Almost exactly 1 year ago (yes, it’s been a full year already!) I came to you all with a question about what we should do with our current laundry room and “kitchen bathroom” (a.k.a. the fairly awkward full-bath off our kitchen).
As expected, you shared so much wisdom… and you helped us decide exactly what we wanted to do (at least with the bathroom part of the project).
If you have no idea what I’m talking about, the posts below will help you get caught up!
My initial post with questions and ALLLL your fantastic ideas.
Our 3-Phase Plan (it was supposed to take 10 weeks — HAHA!!)
Phase 1 complete — move current washer and dryer to basement as an eventual 2nd laundry area
Phase 2 complete — transform our former laundry room into a gorgeous new half bathroom
Well, I’m back again today with more questions…
This time about “phase 3” of the project (transforming the former full bath into a new main floor laundry room) which we HOPE to start working on in about a month.
Our question is regarding the washer/dryer set up and the a 3rd shower…
Should we keep a shower in this bathroom and stack the washer and dyer?
Or should we nix the shower and put the washer / dryer side-by-side with storage cabinets above?
Or do you have a completely different idea!?!?
Here’s a VERY ROUGH (not fully to-scale) bird’s-eye view of the 2 options.
Dave and I have thought about the various options SO much over the past year (and really ever since we moved into this house 8+ years ago).
This was originally the first bathroom we wanted to renovate, but we just couldn’t decide with to do with the shower situation… which is where you all come into play!
Here are a few of the pros for each option.
PROS for a 3rd Shower:
A 3rd shower is ideal for a family of 6 — especially once we have 4 teens in the house!
A 3rd shower would alleviate the need for kids to use Dave and my bathroom and keep the upstairs bathroom available for baths (the upstairs bath has our only tub).
A 3rd shower would help our evening routine go faster as the older kids could take showers while the younger kids are in the bath.
A shower right off the mudroom could be nice if kids come in from outside and are really dirty (or all wet and full of chlorine from swimming).
An extra shower would be nice if we had guests stay with us.
PROS for a More Spacious Laundry Room / NO Shower:
I would have lots more space to do laundry.
I could use a side-by-side washer and dryer, which I prefer, versus a stackable unit.
I would have room for a laundry hamper to slide in next to the washer and dryer.
I could put a counter top over the washer and dryer to allow space for folding clothes right in the laundry room.
I would have TONS more storage above the washer and dryer.
I would have one less shower to clean!
My “problem” is that both options sound good!
If we didn’t have 4 children, I would almost certainly choose the more spacious laundry room.
However, we DO have 4 children who will all be tweens and teens at the same time (sooner than I care to think!) and I’d like to choose the best option for OUR family, taking into consideration that our children will most likely be involved in sports and other extra curricular activities that might make our evenings busier and require multiple people showering at the same time.
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A Little More Background Info:
If you’re still having trouble getting a feel for our space, the photos below should help.
This is what our laundry room and bathroom looked like BEFORE.
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As I mentioned above, the first phase of our project was to move our washer and dryer down to the basement and hook them up so we would have a working washer and dryer throughout the entire project (boy am I glad we did this!)
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The second phase was to transform our TEENY TINY laundry room with no storage into a very spacious half bathroom with TONS of storage.
We are THRILLED with how well this project turned out. The half bath functions so much better than the laundry room ever did, we have a huge increase in storage space, and it looks so much nicer!
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Due to the fact that almost every single part of our half bath project was delayed, we did not stick to our 10-week timeline. In fact, we didn’t fully finish phase 2, until Dave’s first week back at school last fall.
Our goal has always been to keep our home projects between Memorial Day and Labor Day so we aren’t living in chaos during the school year — which meant we had to put phase 3 on hold until this spring.
For the last year, I’ve been doing laundry downstairs and our full bath off the kitchen has looked like this — with various tray tables set up as a space for slow cookers to make beans or broth overnight, and as a place to soak my grains and flours for bread and other baked goods!
