washer/dryer in the basement bad idea?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Basement. If you've ever had a bad leak in your house as I have, you want to minimize the chances of that happening again.

Also - laundry makes noise.

I hate lugging the laundry up and down two flights of stairs but have reframed it in my mind as exercise. My laundry basket can carry two loads but it's easier if you just carry one load at a time.

The leak concern can be dealt with by water leak detectors and by automatic whole-house leak detection and shut-off systems. The former just notify you of a leak, the latter also shut off the water to the house if you don't react. Many homeowners insurance companies provide a substantial discount on your premiums if you install an automated system, as water damage is far and away the largest cause of claims, greatly exceedingly those for fire, burglary, hail damage and other hazards. I installed a Moen Flo system, and the premium discount will pay for the system in three years.

All those leak detectors and shut offs and what not are expensive (price including installation). Most houses with upper floor laundry rooms do not have then - builders normally omit them to save on the cost.

Most houses also do not have super-sound-insulated walls, so machinery at night wakes people up.

I commented above. My leak was on the drain line. The thing that revealed the leak was water coming through my ceiling into my foyer. A leak detector near the washer would not have detected that.

[Anonymous]

The nicest house I’ve ever been in had both.

I moved from a condo where the laundry was right by the bedrooms to a SFH with laundry in the basement and I thought I would care a lot but in practice, I barely notice. I do carry the dry laundry upstairs to fold it. Also, using stand up bags (from ikea) instead of baskets really is better for me. I’m in my 40s with good knees.

[Anonymous]

You should have one washer at bedroom level and another by the mudroom for throwing in dirty clothes outside that you dont want to track inside

[Anonymous]

Ours are in the basement, which is fine, but as I am getting older, I can see how it’s eventually going to be a big pain, hauling baskets of heavy clothes up and down the stairs

[Anonymous]

Who are all you people with washing machines that leaked from a top floor? Am 62 years old and know o of no one to whom this has happened to. Today I would not buy a home with laundry in the basement (we moved ours up many decades ago when we first bought the house we live in today)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who are all you people with washing machines that leaked from a top floor? Am 62 years old and know o of no one to whom this has happened to. Today I would not buy a home with laundry in the basement (we moved ours up many decades ago when we first bought the house we live in today)

Water damage from washer hoses and plumbing fixtures ranks up there with roof replacements for insurance claims. I have a laundry room on the upper level but I also use high quality hoses that I change out every five years. I also have a water shutoff system that actually malfunctioned and caused a leak lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're considering the same thing, so these comments are making me nervous. However, moving the laundry room makes sense for our family.

Our laundry is off our kitchen and connected to the garage. We want to turn that small room into a mudroom. We'll be able to leave bags, coats, shoes, etc. in there instead of everything spilling into the kitchen.

The laundry space in the basement will be larger, so we'll have room for a drying rack and more storage.

I like the idea of having it on the second floor, but in addition to leaks we also worry about vibration and noise. I think it could be kind of a nuisance near the bedrooms.

Surely you can just keep it in your mudroom? Add hooks and shelves? I’ve had basement laundry and upstairs laundry, and upstairs is a massive upgrade. Vibration, noise and leaks truly aren’t an issue. We have ours in a room off our bedroom and it’s super convenient.

Carrying stuff in the stairs is not great as you age.

Because it's not a mudroom now. It's a tiny room that only has enough space for a washer, dryer, utility sink, door to garage, and door to kitchen. There is no empty wall.

Washer/dryer take up 58 inches but I have space between them and the utility sink. It could be 54 " and the utility sink base cabinet is 30 inches.
Short upper cabinets above.

If all that is on the same wall in your house- get a smaller base cabinet sink just to get a deep sink. 18 inches and a deep bar sink. Upper cabinets to the ceiling. Reducing sink base cabinet can get you a 12 in floor to ceiling pantry closet. In studs on walls where no doors or windows? Hardiplank boards and have a double layer with staggered hooks.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Elkay-Dayton-15-in-Drop-in-Single-Bowl-Satin-Stainless-Steel-Bar-Sink-Only-D115151/100445676

[Anonymous]

Just use laundry bags with handles instead of baskets.

