Outside Laundry or Inside Laundry Small Kitchen or Tiny Bit Bigger Kitchen

I vote laundry inside! I've had to go outside before to do laundry at 2 places. It's not good.
I also have a 4 person table and wouldn't trade it for a bigger one if I had to go outside to do the laundry.

Laundry inside! I don't think you will be happy having to go outside to do it. Maybe you can do a stackable to make a little more room..... Either way, I say keep it inside.

Greetings A.,
Since I have had it both ways believe me I vote for the inside laundry! The pain it is to have to be outside in the winter weather is a pain and if you are having to take a child in and out as well then it's just easier to go to the laundromat. Good Luck with what you decide. Nana Glenda

How about stackable washer and dryer? There might even be all in one machines, which might take you longer to do the laundry, but would only be one machine. I'd keep it in the house if you have no attached garage, but I would consider finding another place for it. We used to have our washer and dryer in an upstairs hallway in a closet, and that was great because it was next to the bedrooms where the clothes all go. You don't need a laundry room, just some spot to house the washer and dryer. I would even be happy with one in a large bathroom, just to have more space in the kitchen.

If possible I would keep the laundry inside. We lived in a house where the laundry was in a shed behind the house and I hated it. It was such a hassle, especially in bad weather.

I lived in Seattle where our laundry was in the basement. In order to get to the basement we had to walk outside to the back deck and down the stairs. I hated doing the laundry this way and I can't imagine doing it with kids (lots more laundry to do). When I moved down here we bought a house with the washer and dryer in the kitchen like yours. Although I thought it was strange to have it in the kitchen...I love it. We just remodeled our kitchen and kept the laundry right where it is. Ideally it would be nice to have a back porch with the laundry area there. But that will be for a different kind of remodel. If you have it in the back yard it would take more determination and time to put on shoes and go out back to do it.

Also in our kitchen we bought a stackable washer and dryer so they were flat and used them as a counter in our small kitchen. Then after the remodel we extended the granite counter over them to "hide" them somewhat. During big parties I also throw table clothes over them so it is not so noticeable.

How much laundry do you do? How often do you do it? Are you a load-a-day family or do you do it all on Saturday and Sunday?
Our machines are in the cellar and to get there I go outside and down the hatch. There's a covering over the hatch so I don't get wet, but it's a pain in the butt. Our old place had the machines inside and it was so much more convenient. Plus, I always knew when the load was done because I could see/hear it.
However, I understand the small house issue too. We live in a tiny house and if I had to choose between having the machines in the cellar and making our living space even smaller I might choose the cellar.
Tough choice!

I definitely vote for keeping the laundry in the kitchen. Our laundry is at the back of our unfinished basement -- through the door, down the steep stair with the tight turn, duck under the furnace pipes. We recently added a few more lights, but it is still cold and dark. Those few steps out to the shed could seem long i nthe dark or early morning.

If your family is only 4, and you have room for 4 at your table, I would consider leaving it where it is, IF GOING OUTSIDE TO THE SHED IS THE ONLY OPTION. If you have an attached garage which has a door to the house, then by all means I would absolutely opt for putting the laundry in the garage. I have always had laundry in the garage, and it's no big deal. I have a large rug reminant in fron of my machines. If you live in California, it doesn't get that cold. Again if you have to go "outside" under the stars and into the elements, I don't think that option will work. Another option to consider is do you have a closet in the house, that you could put a stackable apartment washer and dryer? And you can bring in plumbing?

One of the most lived in rooms in a home is the kitchen area. Even when you invite people over, they will always tend to gravitiate to a kitchen area or kitchen table if it is comfortable, inviting in color and decor, and there is enough room.

If you can get a hold of a kitchen designer, you might be able to pick their brain. I do kitchen design and would look at it for you but I am in the process of moving out of CA this week.
Home Depot has kitchen designers. If you go late at night when no one else is around, and can get your current room on graph paper, I'm sure they would take a looksie at it and maybe give you some ideas. Or call and make an appointment, just tell them you want cabinetry ideas.

Go to your library and pull books on interior design and remodeling. They will all have instructions on how to put the room and any fixtures/cabinets on graph paper.You should even make little mockups of a table and chairs and any other furniture, and they should be to the same scale used as in the room layout. Note the placement of windows, doorways, and electrical outlets. Note also, the normal traffic pattern. You shouldn't do any remodeling until you do this. What you think will visually work, might not necessarily work. Plus when you put things on paper, it forces you to explore things you may not have thought about. The best ideas come with careful consideration and planning. Play around with you space on paper and have fun.

The library might have decorating magazines, but if they dont, take an evening alone and go to Barnes and Noble. They have a huge selection of kitchen decor/remodeling mags. Pull a stack, go find a chair, and get ideas. Lots of fun.