The extra “bonus” space has actually been fairly handy!
However, I’m ready for this space to be fully renovated and usable again.
So… if you were me, would you want a 3rd shower or a more spacious laundry room?
Or would you do something totally different?
Extra points if you explain your reasoning!
Verna says
I would go with a large laundry room. I have five teenage/adult children and our family of seven gets by fine with two showers. Extra counter space to fold laundry and a large sink would be fantastic in a laundry room!
Katie says
Laundry room without shower. I don’t have 4 kids just two. Yet in Australia my whole family shared one bathroom (3 siblings and parents). So if we can do it I’m sure yours can too. I think a laundry be best idea. Since no matter what your going be doing laundry even when they gone on to having their own family later on.
Lisa says
Is the stackable w/d your only w/d? Is the capacity of the stackable w/d the same as side by side? Right now your children’s clothes are small in size but will get larger (more volumious) as they age. I have friends who had 4 children and they had 2 washers and driers in order to be able to wash all quickly. But I also can see when you have 4 children and spouses and children visiting when they grow up that a 3rd shower would be very needed and you and Dave will only need a smaller capacity washer. So…
Vickie says
I would go with the 3 rd shower. We built our home when our children were small. Typical 3 bedroom 2 bath home. But we did not think what it would be like when our children were grown and moved out of town. Don’t we all have hopes they will be close and not live out of town. But that doesn’t always happen. Children get older, move away and bring more people back with them to visit. No grandchildren yet but we are making plans now thinking of what it may be like wihen/if more are added to our family. We have two children. One in college but lives at home. One now married and lives out of town. So that makes total of 5 grown adults getting ready/showering. We have two showers. When we are all home two showers are definitely not enough. We are a close family so our daughter and husband visit often. Anyone else out there know what it is like trying to get ready for church on Sunday morning? Anyway as far as space goes, you have that 2nd laundry room in the basement. Huge area. So when you do have those days when a big laundry room is needed like having things hang to dry that you don’t want to go in the dryer, you could put down there right? Basically if we had it do over we would have built our home a little different and taken into consideration all the stages of life we would be in with children. So my advice is not to think about what it will be like when your children are teenagers but what your needs will be when your children go to college, get married and have children of their own. Then kind of meet in the middle.
Angela says
Definitely laundry space. Your lovely little laundry schedule of two days a week will not last forever. Your future, as your children grow, holds many, many hours of doing laundry. You need a space where you can be ultra organized because the flow of laundry is going to grow exponentially. With two daughters now 22 and 19 I can count on one hand the times both girls needed to shower at the same time…and our en-suite had to be used. The bedtime routine you have now where they are all bathed and read to and basically in bed at the same time will change before you know it and they will be showering at different times just because of the flow of their lives with homework, sports and activities. Can’t wait to see what you decide.
Jane says
Such an exciting project! I would vote for larger laundry room. Teenagers bring home lots of sports bags and muddy kit – so great to have floor space for that as you work through it all. Good luck deciding!
Diane says
I would definitely go for the shower. Full size laundry units can be stacked. With four children, you will definitely want that extra shower, and for all the reasons you explained. You really don’t want your children sharing your shower too. As for the extra storage space, I know you will make it work! Besides, you have the basement. I think for resale value too, the third shower is a good idea (even though you’re not planning to go anywhere soon!
Brandette says
I vote for a bigger laundry room. You already have 2 showers and a tub that are “standard” for most homes built now. Some of the biggest selling points to buyers looking for a home are a really nice kitchen, nice bathrooms, and a large laundry room. I know you are in this house for the long haul, so selling isn’t on the horizon. But, it’s something to consider.
Also, a big nice laundry room is just awesome. You have room to move around and work, you can have a nice large washer and dryer that aren’t stackable, you can fold clothes straight from the dryer right there instead of having to lug the dry clothes elsewhere. You would also have lots more storage above the w&d, which is always always a good thing. You can also have a wash tub in the laundry room, which I love!
