Michael and Iris's Laundry Nook

We've been busy here at RedneckModern, but not on our own house. While waiting for Diane and Greg's window to arrive, we polished off the final touches on Michael and Iris' laundry nook.

Oddly, we've become quite proficient at laundry-area conversions after reconfiguring our own and Laura and Chris' (and helping with two others). In Michael and Iris' model, however, there's only a tiny space for the machines and no way to really hide them, so the goal was to make it more functional as well as more of an eye-pleaser.

We don't have any "before" pictures so-to-speak, but the area was pretty barren with a few hacks to the original plumbing and the paneling, leaving odd holes and -- if I'm not mistaken -- a rag to catch the leaks from a dripping coupling. It wasn't hideous, but not a place you'd start a house tour... which was unfortunate as the rest of the home is a real showplace.

So, in addition to new, tidied-up plumbing, we created a base for the machines to rest on from a highly (highly) modified and reinforced stock piece from Ikea -- something to support the weight and vibrations of a washing machine needed to be more than your typical allen-wrench-assembled storage unit. The result is a rock-solid platform with a bit of storage.

We decided to drywall the back wall for safety -- being next to a heat-producing unit running on 220V current is not ideally a place for flammable wall paneling and the drywall not only looks a lot cleaner, but will be a bit more fire-proof and visually lightens up the area a bit.

We added the convenience of a modern washing-machine-valve box with 1/4-turn valves to make turning the water on/off a simple task (Remember folks: turn off the water prior to vacation -- a busted washer hose can make a mess over a long weekend). We also fashioned a top countertop for the hoses and cords to poke-through cleanly -- this is probably my favorite part as the fit is super-clean.

The addition of extra storage was a must and Michael had already selected the Ikea horizontal cabinet and Rubrik doors coupled with the underlit shelves which work perfectly here. I was able to run power to a outlet box inside the cabinet and run the cables behind the cabinets for a very clean installation (the white outlet box above is inside the left cabinet). Each of the lights has their own on/off switch and while I wish there was a way to run the power in tandem, leaving them as individually powered units was the best choice. Ikea products can often be pushed only so far we've found.

However, not to leave the details unattended, we trimmed out the plinth, under counter support and side trim with matte aluminum to coordinate with the Rubrik doors. All in all, a very detail-oriented install -- they probably have the most tricked-out laundry area on the block.

A friend asked me the other day "Did you do all of this yourself? Design? Plumbing? Electrical? Drywall?". Yes. All us... with the help of agreeable homeowners, of course. We've worked with several fantastic contractors (and a few not-as-good ones) and always give props where credit is due, but this one (and Diane and Greg's bath) was all us.

So, if you need some help on a project, drop us a line.

Comments

[Brian]

Is that a special short-depth W/D combo? In our laundry nook, the W/D stick out beyond the depth of the space a little bit. Maybe their space is deeper? Ours is 26" deep on the hall side and 30.5" deep on the door side (that would be right and left looking at the nook, respectively).

[red]

yes: it's the bosch axxis line which is about 24in deep.

[DeNacho]

excellent job! very impressive. i have a stackable W/D but am already planning my laundry redo with hopefully a SBS & Ikea cabs. we used the Akurum line in our kitchen remodel & love the look & flexibility. i'll keep your post in mind for my laundry!