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HELP! REAR EXTENSION... where to put laundry?

Jeddah Ryan
3 years ago

We are planning a small extension to the rear of our 80s brick home to give us a second living space ( kids!). We are planning to absorb the existing deck, which is under the roof line, for internal space, open up the back wall and add a new deck & pergola. Please see plans attached (before and after). We ORIGINALLY planned to keep the existing laundry where it is to reduce costs and keep build simple - but are now thinking it will look like a box in the corner of this great big open space. Any ideas for where else we could put the laundry instead?? Euro laundry and taking garage space are not options unfortunately :(



Comments (40)

  • Kate
    3 years ago

    I like the laundry where it is but would layout it out with a bench that extends the kitchen, ie appliances on outside wall
    What I am confused about is the double doors from lounge onto dining table. Seems to waste a lot of space in lounge to get some built in storage in dining space,
    I would go back to maybe a wide sliding door moving the built in.
    Also wondering weather table is in right spot. Do a furniture layout for the new family space. How will you use it!

  • me me
    3 years ago

    Agree with Kate, the double doors means that the front of the lounge room becomes a large hallway.

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  • Jeddah Ryan
    Original Author
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Thank you so much for taking the time to come back to me. So great to know this community is here.

    Kate and me me, the reason for the double doors from the lounge is that the first part of the lounge is currently dead space, its a very long rectangular lounge space that is awkward to fill with furniture, so we wanted to give that area more purpose (currently has kids toys in the corner and the xmas tree once a year). Ill attached a pic to give you an idea - pardon the mess it was taken whilst we were installing a new TV cabinet (which I have now added to the plans). We also wanted to tie the two spaces together. It will be ideal for a gas fire place that will heat both the lounge and the kitchen if budget allows.


    Also I am keen on as much storage/cabinetry as I can get, as we have little kids and need more storage. Hence the floor to cieling cabinets behind the dining table in the first layout.


    Otherwise have done so many layouts, am going a bit crazy! This is the alternative option to take advantage of the view over the pool (house is higher than pool). Would love your thoughts? Laundry now looks a bit like a box in the corner, but is better indoor/outdoor living as kitchen is not partially obscured?






  • dreamer
    3 years ago

    Agree with Kate and me me. The lounge room becomes a hallway.
    If you are going to have the lounge room as a room for the kids, then as planned it will be open to all visitors.
    I suggest to put sliding doors on the "entry hallway" end, to actually make it a room that can be closed off.
    Then you will have an actual entry hallway to your new extension.

    I would not change the location of laundry. I would leave as drawn.

  • dreamer
    3 years ago

    I would keep the kitchen, laundry and extension as drawn in your first photo. Not the second.

  • siriuskey
    3 years ago

    Really need better dimensions, but this without extending the roof.


  • Jeddah Ryan
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Siriuskey and dreamer, these are great options that we had not even considered. Ideally would like to avoid extending roof to be honest, so this is a good option. Thank you. Building on your suggestions, have mocked up the below. Thoughts?


    Think I will be coming to you guys for ideas for our facade...


  • siriuskey
    3 years ago

    Need dimensions as it's all guessing at the moment

  • siriuskey
    3 years ago

    working with your original floor plan, as it's not including the roof extension which only goes to the end of the existing laundry plus eaves. adding the stairs to the western end of the deck is great for pool access to toilet/laundry and a possible shower and clothes line

  • Jeddah Ryan
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Unfortunately this is the most detail I have. Thank you anyway.


  • Jeddah Ryan
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Correct. Current roof ends just short of existing deck. We will attach a new deck and an awning irrespective of whether we change the existing roof line or not. Its possible that the WC, beyond the laundry, can still sit as an addition under the awning. Architecturally not the nicest finish but will free up money to spend on cosmetic updates to the facade.

  • siriuskey
    3 years ago

    To gain much needed extra space you can push the rear wall out under the eave and add a pergola over the deck, open up the living room to this deck. Once we have dimensions you might be able to fit a kitchen on the living room wall utilizing existing utilities plus without adding a deeper extension and because you are up higher than the pool you may just get to see some of the pool from there, dimensions will confirm this,

  • siriuskey
    3 years ago

    Missed your last post

  • Kate
    3 years ago

    You are extending and have wasted space in a long lounge and creating another long living zone which will also have wasted space, How about option like this. You could push out 600 mm to get extra row of cupboards

  • Jeddah Ryan
    Original Author
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    @oklouise this is also a great option - thank you! I hadn't thought about retaining the existing doorway behind the current lounge, was concerned sound would travel between the TV areas and make it too noisy, but if they are closed, no issue guess?.

