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It's a walk-through room not unlike @Nham's really neat laundry renovation here, but with some extra width (again, floorplan below). BUT the Minister of Home Affairs wants to keep our top-loading washing machine, which kinda kyboshes any plan for having a nice benchtop, like all the laundry renovation posts I've seen here. Apart from that, a fold-out ironing board and some overhead cupboards would be neat.
Any thoughts and advice welcome!
- Any advice about boxing in an existing host water system, so that we can store stuff around it, yet keep access to it in case of mishap?
- Any advice about selling the benefits of a front-loading washing machine?
- The walls are that ol' 60s fibro, so I suspect asbestos...? Should we get someone to rip it out? Or clad over the top...?
Thanks heaps!
Hey there - I couldn't help but return with an update: the reno is complete! Very happy with it. I kept to a sensible budget on this one, which meant not ripping up the original tiles, and keeping the hot water system where it was. The doors could do with a lick of paint, but... next time...
Behold:
Again, many thanks to you all on this thread for your help!
Wow! Those are some absolutely stellar results @Benskimo! I'm thrilled that you've updated us with these images. You've done an excellent job and should be very proud of your efforts.
This would make an excellent entry into our Australia's Best D.I.Y. Project. Shall I enter it for you?
Mitchell
Wow the end result is fabulous :). Well done! Just one question - how has The Minister adjusted to the front-loader? ? Is she converted? 
Hey thanks a million @MitchellMc - and yes please that'd be brilliant! I've got other photos of the work half-way through (plastered walls, etc), but the before and after shots above capture it the best.
Oh wow, thanks heaps @Jason ! Much appreciated. Here's how it went:
Tired old laundry gets a hip overhaul
Over the last 11 years we've been at our '69 surburban house, we've done a range of small reno jobs and updates (new deck, exterior landscaping, schmick front entryway), and so it was time to give the poor old laundry some reno love.
I started by asking for advice right here on Bunnings Workshop, and got some great ideas and some amazing mockups from @MitchellMc, @EricL, @Nham and others, to seed my thinking. I sketched out what I could do, given the small space available, and what we wanted to use that space for (more storage, brighter outlook as you go through from garage to the house). There were a few variations in the mix, like whether or not to move the hot water system to the corner, or out of the laundry completely... whether to increase budget to include ripping up the old floor tiles... but in the end I kept the project tight and purpose-led.
After contracting an asbestos remover, I had the help of a builder to re-clad the walls in water-resistant fibreboard (not Gyprock), remove the old little window, and install some new cabinetry. That was the bulk of the cost. I used standard widths and heights of cabinetry where I could though, to keep costs down.
We also got a plumber to re-do the pipes so that the inlet and outlet would all be hidden under a bench top, to leave a nice clean splashback area.
Ah, the bench top! There was some internal drama bubbling over whether or not we stick with our existing top-loader washing machine (Bigger loads! I can't open it while it's washing a load! Why buy what we don't need!), or go for the front-loader. This would of course fundamentally affect the design. In the end, having a nice longer bench top sealed the deal for a new front-loader. This also made it easier to incorporate a new wall-mounted dryer into the design.
Once the (nice long) bench top and swish new tub were in place, I re-painted the ceiling and painted the walls, leaving the space ready for the tiles of the splashback area. We also installed a new powerpoint underneath the bench so that the washing machine could be plugged in from within the frame of the cupboard. I got the tiles from Tile Factory Outlet in Smithfield, Sydney. Their range is incredible. I wanted tiles that had a bit of a midcentury modern flavour, to go with the rest of the house. I nearly chose some pool tiles (tiny aqua squares looked pretty hip), but these mint ones were just the ticket.
The last thing I did was obsess over getting the beautiful grain of that bench top looking and feeling as good as possible, with lots of fine sanding and 3 coats of Cabot's Benchtop Clear. All it needs now is a plant and a raffia mat! We're really happy with it, and it's turned a dowdy awkward old eyesore into a graceful integrated utility area, that enhances the midcentury modern feel of the whole house.
