Community Chat

[LindaSal]

My first house had them in the basement, which at the time most were set up like that.  My newer home that we built had a large guest bath and the washer and dryer were in that room on the main floor.  Kind of an open 1/2 bath/laundry room.  Now we are in a townhouse and I have the stackables on my upstairs bedroom level.  Which actually does make a lot more sense as most clean laundry goes in the bedrooms.   As far  as a leak that is easily rectifiable,  we have a catch basin under the washer with a sensor that automatically shuts the water off if it gets wet.  There is a drain in the middle of it that goes into a pipe and empties in a drain in the basement. 

 I also live in the northeast and I have to say have been spoiled by always having a basement.  It has so much storage space, I just couldn't live without one!

[Snoopp]

I'm not into a basement laundry.  I actually like a first floor laundry.  

[Harpa]

Northeast for me, too. And yes, my parents' home had W&D in the basement. Only because the house was very modest in size.

My 2nd home was also small, and the basement served as the laundry.

Presently I'm in a (I would say, modest) 2-story but the laundry is down the hall off the downstairs kitchen area. (No basement.)

[eddyandme]

My house is around 74yo.  I live in MA.  Initially my parents had made a laundry room downstairs (finished cellar).  I, just this year, had my washer and dryer moved to the main floor bathroom.  It's not noisy, and boy is it convenient!

In my previous house, I had the washer and dryer in the kitchen (put into a large closet).

Imho having a W/D in a kitchen or bathroom on the main floor is best.  Being on the main floor is a "busy" area you can do so many things while running a wash.  It put in bedroom area you have to keep running back and forth if uncertain when done.  

OT:  The former laundry room is now a storage room - so nothing wasted.

[Group 5 minus 1]

Our laundry room has always been on the main floor. When we put the addition in, the LR was put right off the bedroom. I have not been aware of any noise.

On another note: my M-i-L put an addition in and I advised her to put the laundry room on the main floor,near the bedroom. She did do that and laterr thanked me for the advice.

We were told when time came for her to move to a retirement community it was a little easier to sell the house because of laundry room placement.

[SilleeMee]

---

@dancingwoman wrote:

@SilleeMee  21 years ago we remodeled the kitchen.  Put in new DW.  DH wanted a wood floor...I didn't but at the floor store we went to the sales guy showed us a hickory floor and said this was the only floor approved for the kitchen..

Well at one point a few yrs ago the floor started warping.  We thought termites because it looked like our friends floor in AZ that had an infestation.

Before the Orkin guy came I mentioned maybe look under the DW.  Well it was leaking.  DH pulled it out dried everything....fixed the leak..and put under the DW an electronic (battery operated) water leak alert detector.  If it detects water it sounds a VERY loud alarm.  So we don't worry anymore.  He checked the battery a few months ago and it still worked but he changed them out anyway....yeah he had to pull the DW out...

BTW the floor dried out beautifully...no warps.  Guess the guy knew his flooring...DW

Edited to add...he said he just had to take off the little wooden panel under the DW to check it..DW

---

@dancingwoman 

After reading your post, I think I need to get a leak-detector device for my dishwasher. I've got one already sitting next to my clothes washer and another one next to my hot water tank but I never thought to put one next to my dishwasher....duh!  Thanks for mentioning that!!

[jlkz]

@SeaMaiden 

Or after a Hurricane with water rising in that basement and ruining washer and dryer.....unless placed high enough to be out of danger !

[pieman]

Presently, I'm living in FL, soon to be going back home to Ct,,

I'm finding homes with the w/d in the kitchen! Ewwwww, not in a room off the kitchen but eight there in full view... 

I don't care for them on the second floor either, nothing nice about that. You get a problem. now you can look at replacing floors upstairs as well as ceilings.

Basement looks like the common answer for now...

[icezeus]

I live in Southern California so we do not have basements. (That I know of) My current house my Washer/Dryer is located next to the garage.  I have tile in my laundry room. The house that I owned before this one the Washer/Dryer was located in the garage.  Which was on cement. I like both locations because you do not have to worry about damage if you spring a leak. 

I make it a point not to run anything with water, such as Washer and Dishwasher, if I am not home. I have heard horror stories of people who have done that and returned home to an expensive mess. 

[mspatmac]

Home in N.J. in the basement but I was young and it was fine and out of the way. Loved that house, had a full walk up attack accessed by a door in the bedroom.  

CA no basements.  Rented a 2 story condo for a short time and was in the garage, a couple steps away from front door.  2 story home as you came in through garage.

Texas, finally got my 1 story home and w/d as you come in through garage.  I am thankful I am all on one floor at this stage of my life.