07 · Laundry Rooms
Laundry rooms with a proper place for everything
Custom laundry rooms with folding counters over the machines, pull-out hampers, tall storage for the ironing board and finishes built for humidity.
Most laundry rooms in Middle Tennessee were laid out by a builder in about four minutes: two machines, a wire shelf, a door that hits the dryer. We rebuild the room around the actual work. A counter over front-load machines for folding, a pull-out hamper for sorting, tall cabinets sized for the ironing board and the vacuum, and finishes chosen for a room that runs warm and damp for hours at a time.
What goes into a custom laundry room?
We start with the machines, because everything else is built around them. Front-load washers and dryers can sit under a continuous counter, which gives you a folding surface the length of the room; top-loaders need the lid clearance, so the storage goes to the sides and above. Stacking the pair frees a whole wall for a tall cabinet or a hanging bar. We measure your machines, or the ones you are planning to buy, and design to the inch.
Then the storage: a pull-out hamper or two for sorting, a tall cabinet with a slot for the ironing board and a bay for the vacuum, upper cabinets for detergent at a height you can actually reach, a hanging rod for shirts straight out of the dryer, and a drying rack that folds away. If the room doubles as the entry from the garage, we add lockers, a bench and hooks so the laundry room also works as the mudroom it already is.
What affects the cost of a laundry room remodel?
The size of the room and how much of it gets cabinetry are the first drivers. A run of base cabinets with a counter and a few uppers is a modest build; a full room with tall storage, a utility sink, a hamper pull-out and mudroom lockers is a larger one. Moving the washer box, the dryer vent or the electrical for the machines means licensed plumbing and electrical work and often a permit, and that adds labor whatever the cabinets cost.
Materials matter too. Painted cabinetry on plywood boxes, a quartz counter and soft-close hardware is our usual starting point; stained white oak, a stone counter or a sink with a pull-down faucet each add to the figure. We do not publish prices because a laundry room in a Nolensville new build and one carved out of an older Green Hills basement are not the same job. The free in-home consultation gets you a real quote for your room.
How long does a laundry room remodel take?
Less time than a kitchen, but not overnight. After design and selections, we build the cabinetry in our shop while any plumbing or electrical changes are made on site, so the room is ready when the pieces arrive. Countertop fabrication has its own lead time, usually after the cabinets are set and templated, and we schedule around it rather than letting it stall the finish.
On site, a laundry room that keeps its machine locations and adds cabinetry installs quickly. One that moves the machines, adds a sink or turns the space into a combined laundry and mudroom takes longer, because the trades come before the cabinetry. We tell you how many days you will be without the machines and keep that stretch as short as the sequence allows.
What makes a laundry room last?
Heat and moisture. A dryer running in a closed room in July pushes the humidity up, and the room stays that way for hours, so the same construction we use in bathrooms goes into laundry rooms: plywood boxes, sealed edges, catalyzed conversion varnish, and a toe kick that is not sitting in the drip pan. Counters over the machines get a small lip or a backsplash so water and detergent do not run behind them.
The other test is daily use. Drawers that take a full load of folded towels need full-extension slides rated for the weight. Hampers that pull out every day need heavy-duty hardware, not the light stuff. The dryer vent should be short and straight, and if the machines are on a second floor, a drain pan and a water sensor are cheap insurance. We build it to be used hard and to look composed anyway.
The look
Laundry we would be glad to build again
How much does a laundry room remodel cost?
It depends on the size of the room, how much cabinetry it gets, and whether the machines, sink or dryer vent move. A run of cabinets with a folding counter is a modest project; a full laundry and mudroom with a sink, tall storage and lockers is a larger one. We measure the room and quote it during the free in-home consultation.
How long does a laundry room remodel take?
A room that keeps the machines where they are installs quickly once the cabinetry is built, because most of the work happens in our shop while the space stays usable. Moving plumbing or adding a sink brings licensed trades in first and lengthens the schedule. We tell you before we start how many days the machines will be out.
How do you remodel a laundry room?
Design around the machines first, then the storage, then the surfaces. We measure the washer and dryer, decide whether a counter goes over them or the pair stacks, place the hamper, the tall cabinet and the hanging rod, and settle the sink. Cabinetry is built in our shop, licensed trades handle any plumbing or electrical, and we install and finish.
Is it worth remodeling a small laundry room?
Yes, and small rooms often gain the most, because a builder-grade closet with a wire shelf wastes most of its height and depth. Stacking the machines, running cabinetry to the ceiling and adding a pull-out hamper can double the usable storage in the same footprint. We design small rooms to the inch so nothing is lost to a gap.
Can you move the washer and dryer to a different wall?
Often, yes. It means relocating the water supply, the drain box and the dryer vent, plus the electrical or gas for the dryer, which is licensed plumbing and electrical work and may need a permit. We look at where the existing lines run during the consultation and tell you honestly whether the move is worth what it costs.
What is the best countertop for a laundry room?
Quartz, for most homes. It shrugs off detergent, bleach and hot water, does not need sealing and is easy to keep clean. Butcher block looks warm and is fine if you are willing to oil it and wipe spills quickly. We set the counter over front-load machines at a height that folds comfortably and add a lip so nothing runs behind.
Free in-home design consultation
Let us design the room you actually want to live in.
Tell us about the space. We come out, measure, listen, and bring back drawings, renderings and a written quote. No cost, no obligation.