Spec PlanO: Laundry, Utility Room

spec plan-O: laundry, utility

Laundry Room / Mudroom

what you need to know —

About Mudrooms

Let's start with the mudroom - a staging area where family members remove dirty and wet clothing before entering the home.

Mudrooms are generally located near the garage with access entry from the side or back-side of the house.

Mudroom Location (from google images)
	Side Entrance	view samples
	Back Entrance	view samples
	Garage Entrance	view samples
	Front Entry	view samples

 

What's needed for a mudroom:

everything you need to know about mudrooms
	do you have a mudroom? why you need one?

 

About Laundry Room

If you plan to have a mudroom, you might want to consider adding laundry facilities to make it into a combo mudroom/laundry room.

Since the mudroom is where "dirty" clothes are removed, then having laundry facilities near by would be ideal for managing cleaning needs.

However, you may choose not to have a mudroom - or the mudroom is too small to add laundry appliances.

Regardless of what option you take, you need to plan the laundry room to manage wash and drying of clothes and linens.

• Laundry room needs:
  
  
  • washer and dryer
  • sorting and folding station
  • utility sink
  • storage facilities for laundry supplies
  • vent channels for dryer
  • plumbing intakes for washer

understanding how to design laundry room
	laundry room design and functionality

 

How Big and Where Laundry Room Should Be Located

The ideal laundry room size is where you can walk into an separate area with enough space to sort, wash, dry and then fold clothing for family member pick-up. You would like to have a door to the room that can be closed during the laundry cycle.

If you have a second floor, then a laundry room upstairs is the best location since most laundry needs come from the upstairs.

If you have a basement, then stationing laundry facilities on a bottom floor prevents any water damage that can occur on another floor.

But that means having to haul the laundry down into the basement unless you provide a laundry shoot from the varying floors.

Some laundry rooms can be found on the main level for one story homes or where living quarters are on the first floor.

Again, if you have an upstairs living quarters, you need to haul the laundry down or provide a shoot.

The ideal situation is to have dual laundry centers. One for the upstairs (for two or more stories) and one downstairs either down the basement or within the mudroom or separate enclave.

 

Visit our Home Improvement Showcase:

additional information
	topics: all laundry room
	planning: laundry/mudroom
	best sellers: laundry room

 

spec plan-O: laundry, utility

Cleaning/Linen Closet

what you need to know —

About the cleaning closet:

Many new homes have installed cleaning closets (some use the term broom closet). They function as a miniature janitor room for storing vacuums, cleaning materials, bathroom and bedroom linens, and in some combined spaces, laundry facilities.

If the home has a centralized vacuum system, the main unit would be in the cleaning closet for each access and maintenance.

The goal for having a cleaning closet is to have everything centralized for cleaning and storage. This room can be locked to prevent young children getting into hazardous materials

• What can be stored:
  
  
  • centralized home vacuum system
  • upright vacuums
  • canister vacuums
  • carpet cleaners
  • dusters and cleaning rags
  • brooms and dust pans
  • cleaning and polish products and chemicals
  • all other cleaning supplies and equipment

  Everything neatly organized and stored for each access and return once house cleaning is over. Some ideas to view:

  • cleaning closet [view]
  • broom closet [view]

view topic (new win):
	Home Cleaning Tips For A Quick Work

 

Combine it with a linen closet

If room permits, you might consider combining the cleaning and home linens together into a combo cleaning and linen closet. A place where you can store bedroom, bathroom and kitchen linens for each access and organization.

You simply add shelving units segmented by room and need.

• Some ideas to view:
  
  
  • linen closet designs [view]
  • linen closet organization [view]

view topic (new win):
	You Can Organize Your Linen Closet

 

How big should the "cleaning-broom-linen" closet be

The ideal set-up is to have a walk-in room for easy storage and management. You could even combine it with the laundry room - a complete space for doing house cleaning, laundry and storage.

Many homes simply offer a small alcove for cleaning. Just enough space for a vacuum, broom, mop and shelving for cleaning supplies. The trick is organization so as to maximize the space.

Another option is to extend the current alcove into a bigger room for valuable home storage needs.

 

Visit our Home Improvement Showcase:

cleaning analysis & topics
	topics: cleaning
	topics: closets and storage
	best sellers: cleaning

 

spec plan-O: laundry, utility

Utility Room Specs

what you need to know —

What is an utility room:

The utility room can be part of the laundry room or cleaning (broom closet) - if these rooms have walk-in space. The purpose of the utility room is the management of home utility needs.