In the end, I think of it like this. The kids will not always be living there, but you and Dave might. You will always have a need for a large laundry room, but won’t always have the need for 3 showers. Plus, even while the kids are at home and if they decide to get into sports and all need showers in the evening, showers should take each kid more than say 10 minutes a piece. One hops in, then the other. You can do 4 kid showers in quick time with 2 showers.
Natalia says
You would love that extra space in the laundry room, with storage cabinets above and plenty of room to fold clothes! Every. single. day!!
Just wondering… How often have you used that particular shower in the last few years? Exactly. If, in the next 5-10 years, you figure out you MUST have a shower in there, you can do a “small” update at that time. And who knows, you might even decide to have a full bath in the basement, later on (when you run out of projects – haha – and if it works out, of course).
Until then, you’ll enjoy several years with a beautiful laundry room and smile every time you see that space!
Sue Pipping says
I would definately keep the laundry sink, great for clean ups and soaking laundry or at canning time. I wish I had one in my laundry room. Love the suggestions for sliding door, as a space saver and would do the side by side washer and dryer. It would look and feel more spacious and not like you stuffed more in the room. If you felt the need for additional shower because of the pool, do an out door shower for that, since it would be seasonal as the pool is also seasonal. If you didnt want an outdoor shower, having a a bath with a shower in the out building, is a great idea, but putting a shower room in the basement by the laundry is my top vote. The basement shower would be convenient as your basement steps are by the back door, and there would most likely be room for storage and extra clothes/robes for after showering. The girls can shower upstairs, the boys downstairs when they get older. And you may want a high capacity hot water heater, or hot water on demand heating unit so you dont run out of hot water.
Dawn Kaestner says
Which are dirtier…your clothes or your children? I vote nicer laundry room.
Amy says
Bigger laundry room! You’ll be able to use that counter space to fold clothes & it will be awesome as extra kitchen space (stick your dessert buffet there for holidays, use it for crockpots overnight, extra space when canning, etc.)
Also you might need to check your water heater. I doubt that a standard water heater could handle 3 showers at once.
Cheryl says
I would definitely do the laundry room. When you have the extra counter space you could plug in a crockpot or any Other small appliance you might need. I don’t think a bathroom is a good place to put the small appliances, especially if people are using it to shower or use the toilet when those items are in there. I feel like a germaphobe when typing this, but I like to keep bathroom and food items separate.
Belinda says
I would vote for shower with stacking washer and dryer. I have a great counter for folding clothes in my laundry room but I always fold clothes on the kitchen table. My guess is you have a place you fold clothes and will continue to use that spot even after your renovation. The only reason I would do side by side units in your case is if you hated the stacked set when you had them previously or if you were too short to reach the stacked dryer.
Stacey says
I vote for the bigger laundry room. When your kids are older and if you have a bigger pool, you can put a bathroom/shower in one of your outbuildings…that way you won’t have wet kids and all their friends traipsing through the house. 🙂
Roxie says
I love the idea of a pocket door to allow more space for both the side by side washer/dryer, a sink, and a table or cabinet for storage! I think the idea of a shower when you come in from outside could be a good thing – as long as there are clothes to put on once you shower.
Of course you could ALWAYS put a shower outside! LOL Wouldn’t THAT be fun in your Michigan weather!
Ale says
Third shower! Besides all the pros you and others have mentioned, bear in mind that, as tweens and teens, your kids’ bedtimes will probably be closer to yours, and you’ll have six people needing to take showers in a relatively short period of time. Three showers will make the process 33% more efficient!
In my opinion, the strongest arguments in favour of the more spacious laundry room are storage space and counter for folding, BUT you always say that your house already has more storage space than you can use; and, as your kids grow older, you will probably want to get them to fold their own clothes, and they’ll probably do that in their own rooms, so you may get less use out of the counter than you think.
The third shower is definitely more future-proof.
