Just a suggestion.
In meetings with new clients for new homes was are suggesting they use the new front loading washers and dryers. The advantage is that countertops can be built over the washer and dryer. Clients seem to appreciate and like the idea.
This would work with additions and remodels, if the Laundry Room is involved.
Front loaders have been expensive, but prices are coming down.
Personal involvement and thoughtful suggstions like this can sometimes make you look better than the competetion and help you close an deal.
Replies
Good idea, but how high does the washerbox, that in-wall thing that the hoses and drain for the washer, need to go on the wall?
Washer and dryer depths are typically about 27", and with the space behind required for mechanicals, the fronts are out even further. Would you do a counter all the way out?
If so, a deep counter like that might be best equipped with 12" deep wallcabs atop it, coming right down to the countertop. Your counter depth total might be 32 inches, with 20 inches of available top depth due to the cabs sitting atop.
If it can be accommodated by the available space, I like to suggest a built-in cab in a wall that opens and has a fold-down ironing board inside, plus electric recep for iron.
Gene,
Good observations.
How high does the washerbox need to go on the wall?
The last one we did had the washer box at about 36" off the floor to the top. The front loaders are typically 38" - 40" tall (without the optional base). We require a model selection prior to establishing the countertop height.
Washer and dryer depths are typically about 27", and with the space behind required for mechanicals, the fronts are out even further. Would you do a counter all the way out?
Yes, we did.
If so, a deep counter like that might be best equipped with 12" deep wallcabs atop it, coming right down to the countertop. Your counter depth total might be 32 inches, with 20 inches of available top depth due to the cabs sitting atop.
This is one of the setbacks, but your suggestons is good. The upper cabs can also be deeper or furred out when raised above the countertop. Most wives really like the extra counterspace, especially above the machines, and will deal with the upper cabinet issue.
One issue is that in the sets the door are handed to work with washer on left and dryer on right as typical. Reversing this typical machine arrangement as is sometimes necessary for a variety of reasons, creates a bit of awkwardness.
If it can be accommodated by the available space, I like to suggest a built-in cab in a wall that opens and has a fold-down ironing board inside, plus electric recep for iron.
We are doing a fold down ironing board in a home we are currently building. The recep idea is great with this option.
Another advantage or option with the front loaders is that can be stacked.
This is one of the setbacks, but your suggestons is good. The upper cabs can also be deeper or furred out when raised above the countertop
Hmm, I'm wondering if a 'combination' might be even better--like a stock countertop width but applied to an upper cabinet with a skirt or wider bottom rail?
Sure, that'd over hang the f/l units a bit, but also means having the "splash" joint a lot closer to average-length arms. The wide "apron rail" means the doors still open, even with folded items on the c/t, too.
Hmm, now, as I think of it, set stock 24" p/f out where it needs to be, and let it "toe kick" under the 12" uppers above, and then run some under-cabinet lighting in the "cove" that's made as a result.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
"Personal involvement and thoughtful suggstions like this can sometimes make you look better than the competetion and help you close an deal."
"We are doing a fold down ironing board in a home we are currently building."
Great points. May I add - some people I know don't like to be "exiled" to the laundry room to do the ironing. Would rather be where the action, and TV, are. This one's from Haefle (sp?) and was worth serious honey-do points. (Still working on the frame & panel drawer fronts).
Whirlpool has some ads with all of the stuff in fancy cabinets and it is in family room.
Maple and granite?
We used the same drawer pulls door handles in out last home.
Beautiful WR.....the ironing board idea is unique and woth consideration.
What about this idea in a cabinet corner?
Ok, I'm impressed!
That's likely the most sensible corner cabinet I've ever seen (out of the specialized ones out there)..Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
Now all we need in the television. I mean, if the refrigerator can have one why not the laundry room? It pays to keep the little homemakers watching HGTV, DIY, and the Food Network so when you come home everything is cooked, cleaned, and fixed. :)
Amen, but block the shopping channels.
Hadn't seen that before, I like it.
Who gets credit?
"Citius, Altius, Fortius"
Not me. I copied the pic from a source I can not remember.
I liked that corner cabinet design too until I realized it wasted the same amount of space as not having any corner cabinet, just dead space. With the pictured corner cabinet, you still have two large triangles of dead space.I like the corner racks like the one below from Rockler:http://www.rockler.com/ecom7/product_details.cfm?Cat_ID=190&offerings_id=11088&objectgroup_id=446&catid=81&filter=corner%20cabinet%20hardwareor this one from Lee Valley:http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/page.aspx?sid=&page=43657&category=3%2c43648%2c43653&ccurrency=2The one from Lee Valley is far cheaper ($160 vs. $500), but I think I read somewhere that people have problems getting the doors to hang right since you mount the door to the slide-out unit. The Rockler one appears to be independent of the door.-Rich
Yeah, the sliding half-moon shelves are a very nice way to finish off a blind-corner cabinet (except that the're a real bad dead space if the cabinet box is square).