    @siriuskey please see attached with some close enough measurements in next post.

  • Jeddah Ryan
    Original Author
    3 years ago



  • siriuskey
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Thanks for that but I had already done the following which can be adjusted if needed

    Working within the existing floorplan to save money, ie working within existing roof and not using eaves, which can be done if you want to spend the money and extra space

    Having had swimming pools and children I found it important to be able to watch over the pool, this layout will help towards that, I also notice that the kitchen has a skylight over it even though its forward in the space, so I'am guessing that if the kitchen is further back within the space it would not only have limited views over the pool but could be dark

    I have added a powder room which can be accessed internally and by pool users, A boxed in Window seat for reading with a long highlight window for light and ventilation on the hot western side.

    Changing the garage door to open into the study/kids playroom instead of straight into the family and view of the kitchen.

    Your new entertainment unit becomes the Media/Living with the addition of a study/ reading/ library , the extra seating can be used for the media if needed, This room has double full height pocket doors in line with the entrance to allow light back into it and also a view when entering out through the window or the new French doors, study desk is out of sight.


  • Jeddah Ryan
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Oh this is completely different to anything we have considered. The powder room location is very interesting. I also like the suggestion from both yourself and @oklouise to use the lounge 'dead space' as an alternate study nook. Thank you so much!


  • siriuskey
    3 years ago

    I had a computer hiccup and lost your floorplan, so to save having to re draw I have roughly added the following thoughts.

    Firstly, would you consider adding the Toilet under the new deck along with an outdoor shower space allowing, this would free up space upstairs and work really well with the pool with kids constantly getting in and out of the pool to pee, well hopefully.

    Secondlly then adding the laundry/Mudroom into what was the old study and I changed to "Kids" this would free up more space in the family room and great for arriving home acting as a drop zone and storage

    Thirdly, By removing both the laundry and the WC and pushing the wall of the "Family" out as per OKL, would create a much larger Family space,

    Pushing the wall out will cost more, so by just removing the Wc and laundry will give you better space over all .

    By not pushing the wall out and keeping the building within the existing roof line means the deck possibly won't block total sight of the pool from inside the house,

    The red roughly shows what additional space can be saved by removing the WC and laundry plus extra space with pushing the wall out which I don't think would be needed when you consider the space that the new deck will add to the living area, adding a Vergola Pergola will allow use for most times of the year


  • Jeddah Ryan
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    @siriuskey are you sure you aren't my husband in disguise? You are replaying back lots of the options we have gone over. Good to know we weren't completley off the mark! I am particularly keen to use the study space as a mudroom. However it is fitted out with custom office cabinetry so we are unable to change the door location. We run a trade business and in this new covid world I also work my corporate job from home 50/50. Although we have contemplated swapping the entry way and the study so that it works more as a fourth bedroom for resale (we would just relocate the existing fit out). And trying to make the bedrooms a little bigger. See below. Will probably cost more than we will gain and is off topic for this thread!


    Regarding the toilet on ground level, this is something we would have loved to do but the deck is only about a metre off the ground and only about 1400 above the pool. See elevation below. But it is enough to obscure the pool from the house when the new deck is added, hence we like the idea of the kitchen where you suggest (thank you). Also keeping the original roof line means the deck will be wider and could accommodate two steps down to reduce the difference between the house and pool.


    You can see why we need help! Our absolute preference is to get rid of the laundry but we cant think of anywhere else for it, which is how this post started!






  • siriuskey
    3 years ago

    Like you I considered swapping the entrance and study but that involves a lot of extra work so trying to work to keep costs down. the expensive cabinetry wouldn't concern me in the overall plan of getting the house to work. So do you work to make the family room larger by removing the laundry, taking the living room as a 4th bedroom and turning the other half into the office study with an opening skylight as it would become an internal room.

    Use the existing study as a laundry mudroom, can you access under the house for plumbing?

    Please excuse me but could the WC become an outside dunnie up against the rear wall between it and the steps up onto the deck and incorporate a shower as a minnie pool house.

    Or is their space to the other side of the house were there is easier access to plumbing.

  • Jeddah Ryan
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    My husband is a plumber! He would never allow us to have less than top notch wet spaces :) But it also means moving services is no issue for us. And yes we are on bearers so good access underneath.

