How Much Does It Really Cost To Renovate A Laundry Room?
Renovating your laundry room, or changing the layout of your home to include this fantastic feature, is a great idea. Homeowners with a dedicated space for cleaning products and washing clothes can better wall off the messier components of homeownership from the lifestyle they're searching for in their homes. Many people looking to create or modify a laundry room in their homes pair this installation with a built-in mudroom for a more efficient space that works as a transition between the outdoors and clean interior of the home.
Fixr reports that the typical laundry room in the United States measures around 35 square feet and costs about $7,000 on average to build. The range for a standard build lies between about $4,000 on the low end and $12,000 on the top end of the spectrum. Pairing appliances with functional installations in the room is crucial, and with the typically small footprint, efficiency and effective planning of the room's layout will be key. Homeowners often select the best new appliances they can afford for the laundry room because your washer and dryer will each last an average of ten years (via Consumer Reports). Investing in good quality now will help elongate that timeline and ensure a proper wash and efficient dry through each cycle. These appliances can also be found in energy-efficient models today, making for a reduction in overall electricity costs over the ten-year lifespan.
Factors for cost
The primary cost factors when considering a laundry room remodel lie in the construction of the space itself. If you're changing the layout of your home to incorporate a completely novel room into the mix to support your laundry needs, the price of the remodel is going to naturally rise to accommodate the construction costs. Alternatively, a remodel of an existing laundry space may not require any building at all. Alongside the construction, you'll need to factor in the additional features that make up a typical laundry space.
Building the room or augmenting existing space
The first stop on the way to your new laundry room is the space itself. You may need to carve out a section of existing space within your home — shortening a bedroom, minimizing the garage, or eliminating a hallway, for instance. Depending on how you intend to add the laundry room to your floorplan, it's likely that the room will be situated within the boundaries of your existing four walls.
Construction of an interior room that takes over some of your existing space can be challenging to estimate. However, the typical cost to frame an interior wall ranges roughly from $7 to $16 per square foot (via Bankrate).
Angi notes that building an addition to change the square footage of your home by adding space beyond the existing floorplan will cost roughly $3,200 to $8,000 (based on a reported cost of $33,000 to $80,000 for a 400-square-foot room addition and accounting for the much smaller size of a laundry room).
Installing countertops and cabinets
Countertops and cabinets are the next addition to the space. After you've finished walling off the new laundry room, expect to pay between $20 and $280 per square foot on countertops, and $100 to $300 per linear foot for standard stock cabinets (rising to $500 to $1,500 for custom cabinetry per linear foot), according to Fixr.
The cabinets and countertops will frame the functional workspace and provide standard storage for your equipment and cleaning supplies. These are a must-have when designing any new laundry room facilities. In this area of the home, there's little need for luxurious amenities like granite countertops. However, for a project that's pulling out all the stops, you might consider a matching or similar slab of granite to pair the theme and decorative scheme of your laundry room, bathrooms, and kitchen with one another. This can bring the aesthetic of the whole home to a new height.
Adding the appliances
The final big-ticket item that you'll have to bring into the equation is the appliances themselves. Often when renovating the home to create a new laundry room, homeowners will purchase new appliances to finish out the build and bring in a brand new look, feel, and efficiency rating to the task of cleaning clothes.
Prices can vary widely on both of these appliances, and washing machines typically range between $250 and $2,050, and dryers between $200 and $1,750, depending on load size ratings, energy efficiency, and quality of the build (via Kitchens.com).
Additional costs
In addition to the standard features that will factor into the cost of your laundry room remodel, there are some finishing touches that will complete the design and bring this room to life with a unique character and style that perfectly suits your home's décor and functionality needs.
Electrical systems and plumbing
To complete the installation of lighting, appliances, and more, you'll need to employ the services of both a plumber and electrician. Neither job is suitable for most homeowners, and hiring a professional to install any new plumbing and electrical wiring is always a good idea. HomeGuide notes that plumbers typically charge minimum service call-out fees of $50 to $200 and an hourly rate ranging from $45 to $150.
Similarly, electricians charge a rate typically ranging between $50 and $100 per hour, with the potential for additional travel fees, overheads, and material costs (via Forbes Advisor). These parts of the budget shouldn't be overlooked. Properly installed appliances and lighting are crucial for a new laundry room that functions properly and remains safe for everyone in the home to use.
Storage additions
The standard laundry room will, of course, make use of some functional cabinets and basic storage space. However, in a newly added laundry area, you will likely want to create some customized storage additions to facilitate the additional storage needs of your home. Homeowners consistently find that their storage capabilities are increasingly squeezed over the years they live in a home. Adding dedicated storage that can alleviate some of this pressure with the help of built-in laundry room storage can be a massive help for many.
Fixr notes that custom storage options can run anywhere from $18 to $1,500 per linear foot, depending on the construction materials, customization level, and more.
Flooring installation
The flooring in your laundry room is immensely important. You won't want to leave the floor here as a bare concrete pad because concrete is porous and quickly soaks in moisture. This can lead to cracking in the foundation over time. Instead, it's a good idea to install vinyl plank flooring in the laundry room, explains Fixr. Vinyl flooring is moisture resistant and will provide a luxurious hardwood-like visual aesthetic that homeowners love in all corners of the home.
The choice of flooring will depend primarily on your functional needs rather than the visual appeal of the selection. This makes vinyl and tile the two primary features of a typical laundry room. Opting for one of these is your best bet when finishing off the build.