The Rockler shelves are very nice, you can get wire in 3-4 "colors" from Rev-a-shelf, and solid acrylic/nylon from Amerrock. The real trick is that you have to know the clear door opening in advance--the minimum is like 12" and that's shoehorn-tight in real life.
The slide-out feature means being able to get ahold of things, though--that's worth the price right there (sometimes). Will not stop undersupervised wee ones from sling-shotting things off the spinning shelf into the far recesses of the cabinet though (where one usually finds a frightened into terrified blind, I'm-shredding-anything-my-toenails-touch, feline(s) . . . )Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
Yep, maple & granite, with white tigerwood flooring. The countertop is pretty active, and there is a fair amount of color & variety in the floor, so we wanted the counters to not stand out too much. We're very happy with the results.
Looks great.
any combination of these ideas will work (get some homeowner in put) all great ideas
plus think of all the sandwiches you can make on that thing!!!
nice job btw...knowledge without experience is just information.... Mark Twain
http://www.cobrajem.com
There are cabinet sized washer/dryers. Common in Europe, where the units might be in the kitchen.Bosch Axxis is one. They can also be stacked.
Is a countertop really needed above front loader machines? They already have flat tops for piling stuff on...
My mother had a front loader washer and dryer from 1956 until about 1990, and she seemed to manage just fine without countertops. :-)
On my current job, the homeowner has a front loading washer and dryer side by side. She was accustomed to setting things on top, but they constantly fell between, behind, and beyond the appliances. I made a very simple top -- 3/4" plywood with solid wood edge and Formica on top. I set carpet scraps on the appliances, the countertop on them, and ran one screw through a ledger on the back. Voila! Easy, quick, inexpensive, and nothing falls through the cracks! One screw removes it if the appliances need to be moved. Sue
The wives seem to love it.
The husbands just want a nice entertaimnet center, big screen TV, and room for a recliner, beer and remote.
Hey, I wear the skirt in the family. I figured since I gotta do the laundry, the room will be set up for my convenience. The following remodel ran me just under 10 grand.
View Image
I find the top height of 50" is ideal for folding clothes.
The first shows the finished product. The room is 8 ft wide, 9 high. We're looking into it from the adjoining kitchen. I'm using the Kenmore Elite H3 series on the optional stands. These stands minimize the bending over commonly seen with front loaders.
These are all new custom cabinets ($4200). The base sits 30" from the wall. The uppers are 16" deep. Corian counters, sink and shelf ($1600).
View Image
This second picture is taken from 6' from the floor looking at the top of the washer & dryer. Note the 7.5" wide corian shelf behind and even with the machines. Also note the clearances between the machines and counters. I fail to relate to those complaining of excessive vibration of front loaders. Note nothing is able to fall behind the machines.
View Image
The third picture looks behind the washer into a little nook giving access to the hoses and cords. Note the corian backsplash has been carried all the way up and serves as a ledge to mount the shelf.
The lastView Image picture shows all of the storage provided. A full length pull out under the sink. Pull out trash can on the bottom right. Gym bag storage just above it.
The custom cabinets are out of cherry and were delivered raw. 2 coats of fruitwood Watco, two coats of an amber shellac, followed by 4 to 6 of an HVLP applied water based lacquer.
I hired out the cab construction and countertops. My design. A coupla buddies and I did the whole thing, including stone tile.
Edited 2/12/2007 11:25 pm ET by peteshlagor
Sweet. Sweeter than pecan pie on Thanksgiving afternoon wathcing the football game.
You have got the pedistals. We have not used the peds, and run the counter over the front loaders @ about 42" high.
Edited 3/17/2006 10:46 am ET by txlandlord
Lowes sells front-loading washers for <$450. And I think tract-home builders that typically offer WD enticements would do good to focus on this aspect of laundry rooms as having a lot of counterspace, and even some shallow-depth cabinets above for wash/dry consumables.
Right Nuke.
Here's a photo of a kitchen I did last year with undermounted w/d. This is a gut/rehab single family used for rental - the cabs came from my kitchen (my wife got a brand new kitchen out of the deal). Note that the counter is deeper over the w/d. The appliances are pretty tight to the wall - the dryer vent comes out the side of the dryer - you can see the 4" panel between the appliances to cover that space.
Cool, that's the light fixture I'm (eventually) putting into my kitchen.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
I can't believe how many people like that light fixture - I was originally planning something plain and simple and decided to use that at the last minute to give the house a little zzzzip .... it's the kind of thing that gets a house rented quickly, and cost less than $100 at home depot as I recall.
Yeah, and I've been following that fixture around since is was $299.
If I can get to $99 ahead, that's going to be a done deal. Would be ideal if I could find either a green of or a blue shade--but white will "do" just fine.
The thing that ismost ideal, to my thinking, is that you get five light sources spread across the entire 108" bar of the thing. In effect you get five task lights out of one fixture. Being able to bend "to suit" is also good, too.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
The one I bought had blue shades in the box as well (the ones I used were pinkish-white).