Laura says
I was thinking the same thing for the same reasons! Andrea, you are a minimalist and regular purger who already has lots of extra empty storage. Teen girls and showers are just around the corner
Kristen says
My only question with adding a third shower is, how will you get their clean clothes in there for them to change into (if the perk is supposed to be that they don’t have to trudge thru the house all wet or dirty)? Unless you have a solution for that, it might not be so practical.
A laundry room is something you will inevitably use from now on; the extra shower will be an occasional perk (probably more so when your kids are older). I vote for the laundry room since you know that will be something you are dealing with for life. When your kids are grown, if you’re still in that house, are you going to wish you had a larger laundry area? Something to think about.
Alicia says
I would choose the larger laundry space! If it was between laundry or extra bathroom/toilet, I would definitely choose the extra bathroom. But an extra shower…I would get so much more use out of a laundry room! That is one thing I wish our current house had, and we only have one actual bathtub, too. My kids are young enough that only one of them needs to shower every day, and so far we haven’t had any issues.
Jennifer says
I say 3rd shower!
Erin says
I would go with the side by side. I am one of 6 girls and at a point growing up we had 4 teenagers at the same time. AND we only had one full bathroom for all of us. We had to ‘schedule’ shower times at different points with a small white board. We all survived (I can only think of a handful of times our parents’ bathroom was used). And think of the joy you would have with folding space!
Kim says
You mentioned setting up tables and using the room for kitchen overflow like crockpot and soaking grains so side by side laundry with counter on top for folding and work space sounds like it would get more use. Don’t forget the outlets near counter. Can always add shower to basement later if you still feel the need. Sliding door instead of swinging door will be great space saver.
Elizabeth Dilts says
Man, so hard! If it was my family, I’d do the shower. We have 4 boys and I’m so thankful our new bathroom is right inside the door (walking through the laundry area!) so that everyone can strip and shower without going through the house! But a big laundry is a huge selling bonus. I know You probably won’t sell for years and years….but people do value a nice laundry space now, more than the past!
Melissa Finfrock says
I vote for the larger laundry room. My initial thought was: will everyone be home at the same time and want to shower at the same time? It’s unlikely. Of course, like you mentioned earlier this week or last, there are exceptions for every scenario.
I do not think you should remove the large laundry sink. It’s a great place for “dirty” hand washing and so many other things you wouldn’t want in your kitchen sink.
Best of luck with you decision!
Lauren says
Definitely 3rd shower. I can’t see how you’ll regret this. You can also have the best of both worlds if you remove the laundry sink. Is that really necessary with the bathroom and large kitchen sink? I’ve never had a laundry sink and have been fine using the nearby bathroom sink for any soaks.
Julie says
Hi Andrea! I was smiling reading this I feel like i can kind of relate. My husband and I live in what we consider our ‘forever’ home. One thing that we initially liked about it when we looked at the house was the extra/bathroom shower as you come in the back door and thought it would be great for when people come in from outside, extra shower for kids, etc. We have 4 kids and frequent out of town guests and I can tell you this 3rd shower RARELY gets used. Our kids have worked out a showering schedule in the upstairs bathroom that’s just easier for them, rather than taking all their ‘stuff’ to the other bathroom to shower. I will echo the sentiment of several others when I say that the extra sink/toilet is nice, but the 3rd shower is just really not ever used.
However…one thing that I have often said is that I would LOVE to have a bigger laundry room. With 4 kids who all do various sports we have so many sports uniforms, gear, laundry, etc., it gets to be a very tight fit. It drives me crazy when I feel like the laundry is overflowing but it’s really not, it’s just a tight space.
Anyway…all of this rambling just to say, my vote is 100% for a bigger laundry room! Please let us know what you decide 🙂
alyssa says
If it were me, I’d skip the extra shower. You said “If we didn’t have 4 children, I would almost certainly choose the more spacious laundry room.” I grew up in a bigger family and only 2 bathrooms. You learn to share. Also, when they are older, they won’t all be on the same showering schedule. When I was a teen, seems like half of us preferred night showers and half did morning showers.
