one is primarily US and Canadian users.) If I were you, I'd ask a real estate agent or two about this decision. Resale value is region-specific and your local realtors should have the strongest pulse on your area's market.

I don't see the walk-in panty on your plan either (3 walls and a door, right?). In any case, walk-in storage areas feel like a waste of space to me. Reach-in closets and cabinets with pull outs make more functional sense to me. I wouldn't forgo an indoor laundry area for a walk-in pantry. Walk in the pantry and do what exactly? Use an appliance? Why be surrounded by three walls of stored items? How much use does that empty middle space get? If space is tight, this seems like the easiest way to reclaim some.

Are you working with an interior designer? I'm not a pro but the ensuite jutting out into the kitchen creating an empty nook next to a wall of kitchen cabinets looks awkward.

I really dislike WIP so IMO a no brainer put the W/D in there where ever that is since it is not on the drawing. WIP are a huge waste of space always.

Do you have a separate washer and dryer or one combo machine?

If you have the budget, you could install hook ups in both locations

Also, as tartanmeup mentioned, most posters here will be from US and we tend to have different norms.

Bedroom 2 looks pretty large. Can you make the wardrobe less wide (and maybe deeper) and have a small hall closet that holds a stackable unit that faces the hallway?

There are several rooms on this plan that raise my eyebrows so I definitely agree you should be asking local real estate experts. When you said location is Melbourne, I, being in US, assumed you meant Florida. I know nothing of Australian housing norms. I too am trying to place the WIP - is it the nook across from refrigerator? Rumpus room? Is that like a casual family gathering room? Besides your outdoor laundry which sounds primitive to my US mind, I have issue with 2nd bath so far from the 2 bedrooms. The en-suite bath is so much closer. Can that 2nd bathroom be moved to opposite wall of Living room & be reconfigured or enlarged a bit to put at least A stacking washer / dryer inside that bath? You’d gain advantage of both 2nd bath being closer to 2 bedrooms & laundry area close to bedrooms where the clean clothing goes after wash. And, you’d have an inside laundry & not use any space in your alfresco room. My proposed location is still convenient for guests to use that 2nd bath as it’s close to dining & living rooms but just on opposite wall. The rumpus room would be same size as shown on plan. Living room would be offset from dining area since it would move into space where you now have 2nd bath to make up for space lost with bathroom being moved to opposite wall.

Comment re: longevity of machines. Your climate is humid, therefore I would not place W/D in an "unconditioned" space. Exterior placement is fairly common in Phoenix, Arizona due to being in the low desert where humidity rarely reaches 40%...and then only for a very short period.

Ok, so the WIP is the nook at the end of the kitchen then? I can see how putting the washer/dryer there would take up half that space. I can understand your desire for a pantry, a lot of people like pantries, including myself. Of course some folks don't like pantries and prefer pull outs or cabinet storage. All of us have preferences or dislikes for our own reasons.. you just go with what you like for your house. If it's a WIP, go for it.

Could you post what your current house configuration is? It might help us give you some suggestions to configure your space well, we can get a better grasp on what you are changing or not compared to the new plan.

I am in Houston Tx if that makes a difference,. As multiple repairmen have told me computer washing machines are not made for garages. They are inside the house machines. Mine have lasted about three years. Two Maytag and a Cabrio.

I was looking at the master bathroom and that area of the kitchen just to the right of it that abuts the carport. Can that general area be reworked so that it includes both the laundry and Storage? And what about a door to the carport--wouldn't it be easier to get groceries in from the car that way? Most of us would have no idea what the norms are for laundry location in Melbourne. That said, my brother and his wife live in a hot dry part of California in a small 1914 house that has the laundry in a separate little outbuilding in the backyard. It apparently has no effect on their house value.