Good luck,

Gail

I once had an outside laundry in the shed off the back of the house... it was before I had kids and I didn't care for it much. It was cold, the clothes would get wet when it rained, so I would have to run, and I couldn't hear the end of cycle buzzer and would forget about the load. It wasn't the worst, but it was not convenient and I would choose not to do that again. I wonder if you have considered a table with bench seating along one wall in your tiny nook? Or a stackable washer-dryer unit?

Good luck with your choice!

Do you have a dining room to use besides the eat in kitchen area? If so, I'd eat there more often and leave the laundry inside. You might find some help by asking a realtor to have a look at your house and give you some suggestions. They know what is popular and what people are looking for in homes, and might be able to lead you in the right direction or give you suggestions you hadn't thought of. If you ever intend to sell this home it will be very helpful to know what a professional has to say before you make the big changes. My laundry is in my garage with a door from my kitchen for access so I put up with chilly temps, but dont have to go out in the weather. Several neighbors do have to go out thier front doors to get to their garages to do laundry and they aren't fond of it. One has built a nice little extension on the front of the house with a roof so at least they are covered when its raining but it is still a little awkward for them. If there is a way to put the "shed" really close to the house and make it almost like an addition and cover the walkway with a roof, you might like it. Moving water and sewer access might be really hard and expensive if you can't build close to where the pipes are now. As your kids grow, the kitchen area will feel even more crowded. My kitchen is tiny and there is barely room for 2 at the same time so if I had laundry in the same area I'd be looking for a solution too. But really if you think about the resale factor later, I bet an indoor laundry room is going to look better than a shed out back. If it is the only eating area,, you certainly are in a pickle. sorry. (o:

A.
If the shed is close by I would say go for it. Our laundry area is in the livingroom. WE have sheds that are in the backyard but too far away to put the laundry area. SO, ultimately its up to how much space you want.
W. M.

We have the same set up with the L shape kitchen except the laundry isn't in the kitchen but it's a room that makes the kitchen an L shape. I would recommend it only if you could put the laundry in the garage but not in the shed. I think you will regret having to go outside in inclement weather. I do laundry every day and some days I have done 5 loads. Also, I like know I can keep an eye on my child if it's inside. I can get more done that way. We utilized our kitchen space as best as possible by taking out a "desk" area and making it more counter space. Also, bought a table with a leaf so we could accommodate more people when needed but make it a smaller table w/to make more space for every day. Also, can get the type of table w/the bench on one side so you can slip it under the table and push the table against the wall. Hope that helps.

I have had the laundry in the garage in one house and in the garage in another, and I definitely vote for in the house. I can't even imagine having to go outside to access the laundry area. Our first house had no access between the house and the garage, but putting in a door for easy access was the first project my husband accomplished (and the other neighbors who were still going out in all kinds of weather to get to the laundry were envious). However, I think it would depend on the size of your family. If you regularly need to seat more than four people for meals, I can see where a larger kitchen would be attractive. If the extra seating area would mainly be to accommodate guests, I think I would just set up a card table in another room for the kids when you have company.

That depends. Do you have a dinning room? If you do, forget about using the kitchen to eat, use your dinning room. Use your kitchen as a kitchen and keep the laundry inside. Right now it is pouring rain where I live. I would HATE to have to go outside to do laundry.

Best of luck!
R.

I think a Bigger Kitchen would make your family a lot happier because you would spend more quality time in their and you can do projects and baking etc. One good thing about moving the Laundry Room is that you wouldn't do Laundry quite as much saving you lots of money!!!!

I would leave the laundry area inside the house. Maybe you could get those nice colorful appliances to bring it all together. I know someone who has put a door on their laundry room which is next to the kitchen... it's insulated and with the new quieter appliances, you can hardly hear it.

Plus, I like to do my laundry at night and there would be no way I would be running outside to a shed to do laundry then.

I vote for the smaller kitchen with the laundry room inside.

I assume that this means you don't have a garage? If you do have a garage, I would put it out there. If you have to put it in a detached shed, I would leave it in the house, because bringing nice clean clothes in the house in the rain is really going to suck. However, you might also look into getting a stackable washer and dryer and seeing if there is a closet in the house you can convert into a "laundery" room. A bigger kitchen is definatly worth it if you can make it work.

Despite having a laundry room we are now considering changing that into an office to free up a room for an arriving baby, but have the same dilema. Ours maybe in the garage, but I still don't know if I would be happy going out to the garage on a cold night. The previous owners of our house took our laundry out of the kitchen and added a small laundry room to the side of our house. I don't know if this would be an option for you. Or what about putting it in the garage, if you have one?
A

When your boys are young, they need you more; I think it is better to do your laundry in the house, for convenience, comfort and for keeping a better eye on the boys. When they are older, you will have more free time to yourself, you can pick your time to do laundry when the weather is nice, and everyone will need more room, then you can move the laundry out, and maybe the boys can do laundry themselves...