You made the point of kids coming straight in from outside to shower, but would that actually work? Will you always stock clothes and everything they need in that room? Or will they have to go upstairs to their bedrooms first to get clean clothes anyway? If so, they may as well shower upstairs. Or you will constantly hear “Mom…can you get me some clean underwear!” At least that’s what my kids would do. lol! Bathing closer to the bedrooms makes more sense, but maybe that’s just me!
I noticed a drying rack in the basement. Will you keep it there to use? If not, I’d definitely leave floorspace to allow for that in the laundry room, or have a wall hanging rack. As the kids grow, so do their clothing sizes and it’s gonna take more room to hang up swimwear/athletic wear, etc. Others have suggested a sliding door, which would help free up some more space.
All that said, do what works for you guys!
Becky says
I don’t have a lot to add. Everyone has great arguments for both sides! 🙂
The only thing is that lots of people suggested getting rid of the laundry sink. I love, maybe even adore, my laundry sink. I use it all the time! I dump out liquids when my sink is full of other stuff. I use it to heat up my jars for canning while my other sink is in use. And, I use it for handwashing and other junk. My old house had one inconveniently located in a back corner of the basement and I have really loved having easy access at our current home!
Trisha says
Laundry room. If you need a shower for the pool, we used a shower tent in our yard at the lake for rinsing off. We had a hot / cold faucet installed on the outside. We redid our cabin and installed 2 more bathrooms. Only one or two are used at the same time. Same with at home with 5 people. Even with company rarely are even two used. Three sinks and toilets are wonderful but not three showers.
clpalmat says
or, nix the deep laundry sink since you have your kitchen sink and bathroom sink there already and put a small counter there with something above for shower/laundry storage and/or hanging space.
Christy says
I see the shower as a huge plus with 4 kids. I have two girls and a boy that share one bathroom. It’s been a challenge. There is a door to the shower and toilet so the girls can use the sinks when my son is in the shower, but it is tight. The only full bath on the main level is our master, and it’s not by the back door. So for you coming in the house dirty from playing outside or sports it would be awesome because you can take your stuff off and it’s already in the laundry room! No moving dirty/stinky stuff! For us if you need a shower from swimming/dirty etc. it’s all the way through the house to our bathroom OR all the way upstairs to their bathroom and then we have wet bodies waiting to get in a shower. Then I need wet pool towels/dirty smelly clothes moved to the laundry room and guess who end up doing that?! You have a lot of years of kids needing showers left, so if it were me I’d choose the shower hands down!
Knowing though that you loved that extra space for crockpots or soaking grains, and you like the space to fold in the laundry room then maybe that isn’t for you? I fold in the main living space because someone is always looking for me and I just don’t want to be stuck in the laundry room.
Do you see yourself having a shower/bathroom in one of your other buildings when you put in your pool? That would be something to consider. If you do then I would choose a counter over a shower.
I don’t envy your decision! It is a list of pro and cons to see what will work best. Good Luck!
Trudy says
Grew up in a house with 6 people and 1 bathroom. As I think of it, there wasn’t a huge problem with showers/baths. We were limited to a short shower (about 5 minutes) which was more than enough time. My vote is for the larger laundry room, seems much more practical in the long term.
Jessica Canny says
Off topic, but I noticed you mentioned “full of chlorine, etc” in the pros of a 3rd shower section. You should look into the salt water system for you pool if you haven’t already. We transitioned ours over last year and it’s SO much easier/cheaper to maintain AND better for you skin. I can’t say enough about how awesome it is. Here is the link if you’re interested….
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PHX0D3O/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Aside from the system ^^ we bought 100# of sand and 3 bags of salt to initially set it up. We only had to add 2 more bags of salt halfway through the summer season after we’d been using the pool daily for almost 2 months. I honestly was so surprised at how clean and better our pool was after switching over. I will mention that my husband had to do a slight hose adjustment which took all of 5 minutes, to get the saltwater system’s hose to fit to (what was) our current filter system that came with the pool. That is a very common thing apparently, unless you buy the specific brand of pool that already comes with a salt water system. We found a YouTube video explaining everything in detail.
