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The original laundry in our house like most 70's builds was small and not designed for modern appliances and functionality. One of my biggest design annoyances in any home is the wasted space of a dedicated toilet (WC) room. Typically 75% of the 1m x 2.4m is dead space. Fortunately the WC was next to the laundry so, I was able to steal that space and relocate the toilet in to the main bathroom, which was about to get a full rebuild.
In the plans below you can see the original layout and what the changes were going to be to both the bathroom and the laundry and how I was going to gain valuable space by relocating the toilet. By doing so I was able to incorporate an inbuilt laundry cupboard, stacked cavity for there washer and drier and a linen closet in the hallway.
Here's how it was done...
The plans
Plasterboard
90mm x 35mm structural pine
Tile underlay
Tile brads
600 x 600 tiles
Kaboodle laundry cabinets
Wall mounted clothes hangers
Dorf top mounted sink and mixer with pullout spray
Dulux One-prep undercoat
Dulux wash and wear wall paint
The first step was the demolition of both the laundry and WC. I was able to remove the dividing wall since my roof war truss constructed which, is a deciding factor in buying any house I intent to renovate.
Both windows were replaced with new colorbond awnings.
While I had the plasterboard off I had the plumbing reconfigured and had the powerpoints relocated.
The toilet window was replaced with a fixed frosted glass as it was going to be covered completely on the inside. But from the outside nobody would be the wiser.
I fitted new plasterboard and stopped it up
I did final measurements and ordered the kaboodle laundry cabinetry. While waiting for the delivery I laid the tile floor. I didn't allow for the appliance nook, so I had to use offcuts under the cabinet to help level the carcus's. 🙄
I needed to save money to have stone benchtops in there bathroom, ensuite and kitchen, so I went with a timber bamboo top for the laundry. In hindsight I should have spent the extra on the stone as timber is not that durable for a laundry application.
I used the offcuts from the bench to make a couple of shelves in the nook for the laundry basket and dryer.
My wife found these great wall-mounted pull-out clothes hanger racks for drying shirts which, tuck neatly out of the way when not in use.
The last steps were to tile the backsplash, and paint the walls and ceiling as well as the timber bench top.
I also replace the old timber door with a new double glazed one.
The entire project took about 2 weeks, but here's a time-lapse video showing everything in less than 2min.
Your 70's laundry makeover is absolutely remarkable @Nailbag! Transforming a small, outdated space into a modern and functional laundry area is no small feat. It's impressive how you maximised space by relocating the toilet and incorporating a laundry cupboard. The detailed planning and execution truly paid off, and the final result is both stylish and practical. I trust the new layout, updated fixtures, and efficient use of space make your laundry area a pleasure to use.
Great job on this transformation, and thanks for sharing your process and tips.
Mitchell
Afternoon @Nailbag
Thats a nice modification Love how you replaced those windows, it gives a much cleaner feel to the room.
I also like the galley style of the cabinets, You dont have that corner cabinet "storing" all those super who knows how old things
Love the video! And as usual a very nice reno!
Dave
Hi @Nailbag
What a beautiful makeover and fantastic use of the recovered space from the water closet. I was wondering where the washer and dryer went until I saw the second photo. It definitely has opened up the space and the pantry is in the perfect position to hide all the cleaning gear and what not. I love the small touches such as the fold away hanging bar set.
Many thanks for sharing.
Eric
Thanks very much @EricL , @Dave and @MitchellMc I was lucky in that I was able to repurpose the original WC and make use of the space which has proven to be far more functional. Placing the dryer into its new position enabled me to add an external flue kit to the back, so no more humidity when it's running. Most importantly the wife is very happy 🤗
Regards, Nailbag
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