Decoration and painting
Lastly, you'll want to add your own personal touches to the space once the construction and installation of the cabinets, appliances, and flooring is complete. Adding decorations and painting the walls is an important step and will help you round out the addition. Fixr estimates that it will cost between $70 and $1,440 to paint the walls, and adding decorations will depend solely on the inclusions you decide to make — framed pictures of your family, some artwork, or memorabilia, for instance. Because this space is so small compared to other rooms in the house, many homeowners decide to paint the space themselves, saving money on the overall build. If you paint this space without professional help, you'll only need to pay for the cost of supplies (a drop cloth, painter's tape, brushes and rollers, and the paint itself).
Types of laundry room additions
There are a few different types of laundry rooms that you can use as a template for your renovation. Depending on your home's available space and your family's needs, one or more of these base designs can act as the perfect jumping-off point for your remodel.
Comprehensive mudroom
A laundry room that functions as a mudroom as well can give you the best of both worlds. These installations are great for those living in areas with significant rainfall or homeowners with children who love playing outside. The mudroom provides a barrier that separates the dirty exterior spaces from the clean interior. Placing this feature within the laundry room space makes it easier than ever to conduct your cleaning tasks. Fixr estimates that a mudroom with built-in laundry functionality will cost between $4,025 and $8,750.
Garage/laundry crossover
Adding your laundry functions to the garage space is another great option. For many homeowners, placing laundry appliances in the garage will mean that worries over ventilation from the fixtures isn't a problem — simply opening the garage door every once in a while will vent any built-up humidity in the space. The garage door also makes for a semi-permeable feature (unless it's been weatherproofed, via AAA Garage Door) that won't trap excessive moisture in the space as it is. Chances are, if you don't already use your garage as a living space within the overall floorplan of your home, you haven't taken this step.
If your garage remains a typical external space within your property's usage, adding laundry room features here can help reduce the spatial burden of placing these appliances elsewhere. Fixr notes that this can cost between $7,000 and $10,000 if structural changes are required, or you decide to drywall off a section of the garage to support this functionality.
Basement laundry space
Building laundry facilities in the basement is simple and highly effective. Fixr reports that you can expect a similar price tag to a mudroom build when adding laundry functions in this part of the house. The basement works perfectly as a laundry space because it's separate from the primary living areas of the home. This means you can wall off your cleaning tasks from the day-to-day activities that take place in your household. No matter what you have on your plate, you'll never have to work around a pile of unfinished laundry while performing routine household tasks.
Why you need a new laundry room
Renovating your home to make room for a laundry room is a great idea. Adding this dedicated feature can make for a much-improved flow throughout the space of your home, and it will help you enjoy life with far greater ease. A laundry room addition takes the pressure off of other choke points in the home that would otherwise have to cater to the clothes washing needs of your family.
Hassle-free laundry operations
Laundry rooms make the process of cleaning clothing much easier. Instead of sorting through your laundry basket in the kitchen or bathroom on a daily basis, potentially dirtying these spaces in the process, a dedicated space for your laundry makes the process far easier. Containing the operation to a single room in the house means that you can collect dirty clothing and bring them to a single space in the home.
However, this feature places the task of doing laundry in its own corner of the home, meaning it can be set to run and then forgotten about. You won't have to listen to the washing machine spin loudly throughout the cycle, see the buildup of dirty clothing or sheets on laundry day, or even have to look at the folded pile of clean clothing that has come out of the dryer but is still waiting to be put away.
Added storage space is essential to quality living
Laundry rooms make for incredibly effective additional storage spaces. Adding dedicated storage below the countertops will help alleviate the storage stress elsewhere in your home (via Affordable Closet Tampa). These added cabinets can provide a place to keep anything you may need at home. From cleaning products to tubs full of picture albums, the added storage features of the laundry room make for enhanced storage that can make a big difference in the calculation of your free space within the home.
Smart design can help keep the house cleaner
An intelligently designed laundry room can make for a cleaner house as well. By placing the laundry room in the pathway into your home, you can use the space like a mudroom and an area for cleaning clothing. Taking off dirty shoes, removing wet coats and rain jackets, drying umbrellas, and more can make the home easier to keep clean on a regular basis. This change to the layout of your living space can make the daily tasks of keeping the home clean and tidy far easier, leading to a more relaxing lifestyle overall.
Benefits of a new laundry room addition
The benefits of a new laundry room are somewhat obvious. From the ability to close off your mess while hosting guests to the natural property value augmentation that comes from virtually any remodel, the benefits are significant and widespread.
Improved property value
Improving the value of a property is something that all homeowners have to contend with through each decision they make regarding their home. A laundry room renovation is a great way to add value to your property and can make the house stand out in a neighborhood that doesn't include this feature as a standard (via Sea Pointe Design & Remodel). Dedicated laundry facilities are a feature that catches the eye of homebuyers in the market for a functional and stand-out property. Adding this utility space to your home can improve your overall workflow and comfort while also boosting your home's financial value by a healthy margin.
Dedicated laundry space allows for a closed-door to the mess
Not only does the addition of a laundry room move the clutter that's often associated with the laundry out of your kitchen or other traditional living space (perhaps the bathroom), but this change also gives you the ability to close off the laundry facilities when hosting guests or entertaining friends for the evening.
Giving you the ability to separate laundry tasks that are in progress from the main areas of the home is a valuable commodity that many people simply don't have the luxury of owning within their home. Making the shift from a laundry space in another area of your home to a separate and dedicated laundry room makes for a better overall living space that serves you and your needs.