For example:

• Family Command Center:

  A place where scheduling calendars and family chore lists are kept and managed.
• This could be a wall-mounted board or monitor that list all the needs for family members:
  • dental and doctor appointments
  • school meeting and events
  • parent business travel
  • child overnight travel
  • all other important schedules
  • chore list by family member and need
  • medicine intake schedule
  • church and community events and needs
  • all other necessary events and to-dos
• If you setup the command center electronically, you can use a large wall monitor that lists the appointments, to-dos and chores for the day and send that information to everyone's electronic device as a reminder.
• There are plenty of apps and programs that will make running a command center very efficiently.
• Most households maintain there command center in the kitchen - the focal gathering area for the family. That may be true if you use a wall board or chalk board.
• But if you have a walk-in utility room, that may be a better location if the command center is setup electronically.

what to know and need for a command center
	Kitchen Command Center

 

• Managing Home IoT (Internet of Things)

  IoT is the design of the future home - where everything is managed and control by the internet.
• The utility room will become the control center where you manage the following:
  • home security system and safety
  • CCTV monitors and recording
  • HVAC and climate controls
  • alternative energy using solar and wind
  • smart irrigation controls
  • household appliance monitoring
  • program management
• All of these IoT devices and controls will be connected to cloud for monitoring and management from any device you have no matter where in the world you are located.

learning more about IoT
	What a Future Smart Home May Look Like

 

• Other Family Utility

  A room where other family needs and safety are stored and maintained:
  • collection and sorting of mail
  • recycling management
  • 72-hour family kit
  • emergency kit
  • fire escape plan
  • storing of household items such as scissors, glue, packing tape, rubber bands, and the works
  • suntan lotions, insect repellents, and other outdoor topical supplies
  • all other "stuff" that family members may use - all neatly organized.

Combine It:

The mudroom, laundry room, and utility room can be combined into one room that maintains everything for family management, control, and monitoring.

Or you can have a separate small walk-in utility room with plenty of storage and other to manage home utility needs.

combining laundry with utility
	Another Laundry Room – This Time with Utility

 

Visit our Home Improvement Showcase:

utility analysis
	analysis: automation & security
	analysis: building a green home
	ANALYSIS: HVAC & utilities

utility topics
	topics: home utility
	best sellers: utility savings

 

spec plan-O: laundry, utility

Home Storage

what you need to know —

Make sure to plan for adequate storage space:

It seems that many of us run out of storage space and closet area. Either the storage room or closet is not big enough; or that you are not using adequate or smart storage organization.

The key for good storage is find storage space, using smart storage organization, and getting rid of unused items and clutter.

 

Types of home storage/closets include:

 

Types of storage organization:

 

Finding storage for:

view ideas for shelving tricks
	Shelving Tricks to Double Your Storage Space

 

spec plan-O: laundry, utility

Getting Started

Step 1: develop the plan

• take a completed draft of the laundry utility spec sheet to your architect or planner, who will can customize a remodeling plan or revise an existing plan that meets your specs.
  
• use your spec sheet and floor plan to bid the construction project out to contractors:
  

home utility spec sheet

 

Step 2: get required building permits

• It will either be up to you or the contractor to obtain each permit.
  • all about permits
  • local government for permit information
• It would be good idea to purchase as reference an illustrated building code book to make sure your project is up to code:
  • building codes illustrated

 

Step 3: find pre-screened contractors and other service providers for laundry and utility

Find Laundry Installation
	Appliances		Appliance Install
	Appliance Repair		Electrical
	Plumbing Issues		Drain Clearing

Find Home Security/Automation
	Home Security		Alarms
	Home Automation		Generators
	Networks/Phone		Computers/ Media

Find Handyman Services (opens new win)
	Handyman		Carpentry
	Electrical		Plumbing
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	FREE: download contractor selection
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spec plan-O: laundry, utility

Related Topics

(opens new window)

Intro for Green Cleaning Infographic

Best Storage Ideas That Will Organize Your Entire House

Building a Functional Pantry Storage

Designated Home Utility Room for Maintaining Home Utility Needs

Spring Cleaning: De-Clutter and Spruce Up Every Nook and Cranny in Your Home

Designing and Building a Cold Storage Room

spec plan-O: laundry, utility

Planning Forms use forms (pdf / excel) to plan and budget your laundry room and home utility needs. home utility spec sheet spec budgeting worksheet DYI estimates selecting your contractor contractor evaluation sheet working with your contractor managing your contractor Quick scroll to key resources below: home utility topics analyze hm management what's needed for laundry

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