Will a stackable washer and dryer work to give you more kitchen room now?

Or is an extension/remodeling to the kitchen possible?

I'm assuming you own the home - putting the laundry outside would be a big mistake for your resale value! I think the suggestion of a stacker unit may be a good idea - however they tend to have smaller load capacity. Is there a place near the bedrooms for laundry? Our laundry room is upstairs next to the master bedroom and it's great! My husband no longer has an excuse to leave his clothes on the floor since the laundry is outside our bedroom door. ;)
Get front loaders with the storage drawers underneath - great for detergent and hangers - etc. & they save your water and electricity - gentler pon fabrics too.
Good luck!

my vote, inside. sadly, due to kitchen possibilities!

reasons:
1 safety, back door unlocked and parent out of sight for a time

2. keep it inside so laundry is a FAMILY job. Not Mom's (or Dad's)

inside, it's easier to delegate the responsibilities. Put up a sign kISS THE LAUNDERER ;). children must be made aware of all M/D do and respect/appreciate it and join in as is age appropriate. Liitle one can Clean lint tray, put in baggy/ies. Save in survival/disaster supply (to start a fire).

3. Parent who ends up goinh to shed will be having to sacrifice too much. Each time you'll have to gear up with cell phone, blue tooth, and pepper spray (for safety) and even then, no guarantees. Wet, windy weather will make for hassles,etc.

maybe you could make inside laundry more appealing with some design ideas...

Happy New Year!
G.

If you try a design with a stackable or an all-in-one washer-dryer can you still find room for an eating area? Think of different placements of things...going outside to do laundry can be a pain, especially if there are children in the family. Good luck with your plans..

I used to have my dryer in the garage and sometimes both the washer and dryer there. Had to walk outside and into the car door of the garage since there was no door from house directly into the old garage. What a pain. And I didn't have young children at the time. Nooks are pretty inflexible, but sometimes with a little more area you can have a movable table and add some chairs besides the benches and serve more people..Good luck. Aren't you glad you have a house?!! N.

I just spent the last 3 1/2 years doing laundry outside in pouring rain, freezing temps, and extreme heat, take it from me, KEEP IT INSIDE!! Good luck! =)

I have an outdoor laundry. Sometimes it's a bit of a pain when it's raining, but it's fine. I would easily choose a bigger kitchen over an indoor laundry area.

I've had an outside laundry (in the garage) for over ten years now, and to me it's no big deal. You are only outside for a moment, even if the weather isn't good, it doesn't make a big difference. I would never reduce the size of my kitchen in order to move the laundry inside, wouldn't even consider it.

Hope that's a little help!

I agree do your research. I have lived in a house with the washer and dryer near the kitchen and it was wonderful! If at late at night you need to wash something you can and not worry about being cold. Right now we have our wash in the garage, right off from the kitchen and on a cold night or early morning I am not happy to have to go to the garage for the laundry. I would keep the laundry inside.
We are looking for a new home and one of my criteria is inside laundry!

Oh lordy no I wouldn't put the laundry outside! LOL

We have lived in 2 houses where the laundry was in the garage. I HATED it! I already dislike doing the laundry, but having it out in the garage made it worse. The floor stayed dirty no matter what I did, so anything dropped in the floor I felt had to be washed again. When it was cold I hated having to go out there and freeze while trying to get the laundry done! Plus, I'd forget about it while I was inside! haha

So my opinion is definitely keep the laundry inside! :)

Hi. My laundry is in our garage which is detached from our home, so if it is raining I go out in the rain to get to the garage, which means I get wet and so do the clean dry clothes. It's not too bad but it's really cold in the winter and really hot in the summer out there. I have a table set up with laundry baskets out there to sort the clothes (light colors, dark colors, towels, whites and an empty to bring the clothes in the house with.) I also have a large laundry basket by the back door for all the dirty laundry so I can take it out and sort it. I would love to get my laundry in the house but it's just not possible right now. I have small children so I have to make sure they are safe before I can go outside to do the laundry (napping or with daddy etc). We have 4 kids (2 little ones and 2 older ones) so I have a lot of laundry. If you do move it outside make sure you set it up to be as organized as possible otherwise it's just a huge hassle and mess. HTH! Good luck!

I'd say give up the laundry room for more room in the kitchen, My washer and dryer is in the garage and it is not big deal sometimes it is cold in the winter but I had my husband glue vinyl flooring to the cement floor and it is lees cold on feet and is my designated laundry area, with shelving above for cleaning supplies and laundry suppies