  • siriuskey
    3 years ago

    I also would expect the best,

    big plus having a plumber in the family, but really what I was perhaps suggesting that if the pool is new that you plan to make the WC part of that development including an out door shower or a shower of some type. Possibly continuing the western wall at the end of the deck to include a shower/WC/laundry under it's own roof. I would also consider extending a narrow deck across the front of the Living and master to add to those rooms to make them feel bigger.

    I think I need to do another floorplan

  • Jeddah Ryan
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Thank you @siriuskey! Unfortunately the pool area is not new, and is completely renovated. We made the classic young person mistake of buying a house before kids and then focusing on the least important parts to renovate first!! Our pool area is great but no room for a bathroom. Although very open to new suggestions!

  • siriuskey
    3 years ago

    Whats the highest point on the rear wall, ie the RH side, we are all guilty of doing things, even us older people, any photo from pool to rear of house

  • Jeddah Ryan
    Original Author
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Interestingly this is the only one I have from YEARS ago when we were renovating the pool and its only a partial view. Looks completely different now (although the house structure hasn't changed). The deck is now clad in blackbutt (top and face) and has a glass railing, also where the path drops off is now a retaining wall which can be seen in an above post of the side elevation plan. The highest point is 1m I believe.



  • siriuskey
    3 years ago

    An updated photo would be better, I thought that the land sloped down to the left of this picture.

  • Jeddah Ryan
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Yes it does. I will try and take one this evening!

  • Jeddah Ryan
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Current view. You can see where the extension is intended for!

  • fianou luca
    3 years ago

    what if you invest in the big bifold doors that open the whole living up? that way your living/dining space itself opens up to be the verandah and you reduce the square footage of the renovation? I like the design, but can you reverse the layout? so the kitchen stays in the same location, and the laundry extends onto the verandah. then you could open up the corner for a more veran

  • fianou luca
    3 years ago

    This is sort of what I'm thinking...the laundry is in a cupboard that has an unobtrusive slider and so when you entertain it disappears. I've even seen them with the bbq area on one side and a slider that either moves over the bbq niche or over the laundry niche.

  • fianou luca
    3 years ago

    okay so the picture has the wrong layout compared to yours as your deck goes lthe other way. but it sort of shows the idea.

  • Jeddah Ryan
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    This is very interesting... my husband is very anti a euro laundry, however having it open outside like this (rather than in being a cupboard inside) could be a really good option. Thank you for the suggestion. I love this pic.

  • Kate
    3 years ago

    I have a european laundry in my bathroom behind sliding doors, family of 5. Great, but also often have clothes horse in living area in front of the sunny windows. Laundry is 2,7m long. Have brooms in hall cupboard, 3m would have been perfect.

  • siriuskey
    3 years ago

    Those photos are lovely Jeddah and shows just how much work you have already done. The laundry isn't the problem as it will work else where within the house, it's the WC with easy pool access, my thoughts for this would be to built a separate mini pool house (WC, shower change room) at ground level in the area that the rubbish bins are now in, ie: between the house and pool and boundary limit. having a plumber will make this oh so achievable . Can you take further pictures from the side of the house looking at and away from the pool visually showing the space.

    Or wild card adding the "Mini Pool House" at the other end of the pool, as after leaving this space towels can be hung on the clothes line, just a thought.

    The Mudroom laundry (old study) I think is a good idea even without changing the door, your cabinetry could be moved as you suggested, across into the new study office, a WC within this space would also be a plus for any client visits, keeping the family bathroom private, keep repeating , I have a plumber in the house!!

  • siriuskey
    3 years ago

    Very much artistic licence applied, your WC Shower becomes an upmarket Cabana matching the house


  • fianou luca
    3 years ago

    Jedda, that pic of the verandah laundry is actually what I've decided to do, I can't do a cupboard laundry... I have a family of 5 and

    1. i don't want a mould-trapping cupboard in my hall next to my linen.
    2. I need somewhere to actually sort the laundry.
      if I had the space I would have a proper laundry room with an island bench for sorting, but there just isn't the space. but having the deck means you have a bit of extra floor space but the whole laundry will disappear when your entertaining.
  • siriuskey
    3 years ago

    The idea to have an Outdoor kitchen/BBQ continuing along the wall from the kitchen wins for me as against an outdoor laundry cupboard when there is enough room to have a proper laundry within the existing building.

  • Jeddah Ryan
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Thank you for the feedback about the house @siriuskey, I surprised myself how much we have done when I revisited those photos! Good luck with your renovation @fianou, I agree a big laundry room is the dream, but we have to deal with what we have (if only a new build was in my budget!).