[Anonymous]

upstairs is awesome near the bedrooms

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ours are in the basement, which is fine, but as I am getting older, I can see how it’s eventually going to be a big pain, hauling baskets of heavy clothes up and down the stairs

These are much easier and imo less dangerous than the rigid plastic baskets.

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/klunka-laundry-bag-white-black-10364373/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who are all you people with washing machines that leaked from a top floor? Am 62 years old and know o of no one to whom this has happened to. Today I would not buy a home with laundry in the basement (we moved ours up many decades ago when we first bought the house we live in today)

Not a washing machine but I own a cape in Rockville with a crawl space instead of a basement so the furnace and water heater are on the 2nd floor - we had a hose into the water heater leak and it made a huge mess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Basement. If you've ever had a bad leak in your house as I have, you want to minimize the chances of that happening again.

Also - laundry makes noise.

I hate lugging the laundry up and down two flights of stairs but have reframed it in my mind as exercise. My laundry basket can carry two loads but it's easier if you just carry one load at a time.

The leak concern can be dealt with by water leak detectors and by automatic whole-house leak detection and shut-off systems. The former just notify you of a leak, the latter also shut off the water to the house if you don't react. Many homeowners insurance companies provide a substantial discount on your premiums if you install an automated system, as water damage is far and away the largest cause of claims, greatly exceedingly those for fire, burglary, hail damage and other hazards. I installed a Moen Flo system, and the premium discount will pay for the system in three years.

All those leak detectors and shut offs and what not are expensive (price including installation). Most houses with upper floor laundry rooms do not have then - builders normally omit them to save on the cost.

Most houses also do not have super-sound-insulated walls, so machinery at night wakes people up.

They are way less costly than the cost of recovering from a water leak, not only in the laundry area but anywhere in the house. That's why many home insurance companies significantly discount your insurance premiums if you install such a system. The discount pays for the system after a few years. Builders don't install them, they are an aftermarket improvement homeowners make at their election, like smart lighting, alarm systems, whole-house surge protectors, and other improvements.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Basement. If you've ever had a bad leak in your house as I have, you want to minimize the chances of that happening again.

Also - laundry makes noise.

I hate lugging the laundry up and down two flights of stairs but have reframed it in my mind as exercise. My laundry basket can carry two loads but it's easier if you just carry one load at a time.

The leak concern can be dealt with by water leak detectors and by automatic whole-house leak detection and shut-off systems. The former just notify you of a leak, the latter also shut off the water to the house if you don't react. Many homeowners insurance companies provide a substantial discount on your premiums if you install an automated system, as water damage is far and away the largest cause of claims, greatly exceedingly those for fire, burglary, hail damage and other hazards. I installed a Moen Flo system, and the premium discount will pay for the system in three years.

All those leak detectors and shut offs and what not are expensive (price including installation). Most houses with upper floor laundry rooms do not have then - builders normally omit them to save on the cost.

Most houses also do not have super-sound-insulated walls, so machinery at night wakes people up.

I commented above. My leak was on the drain line. The thing that revealed the leak was water coming through my ceiling into my foyer. A leak detector near the washer would not have detected that.

Correct, but a whole-house system like the Moen Flo would have. It detects water pressure drops in the pipes anywhere in the house and reacts to them. That system can be supplemented with moisture detectors you can place in specific areas, like by a washing machine, under a sink, near a toilet or dishwasher, by your hot water heater, etc. If one of those sensors detects moisture, it sends a signal to the system to cut the water to the house immediately. Absent such sensors, the system monitors pressure in the pipes and notifies you of an inexplicable pressure drop which may indicate a leak, whether in an appliance or in the walls. You have 5 minutes to respond, and the system shuts off the water if you do nothing. Additional moisture sensors accelerate that shut-off response time when placed in high-risk areas, but are optional.

[Anonymous]

I like it in the basement. It's less obtrusive that way.

[Anonymous]

Seeing as I've never lived or even stayed a significant amount of time in a place with the laundry anywhere other than the basement, it certainly doesn't seem like a deal breaker to me. But I guess I don't know what I'm missing.