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Laundry Smaller Homes Design Dilemma

Laundry, linen and pantry layout help

2 years ago

Hi all - first time poster here and complete reno rookie.

We are deciding on extending our first home as we are growing out of it however cannot upsize due to the market where we live. Ideally we wanted to add a master with ensuite, another living area (open space), walk in pantry and linen storage. We also wanted to add another car space but cannot go to the side so I was thinking of adding a roller door to the rear of our single garage to create a tandem space for two cars, the space at the rear only being undercover and not enclosed.

I am having trouble with the laundry/pantry spaces working out and would love your opinions in case I am missing something that may blatantly work much better than what I'm proposing. Something doesn't feel "right" about the space, maybe it feels too pokey and I just can't get my head around it.

Please see a couple of options I did below. The red lines are the existing back of the house and end of outdoor area for reference. Whilst this is a huge job, I only want to extend the minimal amount possible as dont want to lose too much space at the rear.

Would love your opinions on if I am even on the right track with this laundry space, or anything else for that matter.

We cannot build into the outdoor area to the right as there as a retaining wall on the right side of the area, so happy to leave this as a car space.

Also please bare with me and the measurements I'm sure they are all sorts of wrong!! Just trying to visualise at this point before getting my draftsperson and builder to look over it.

CURRENT FLOORPLAN:

WALK-IN PANTRY WITH LINEN CLOSET AND HALLWAY TO LAUNDRY:

WALK-THROUGH PANTRY TO LAUNDRY AND WALK-IN LINEN:

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Comments (2)

oklouise
2 years ago
as you said, your dimensions are inconsistent and don't allow for wall thickness so my suggestions are based on approximate sizes and includes a carport with alfresco, no external door from the laundry (there's already external access through the garage or family room) keeping the location of the original back wall to create a laundry, separate pantry, dining room storage and a mudroom with internal access from garage to kitchen..the narrower back verandah avoids losing too much northern light but also allows for a bigger kitchen with much more counter and storage space, servery and backsplash windows, space for a bigger fridge, stacked wall oven and MW, seating at the island without a sink and the end of the island could be ideal for a tv and allows more furniture space in the family room and more private entry to the master suite and without the door from master to verandah that loses master bedroom privacy and there's also space for a small study nook and/or storage in the unused central location
PRO
Kitchen and Home Sketch Designs
2 years ago
Hi Gabi, Interesting little place with heaps of potential of being the forever fun house for your family! First question: where are you and is the home slab, brick veneer, aluminum windows or something different? If it is stumps then there are more options with moving plumbing etc which could be a definite advantage. I see the back is north? This will mean with the alfresco across the rear you will have NO sun into the house. If your in FNQ that is fine but if your south of about Sydney it is really great to have winter sun into the home for FREE heating in line with best practice passive solar design. So with that in mind to the plan: With the one long room thru the middle of the house and doors off each corner of the room, first thing to do is scribble a meter wide for where you will walk and see what is left for furniture. IE the front door does leave a good U shape in lounge for furniture. Then bedrooms to the left with a lost corner. The dining table one walks around: ok. But then the kit and sitting area we need to get past and to be able to get back to the left and into master. IMHO the laundry, pantry (need to be separate rooms) and need to be as narrow as possible to make the middle room workable. But I believe there is a better solution. My forte' is playing with plans till we get them right for you and this is no exception! I would love to assist you but would need to ask you questions, know the dims exactly and talk to you about what you want, what you like etc. I would suggest you call me, we can chat and go from there.... Regards Margot
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Hi anna_cannon, having a plan drawn is a good start, you might want to put the dimension on the plan as well just to help others know exactly where everything is. This is what I think works given the information I have. Not sure if you how much renovation you are looking at and whether you need both doors to the back but I kept them just in case. Basically I have grouped similar functions together such as (freezer, pantry) (linen, washer/dryer, sink), and (bench, coat hanging close to the doors in the back) ... all the plumbing stays the same to keep cost down. Hope this gives you an idea on what's possible in your multi-functional space.
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Like everything , it comes down to budget and 'value for money' -- generally both the cheapest but also the most expensive aren't the best options -- its doing things 'cleverly' . The entrance foyer looks like it may be a bit dark and closed in , but you don't really want to open the wall between it and the kitchen either . Not really in the 'brief' , but I'd look at opening up the doorway into the lounge -- I guess it depends whether you close that door often ? To me , the only way/place to get more room would be 'open' the double doors and however much more you can between the lounge and family room ( before you strike load bearing walls near the wood burner ) , move the dining room to the family room , and then basically do whatever you like with the kitchen , utilising the existing space and the existing dining space . That may work , or maybe you don't want to combine the lounge and family room , in the latter case maybe move the lounge to the existing family room , utilising the window seats and maybe downsize your lounge suite , wall mount a TV , etc . And then use the existing lounge as dining and family area ? None are ideal , but thats my 'off-the-top-of-my-head' thoughts .
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As well as echoing homeprojects advice , a few other things that look a bit 'funny' to me . Firest thing I would say is I'm on a 13" tablet , so everything is small , and I can't read quite a bit , like measurements , but I think I've got a fair idea of the design . TRhe other thing is that it says proposed groundfloor , but there's no stairs I can see , so is there an upstairs , and if so , what is there , and how do you get there ? The garage looks small , if its to scale you won't fit tools or the other 1001 things in there , you'll bash the car doors on each other , no bikes , all problems , nothing much positive . The laundry looks weirdly positioned , on several 'levels' . I'd possibly move/rearrange things so the laundry was about where the pantry is , with an external door . That means though the pantry has to go somewhere , so maybe where the bathroom is , and move the bathroom to where the laundry is ? Another , more logical ( to me anyway ) option would be a long ( or wide -- widthwise behind the kitchen ) pantry , and a long laundry that slots between the 'left' bedroom and the pantry . Basically , split the existing pantry and bathroom down the middles horizontally , whereas now it is vertical . That gets that bathroom closer to the bedrooms ( by moving it to the proposed laundry site ) , but also closer to the hallway for guests . The master with ensuite in the middle is unconventional , not neccessarily bad , but most people would expect the master to be the front bedroom . More an observation than a criticism , but of course , up to you ( and whether you intend to resell ) . And my final observation -- the lounge looks cramped , even the dining is a bit of a compromise . If there is another storey , that may answer that , but its got me confused . Some rooms are quite large and not quite indulgent , but generous -- others are smaller than I'd expect . Just my weird take .
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