I’d be happy to give you more info if you’d like! I’d strongly suggest looking into it! I’ve always hated chlorine, but I became more aware of it when we had our son!
Also, I lived in a house with my in-laws where it was myself, my husband, my brother/sister in-law, and their 3 high school kids. They had 3 showers/bathrooms and the third never got used. A larger laundry room would have come in hand though!
Cindy says
Do both! (See pin) Mostly for the quick rinse of muddy feet, etc. Or put a shower curtain around that area and it could also be a usable shower.
https://pin.it/32xncoe4jrcegy
Kate Valiente says
I say skip the shower, for a few reasons:
1. If you are not putting in a vanity-type sink, then you won’t necessarily benefit from the extra shower. A person won’t have a good place to pull out their grooming products and apply them before putting on his or her clothes. This might be a real pain for a guest, who would have to take a shower and then walk through the main floor in a robe to get to the designated guest room to complete his/her routine.
2. If your appliances are stacked and only one needs to be replaced, you have to work around the other one. This would be especially troublesome if the bottom unit needed to be replaced.
3. Learning to share a common space is part of the growing process. It helps shape you into a well-rounded human. Once your kids are older, it might work well for the boys to shower at night and the girls to shower in the morning, depending on hair and grooming.
wilma says
I grew up on a farm with a shower stall (with a curtain around it for drying/privacy) in the basement, where we always entered when coming in from the fields. All seven of us used that shower, and we often wanted to shower at the same time because we all finished work at the same time and had other things to get to, such as activities or housework or homework. It worked out fine.
Shower times were limited, and we had to get in and out pretty fast in order to be respectful of everyone else. There were 1.5 other bathrooms in the house, but we were not allowed to use the shower upstairs because the window was rotting and my parents didn’t have the money at the time to replace it. And we even had visitors stay with us regularly (my parents are immigrants so family would fly over to visit and stay for several weeks) and it was still fine.
I think that the more important space to have is multiple mirrors and sinks, for getting ready, which you already have. Honestly, I think that even when the kids are older, you could kick the kids out of your bathroom and have all four of them share, especially since you have the 1/2 bath downstairs. They would figure it out.
I think that having a super functional laundry/prep space would make your life better every single day. And while I see the point about having the shower right where you enter when you’re all dirty (that would be AMAZING), I think that you could also clean up reasonably well with the outside tap and a big laundry tub 🙂
Good luck making a decision–I think in the end, go with your gut!! There really isn’t a “wrong” decision here.
Avia says
I would think of it this way: there are times when having a third shower would be really convenient – teens and guests. But you will be doing laundry every week for the rest of your life; and possibly even more when you have guests and teens. So I would would put a greater priority on your laundry area being convenient easy to use.
After using the basement for your laundry for the last year would you consider making your laundry room in the basement? Or maybe plan for a third shower in the basement someday?
Ashley says
I think the pocket door ideas are brilliant! Based on your pro/con lists, I’d go with the shower. You could always take it out later if you feel like it’s going to effect resale value. I personally never fold laundry in the laundry room, I never iron, but the idea of having a space for dirty kids to wash without tracking all through my house is amazing. I also agree with others about the sink. It’d be nice to have the sink, but you could also just use a bucket.
Allison says
Andrea, I think it boils down to a convenience vs need. As nice as it would be to have extra space for laundry, I think you are wise to consider adding a shower with 4 kids. I don’t think you will regret it. Hope this helps! Love all of your renovations you have done.
Carole says
Put in a pocket door or a sliding barn style door on the outside of the room. Move the sink next to where the shower is now and put side by side washer dryer against the wall the sink is now on with cupboards up above. You can have everything in that room if the swinging door was eliminated.