Relocating Laundry Room

I would never buy a home where the washing machine had been moved outside of the actual house. You will alienate a TON of buyers if you move it out.

ETA: and I agree with 8kidsdad about how you're dressed while doing laundry. At least a few times a week I end up taking the clothes I am wearing and throw them into the wash right there, and then dash up the stairs to my bedroom to dress.

I wouldn't like to have to go outside to get to my laundry room, even if it were a few steps. I even hate going out to the garage to do my laundry, especially when it's winter, and it doesn't even get that cold here (coldest can get in the 20s). I am forever running out late at night to put the clothes in the dryer I forgot or trying to throw the load in first thing in the morning and very often in my PJs, not really something I'd want to do outside. I would wonder what someone was thinking if I saw the laundry room outside honestly.

I think moving the washer dryer outside the house would dimish its value. You get enough rain in MS that walking outside during the rain to wash clothes or to bring them back in the house after they have been dried would not be any fun.

Also, how dressed are you when you wash the clothes? Would you feel ok walking to the washer and dryer less than fully dressed? Occasionally my wife will be fully dressed when she washes clothes, but usually she isn't.

Good luck to you and yours.

Are you talking about moving the unit out and demo'ing the washer/dryer connections in the guest bathroom? Or are you going to leave the connections in place and just move it outside because that is where you want it? If you are leaving the connections in place, go for it. All the realtor would have do is say that there are two washer/dryer hookups and show them the area in the guest bathroom.

If you are going to be removing the connections, I would not do it. The best part about my house is being able to do the laundry whenever without having to worry about the weather or dragging laundry baskets out of the house.

As long as you leave the connections in the house, actually having a washer/dryer unit hooked up will not hurt the sale of the house, unless someone is trying to find a house where they can bundle those into the sale of the home.

Hi! I don't even understand why anyone would have their W/D in the basement so I surely wouldn't want to have to schlepp through the house and yard to do laundry.

Yes. I would not want to go outside to switch out the laundry or carry clean laundry back inside and perhaps trip and drop it.

I would not even look at a house that did not have the washer inside the house. I don't even think I would look at one where it's in the garage either. I want a clean floor that is close to the bedrooms and is internal/inside the center of the house.

IMO it really doesn't make a difference, because some people won't like having to walk outside and will like the conveniece of the machine being close to the bedrooms.

Personally, I have my washer and dryer in the basement. When we bought the house it was on the first floor, in the kitchen. The first thing I did was have it moved. I want my dirty laundry out of the way, with room to sort. I'd love to have it just off the deck, it would make it so much easier to hang things out to dry.

Today's homes are built with the laundry room in mind. Laundry rooms are now upstairs so you don't have to lug the dirty clothes down the stairs only to bring them back up again. Don't do it unless you have to.

Definitely a negative to a potential buyer to not have it near by for easy access. Don't move it.

Yep.

As a matter of fact, my realtor wouldn't even show us houses with exterior access to the laundry (fairly common, here with basements that aren't connected to the house). When we came across houses where that hadn't been in the up front details (listing agents know buying agents often won't even do a walkthrough)... we turned around and walked out. Her quote was:

"I am NOT letting you walk through the rain with your laundry."

Now... if we'd had buku bucks, and were looking at huge houses where we could easily move the machines AND afford to replumb everything, then maybe we'd have looked. As it was, we were looking at smaller to middle sized homes on a limited (under 500k... our max was 450) budget.

This is something to talk to a Realtor about. Do you have any friends in that business?

I've known people whose laundry facilities were in their garages, but not outside. You're wise to check it all out before you start working on it.

Depends on your weather.
Personally, I would love it.
If I could get more than 4 months out of an outdoor shower (like at the beach) I'd have O. of those too!
Lol at people not fully dressed doing laundry! Can't imagine!

That's a deal breaker for me. At least once a week I am running to the dryer to get clean underwear in my bathrobe. I don't imagine I'd want to have to go out of doors.

I would not like to go outside into another building for laundry. I, personally, have always had my laundry facilities in the basement - makes me run up and down the stairs!! Some days I feel that is the only exercise I get!! lol!! I wouldn't want it any other way. Not sure if it's because that's how my Mom always had it or what but that's what I'm used to. Plus, living in a two-floor house makes me go up and down the stairs a lot!!

What I don't like about laundry rooms on the first floor is sometimes you have to go thru that room to get inside a house - that's how my sister-in-law's house is and I hate it!! Most the time she's got dirty laundry piled up all over the place and I really don't want (or need) to see the stuff I've seen!!! I'm beginning to wonder if she actually ever does the laundry!!!

Good luck!!

that was the deal breaker on a couple houses for me actually. So not convenient.

I have my laundry room attached to one of the bathrooms upstairs. I LOVE it because all of our bedrooms and showers are upstairs too. I get to do laundry in the same area that everyone gets dressed/undressed.

I wouldn't do it personally.

I would not consider buying a house if the washer and dryer were not actually IN the home.